Nooooooo!

[Canceler]

You still looking to roll to Vegas though as a pro...give it a shot?

Yes, Scott, I'm looking forward to a thread from you like EasyRhino's, where you tell us everything that happens. You could call it, "Man, this 'pro' stuff is easy!"

 

[Automatic Monkey]

I'm going to agree with AM on this one. Card Counting is so versitile that you should always be familiar with it as a base for AP. The more advanced techniques in blackjack are all opportunisitic. Be it shuffle tracking, ace sequencing, hole carding, steer card play or any varient of these methods, they all require so specific dealing weakness - with the dealing or shuffling proceduer.
If you intend to play very seriously, i would advise becoming familiar with these techniques and using them whenever you can, but they are not the be all and end all. For most regular players who just want to have an edge counting is still a very useful tool and even for those who want to play for more serious money you should never forget counting.
A good example of this is a venue i know of that offers nearly 90% on its 6D game (varying between 75-90% depending on the dealer and often massively shuffle to shuffle) that will happily see me playing a 1-25 bet spread and table hopping. This is a fantastic opportunity. Now i can also easily track the shuffles in this venue, with provide very powerful packet information and i do that any time a good opportunity arrises, but i would never laugh off the counting game when it also offers a very sweet fruit for the picking.
Anyway, back to the topic:

Exactly. As part-timers we have to consider ourselves opportunists, because we never know what we're going to see when we walk into a casino. Thus I'd recommend walking in with a winning game plan that doesn't rely on getting lucky and finding an advanced AP opportunity, and at the same time being prepared to exploit anything. We don't have the luxury of being able to play any time or place we want. But at the same time, we can play to a much higher RoR than a full-timer who doesn't have much in the way of marketable skills outside of AP. It may seem counterintuitive, but having a J-O-B and being able to pay one's expenses without drawing from the bankroll makes AP more efficient and powerful.

...3) I will place the occasional roulette bet if i feel that i need to show some interest in other games, so i guess i'm not a lifetime winner at that as i don't play with an advantage (i seem to remember Craps Master alluding to something along the line of being an APing rouletter player and i can think of a couple of possiblities for how this is done so i'm going to look into a couple of resources and see what i can come up with). Overall however i'm way ahead...

Roulette AP is possible, but it is much harder than anything we have to deal with in blackjack. It requires visual skills that are probably very rare. It's something I compare to being able to hit a Major League curveball. That's something only one man in a thousand will ever be able to do, even with professional training, but those who can do it all make millions per year doing so.

 

[ScottH]

Yes, Scott, I'm looking forward to a thread from you like EasyRhino's, where you tell us everything that happens. You could call it, "Man, this 'pro' stuff is easy!"

If I did decide to go and make a thread about it that's probably what I would call it. I may keep everyone updated to some extent, but I would certainly not make a thread decribing everything that happens to me everytime I play.

 

[ScottH]

You still looking to roll to Vegas though as a pro...give it a shot?

good luck

It's still unclear at this point, but yes. The only thing holding us back is getting a bankroll.

 

[aslan]

If you really want to give your blackjack career a kick that will last for a long time, I'd recommend shuffle tracking and sequencing (especially sequencing). These are among the more difficult techniques to master but they have the advantage that the pit will rarely have any idea what the hell you are doing. Thus you have longevity and comps. You will not see any masters of these techniques bloviating about their adventures on Internet message boards.

If you can't find out about shuffle tracking and sequencing on the message boards, where can you go to get started on these methods of beating casino BJ? I'm a workaholic, so if all it takes is enormous amounts of time dedicated to this, I think I can do it. I just don't know where to go to get started.

 

[RJT]

Make sure that you are good as you possibly can be at counting (this is where being able to estimate the discard pile to a quarter deck at a glance makes life sooo much easier) then take a look at Arnold Snyder's 'Shuffle Tracker's Cookbook'. There are a few other resources that cover these topics but none in as much detail or with as much vigor as this one.

RJT.

 

[aka23]

Let me have your opinions:
- I know a few people who can say for sure that they have won more than they lost playing cards or betting sports. How many of you can say for sure you are a long term winner?

- How long did it take you all to start betting like a pro rather than your average ploppie? After losing for too long and realizing the game can be beat or did you play professionally from the start?

- Who can say that with all casino games included, you still have an overall win?

My net win online is in the high 5-figure range (just over 1 year of playing). My net win in B&M casinos is in the 4-figure range. I've never played like an "average ploppie." I memorized BJ strategy tables before my first trip to Vegas where I first played the game.

 

[Sonny]

If you can't find out about shuffle tracking and sequencing on the message boards, where can you go to get started on these methods of beating casino BJ?

You can get started here:

http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=3995

-Sonny-

 

[SPX]

My net win online is in the high 5-figure range (just over 1 year of playing). My net win in B&M casinos is in the 4-figure range. I've never played like an "average ploppie." I memorized BJ strategy tables before my first trip to Vegas where I first played the game.

Are you a counter? What is your technique for playing online?

 

[aka23]

Are you a counter? What is your technique for playing online?

I make a few trips to B&M casinos per year where I count and gamble recreationally. My online gain mostly relates to bonus play, rather than counting.