Looking for Short-Term Advice

[ChefJJ]

I second that thought on KO...a couple of weeks with good practice at home (e.g. dealing 6 hands and dealer play at a table) works wonders. A couple shoes a night, and memorize BS and your betting levels...should be solid. It's a great system if you want something simple at the tables. Easy deviation matrix system too...all based on the key count and pivot point. (which is what your bets are pretty much based on too).

Good luck

 

[Renzey]

Session Win Rate

David -- Many betting strategies can be devised that will produce a high session win rate. It's no big trick. You can easily win over 80% of all your coin flip sessions just by quitting as soon as you get one flip ahead. But over time, you will still win 50% of all your flips, and break approximately even in what started out as an even game. All betting strategies that base the next bet size upon the last result have counterbalances that return the overall expectation to essentially where it started.

 

[shadroch]

Mr Renzey,
Perhaps you can help me with this.
While taking breaks from BJ,I often play low stakes roulette,using Oscars Grind.However,I set win/loss stop points.If betting a $1 base,I quit at winning $20 or losing $100.
I've read a great deal on Oscars Grind and its weakness is supposed to be the one in thousands series where you lose everything that soaks up all your previous wins.
By limiting my losses to $100,I realize I will have many more losing sseries than the one Big One that is Oscars Bane,but so far.I'm winning well more than the five out of six sessions I need to make a profit.In fact,I've won nine straight sessions and sixteen out of the last seventeen.
I'm at a point where I'd need three straight losses to bring me back to neutral territory,but have already decided to quit playing this if I ever lose tthree straight sessions.
Any hidden dangers you can see that I'm missing.
As I said,its just to kill time and I have no illusions that raising the stakes would give the same results.

 

[ScottH]

While taking breaks from BJ,I often play low stakes roulette,using Oscars Grind.

A nice way to take away the EV you earned at the tables! Since your disadvantage is greater at roulette than your advantage is at BJ.

But wait, I don't want to be negative. Keep going with this strategy! You can do it Shadroch!

 

[Sonny]

But wait, I don't want to be negative. Keep going with this strategy! You can do it Shadroch!

He probably will! He's got enough matchplays and coupons to play any game +EV for the next year! He's no fool. :dog:

-Sonny-

 

[ScottH]

He probably will! He's got enough matchplays and coupons to play any game +EV for the next year! He's no fool. :dog:

-Sonny-

The post sounded pretty "ploppy-ish" to me. Progression use, win/loss stop points, asking if there are any "hidden dangers" to using that system, playing bad games to "kill time", etc.

 

[shadroch]

The post sounded pretty "ploppy-ish" to me. Progression use, win/loss stop points, asking if there are any "hidden dangers" to using that system, playing bad games to "kill time", etc.

Okay,Scott.
Explain to me the dangers of Oscars Grind,modified as I describe..
I don't know about others,but I can't spend 12 hours a day,seven days in a row playing BJ.I suck at poker,don't like craps,am not going to play slots unless its using some of the $250 in free slot play coupons I have,so what should I do? Six hours sleeping,an hour or two reading,two hours eating,six hours playing leaves me a lot of spare time while I'm in Vegas.
What do you do while not playing BJ when in Vegas?

 

[eps6724]

Patch-play advantage is hardly "easy". You still have to seek them out (which you would provide).

I will be in Las Vegas this fall-can you point me in the right direction as to where to start looking for such coupons?

Thanks!
-EPS

 

[ihate17]

A suggestion

Okay,Scott.
Explain to me the dangers of Oscars Grind,modified as I describe..
I don't know about others,but I can't spend 12 hours a day,seven days in a row playing BJ.I suck at poker,don't like craps,am not going to play slots unless its using some of the $250 in free slot play coupons I have,so what should I do? Six hours sleeping,an hour or two reading,two hours eating,six hours playing leaves me a lot of spare time while I'm in Vegas.
What do you do while not playing BJ when in Vegas?

First off, it is your money and your time, so do with it whatever you wish.

Some other low -EV games
High variance but low house edge if you can find some good pay table video poker machines. Lower house edge than either slots, carnival games or roulette, and with comps added you can be at break even.
Craps: A much lower house edge than roulette and the crap table can be fun.

None of these will really make you money but they can be diversions, rests from blackjack and in some cases show the casino that you do not only play blackjack.

ihate17

 

[shadroch]

First off, it is your money and your time, so do with it whatever you wish.

Some other low -EV games
High variance but low house edge if you can find some good pay table video poker machines. Lower house edge than either slots, carnival games or roulette, and with comps added you can be at break even.
Craps: A much lower house edge than roulette and the crap table can be fun.

None of these will really make you money but they can be diversions, rests from blackjack and in some cases show the casino that you do not only play blackjack.

ihate17

You mean I'll never get rich playing $1 a hand?
Your last sentence sums up my feelings in a nutshell.

 

[shadroch]

I will be in Las Vegas this fall-can you point me in the right direction as to where to start looking for such coupons?

Thanks!
-EPS

Best sources for MP coupons
American Casino Guide,available in stores or on-line.
Las Vegas Advisor -www.lasvegasadvisor.com
Both have forums that you can swap your unwanted coupons for others.Although LVA strongly discourages anyone from swapping their coupons.

 

[ScottH]

Okay,Scott.
Explain to me the dangers of Oscars Grind,modified as I describe..

I thought you were an AP man!

I would love to explain the dangers of Oscars grind, modified as in your original post.

A quick easy response would be, win/loss limits do NOTHING to change the EV of the game! By modifying the system to use stop/win points does not change the fact that the system is -EV.

I forgot all the details of how oscar's grind works, but that is irrelevant. You cannot overcome the house edge by ONLY changing your bets. You have to get some extra information, for example counting in BJ.

You talked about using it on roulette. Oscar's grind has you change your bets according to whether or not you win or lose the last hand/spin. Well, what does winning or losing the spin on the roulette wheel have ANYTHING to do with the next spin? Whether or not you won or lose the last spin has NOTHING to do with your next spin, so your increased bet is still at the same house advantage.

If you are going to kill time and play roulette, you are better off flat-betting the minimum rather than playing Oscar's Grind. By increasing your bets as you do in OG, you are betting more money at a disadvantage, thus losing more money per hour. You will have more winning sessions with OG, but in the long run you will lose MORE money than just flat betting.

So there IS a problem with Oscar's Grind, whether you modify it or not. So if you insist on playing roulette to kill time, flat bettting the minimum is your best option.

Now you have always been right on top of attacking my posts, and I have noticed that for a while now, but I am still nice enough to give you good advice! I am such a nice guy...

 

[supercoolmancool]

I'll be happy to let you know as soon as I get there.For me,becoming an AP has taken many twists and turns.I thought I was just about there,but then an overdue dose of reality blew in and set me back aways.

I think he recently admited that he wasn't AP.

 

[ScottH]

I think he recently admited that he wasn't AP.

I deduced that he wasn't a good AP from his posts about playing slots and Oscar's Grind etc. But then he posts some good advice and I kept wondering if he was really an AP or not. He's an AP in some ways, not in others I guess. I mean he gets tons of EV out of coupons, replies to lots of threads with decent advice, but then talks about playing slots and progressions. So I wasn't really sure.

I guess he is an AP in training... he'll have to elaborate on where he is at now.

 

[shadroch]

I think he recently admited that he wasn't AP.

I recently admited I'm not an AP man?
I'd love to know where I ever claimed to be anything. I'm a guy who has studied BJ and plays it to win.Thanks to using MPs and learning comp counting,I no longer get my ass kicked in the game.


Scott,
My problem with you is that you preach all these things,yet have next to no real life experiance.Getting together with a friend and getting kicked out of the only casino you can gamble in does not qualify as putting together a BJ team.Anyone can put together a BJ team. Putting together one that actually thrives is tougher,especially if they play.
I asked Mr Renzeys opinion on a modified version of Oscars Grind.If you were familiar with the Grind,and the modifications I made,I would be interested in what you had to say. Instead,you say you don't know the way it works but insists on giving me the generic lecture.What next? Will you explain that using a martingale won't work?
Heres the thing,Scott. Not everything one does in Vegas needs to be done for profit.If I choose to take in a Cirque show to kill three hours,I don't care about the EV. If I eat in the Steakhouse at Wynn and drop two bills instead of the comped buffet,I don't care about the EV.If having a supicious PB see me playing roulette deflects him from worrying about my BJ,its worth a little negative EV. In case you haven't noticed,the girls at most roulette tables skew much more attractive than at 21.The tables tend to be friendlier and
one can relax,not having to count or watch out for heat.
What do you do in your spare time when not playing BJ while in Vegas? You never did answer.

 

[supercoolmancool]

What did Renzy say about your Oscar's gind?

 

[ScottH]

I recently admited I'm not an AP man?
I'd love to know where I ever claimed to be anything. I'm a guy who has studied BJ and plays it to win.Thanks to using MPs and learning comp counting,I no longer get my ass kicked in the game.


Scott,
My problem with you is that you preach all these things,yet have next to no real life experiance.Getting together with a friend and getting kicked out of the only casino you can gamble in does not qualify as putting together a BJ team.Anyone can put together a BJ team. Putting together one that actually thrives is tougher,especially if they play.
I asked Mr Renzeys opinion on a modified version of Oscars Grind.If you were familiar with the Grind,and the modifications I made,I would be interested in what you had to say. Instead,you say you don't know the way it works but insists on giving me the generic lecture.What next? Will you explain that using a martingale won't work?
Heres the thing,Scott. Not everything one does in Vegas needs to be done for profit.If I choose to take in a Cirque show to kill three hours,I don't care about the EV. If I eat in the Steakhouse at Wynn and drop two bills instead of the comped buffet,I don't care about the EV.If having a supicious PB see me playing roulette deflects him from worrying about my BJ,its worth a little negative EV. In case you haven't noticed,the girls at most roulette tables skew much more attractive than at 21.The tables tend to be friendlier and
one can relax,not having to count or watch out for heat.
What do you do in your spare time when not playing BJ while in Vegas? You never did answer.

You have no idea what my experience with AP really is. My experience with COUNTING is just playing at one casino, but counting is NOT the only AP method. I realized that counting is one of the worst ways to do AP. It has the lowest EV and requires a tougher cat and mouse game than others. Out of all my many AP endeavors, counting has been the least profitable.

You saying I have no experience in AP has no merit, since you don't know that. Besides a person who plays slots and progressions doesn't have any business attacking someone for supposed limited experience. I only play +EV games shadroch...

I am not in a BJ team, I am in an AP team. Subtle word difference, but in reality it is a big difference.

 

[zengrifter]

Gee, maybe we need a fight club here?! zg

 

[ScottH]

Gee, maybe we need a fight club here?! zg

#1 rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club!

 

[shadroch]

Lets see. I have $250 in free slot play. How,Scott,is playing slots for free not a +EV? Not playing them would be a pretty foolish thing as far as I'm concerned.
But I'm still wondering what you do in Vegas during your non-AP gambling hours? Enlighten us.
How about what you would do,if you ever get there?