Newbie Going To Macau, Advice Wanted

[StudiodeKadent]

Hello,

I'm a new member only a few days from going to a trip to Macau. I will be staying at the Venetian.

I want to ask if anyone has any advice for me about how to conduct my gambling when I am on my trip.

First, I will state that I am a Basic Strategy player (not exact, about 90%-95% according to the BST program on this site, but even that program has some innaccuracies about Macau's rules so its Basic Strategy probably isn't totally perfect). Macau uses CSM machines and I know I am not going to be making large profits. Essentially, I want to gamble just for a bit of fun, maybe purchase a few souveniers with my winnings, and possibly get one or two modest comps. Ideally I'd like to not lose my initial money. I hope people will consider these goals relatively realistic.

As for the preparations I have made...
1) I have regularly played the Basic Strategy Trainer for about a year now.
2) I have all finances taken care of (family trip so accomodation already paid for).
3) I have planned the casinos I wish to gamble at (Venetian, Four Seasons (connected to the Venetian and takes the same players club card), Wynn Macau) and will be joining the relevant players clubs (i.e. Cotai Rewards and Wynn Club).
4) Lots of reading of http://www.wizardofmacau.com

I have Casino experience in both Macau (last year New Years Eve = large winning streak at the Venetian (strange since I didn't know how to even play the game then, but a good stroke of luck nonetheless)) and Australia (and Australia has terrible, terrible rules relative to Macau).

So, given I am no Card Counter (after all, I have never gambled at a Casino where counting is not possible) and simply looking to try and entertain myself (and hopefully not lose too much money, ideally I just want to win a small amount), does anyone have any suggestions about any preparations I should do? Have my own preparations been deficient? Anyone want to offer any advice to a (at least in my judgement) relatively sensible occasional recreational Blackjack player?

(note, apart from Blackjack, I also want to try a little Baccarat, I know to just bet on the Banker every time).

Sincere thanks in advance,

-StudiodeKadent

p.s. Rules in the casinos I will gamble at in Macau are (to my knowlege)
-6 deck
-Dealer stands on soft 17
-Early Surrender on a players first two cards against anything except a dealer ace (no surrender against dealer aces)
-Double After Split allowed
-Double any of your first two cards
-Resplit to up to 4 hands (I think)
-You may split aces but may not resplit them. Additionally you cannot hit split aces
- (I know this is true at the Wynn, I cannot remember if it is at the Venetian) If the dealer Blackjacks, you only lose your original bet and the bets on any hands you have busted. Any additional wagers made for doubling and splitting are returned
-Continuous Shuffling Machine

 

[SystemsTrader]

The house edge on the game you are playing is actually quite low at .16%. If it wasn't for the CSM's this would be a great game. While you will be playing a negative EV game you can do some things to reduce your potential loss. The most important thing can do is learn bs perfectly.
Only bet table minimum unless you are comp counting and play at the lowest minimum table in the house.
Play at full tables and find slow dealers.
Look for CSMs which use less decks. I've seen CSMs use anywhere from 4 to 6 decks. The less is better for you. The 1 to 6 machines have little lcd windows which state the number of decks. If they don't then ask how many decks they use. If you can find a machine using 5 instead of 6 decks that helps slightly.
Take lots of breaks.
Purchase other players doubles or splits when they chicken out. (The positive ones)

 

[StudiodeKadent]

The house edge on the game you are playing is actually quite low at .16%. If it wasn't for the CSM's this would be a great game. While you will be playing a negative EV game you can do some things to reduce your potential loss. The most important thing can do is learn bs perfectly.
Only bet table minimum unless you are comp counting and play at the lowest minimum table in the house.
Play at full tables and find slow dealers.
Look for CSMs which use less decks. I've seen CSMs use anywhere from 4 to 6 decks. The less is better for you. The 1 to 6 machines have little lcd windows which state the number of decks. If they don't then ask how many decks they use. If you can find a machine using 5 instead of 6 decks that helps slightly.
Take lots of breaks.
Purchase other players doubles or splits when they chicken out. (The positive ones)

Thanks for the advice! Its greatly appreciated. I know about the negative expected value, since this is only fun for me (I define a "good day" as "can pay for my drinks and leave with my original bankroll," just for the record) and I am not doing this as an investment plan, I can live with that. At least the house edge is low (I believe Macau has lower house edges than almost all other land based casino-meccas, its certainly fairer than Vegas).

What do you mean by "comp counting"? (I know what a comp is, but I've never heard the phrase "comp counting" before).

I understand about playing at full tables. They certainly make the game MUCH more fun (and after all, that.s what I'm playing for).

As for the decks, I know for a fact all casinos I am interested in use 6 decks (Wynn used to be 4, but now they are 6).

Is taking breaks just a way to pad out the time and make sure you don't get trapped in a losing streak or is there some sort of mathematical justification for it? After all, the expected loss is constant, right (I'm an economist by education but my statistics are a bit rusty).

About the buying other players splits and doubles when they chicken out... this means I control their hand, right? (after making the purchase, I mean). Does it make other players like you or? I mean, I love it when people place rider bets on me, but I don't think anyone has bought my hand before.

Thankyou very much for your advice! Its appreciated. And if anyone has anything they want to add, feel free to say so!

 

[SystemsTrader]

Comp counting is a technique to fool the floor supervisor into rating you at a much higher average bet then you have been playing.

Taking breaks simply means you play less therefore lose less in theory. I realise you are there for fun and playing is part of the fun but a few extra washroom breaks here and there will lower your losses.

As for buying hands a lot of players don't like to double their hands because of the extra risk. So lets say the guy next to you isn't going to double his 11 v 10 then you can step in and offer to go halfers on the double. Its a positive EV play and a chance for you to get extra money on the table. It will increase your variance however but over the long run its a good move. The player may not go for it but its worth a try.

 

[StudiodeKadent]

Comp counting is a technique to fool the floor supervisor into rating you at a much higher average bet then you have been playing.

Thanks. I'd assume that in Macau most of the calculations of "how much has he been playing" is done electronically via player club cards, so comp counting may not work. I will look into it however, thanks for the advice.

Taking breaks simply means you play less therefore lose less in theory. I realise you are there for fun and playing is part of the fun but a few extra washroom breaks here and there will lower your losses.

Thanks for the advice. Generally I tend to go to the bar instead of the washroom in order to lengthen things out (this actually is why I'm staying at the Venetian rather than the Wynn: you cannot get a (alcoholic) drink inside Steve's casino, you can only get Chinese Tea! No offense to lovers of Chinese Teas but please, pass me the alcohol). Still, point noted and thanks for the help.

As for buying hands a lot of players don't like to double their hands because of the extra risk. So lets say the guy next to you isn't going to double his 11 v 10 then you can step in and offer to go halfers on the double. Its a positive EV play and a chance for you to get extra money on the table. It will increase your variance however but over the long run its a good move. The player may not go for it but its worth a try.

No problem. Thanks for that advice. I'll make sure I try doing that a few times.

Thankyou very much SystemsTrader, your help is greatly appreciated.

If anyone else has anything to add they are more than welcome.