Inside the mind of a bj pro

[bjcount]

INSIDE THE MIND OF A BJ PRO

I countdown in 24 sec., have 80+ indices for 2 different games, and have the opt betting schedule all burned into memory. I’ve studied/practiced flashing, sorting, edges, hole carding, ace prediction, shuffle tracking, and read up on a list of other AP strategies. (note: only studying, but still not even close to expert level)

I’ve read thru BJA3 , PBJaB, PB, Cacarulo hand probabilities, Grifters interview, Griffens theory, three of Zenders works, and a dozen more at least 10x each.

I’ve run 100’s of sims using CVDATA &, CVCX. Played countless hours of practice bj. Used CVBJ drills until the mouse wore out and had to purchase a replacement.

I ‘m ready! I step into casino. Find a table. Buy in. Now what?

Okay, I use the count, place my bet accordingly, and play by my indices. I carefully watch to see when my AP methods can benefit my game.

SO here’s the $64,000 question.

All those charts, sims, & formulas I've studied. How and when do these come into play??
BJC

 

[sagefr0g]

to be or not to be that is the question

INSIDE THE MIND OF A BJ PRO

I countdown in 24 sec., have 80+ indices for 2 different games, and have the opt betting schedule all burned into memory. I’ve studied/practiced flashing, sorting, edges, hole carding, ace prediction, shuffle tracking, and read up on a list of other AP strategies. (note: only studying, but still not even close to expert level)

I’ve read thru BJA3 , PBJaB, PB, Cacarulo hand probabilities, Grifters interview, Griffens theory, three of Zenders works, and a dozen more at least 10x each.

I’ve run 100’s of sims using CVDATA &, CVCX. Played countless hours of practice bj. Used CVBJ drills until the mouse wore out and had to purchase a replacement.

I ‘m ready! I step into casino. Find a table. Buy in. Now what?

Okay, I use the count, place my bet accordingly, and play by my indices. I carefully watch to see when my AP methods can benefit my game.

SO here’s the $64,000 question.

All those charts, sims, & formulas I've studied. How and when do these come into play??
BJC

lol, been there done that, but definately not a pro, for me it goes kind of like this:
http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showpost.php?p=112072&postcount=328

no advice here, definite no pro here, ok. just some voodoo thoughts.
play perfect basic strategy with I18 & fabfour and try and get as many snappers, profitable insurance bets and double down opportunities as possible. if in your judgement the prospects for those three events are beyond hope for a given pack then suspende play and try anew either from a fresh pack or by wonging in. guide your actions and judge your results by all that you learned from the sources you mentioned above. do you have kasi's spread sheet?
the keys to the kingdom are snappers, good insurance bets and double downs. you may or may not get them but at least know when it's most likely that you will, it's a short term gamble and according to theory a good one in the long term.
http://www.blackjackincolor.com/truecount6.htm

 

[FLASH1296]

INSIDE THE MIND OF A BJ PRO

All those charts, sims, & formulas I've studied. How and when do these come into play??
BJC

I am far far from the sharpest knife in this drawer, and absolutely no insult is meant,
but I am guessing that you are feeling that you are perhaps playing BJ somewhat "mechanically".

Here are a few examples of what I mean:

I switch from a S17 DD game to a H17 SD game and need to quickly recal B.S.for 12 vs. 6 and 11 vs. Ace in these games.

I recall the comprehensive basic Strategy chart in Theory of Blackjack and the more concise chart in Blackjack Attack.

Having sensed a bit of heat, I move from a DD game to a shoe game.
I need to switch from Hi-Opt II to ZEN, which is more applicable to a shoe game.
I have but a fleeting moment to "reset" my count to the correct tags and stop side-counting Aces.

I am playing BJ and I feel that I need to add some cover play.
To do so I check my memory and I recall reading about what plays will cost very little to purposely misplay in this particular game.

I am playing at an extremely + (or -) True Count.
I check my memory and am able to glimpse a chart from the appendix of
Blackjack Attack where the difference in e.v. for alternate plays are shown.

I need to recalculate my bet-ramping in order to adapt to a major change in bankroll size.

I mentally attend an assortment of things that i have studied.

I want to take advantage of a situation where i am playing solo and need to take advantage of a very advantageous True Count.
I have but a few seconds to calculate how much I need to bet on three spots to keep my risk unchanged while increasing my total money in action.

I recall the formula I have learned and decide to bet 2/3 of my maxbet on each spot.


Think for a moment about almost any type of meaningful education e.g.

1. E.M.T. training.
2. self-defense training.
3. lifeguard training.
4. medical school.

Can you see how in EVERY case the recipient of the education (hopefully) has learned to "think on his feet"
in order to react quickly and decisively; and how to respond to unfamiliar events and circumstances ?

 

[blackjack avenger]

Tongue in Cheek?

I am far far from the sharpest knife in this drawer, and absolutely no insult is meant,
but I am guessing that you are feeling that you are perhaps playing BJ somewhat "mechanically".

Here are a few examples of what I mean:

I switch from a S17 DD game to a H17 SD game and need to quickly recal B.S.for 12 vs. 6 and 11 vs. Ace in these games.

I recall the comprehensive basic Strategy chart in Theory of Blackjack and the more concise chart in Blackjack Attack.

Having sensed a bit of heat, I move from a DD game to a shoe game.
I need to switch from Hi-Opt II to ZEN, which is more applicable to a shoe game.
I have but a fleeting moment to "reset" my count to the correct tags and stop side-counting Aces.

I am playing BJ and I feel that I need to add some cover play.
To do so I check my memory and I recall reading about what plays will cost very little to purposely misplay in this particular game.

I am playing at an extremely + (or -) True Count.
I check my memory and am able to glimpse a chart from the appendix of
Blackjack Attack where the difference in e.v. for alternate plays are shown.

I need to recalculate my bet-ramping in order to adapt to a major change in bankroll size.

I mentally attend an assortment of things that i have studied.

I want to take advantage of a situation where i am playing solo and need to take advantage of a very advantageous True Count.
I have but a few seconds to calculate how much I need to bet on three spots to keep my risk unchanged while increasing my total money in action.

I recall the formula I have learned and decide to bet 2/3 of my maxbet on each spot.


Think for a moment about almost any type of meaningful education e.g.

1. E.M.T. training.
2. self-defense training.
3. lifeguard training.
4. medical school.

Can you see how in EVERY case the recipient of the education (hopefully) has learned to "think on his feet"
in order to react quickly and decisively; and how to respond to unfamiliar events and circumstances ?

You are kidding right?:joker::whip:

 

[blackjack avenger]

Paralysis by Analysis

These things come into play when you bet with an advantage.:joker::whip:

 

[bjcount]

I am far far from the sharpest knife in this drawer, and absolutely no insult is meant,
but I am guessing that you are feeling that you are perhaps playing BJ somewhat "mechanically".

Here are a few examples of what I mean:

I switch from a S17 DD game to a H17 SD game and need to quickly recal B.S.for 12 vs. 6 and 11 vs. Ace in these games.

I recall the comprehensive basic Strategy chart in Theory of Blackjack and the more concise chart in Blackjack Attack.

Having sensed a bit of heat, I move from a DD game to a shoe game.
I need to switch from Hi-Opt II to ZEN, which is more applicable to a shoe game.
I have but a fleeting moment to "reset" my count to the correct tags and stop side-counting Aces.

I am playing BJ and I feel that I need to add some cover play.
To do so I check my memory and I recall reading about what plays will cost very little to purposely misplay in this particular game.

I am playing at an extremely + (or -) True Count.
I check my memory and am able to glimpse a chart from the appendix of
Blackjack Attack where the difference in e.v. for alternate plays are shown.

I need to recalculate my bet-ramping in order to adapt to a major change in bankroll size.

I mentally attend an assortment of things that i have studied.

I want to take advantage of a situation where i am playing solo and need to take advantage of a very advantageous True Count.
I have but a few seconds to calculate how much I need to bet on three spots to keep my risk unchanged while increasing my total money in action.

I recall the formula I have learned and decide to bet 2/3 of my maxbet on each spot.


Think for a moment about almost any type of meaningful education e.g.

1. E.M.T. training.
2. self-defense training.
3. lifeguard training.
4. medical school.

Can you see how in EVERY case the recipient of the education (hopefully) has learned to "think on his feet"
in order to react quickly and decisively; and how to respond to unfamiliar events and circumstances ?

The way you put it together is exactly how I put all the things together in my mind when I play, I just never thought of it in such simple terms.

FLASH, Thanks for the clearer view.

BJC

 

[EasyRhino]

bjcount, you've studied about 10x more things than I will ever feel like learning.

You'd probably need to scratch some money together.

The biggest remaining step would be to determine, in advance, what the practical application will be of your book learnin'.

1) Are skills like shuffle tracking reliable enough to use? If so, discard for the moment.
2) Determine bet ramp to use for your bankroll.
3) Determine wong in/out points for the expected game.

Then, when you go to the casino, just look around. Figure out what you want to play. Maybe you're looking for good penetration, or wonging opportunities, or a sloppy dealer, or whatever. Pick the one that seems the best, find out of you have a "ruleset" available for it, and play.

- Have a good basic plan of attack.
- Don't lose your discipline.
- Try to remain aware of what's going on in your environment.
- Don't overthink it.

I recall the formula I have learned and decide to bet 2/3 of my maxbet on each spot.

x3 spots, wouldn't this be an overbet?

 

[blackjack avenger]

Okay, What's the Joke?

As a machine becomes more complex it is more likely to break down. As the human mind tries to perform more and more mental tasks it becomes prone to error!:joker::whip:

Which is the superior counter?
The one who adds continued complexity?
or
The one who focuses on the most valuable tasks and information?:joker::whip:

Probably a subjective answer.

 

[bjcount]

These things come into play when you bet with an advantage.:joker::whip:

I'm sorry to say but I dont understand. If your at a TC -2, 6-6 vs 2, where's the advantage, your at a min. bet. Now if you got the holecard maybe then you raised your advantage, but how much so? You cant raise your bet, but you know if you should split and then dd ea split or just hit the 6's.

BJC

 

[sagefr0g]

I'm sorry to say but I dont understand. ..

BJC

essentially what i think he is saying is that if you have a gameplan, and stick to it, then you wont have to think so much. most of the thinking is done ahead of time.
ergo, paralysis by analysis.

 

[bjcount]

bjcount, you've studied about 10x more things than I will ever feel like learning.

You'd probably need to scratch some money together.

The biggest remaining step would be to determine, in advance, what the practical application will be of your book learnin'.

1) Are skills like shuffle tracking reliable enough to use? If so, discard for the moment.
2) Determine bet ramp to use for your bankroll.
3) Determine wong in/out points for the expected game.

Then, when you go to the casino, just look around. Figure out what you want to play. Maybe you're looking for good penetration, or wonging opportunities, or a sloppy dealer, or whatever. Pick the one that seems the best, find out of you have a "ruleset" available for it, and play.

- Have a good basic plan of attack.
- Don't lose your discipline.
- Try to remain aware of what's going on in your environment.
- Don't overthink it.



x3 spots, wouldn't this be an overbet?

Good thoughts too. Thank you..
Scratch is no problem and I would use 2/3 as a rule of thumb too, but the true number if I recall correctly is only a bit lower.
BJC

 

[bjcount]

As a machine becomes more complex it is more likely to break down. As the human mind tries to perform more and more mental tasks it becomes prone to error!:joker::whip:

Which is the superior counter?
The one who adds continued complexity?
or
The one who focuses on the most valuable tasks and information?:joker::whip:

Probably a subjective answer.

I'll take #2, but that was my point of asking this thread. To open the pro/semi pro's mind up to the rest of us.

BJC

 

[bjcount]

essentially what i think he is saying is that if you have a gameplan, and stick to it, then you wont have to think so much. most of the thinking is done ahead of time.
ergo, paralysis by analysis.

Again, I may be nieve, but a semi/pro player can not sit down with the same game plan every time they play. That would be like doing a button hook for every down in a football game. There's a book of plays and a reason to use each one when the time is right.

Sorry but I always ask a lot of whys? and show me's? and then question their reply if it is not 100% complete IMO. Just a bad habit.
Thanks for your understanding.

BJC

 

[sagefr0g]

Again, I may be nieve, but a semi/pro player can not sit down with the same game plan every time they play. That would be like doing a button hook for every down in a football game. There's a book of plays and a reason to use each one when the time is right.

BJC

good point, each game rule set, and each set of conditions for a games rule set (ie. #players, pen) may require a different game plan.
just the point was though, game plans can lower your burden as far as having to think of so many complex things written in this book, that book or what ever.
for three hands, you'd bet about 45% of your advantage using 80-60-45 rule of thumb for one, two or three hands, per S. Wong page 204 Professional Blackjack. like if you would of bet $200 on one hand then you'd bet $150 on each hand of two hands and $112 on each hand of three. lol, i don't think i've ever went to three hands in my recreational world, how rare would that be.

 

[Sonny]

All those charts, sims, & formulas I've studied. How and when do these come into play??
BJC

For card counting the answer is simple: You are already using everything you've learned. The indices, betting spreads, game scouting and scavenger plays will all come naturally as you play. You may not notice yourself using them, but you are. The fact that you are sitting at the best table with the best dealer in the best location, using the best bet spread, adapting your play as necesary based on the changing conditions and taking advantage of any unexpected opportunities is the proof. It may seem natural and effortless, but it is there.

For advanced AP techniques you will always be aware of when you are using them. You will have scouted the conditions and done some prep work before you even sit down at the table. Usually there are several steps towards using a “fancy trick”:

Step 1) Study
Step 2) Scout
Step 3) Practice
Step 4) Execute

It sounds like you’ve done steps 1 and 3. I would suggest going back to step 2. Scout the games and see which opportunities might be available and how you might use those techniques you’ve learned. Once you’ve found a way to use them, practice them in simulated casino conditions and crunch the numbers to see whether it is worthwhile or not. Once your skills are up to par, go out and make the money. Stick with Sonny’s patented Six Step Method :grin::

http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?p=95014#post95014

-Sonny-

 

[bjcount]

, you'd bet about 45% of your advantage using 80-60-45 rule of thumb for one, two or three hands, per S. Wong page 204 Professional Blackjack. like

Much clearer now thank you. I didn't remember three being so low, but then again i only go out to 2.

BJC

 

[bjcount]

For card counting the answer is simple: You are already using everything you've learned. The indices, betting spreads, game scouting and scavenger plays will all come naturally as you play. You may not notice yourself using them, but you are. The fact that you are sitting at the best table with the best dealer in the best location, using the best bet spread, adapting your play as necesary based on the changing conditions and taking advantage of any unexpected opportunities is the proof. It may seem natural and effortless, but it is there.

For advanced AP techniques you will always be aware of when you are using them. You will have scouted the conditions and done some prep work before you even sit down at the table. Usually there are several steps towards using a “fancy trick”:

Step 1) Study
Step 2) Scout
Step 3) Practice
Step 4) Execute

It sounds like you’ve done steps 1 and 3. I would suggest going back to step 2. Scout the games and see which opportunities might be available and how you might use those techniques you’ve learned. Once you’ve found a way to use them, practice them in simulated casino conditions and crunch the numbers to see whether it is worthwhile or not. Once your skills are up to par, go out and make the money. Stick with Sonny’s patented Six Step Method :grin::

http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?p=95014#post95014

-Sonny-

Thanks for the points and the steps.

The link is a good plan, thank you.

I think the point of the thread was to bring out these ideas and points to make sure I or we are using all the info correctly. It's great that we are getting so much input.

I have a mental list of the dealers I avoid due to being slow dealing, over cutting, and other shuffling reasons. I cant seem to find an "exposer" no matter how far back or low I sit in my seat. One day.....


BJC

 

[Sonny]

I cant seem to find an "exposer" no matter how far back or low I sit in my seat.

Find a dealer that almost exposes the card to a certain seat and try to encourage her movements. It's a fun game even when you don't create a flashing dealer.

-Sonny-

 

[Bojack1]

Again, I may be nieve, but a semi/pro player can not sit down with the same game plan every time they play. That would be like doing a button hook for every down in a football game. There's a book of plays and a reason to use each one when the time is right.

Sorry but I always ask a lot of whys? and show me's? and then question their reply if it is not 100% complete IMO. Just a bad habit.
Thanks for your understanding.

BJC

I see what you're saying here but it is true, you should have your plan mapped out with every answer before you play.

Most pros don't play new casinos cold. For me it works like this. First for me to even consider playing a new casino or one I have never been to before, there has to be a reason to go there. I can not bring a team to a casino with out seeing if it is even playable first. I don't always have to be the one who scouts out new places, as a matter of fact I rarely do. But with networking with others you can obtain at least a feel of what to expect. After this its time to hit that casino for a scout/play trip. Usually 1 or 2 of the team will go scout out the place and play a bit. From there we come up with a plan of just how this place should be played and we put it on the schedule. Of course all other venues that are frequented on a regular basis already have plans drawn up.

Now of course things may happen during a trip that may alter an original plan, but usually there is always a plan designated for each situation. Using your football reference, we call audibles, but an audible is still a designed play out of the playbook. For example, if we have designated a trip at a certain casino to be a straight counting trip based on the info we know about the place, but a weak dealer or shuffle can be exploited not previously noted, then we have already practiced and planned on what to do there. Even if it is only for a few minutes or a few hours the plan changes to the situation.

Believe it or not it is more of an exception then the rule of having to change plans on the fly. Method of play, money management, bet spreads, signals, even heat considerations are all worked out for most scenarios before the first chip hits the felt. Although its important to be able to think quickly, its more about recalling whats already been drawn up rather then coming up with something on the spot.

 

[creeping panther]

BJcount

INSIDE THE MIND OF A BJ PRO

I countdown in 24 sec., have 80+ indices for 2 different games, and have the opt betting schedule all burned into memory. I’ve studied/practiced flashing, sorting, edges, hole carding, ace prediction, shuffle tracking, and read up on a list of other AP strategies. (note: only studying, but still not even close to expert level)

I’ve read thru BJA3 , PBJaB, PB, Cacarulo hand probabilities, Grifters interview, Griffens theory, three of Zenders works, and a dozen more at least 10x each.

I’ve run 100’s of sims using CVDATA &, CVCX. Played countless hours of practice bj. Used CVBJ drills until the mouse wore out and had to purchase a replacement.

I ‘m ready! I step into casino. Find a table. Buy in. Now what?

Okay, I use the count, place my bet accordingly, and play by my indices. I carefully watch to see when my AP methods can benefit my game.

SO here’s the $64,000 question.

All those charts, sims, & formulas I've studied. How and when do these come into play??
BJC

Congrats on all the study and hard work, you are very dedicated.

Now the hard part....find a fine game, FINE..game. Don't knock your head against the wall with a trash game. Then play the game, have at it, and see how you hold up. Then you will know the real truth as to your Skillz.

Best to you,
CP