Basic strategy and winning

[blackjackstudent]

Hi guys - Im a relatively new blackjack player but I have memorized the BS chart in my head and am playing on the $30 tables. I know that the chart will not win you money in one session but over many sessions. Is BS the key to success in blackjack in the long term or does card counting work?

I mean all the professional players cant predict what the next card in the shoe is but they can predict the probability of the next card (e.g. whether it is likely to be a high card or low card).

 

[standard toaster]

PLaying perfect basic strategy over the long run will not make you a winning player. It will actually make you a losing player. See, basic strategy just negaes as much of the house edge as possible without counting cards. Although it is almost a break even game you will not be able to defeat the house edge with basic strategy. Card counting however does work and turns the tables on the casino by giving you the edge. You will not be able to know the next card but like you stated you will know how likely it is that that next card will help you or not.

The biggest key to counting cards other than the basics is your betting strategy. Players must have a bet spread in accordance to the count to gain that edge. Depending on the game you may need to spread 1-15 ($10-$150, $5-$75 ect.) to gain an edge.

If you want to learn everything you have come to the right place. You are amongst some of the greatest blackjack minds in the world. Be honored to learn from them

 

[blackjackstudent]

The next question that I should ask is how much bankroll should be brought into the casino. For me, because card counting is a new phemonen to me, I tend to bet $30 all the time but if Im having a good run, then Ill increase to $50 - I think that your bet on each hand should be less than 0.5% of the bankroll meaning that I need to have 6K in my bankroll.

Correct size betting through card counting makes a bankroll question difficult to answer.

Thanks for replying to my previous message.

 

[MoneyPlays]

Hi guys - Im a relatively new blackjack player but I have memorized the BS chart in my head and am playing on the $30 tables. I know that the chart will not win you money in one session but over many sessions. Is BS the key to success in blackjack in the long term or does card counting work?

I mean all the professional players cant predict what the next card in the shoe is but they can predict the probability of the next card (e.g. whether it is likely to be a high card or low card).

Welcome to the world of Blackjack! You are where I was about 6 months ago, as far as how advanced I was in the game. I played basic strategy very well for years and thought I usually won because I was a good player. Unfortunately, most of the Blackjack games the casinos offer these days put the player at a disadvantage off the top. The casino advantage is .5% and higher depending on the game. So over time you will not win, you'll lose .5% or more of your total amount bet. So I was just lucky. :grin:

But there's good news. You can swing the advantage to your side by learning to count cards. And yes, it does work. It's not as hard as you think either. If you can memorize basic strategy, then you can probably find a card count method that works for you. Counting cards tells you when the deck has more high cards available than low cards, which is when you have the advantage. You then bet more when you have the edge and bet less when the house has the edge. And that's how you win money in the long run.

Now card counting doesn't guarantee that you'll win every time, but you will win over time. There is still a substantial amount of risk involved, so make sure you understand that before you start betting big. If you've been betting $30 a hand, you're lucky if you haven't had a big loss yet, just like I was. You must have enough of a bankroll to match how you're betting and to be able to weather the negative downswings, which can be extreme at times.

There's a lot of good info on here, so take a good look around. And there's people here that are a lot more experienced than I am. They've been playing the game a long time and they'll be able to tell you anything you need to know. Good luck in your Blackjack journey. Be brave, be very brave.

 

[blackjackstudent]

Thanks for your replies guys. I have been playing blackjack for just 4 months - Initially I gave in to my emotions and loss a fair bit but in the last 1.5 months, I am playing with consistency and do believe that the game is beatable because players have been barred from the casinos.

 

[MoneyPlays]

Thanks for your replies guys. I have been playing blackjack for just 4 months - Initially I gave in to my emotions and loss a fair bit but in the last 1.5 months, I am playing with consistency and do believe that the game is beatable because players have been barred from the casinos.

Yes, emotions will kill your game. You can play with consistency but you can't win consistently with basic strategy alone. You will have losing sessions even if you do everything perfectly. The best thing to do is slow down a little and learn the finer points of the game. I don't know what kind of bankroll you have, but you're at high risk of losing it in short order. If you're independently wealthy, my apologies.

How did you learn to play Blackjack? (books, friends, internet?)

 

[blackjackstudent]

I learnt blackjack one night at the casino. I had an argument with my girlfriend that night and was pretty angry with the situation and decided to play blackjack. I won $ 100 that night and thought wow this is easy money. I had a couple of good winning sessions but then it went downwards from there due to poor emotion control.

I started betting $10 tables but found out that the casino had changed blackjack from 3 to 2 to 6 to 5 which is a rip off. Therefore, I had to play the higher stake tables and they would pay 3 to 2.

I think I have learnt a lot in the past 4 months but there is plenty to learn esp. card counting. What do you guys think of the website: http://www.bjrnet.com and the contents posted there? There are 19 sessions.

 

[blackjackstudent]

I have also heard that professional players win 12 out of 20 sessions and lose 8 out of 20 sessions - is that true? Professional players cant win 365 days a year but they have an advantage over the casinos, correct?

 

[sagefr0g]

What do you guys think of the website: http://www.bjrnet.com and the contents posted there? There are 19 sessions.

i like the gamemaster school stuff very much.

I have also heard that professional players win 12 out of 20 sessions and lose 8 out of 20 sessions - is that true? Professional players cant win 365 days a year but they have an advantage over the casinos, correct?

i dunno about professional players and sessions. i suspect they for a good bit of their sessions have winning ones.
but look at it this way, the number of winning sessions out of some group of sessions may not be all that significant. like for instance, maybe you have one or some small number of really nice big money wining session or sessions and the vast majority of the other sessions maybe relatively small losing sessions. point being the sum total of all those sessions might be a lot of money won, sort of thing. so really your wins and loss's might come in all sorts of ways.

 

[DonR]

I have also heard that professional players win 12 out of 20 sessions and lose 8 out of 20 sessions - is that true? Professional players cant win 365 days a year but they have an advantage over the casinos, correct?

I am far, far away from being a pro, but let me tell what my results are, ever since I started counting and keeping track of my sessions (about seven months ago).

The percentage of my winning sessions is 63%. Sounds good...right? Well, not really. The much more important thing is your overall rate of success. I am down about $2,500 (roughly around 150 units). My losing sessions obviously wiped out all my winnings and then some more. That's not really a disaster, but after 7 months of playing and counting, I am still down. If I only played perfect BS over this period of time, my overall score would probably be better, or at least not any worse than this.

You have to understand that this is in no way easy money, and the ups and downs of the game can do some serious damage, especially if your bankroll is not high enough.

You can most certainly learn a lot on this board, from the guys who know how to play this game, but I am pretty sure that none of them will tell you that this is easy.

Good luck and good cards to you!

 

[FLASH1296]

blackjackstudent,

A few things.

Card Counters tend to win between 65% and 70% of their sessions.
The wins, you will note, will be somewhat bigger than the losses.

The advantages that a Card Counter has ONLY become real in the long term.

It is very easy to play with an advantage and go broke in a hurry ...

because the overall advantage enjoyed by Card Counters varies but rarely exceeds 1%.
Yes, you read that correctly - one percent.
1% advantage is like winning 50.5% and losing 49.5%
Also beginners always have trouble wrapping their heads
around the fact that when we bet more money according
to the count we are underdogs to win the next bet. We
increase our bets because we get more blackjacks and we
do better with our doubles and splits. We rarely are going
to win more than 43% of the hands upon which we are wagering.

Furthermore, because long losing streaks are all but inevitable, a huge bankroll is required.
Generally, as a rule of thumb, anywhere from 1,000 to 1,400 units is recommended.
So ... if you are playing at a $25 table you will need to have at minimum $25,000 in cash to be properly capitalized.
If the games rules and penetration are poor that much will NOT be adequate. If you are playing a hand held game with good rules much less will suffice.

Ordinarily, 6 months of study and practice are required in order to be minimally prepared to put your money at risk. I suggest studying Blackjack Attack, 3rd ed. by Don Schlesinger. If you are the kind of person who hates to study you are doomed before you start. Take up a different hobby.

Where is your "home base" - meaning where are the casinos that you intend to play at ?

We have never heard of a "$30 table".

Aces and Faces to ya'

 

[mathman]

Start digging a grave

Blackjackstudent,

You need to concentrate on learning right now. Stop thinking about how much money you can make or how many times you will win or lose. If you focus on those items at your stage of the game you might as well dig a grave for whatever money you have. You will fail if you go into this thinking you are going to get rich, fast. This is very difficult work that requires a huge amount of patience. The rewards can be great but should not be planned on nor expected until your game is flawless, even then it's still subject to the large up's and down's. Calm down and learn, practice and practice and learn some more...JtMM

 

[enjoy.b]

study

I`m new too, but i have a lot of books my recomendations in order
Bluebook of Blackjack II Renzey, best for beginners and introduction
Blackbelt in blackjack Snyder the same than before but a lot deeper
Blackjack Attack, 3rd ed. by Don Schlesinger the most complex and advanced

good luck

 

[creeping panther]

Long Term

blackjackstudent,

A few things.

Card Counters tend to win between 65% and 70% of their sessions.
The wins, you will note, will be somewhat bigger than the losses.

The advantages that a Card Counter has ONLY become real in the long term.

It is very easy to play with an advantage and go broke in a hurry ...

because the overall advantage enjoyed by Card Counters varies but rarely exceeds 1%.
Yes, you read that correctly - one percent.


IMHO,

There is no "Long Term". Every session should be viewed as the first and last time you will ever play. Each session must stand on it's own merit. The Long Term Is Bull ****.:yikes:

By only playing good games 1% should be the very minimum of your advantage.

You must be very SKILLED to come out ahead in this game. Few have the Skillz set needed,................ and most never will.

CP

 

[shadroch]

Your session starts with your next hand. It ends with the last hand you'll ever play.

 

[blackjackstudent]

Im from Australia and in Australia the casinos really suck really bad because the casinos has state government approval. In each state, there is one casino per state and apparently the state government have some proprietary interests in the casinos and thats why skilled players can be legally bared compared with Atlantic City Casinos.

Late last year when I started playing blackjack, I played at the $ 10 tables but found out two months later that the $ 10 tables became 6:5 payout for blackjack and that some $ 15 tables used CSMs which will negate counting cards.

The only tables that used ASMs were the higher stakes tables and they would offer 3:2 blackjack whereas their smaller stake counterpart would offer 6:5 which is a bit of a rip off.

How do I buy these blackjack books? Please direct to me some websites.
I also use the website: http://www.thecolorofblackjack.com/ by Daniel Dravot - what you guys think of that website?

 

[FLASH1296]

I will be uncharacteristically kind.
You have not chosen the best resource.

 

[blackjackstudent]

How about http://www.bjrnet.com and the contents posted under school. There are 19 sessions of blackjack - what you guys think?

 

[FLASH1296]

BJRnet.com is reliable

I suggest reading all of the free stuff in the libraries at bj21.com

 

[Kasi]

I have also heard that professional players win 12 out of 20 sessions and lose 8 out of 20 sessions - is that true?

Number of winning sessions vs number of losing sessions is pretty much a function of length of "session".

Assuming all sessions are the same number of hands played in the same game etc.

A hundred sessions, each of a 100 hr length at a 100 hands/hr, will have a higher winning percentage of sessions than 10,000 sessions each of a 1 hour length even though you have played 1,000,000 hands in each case.