My experiences after four months of backcounting.

[blazin22]

I have finally found a method that works for me. I can understand why some people would prefere the intricacies of backcounting to stay out of the public domain so I won't go into too much detail.

When I first started playing blackjack I was a pure ploppy, after a few years of hemorrhaging money I learnt basic strategy which stemmed the losses somewhat. Not content with this I began researching card counting. After much trial and error I have come to the realisation that pure backcounting is the way to go. I use a level 1 count, because when you're backcounting its conceivable that a whole hour passes before you even lay your bet on the felt, so its important to use as simple a count method as possible.

I'll put things into perspective for you guys, since switching to a highly aggressive backcounting strategy I went a full 19 sessions before I even experienced a loss. Too remarkable to put down to simply short term positive variance. I have been playing blackjack for many years and have never experienced such a winning streak. In this case I have to trust that I have finally found the a method of playing that works and is profitable. There are many obstacles to the pure backcounter and i'll go through them below and discuss how I overcome them.

I believe its important to put in as much time as possible and to see as many cards as you can while you're in the casino, this is very difficult on busy nights, as you have not only the players occupying seats but people watching on. I will never play on a busy night. There are four casinos that are a short distance from my house, one is relatively new and doesn't have a large customer base established so if I fancy playing on a friday or saturday night I will go there.

I consider the penetration level to be the single most important factor that determines wether I am willing to risk my money. I will never play if pen is lower than 75%. I still consider 75% to be sub par, and will do whatever I can and use any means at my disposable to improve the pen level. Sometimes I just simply ask for it, harp on about how I don't have much time and would like to get in as many hands as I can and win back as much of the money I have lost as possible. I find that different casino's use a different card thickness so its not always possible to accurately determine the penetration just by crude estimation. Initially I will count every card that comes out up to the cut card to accurately determine the exact penetration level. I also make notes on which dealers give the best penetration because it can vary quite alot.

I only play on a table which has at most two other players, and when the time comes to put a bet on I will make sure at least 50% of the open boxes are mine. I never shy away from open and closing boxes and "disrupting the sacred flow of the cards", I've been verbally abused due to my play style, I just ignore it. I am prepared to put up with anything bar actual physical abuse. I'm there to win money and to reduce the risk to my money, not to please other people.

The speed of the dealer is also important to me, since you're going to spend a great majority of the time watching, its important to keep the cards coming. Backcounting a very slow dealer I find to be a waste of time. I'll make a note of slow or fast dealers.

Backcounting is truly a beautiful thing, you lower your bankroll requirments, lower your variance, and only play with the advantage. Its not difficult, just requires patience, something I find I am very good with. I don't get bored easily. As for heat, I will deal with that when I experience some. Until then I am happy to take the casino's money.

 

[kewljason]

I'll put things into perspective for you guys, since switching to a highly aggressive backcounting strategy I went a full 19 sessions before I even experienced a loss. Too remarkable to put down to simply short term positive variance. I have been playing blackjack for many years and have never experienced such a winning streak. In this case I have to trust that I have finally found the a method of playing that works and is profitable.

Congrats on your recent success! It is great that you have had this winning streak unlike any that you've expereienced before and hopefully you have found a method that works and is profitable. It only makes sense that if you are backcounting and only playing in positive EV situations that your results should improve.

However, you stated that winning 19 sessions before experiencing a loss is too remarkable to simply be positive short term variance. If it's not positive short term variance then you are expecting to win 19 out of every 20 sessions from here on out? This seems highly unlikely to me, but please keep us posted. and continued good fortune.

 

[InPlay]

I have finally found a method that works for me. I can understand why some people would prefere the intricacies of backcounting to stay out of the public domain so I won't go into too much detail.

because when you're backcounting its conceivable that a whole hour passes before you even lay your bet on the felt, so its important to use as simple a count method as possible.

Looks like your are a big fibber if you think you could stand in back of a table for an hour and backcount. That's what I always like about you story tellers you have all the answers, but they are a secret. BULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[blazin22]

Looks like your are a big fibber if you think you could stand in back of a table for an hour and backcount. That's what I always like about you story tellers you have all the answers, but they are a secret. BULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually once I stood and backcounted for 8 hours, including playing. The uk has a long way to go in terms of catching counters. For an executive member I find your post more than a little annoying. Its probably because of idiots like you people with informative posts don't bother.

 

[Polymath]

Just out of curiosity, which Level I count do you use and what type of game is it?

 

[InPlay]

Actually once I stood and backcounted for 8 hours, including playing. The uk has a long way to go in terms of catching counters. For an executive member I find your post more than a little annoying. Its probably because of idiots like you people with informative posts don't bother.

8 hours the BULL gets better yet. :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

 

[Tarzan]

Standing around

It's true that you can spend an awful lot of time standing around watching and spend more time watching than playing when backcounting. You can stand around a good solid few hours without ever playing a single hand.

 

[zengrifter]

8 hours the BULL gets better yet. :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

I have personally done the same thing FOR HOURS... so I cannot doubt that it is true.

As for InPlay, I cannot recall a single interesting post that he has made regarding BJ... though he has made many Ad-Hominen attacks on members here, and he is famous for sending homo-sex-sodomy PMs to some of our best contributors here, and I understand that those are quite good. zg

 

[UK-21]

Sorry to disappoint the board's Grandees, but on my limited experience I would think it is possible to back count tables for many hours in the UK and not raise eyebrows. Dealers concentrating on not making mistakes at the table, floor supervisors watching the dealers and lots and lots of people just hanging around watching the spectacle of all of this magical casino stuff make it possible.

But finding a table with just two players in the evenings I would say is a challenge, unless it's a £25.00 minimum table, where it's rare there'll be more than two or three players at most (again, in my limited experience). And that, combined with limiting your play to tables that have proficient dealers who can manage 100 hands an hour and who cut decent penetration means sticking to such a back-counting strategy requires the patience of a saint - more power to him!

Out of interest, what levels do you play at, how much are you up since starting to count and what times of the day do you play? I'd also be interested in which particular House of Chance you patronise, although you might want to send that by PM if you're happy to divulge it. Where I play, they'd be no chance of finding a table with just two players for the vast majority of the time.

Newb99
UK

 

[Katweezel]

Not serious, mate

Looks like your are a big fibber if you think you could stand in back of a table for an hour and backcount. That's what I always like about you story tellers you have all the answers, but they are a secret. BULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Blazin22, don't be put off by InPlay; he is head of the Super Cynics gang here, (only very few members). They were once in failed street gangs. He generally believes nothing anyone says, even when he is talking to himself. He probably doesn't believe England is part of the UK either, and has his doubts about the pope being a catholic, if you get my drift. It's not personal, he believes that about everyone. :cat:

 

[kewljason]

I hate it when threads go off in this direction. Is he lying or isn't he? If he says he can backcount for 8 hours successfully, I have no reason to doubt him.
I'm more concerned that he thinks winning 19 of 20 sessions is the norm and not the results of positive short term variance. I was hoping some of you guys were going to back me up on this, to avoid his unrealistic expectations for his own sake.

 

[KOLAN]

:1st:
wich beting strategy do you use???

 

[blazin22]

I hate it when threads go off in this direction. Is he lying or isn't he? If he says he can backcount for 8 hours successfully, I have no reason to doubt him.
I'm more concerned that he thinks winning 19 of 20 sessions is the norm and not the results of positive short term variance. I was hoping some of you guys were going to back me up on this, to avoid his unrealistic expectations for his own sake.

There's no way I expect to win 95% of the time, I was just saying I could confidently say it wasn't all due to luck and the advantage play had some bearing.

I was using KO while keeping a side count of 7's using my chips, to gauge the strength of the count. Also fuzzily counting the number of 2's and 5's, I'd use this information to make an informed decision later on in the shoes on whether to bet larger or stop playing. I always found KO weak for betting deep into the shoe. I now use Hi-Lo + I18.

I won't go into the specifics of my bank roll and I also won't be drawn in on any discussions relating to where I play. I will however say, I do not play in London for obvious reasons relating to busy tables.

 

[blazin22]

A less tiring way to count.

I use a very different way to keep the running count that you probably haven't considered. the key for me is to make it as easy as possible. Longer sessions can definitely take their toll.

As the first round of cards are being drawn, I will quickly add all the low cards, then scan backwards through the cards adding all the high cards and then simply subtracting these from the number of low cards. Its easy to do this rapidly before the player on first base decides on drawing a card. At that point I will revert back to incrementing/subtracting the count as the cards come out individually/in pairs.

Sometimes you get these insanely quick dealers, and I love them because they're prone to showing additional cards after they've gone bust. The rules in the uk allow that card to then be kept in play, if its an ace I'll be sure to max out first base.

 

[InPlay]

I hate it when threads go off in this direction. Is he lying or isn't he? If he says he can backcount for 8 hours successfully, I have no reason to doubt him.
I'm more concerned that he thinks winning 19 of 20 sessions is the norm and not the results of positive short term variance. I was hoping some of you guys were going to back me up on this, to avoid his unrealistic expectations for his own sake.

I don't believe him at all. Espesically about standing behind tables for 8 hours at a time.

 

[blazin22]

I don't believe him at all. Espesically about standing behind tables for 8 hours at a time.

Nobody here cares what you believe, and I didn't just stand behind a table for 8 hours, I played. Most of your posts are one line attempts at trolling, in big black bold letters. You've already been outed as a gay person nothing more to say. :cool2: :cool2:

 

[InPlay]

Nobody here cares what you believe, and I didn't just stand behind a table for 8 hours, I played. Most of your posts are one line attempts at trolling, in big black bold letters. You've already been outed as a gay person nothing more to say.

Are you a Elton John fan ?

 

[Sonny]

It sounds like InPlay needs a relaxing vacation. I’ll give him 10 days this time. Banned.

-Sonny-

 

[Kasi]

I hate it when threads go off in this direction. Is he lying or isn't he? If he says he can backcount for 8 hours successfully, I have no reason to doubt him.
I'm more concerned that he thinks winning 19 of 20 sessions is the norm and not the results of positive short term variance. I was hoping some of you guys were going to back me up on this, to avoid his unrealistic expectations for his own sake.

And just how unrealistic do you think it is that you actually

1): expect corroboration for saying stuff that, as you seem to pretty much always seem to to do, to me anyway, now there's a scary thought, makes complete sense? Like sound advice needs corroboration.

and 2): actually expect that any corroboration would actually change any unrealistic expectations :grin:

KewlJ - you don't need no stinkin' corroboration from anyone. Stop worrying about it. If they don't understand what you say the first time you say it, they won't understand it anymore when it's apparently "corroborated".

That said, can you/anyone "corroborate" what I'm saying :grin: ?

Hang in there. Don't let them get you down. As I think I maybe did once, etc.
You go CoolJ. Say what you want and don't worry about corroboration just like you didn't worry about it when I wondered, way back, about some stuff with you.

And, on the side, not that Sonny needs or asks for any corroboration, thank God InPlay is gone for 10 days.

 

[kewljason]

Thank kasi. You are always a class act. I didn't need corroboration for my benifit. I just though it might mean more to a poster who's new to the board and doesn't know any of us, (although he seems to know Inplay by now...lol) to hear it from more than one voice. Blazin22 has since weighed back in and claims not to have those unrealistic expectaions that I feared, so as I said earlier, we just wish him continued good results.

As for Sonny, I think I speak for many in thanking him for the 10 day vacation that he has given to all of us.