newby looking for direction/ books

ChefJJ

Well-Known Member
Warlord said:
What is "DOA" ?

I was playing at the Biltmore, 1 deck and they let me dbl after a split. So wouldn't this chart apply and thus u would split a 6-6 vs. a 7?
DOA means you can double on any two-card hand, whereas many SD games restrict you to, say, 10 or 11. Haven't been to the Biltmore in a while, so do you remember if they only allowed you to double on only 10 or 11?

The chart you are looking at and what Bob is talking about: "DAS" means that you would be allowed to double down on a two-card hand after you split a pair. This isn't necessarily interchangeable with DOA.

good luck
 

bj bob

Well-Known Member
Warlord said:
What is "DOA" ?

I was playing at the Biltmore, 1 deck and they let me dbl after a split. So wouldn't this chart apply and thus u would split a 6-6 vs. a 7?

(Dead link: http://img254.imageshack.us/my.php?image=croppercapture1zq4.jpg) _
_
Sorry for the typo, in my previous comment about rules for SD, I meant to say you cannot find a SD, DAS game left on this planet. DOA (double on any 2) is all over the place in No. Nev.
As far as the Biltmore is concerned, I seriously doubt that the SD, DAS game you described pays 3:2 on BJ. If it does, please let me know and I'll pack my bags right away!
 

Warlord

Well-Known Member
bj bob said:
Sorry for the typo, in my previous comment about rules for SD, I meant to say you cannot find a SD, DAS game left on this planet. DOA (double on any 2) is all over the place in No. Nev.
As far as the Biltmore is concerned, I seriously doubt that the SD, DAS game you described pays 3:2 on BJ. If it does, please let me know and I'll pack my bags right away!
I am pretty sure the BJ is 3:2 on the SD, I am not positive it is DAS.

I think I may do a field trip to the Biltmore tonight (or now?) to take inventory of the tables. I will let you know what I find.

I will check out Crystal Bay too.
 

bj bob

Well-Known Member
Warlord said:
I am pretty sure the BJ is 3:2 on the SD, I am not positive it is DAS.

I think I may do a field trip to the Biltmore tonight (or now?) to take inventory of the tables. I will let you know what I find.

I will check out Crystal Bay too.
Please do, and while you're at the CBC say hello to Cardcounter for me (he deals there). I'm still waiting for him to respond to my challange on his 6:5 game.:whip::whip:
 

Warlord

Well-Known Member
bj bob said:
Please do, and while you're at the CBC say hello to Cardcounter for me (he deals there). I'm still waiting for him to respond to my challange on his 6:5 game.:whip::whip:
:laugh:
What does "cardcounter" look like? or and what does his name tag say (name and from) ?


should I go around to all the dealers and ask them if they are "cardcounter" from the card counting forums? lol JK
 

bj bob

Well-Known Member
Warlord said:
:laugh:
What does "cardcounter" look like? or and what does his name tag say (name and from) ?


should I go around to all the dealers and ask them if they are "cardcounter" from the card counting forums? lol JK
No, just tell all the dealers (male) that BJ Bob says hello. If you get a positive response, tell him to PM me.
 

Warlord

Well-Known Member
bj bob said:
No, just tell all the dealers (male) that BJ Bob says hello. If you get a positive response, tell him to PM me.
I do not think I want to let anyone know that BJ is a hobby of mine or that I know people named BJ Bob etc.

It just does not fit into my cover. and I would be looked at more closely I am sure. I might as well pull out my note pad and take notes on each table.:laugh:

I am just going in and getting a coke and will play slots around the tables and watch others play not only BJ but craps and roulette too.

I am only ~20 minutes from Bilty and CBC so I need to conserve as much as possible for when I am ready to put some real money down.

I would think they might (if I am not careful) sense I am a CC but I would not be that good yet so they would let me play, all the while getting to know me and would be ready in a heart beat to 86 me once I start winning more than losing. IMO
 

bj bob

Well-Known Member
Warlord said:
I do not think I want to let anyone know that BJ is a hobby of mine or that I know people named BJ Bob etc.

It just does not fit into my cover. and I would be looked at more closely I am sure. I might as well pull out my note pad and take notes on each table.:laugh:

I am just going in and getting a coke and will play slots around the tables and watch others play not only BJ but craps and roulette too.

I am only ~20 minutes from Bilty and CBC so I need to conserve as much as possible for when I am ready to put some real money down.

I would think they might (if I am not careful) sense I am a CC but I would not be that good yet so they would let me play, all the while getting to know me and would be ready in a heart beat to 86 me once I start winning more than losing. IMO
Yeah, you're right about that. Sounds like you live in / around Tahoe City so you really don't need to get yourself involved in that jackpot,,too much driving to Reno. No worries though, when I get there, I'll sniff out Mr. CC on my own.
 

Warlord

Well-Known Member
bj bob said:
Yeah, you're right about that. Sounds like you live in / around Tahoe City so you really don't need to get yourself involved in that jackpot,,too much driving to Reno. No worries though, when I get there, I'll sniff out Mr. CC on my own.

exactly. very close to T City

I go to the Bilty when I am bored it is so close. They use to have the $.99 bkfast but they discontinued it :whip:

Reno is where I go to get supplies: trader joes, home depot etc, and gas (near boomtown)

I figure I will just use the Bilty to get familiar with the game and keep to the $5-$10 tables with $25 max bets and play the local skibum act (not an act) It will be a trick to keep the Bilty and CBC in my quiver as time goes on I am sure.

?
they keep asking me to sign up for a players card as CBC, should I?

I do not need rooms or cocktails. (i dont drink) and their is rarely a show I want to see.
 

SPX

Well-Known Member
Warlord said:
I just finished reading Snyders "the big book of BJ" and thought it was excellent.
What do others think of his Red Seven Count system?
Big Book of BJ is excellent, although I would suggest you combine it with Blackbelt in Blackjack to get the full picture. I kind of seem them as two volumes of the same title. Big Book, however, really is more of a 'Red 7 bible' than Blackbelt is.

Speaking of Red 7, since you asked, it's an excellent unbalanced system that's on par with KO and KISS III. Most of my actual playing time at the tables has been exclusively BS-based, but I have had an on-again-off-again relationship with learning to count for the past couple of years. Red 7 has been my system of choice, primarily due to the huge wealth of info Snyder gives in Big Book. If you decide that you're going to regularly play in multi-deck games and working out the true count isn't for you, the take another look at Red 7. You might find it's a good fit.
 

Warlord

Well-Known Member
SPX said:
Big Book of BJ is excellent, although I would suggest you combine it with Blackbelt in Blackjack to get the full picture. I kind of seem them as two volumes of the same title. Big Book, however, really is more of a 'Red 7 bible' than Blackbelt is.

Speaking of Red 7, since you asked, it's an excellent unbalanced system that's on par with KO and KISS III. Most of my actual playing time at the tables has been exclusively BS-based, but I have had an on-again-off-again relationship with learning to count for the past couple of years. Red 7 has been my system of choice, primarily due to the huge wealth of info Snyder gives in Big Book. If you decide that you're going to regularly play in multi-deck games and working out the true count isn't for you, the take another look at Red 7. You might find it's a good fit.
I liked Big book alot for all the history and what not. It did not seem to get to involved with Red7 IMHO.

As I mentioned (in this or another thread) I have Blueprint, bluebook II and blackbelt ordered and will probably do a first reading of each in a day. After that I will see where I am at and what resources to acquire next. For now my main studies are learning BS and I count through decks whenever time permits.(DMV line, toilet, etc)

I think once and if I can master BS and hi-lo that I may look closer at halves counting. (way in the future, if I last)

thanks for the reply
 

SPX

Well-Known Member
Warlord said:
I liked Big book alot for all the history and what not. It did not seem to get to involved with Red7 IMHO.
Huh? Big Book is THE book for Red 7! Not only does it give the most extensive explanation for the system and it's applications to regular blackjack but it's also the only book that goes into an explanation on how to use it to beat blackjack variations like SuperFun21 and Double Exposure.

Blackbelt also teaches Red 7, but it's really a more general book that focuses more on advanced topics. I like Red 7. You get most of the power of a balanced count without having to do the Satanic true count conversion. I know a lot of people don't get hung up on it but if it weren't for unbalanced systems I would probably give up on the whole idea of counting.

In regard to the other books you mentioned, I have Bluebook II as well and it really is as good as everyone says. Fred has a real way of writing for the layman.
 

Warlord

Well-Known Member
SPX said:
Huh? Big Book is THE book for Red 7! Not only does it give the most extensive explanation for the system and it's applications to regular blackjack but it's also the only book that goes into an explanation on how to use it to beat blackjack variations like SuperFun21 and Double Exposure.

Blackbelt also teaches Red 7, but it's really a more general book that focuses more on advanced topics. I like Red 7. You get most of the power of a balanced count without having to do the Satanic true count conversion. I know a lot of people don't get hung up on it but if it weren't for unbalanced systems I would probably give up on the whole idea of counting.

In regard to the other books you mentioned, I have Bluebook II as well and it really is as good as everyone says. Fred has a real way of writing for the layman.
of the 379 pages, only 22 pages (chapter 11) are on counting and red7., although in all the chapters on variations such as: dbl exposure, super fun 21, spanish 21 etc he applies red7 when he can or he has a totally different system.
 

SPX

Well-Known Member
Warlord said:
of the 379 pages, only 22 pages (chapter 11) are on counting and red7., although in all the chapters on variations such as: dbl exposure, super fun 21, spanish 21 etc he applies red7 when he can or he has a totally different system.
Fair enough. But that's more Red 7 specific info than you're going to find anywhere else. In fact, that book is the reason I chose Red 7 over KO. That, and I guess the fact that I usually like to walk lesser-trodden paths, as KO is easily the most used unbalanced system on the planet. (I bet that pisses Arnold Snyder off.)
 

Warlord

Well-Known Member
SPX said:
Fair enough. But that's more Red 7 specific info than you're going to find anywhere else. In fact, that book is the reason I chose Red 7 over KO. That, and I guess the fact that I usually like to walk lesser-trodden paths, as KO is easily the most used unbalanced system on the planet. (I bet that pisses Arnold Snyder off.)
I had no idea when I bought the book that any CC in it refered to or was based on Red7. I bought it because it looked like a good overview of BJ and was the best looking choice after Wongs PBJ at BarnesnNoble.

As I read the Big Book I gained alot of respect for Snyder.
When I got to the card counting sections I was bummed that it was based on a system I had yet to hear about. I was (and am) focused on hilo. However, that fact by no means made the book any less usefull to me. I learned a ton about BJ in general and the history of CC. History I believe is paramount to navigating the present and future. (such is the same with a deck of cards and a BJ game)

I think my biggest task is to learn BS and get familiar with variations etc and to learn more about $management etc.
I think changing to another system such as Red7 would be easy, as it is seemingly the same as hilo (as far as the mechanics go)

thanks for the input.
 

SPX

Well-Known Member
Warlord said:
I had no idea when I bought the book that any CC in it refered to or was based on Red7. I bought it because it looked like a good overview of BJ and was the best looking choice after Wongs PBJ at BarnesnNoble.

As I read the Big Book I gained alot of respect for Snyder.
When I got to the card counting sections I was bummed that it was based on a system I had yet to hear about. I was (and am) focused on hilo. However, that fact by no means made the book any less usefull to me. I learned a ton about BJ in general and the history of CC. History I believe is paramount to navigating the present and future. (such is the same with a deck of cards and a BJ game)

I think my biggest task is to learn BS and get familiar with variations etc and to learn more about $management etc.
I think changing to another system such as Red7 would be easy, as it is seemingly the same as hilo (as far as the mechanics go)

thanks for the input.

I agree on your points about history. I really enjoy reading up on the history of any subject I am interested in and blackjack is no exception and Big Book has the most extensive history section of any book I have ever read.

Learning BS is of course fundamental. If you are going to be playing both 6-deck and single-deck I would suggest you print out charts for the rules for each configuration that you will see the MOST. If you get in a bind and all you have is H17 6-deck games then you can use S17 BS without it making a big difference in your EV. The differences between 6D and SD, on the other hand, are big enough to where you will want to learn both separately. Keep in mind I'm not saying you shouldn't eventually learn the specifics for all the rule sets, but you can't learn everything at once.

Good luck on HiLo. Out of curiosity, did you consider the unbalanced systems before you settled on it?
 

Warlord

Well-Known Member
SPX said:
Good luck on HiLo. Out of curiosity, did you consider the unbalanced systems before you settled on it?
When I first got started I thought that hilo was it. It is what most people talked bout etc.

I suppose I am not opposed to the other systems such as unbalanced ones etc. and I will look into them as time goes on and as I master the BS.

Is there a poll on this forum (sticky) for what system forum users use?
 

SPX

Well-Known Member
Warlord said:
When I first got started I thought that hilo was it. It is what most people talked bout etc.

I suppose I am not opposed to the other systems such as unbalanced ones etc. and I will look into them as time goes on and as I master the BS.
I would be willing to bet that most people here are either using HiLo or KO. My suggestion for you is to not underestimate the added complexity that having to figure out the true count brings to the process of counting cards. That's the point of the unbalanced systems . . . you never have to worry about estimating how many decks are left and doing the division at the table. As I said before, some people have no problem with this but a lot do.

Red 7 has actually been proven to perform SLIGHTLY better than KO and you already have the materials so definitely don't throw it out as a possibility just yet.
 

Warlord

Well-Known Member
SPX said:
I would be willing to bet that most people here are either using HiLo or KO. My suggestion for you is to not underestimate the added complexity that having to figure out the true count brings to the process of counting cards. That's the point of the unbalanced systems . . . you never have to worry about estimating how many decks are left and doing the division at the table. As I said before, some people have no problem with this but a lot do.

Red 7 has actually been proven to perform SLIGHTLY better than KO and you already have the materials so definitely don't throw it out as a possibility just yet.

hell no, I will not throw out any possibility.

I can count pretty good and having to calc true count is more of a pain than I thought it would be. But I will just give it time and see where things go.

I think after reading the next 3 books that I just ordered (blackbelt,blueprint,blubkII) I will have more understanding and my BS should be stronger, then I will have to settle on and focus on which system I use.
 
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