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Going to Vegas in Sept. I have basic strategy down. I need a counting system that I can manage and Hi/Lo isn’t it. I’ve tried 5/Ace. I’m interested in your program but honestly, I REALLY need to know what the most common table rules are for 5/10 min. tables before I invest in another program.
If you are going to just play basic strategy, you can find $5/$10 tables in lots of places with continuous shuffle machines. If you plan to count, you will need to look a lot harder to find decent regular shuffled games at that level. The first thing to check is make sure that blackjack pays 3:2, not 6:5. Check TI for some decent low-limit blackjack tables, or look downtown. The rules are generally going to be 6 deck or 8 deck, dealer hits soft 17, no surrender.
I am confused about playing full time and hourly win rates. I see posts and blogs saying that to make so much you need to put in so many hours of play but then i see posts and it is my experience that many sessions are only 1 hour up to 3 hours. When speaking of hourly rate is this actual time played? Sometimes i go to play and cant find a positive profitable shoe for a couple hours. I generally wong out at M1 and find myself watching poker for 15 minutes until i find a table with a new shoe. All in all it seems hard to put in 40 hours a week of actual play. Should i be traveling more? Is full time less than 40 hours? What am i missing? Any reply is appreciated Thanks
Most published “win rate per hour” numbers assume you will play through all those negative counts. When they do not, the author will clearly mention the criteria for leaving the table. That’s an excellent plan by the way, because your results will be much better if you leave in bad counts. 40 hours is tough to maintain anywhere, because if you are playing a winning game you must spread out that much play over multiple casinos or you won’t last long at all before being backed off.
I’ve played an online blackjack that when dealt two Aces automatically changed one of them to count eleven. I didnt catch it at first but sure enough when I drew another card I busted. This particular game would not count both my Aces as one. Is this ever done at a casino?
Yikes! That’s a terrible rule, and one I have never personally seen. I wouldn’t trust any online casino that does such a poor job of implementing blackjack, as I suspect it was just a programmer that didn’t understand even the basics of the game. Who knows what else they are doing wrong! To answer your question, no, this is never done at any casino I have visited.
also, I’ve tried to write a casino a couple times to find out their particular blackjack rules. No response. Should I be able to ask a casino to provide a copy of their rules?
I assume you are talking about online casinos. I would recommend avoiding any place that doesn’t have the rules clearly available on their site. Certainly, if they don’t respond to requests for the rules, that’s all I would need to know about their level of support. No way!
For a card counter, there is a tiny advantage to be gained by sitting at “third base”, since you get to see a few more cards before you must play out your hand. But the effect is minimal expect in single deck. I recommend most inexperienced counters not sit at third base, because other players mistakenly think your play makes a difference in their results. Until you develop a pretty thick skin, just avoid that issue by sitting elsewhere at the table.
Sam Vaughn is my father. I wish over the years that we could have been closer and he could have taught me some of his “tricks of the trade”. I miss him dearly!! Love you DOD!!
Headed to Vegas next week. Staying at the Monte Carlo. Where can I find a list of the best casinos to play at? 3:2 BJ Payout, Re-Split Aces, DS S17, Deep Deck Penetration, etc?
It’s been a while now since I have been to Vegas, but TI consistently gets the best reviews for low limit blackjack games with decent rules. Anywhere on the strip, it’s getting hard to find 3:2 BJ at low limits. Many places just don’t offer it at all until you get to $25+ limits. You also will find most games are now H17. Even downtown is no longer immune. Depending on how serious you are, it may be worth buying a subscription or single issue of Current Blackjack News at bj21.com. They show all the current conditions, updated monthly.
I was put on a data base for advantage players recently I believe it is called Oregon state surveillance or something along that line. It is a national data base. Does anyone know if you can do anything about that? Any thoughts out there? Thanks
Probably not much to be done. These databases are pretty much one-way. In my experience, once you’re listed, you’re listed. The good news is that virtually every pro I know has made a lot more money in the years after they were in Griffin than before. It’s not as fatal as it sounds.
There’s nothing wrong with that bet ramp if you’re getting away with it. 20:1 will definitely win the money! I like big spreads. Especially if you have the flexibility to travel a bit. And some out-of-the-way casinos are just clueless.
Ken is this bet ramp ok? +1 $10 +2 $50 +3 2X$50=$100 +4 2X$75=$150 +5 or higher im maxing at 2X$100. Played at this particular casino for 2-3 months; been doing well with no pit critter sweat.
You are probably hoping to contact the Gamemaster, but click here to see the latest info I have on him.
As for me, I’m in Mississippi, soon to be Texas. However, I am sorry to say I don’t do any personal tutoring.
Going to Vegas in Sept. I have basic strategy down. I need a counting system that I can manage and Hi/Lo isn’t it. I’ve tried 5/Ace. I’m interested in your program but honestly, I REALLY need to know what the most common table rules are for 5/10 min. tables before I invest in another program.
If you are going to just play basic strategy, you can find $5/$10 tables in lots of places with continuous shuffle machines. If you plan to count, you will need to look a lot harder to find decent regular shuffled games at that level. The first thing to check is make sure that blackjack pays 3:2, not 6:5. Check TI for some decent low-limit blackjack tables, or look downtown. The rules are generally going to be 6 deck or 8 deck, dealer hits soft 17, no surrender.
I am confused about playing full time and hourly win rates. I see posts and blogs saying that to make so much you need to put in so many hours of play but then i see posts and it is my experience that many sessions are only 1 hour up to 3 hours. When speaking of hourly rate is this actual time played? Sometimes i go to play and cant find a positive profitable shoe for a couple hours. I generally wong out at M1 and find myself watching poker for 15 minutes until i find a table with a new shoe. All in all it seems hard to put in 40 hours a week of actual play. Should i be traveling more? Is full time less than 40 hours? What am i missing? Any reply is appreciated Thanks
Most published “win rate per hour” numbers assume you will play through all those negative counts. When they do not, the author will clearly mention the criteria for leaving the table. That’s an excellent plan by the way, because your results will be much better if you leave in bad counts. 40 hours is tough to maintain anywhere, because if you are playing a winning game you must spread out that much play over multiple casinos or you won’t last long at all before being backed off.
I’ve played an online blackjack that when dealt two Aces automatically changed one of them to count eleven. I didnt catch it at first but sure enough when I drew another card I busted. This particular game would not count both my Aces as one. Is this ever done at a casino?
Yikes! That’s a terrible rule, and one I have never personally seen. I wouldn’t trust any online casino that does such a poor job of implementing blackjack, as I suspect it was just a programmer that didn’t understand even the basics of the game. Who knows what else they are doing wrong! To answer your question, no, this is never done at any casino I have visited.
also, I’ve tried to write a casino a couple times to find out their particular blackjack rules. No response. Should I be able to ask a casino to provide a copy of their rules?
I assume you are talking about online casinos. I would recommend avoiding any place that doesn’t have the rules clearly available on their site. Certainly, if they don’t respond to requests for the rules, that’s all I would need to know about their level of support. No way!
Where should you sit at the table? or does it matter?
For a card counter, there is a tiny advantage to be gained by sitting at “third base”, since you get to see a few more cards before you must play out your hand. But the effect is minimal expect in single deck. I recommend most inexperienced counters not sit at third base, because other players mistakenly think your play makes a difference in their results. Until you develop a pretty thick skin, just avoid that issue by sitting elsewhere at the table.
Sam Vaughn is my father. I wish over the years that we could have been closer and he could have taught me some of his “tricks of the trade”. I miss him dearly!! Love you DOD!!
Thanks for posting a note. Sam is missed by many.
Headed to Vegas next week. Staying at the Monte Carlo. Where can I find a list of the best casinos to play at? 3:2 BJ Payout, Re-Split Aces, DS S17, Deep Deck Penetration, etc?
It’s been a while now since I have been to Vegas, but TI consistently gets the best reviews for low limit blackjack games with decent rules. Anywhere on the strip, it’s getting hard to find 3:2 BJ at low limits. Many places just don’t offer it at all until you get to $25+ limits. You also will find most games are now H17. Even downtown is no longer immune. Depending on how serious you are, it may be worth buying a subscription or single issue of Current Blackjack News at bj21.com. They show all the current conditions, updated monthly.
I was put on a data base for advantage players recently I believe it is called Oregon state surveillance or something along that line. It is a national data base. Does anyone know if you can do anything about that? Any thoughts out there? Thanks
Probably not much to be done. These databases are pretty much one-way. In my experience, once you’re listed, you’re listed. The good news is that virtually every pro I know has made a lot more money in the years after they were in Griffin than before. It’s not as fatal as it sounds.
Sorry to contradict your dream of winning a house . In Philippines ,they don’t just use 6 decks but all use CSM !!
There’s nothing wrong with that bet ramp if you’re getting away with it. 20:1 will definitely win the money! I like big spreads. Especially if you have the flexibility to travel a bit. And some out-of-the-way casinos are just clueless.
Ken is this bet ramp ok? +1 $10 +2 $50 +3 2X$50=$100 +4 2X$75=$150 +5 or higher im maxing at 2X$100. Played at this particular casino for 2-3 months; been doing well with no pit critter sweat.
You are probably hoping to contact the Gamemaster, but click here to see the latest info I have on him.
As for me, I’m in Mississippi, soon to be Texas. However, I am sorry to say I don’t do any personal tutoring.