A few questions

D

DarkAce

New Member
Hey boys (and girls) ..

I am fairly new at blackjack, I'm currently reading a Danish book called "Blackjack - win over the casino," which is a book on Basic blackjack, as well as an introduction to counting cards and such.

The book proposes to read "Edward Thorp - Beat the Dealer", but is is the book still relevant? It is pretty old, but could I still learn something from it?

The biggest problem, is that I only earn $ 300 a month, so therefore I will not waste my money on bad books (or videos).

I'm really not sure what to read or see. There are so many books that says you can beat the casino, by following their "guides".

Summary:

1. What should I read to learn to count cards?

2. I use this table to know when I will stand or hit: http://www.black-jack-guide.com/rules/black_jack_chart.htm. Is there anything better? Or is it the best?


Cool forum, looking forward to spending a lot of hours here.

Best regards
Nick.
 
1

1357111317

Well-Known Member
DarkAce said:
Hey boys (and girls) ..


The biggest problem, is that I only earn $ 300 a month, so therefore I will not waste my money on bad books (or videos).

Nick.
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Stop right there. Divided your bankroll by 500 and thats about roughly how much to expect per hour unless you have excellent games nearby.
 
2

21Menace

Well-Known Member
Doesn't seem like your going to have a large enough bankroll.

But bankroll aside, I'd recommend taking the lessons on this site. Click "Blackjack School." They don't go into as much depth as some books, but you'll learn just about all you need to learn to get started, plus its free!

The charts look correct to me. Go to "Basic Strategy Engine" on this site and you can make a chart for your specific game.
 
2

21Menace

Well-Known Member
And yes, Beat The Dealer is not too applicable anymore. Interesting read, but not as useful as other books.
 
M

Mr. T

Well-Known Member
Does't look like you have a bankroll at all. What is $300 per month.

The golden rule in gambling is to play with only what you can afford to lose.
 
StandardDeviant

StandardDeviant

Well-Known Member
DarkAce said:
The biggest problem, is that I only earn $ 300 a month, so therefore I will not waste my money on bad books (or videos).
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Don't waste your time or money on Blackjack either. You don't have enough money to play. Save up. Try reading this forum and others. Your questions are answered here. Come back when you are older and have more money.
 
Martin Gayle

Martin Gayle

Well-Known Member
Quit your paper route and find a higher paying job. Then you can buy a book without having to think about the cost.
 
Deathclutch

Deathclutch

Well-Known Member
I'd recommend checking out Blackbelt in Blackjack, Blackjack Bluebook II, or just about any of Wong's books.
 
D

DarkAce

New Member
Thanks for the replies so far.

I am perfectly aware of that $ 300 is next to nothing. I get them from school, it happens once you become 18 years old.

I can handle losing $ 200 per month, the $ 100 is for bills and such. I should start accepting donations, haha:). Trying to keep the positive mindset. Oh, I know it will take a long time to save up. How big a bankroll should you have?

What else would people suggest in books? In addition to Wong's? :)

Best regards
Nick.
 
FLASH1296

FLASH1296

Well-Known Member
"I actually do not know the rules at the Casino Copenhagen (where I will play) but I'm going to find out what the minimum bet is. Are there other things I should ask them?

Wow, this is a lot of money, but I'm going to seek a second job so I can get more than $ 300 a month.

I have to start reading some more."

I infer that you are imagining that blackjack is a simple card game. it is NOT. To gain proficiency sufficient to be truly skillful, [presuming that there is a game that is beatable], takes most young people perhaps anywhere from 3 to 10 months of study & practice. It will depend on their study skills, what they study, how many hours daily they invest in practice and study, their memory skills, etc.

I am of the opinion that there are no casinos near you that offer a beatable game.

What you need to do is post the question "What are the rules and penetration like in (and near) Denmark?" in the appropriate forum.

If the game is as poor as I believe it to be, all the money in the world will not convert it into a profitable game. Trying to profit from a bad game will simply impoverish you.

Each set of rules has a different "House Advantage or "House Edge"" In the U.S.A. they run from the rare games where the house advantage is essentially ZERO and the house still profits mightily due to the lack of skill demonstrated by the patrons, to what we consider the worst games available where the "House Edge" is as high as .76%; meaning that IF the patrons ply (perfect) basic strategy they will lose a sum of near 1% of all the money that they wager. As the players may play between 50 and 200 hands per hour, even at low stakes, this enables the casinos to profit by billions of dollars.

Most Professional Players like myself consider a "House Edge" of .40% to be "marginal" The games that I have frequented this year have had "House Edges" ranging from .19% to .32%

Even when the rules are good there are other factors that MUST be examined. The most important factor - actually MORE important than the rules offered is the "penetration" — that is what % of the cards are dealt to the players before the cards are shuffled. Ordinarily, we look for a minimum of 75% but that is only acceptable if the rules are quite good. Other factors include how many betting "spots" or "boxes" there are per table, how crowded the tables are, how aggressively one can "spread" their bets before the casino bans us from play.

I imagine that the casinos that you have near you use Continuous Shuffle Machines ["C.S.M.'s"] making gaining an advantage of any kind [literally] IMPOSSIBLE.
 
M

Mr. T

Well-Known Member
StandardDeviant said:
Spend your money chasing girls. You'll get farther.
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Now this is one good idea. Come to think of it. If only I had that $300 when I was a young man. Far too late for that now. :sad:
 
T

Thunder

Well-Known Member
How do you know she isn't really a 400 lb chain smoker guy with hairy arms and ugly tattoos on his flabby arms.
 
psyduck

psyduck

Well-Known Member
Thunder said:
How do you know she isn't really a 400 lb chain smoker guy with hairy arms and ugly tattoos on his flabby arms.
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LOL! Sounds like a lot of players I see at my table! I should ask them if they post here.
 
StandardDeviant

StandardDeviant

Well-Known Member
Thunder said:
How do you know she isn't really a 400 lb chain smoker guy with hairy arms and ugly tattoos on his flabby arms.
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Next you're gonna try to tell me that Automatic Monkey isn't really simian!? :eek:

Why are you guys always talking about me? I think I'll take my picture down off this site...
 
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