Hello everyone! General questions..After my intro :)

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thedon

Member
Hello blackjack community

I just recently found this community and have been reading through various posts.. I am very interested in the technical side of this game and what it takes to win, and I have already got some of the basics down.

Currently I know almost all BS, except a few of the A-x, and pairs. Also I can count through a deck single carded in 29sec (what should I be looking at getting too? 25 and under?).

Anyways I go to the casino niagara, and soon I will check out the fallsview

I played last night even though I am nowhere near ready to play at an accurate level and found that it wasn't extremely difficult to keep a count, i never was offered a drink once (i assume this aspect is much worse in vegas), and the pitboss was only at our table briefly every 10 hands or so..

I lost the count many times though, and I have to stare like a zombie at the cards to keep it accurate(lol) and I would often forget the count, anyways I don't plan on playing again for a few more weeks as I consider myself winning that night fairly lucky

Now for my questions (those of you who are still with me, sorry but it's my first post theres a lot I want to put down!)

The game used 8 decks, you can double after splitting except for aces, dealer stands on all 17's..we played through what looked to be 7 before shuffling.

I have learned the Hi-Lo count only as of now.
Should I switch to a different count based on this type of game?

My understanding is you divide your count by the number of decks left (hi-lo), with that many decks would i have to wait for a count of 15-20+ in order to get a good enough true count to raise my bet?

As for watching the table, you are supposed to wait for a count in your favor before sitting down?(wonging in?) , but what about "wonging out" what does that mean, does it mean as soon as the count isn't in your favor you get up and leave? to me this seems like it you would only be playing like 2 hands...

Finally the usual minimum is $10-15 which is fine by me for now, so should a $1000 bankroll do me ok for now, also how much of that should i sit down with at the table?

Also on comps, lets say i play through like 10 shoes at a $15min, do you think that is enough to ask for a room, btw how would i ask?

Thank You for reading!
 
Sonny

Sonny

Well-Known Member
thedon said:
Hello blackjack community
Click to expand...
Hello thedon!

thedon said:
Also I can count through a deck single carded in 29sec (what should I be looking at getting too? 25 and under?).
Click to expand...
Thirty seconds is good for a beginner. After a while you’ll be able to get it down to 20-25 seconds, but 30 is fine to start with as long as you are accurate 100% of the time.

thedon said:
I have learned the Hi-Lo count only as of now.
Should I switch to a different count based on this type of game?
Click to expand...
The HiLo is a good system. It is pretty simple and quite powerful. A lot of people use it so it’s easy to get help with it too. It’s a good one to start with.

thedon said:
My understanding is you divide your count by the number of decks left (hi-lo), with that many decks would i have to wait for a count of 15-20+ in order to get a good enough true count to raise my bet?
Click to expand...
You probably only need a TC of +2 to have an advantage. At the top of the shoe (8 decks left) you would be looking for a count of about +16. After one deck has been dealt you only need a RC or about +14. You can start raising your bets at that point.

thedon said:
…what about "wonging out" what does that mean, does it mean as soon as the count isn't in your favor you get up and leave? to me this seems like it you would only be playing like 2 hands...
Click to expand...
You got it. If the count gets too low then many people will walk away and find another table that is more lucrative. You end up spending a LOT of time walking around and watching tables, but it also saves you a LOT of money that you would have wasted.

thedon said:
Finally the usual minimum is $10-15 which is fine by me for now, so should a $1000 bankroll do me ok for now, also how much of that should i sit down with at the table?
Click to expand...
That is a good starting bankroll as long as you can add more to it every month or so. But, for the time being, you should be practicing at home and/or watching the game without playing in order to get your skills up to speed. Learning basic strategy is the first step. If you try to get too far ahead of yourself you’ll end up tripping.

thedon said:
Also on comps, lets say i play through like 10 shoes at a $15min, do you think that is enough to ask for a room, btw how would i ask?
Click to expand...
I don’t know about comps in that particular casino, but usually most casinos need more action than that. Betting green ($25) or black ($100) chips for a few hours is often what it takes to get a free room. If you are playing $10-$15 per hand you will probably get flyers in the mail for really cheap rooms, but the free rooms usually require bigger action.

-Sonny-
 
zengrifter

zengrifter

Banned
thedon said:
Hello blackjack community

I just recently found this community and have been reading through various posts.. I am very interested in the technical side of this game and what it takes to win, and I have already got some of the basics down.

Currently I know almost all BS, except a few of the A-x, and pairs. Also I can count through a deck single carded in 29sec (what should I be looking at getting too? 25 and under?).

Anyways I go to the casino niagara, and soon I will check out the fallsview

I played last night even though I am nowhere near ready to play at an accurate level and found that it wasn't extremely difficult to keep a count, i never was offered a drink once (i assume this aspect is much worse in vegas), and the pitboss was only at our table briefly every 10 hands or so..

I lost the count many times though, and I have to stare like a zombie at the cards to keep it accurate(lol) and I would often forget the count, anyways I don't plan on playing again for a few more weeks as I consider myself winning that night fairly lucky

Now for my questions (those of you who are still with me, sorry but it's my first post theres a lot I want to put down!)

The game used 8 decks, you can double after splitting except for aces, dealer stands on all 17's..we played through what looked to be 7 before shuffling.

I have learned the Hi-Lo count only as of now.
Should I switch to a different count based on this type of game?

My understanding is you divide your count by the number of decks left (hi-lo), with that many decks would i have to wait for a count of 15-20+ in order to get a good enough true count to raise my bet?

As for watching the table, you are supposed to wait for a count in your favor before sitting down?(wonging in?) , but what about "wonging out" what does that mean, does it mean as soon as the count isn't in your favor you get up and leave? to me this seems like it you would only be playing like 2 hands...

Finally the usual minimum is $10-15 which is fine by me for now, so should a $1000 bankroll do me ok for now, also how much of that should i sit down with at the table?

Also on comps, lets say i play through like 10 shoes at a $15min, do you think that is enough to ask for a room, btw how would i ask?

Thank You for reading!
Click to expand...
He's a BOT! zg
 
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thedon

Member
sonny:

about what you said about walking around and switching tables,,, the particular casino i'm at only has ONE table with a real shoe, the rest of the tables have a machine where the cards after every hand are put into it and you cannot see through it...

btw.. what's a bot zengrif lol
 
J

jimpenn

Well-Known Member
CSM's at Fallsview/No smoking

Seneca Niagara is pretty good with their room comps. Now that Erie, Meadows, Pittsburgh operating they have taken a hit. When I first started playing there I had a hard time receiving a requested room. I have only received my room comp's from monthly flyers. Every Month. This month they are give two consecutive nights two times a week. S-Th Check in free Sun, Mon, $85 Tues, and Wed and Thurs free. This is for a $15/25 blackjack player. I also have a friend who plays $10 flat. He received a two night room comp this month. Now, the high roller room at Fallsview and Seneca deal a good six deck game for $100 min. You can change your mailing address to hotel if you play frequently.
 
Mimosine

Mimosine

Well-Known Member
thedon said:
btw.. what's a bot zengrif lol
Click to expand...
a BOT is short for "robot." it's a slang term for auto spammers. i think zg was joking. i can't tell sometimes with him. he's from a different dimension. go read the zen zone for 'proof'

* imaginary tongue in cheek emoticon *
 
jack.jackson

jack.jackson

Well-Known Member
Mimosine said:
a BOT is short for "robot." it's a slang term for auto spammers. i think zg was joking. i can't tell sometimes with him. he's from a different dimension. go read the zen zone for 'proof'

* imaginary tongue in cheek emoticon *
Click to expand...
Its just hard to tell whos real and whos not anymore! Its kinda like the little boy who cried wolf "effect".
It was just a matter a time before someone authentic, was thought to be a bot.
All i know its that real ones usually post something more than just a simple hello.
 
T

thedon

Member
well i can guarantee you i am not some sort of robot lol

i have another question if you don't mind, what exactly is penetration and indices?

also I have ordered the book Professional Blackjack from amazon, it will be here on Monday, I heard this was a good one to get!
 
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A

avs21

Well-Known Member
thedon said:
well i can guarantee you i am not some sort of robot lol

i have another question if you don't mind, what exactly is penetration and indices?

also I have ordered the book Professional Blackjack from amazon, it will be here on Monday, I heard this was a good one to get!
Click to expand...
Penetration is what percent of the deck or decks is dealt before shuffling. For example a 2D with 75% penetration would have 1.5 decks dealt before the dealer shuffles. The better the penetration the better the game.

Indices numbers tell you when to deviate from basic strategy based on the count. For example 16 vs 10 it's index number is 0 for the Zen count, so when you have a count equal to 0 or greater than you would deviate from basic strategy and stand instead of hitting.
 
T

thedon

Member
avs21 said:
Penetration is what percent of the deck or decks is dealt before shuffling. For example a 2D with 75% penetration would have 1.5 decks dealt before the dealer shuffles. The better the penetration the better the game.

Indices numbers tell you when to deviate from basic strategy based on the count. For example 16 vs 10 it's index number is 0 for the Zen count, so when you have a count equal to 0 or greater than you would deviate from basic strategy and stand instead of hitting.
Click to expand...
I see.. so about indices, where would I find these index numbers for the Hi-Lo count system?
 
G

GeorgeD

Well-Known Member
jimpenn said:
Seneca Niagara is pretty good with their room comps. Now that Erie, Meadows, Pittsburgh operating they have taken a hit. When I first started playing there I had a hard time receiving a requested room. I have only received my room comp's from monthly flyers. Every Month. This month they are give two consecutive nights two times a week. S-Th Check in free Sun, Mon, $85 Tues, and Wed and Thurs free. This is for a $15/25 blackjack player. I also have a friend who plays $10 flat. He received a two night room comp this month. Now, the high roller room at Fallsview and Seneca deal a good six deck game for $100 min. You can change your mailing address to hotel if you play frequently.
Click to expand...
Jim,

Do you also play slots at Seneca? We've been there about once/twice a month, and the only room comp we saw in a flyer was sent to my wife .. she plays slots, I play BJ usually at $10-$15 tables. I got enough points for a few free meals. We stayed a night in Juna and have not gotten another.

Do you find asking the PB for a room/meal helps? What kind & how much play is likely to get them.

Fallsview sends everyone offers for free concert tickets (we're going to The Temptations and CCR). Their monthly mailing also has coups for $2o off a meal.

I did hear a guy ask a PB at Fallsview for buffet tickets and he input something into the computer and told the guy it would take a while before he knew. Guy left, so I don't know if he efer got anything.
 
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