Starting out. help is appreciated.

W

Will

New Member
Hi, im rather new to card counting and this site.
ive started learning about counting only recently and have begun to practice the hi-lo system with a single deck.
Could someone inform me which counting system is superior? please
from what ive read, im unsure of whether to use balanced/unbalanced or single level/multilevel system...
i realise that unbalanced systems bypass the need to convert the running count to a TC, but theyre less accurate right?
basically, what system should i learn and is memorising basic strat necessary? thanks,
Will
 
Automatic Monkey

Automatic Monkey

Banned
Starting

Basic Strategy is absolutely necessary. You want to know that perfectly, until it becomes autamatic, before you even start to think about counting. Print out a cheat sheet, play some blackjack game on your computer and play until you never need the cheat sheet any more.

As far as the best counting system, it's the hardest one you can implement properly. As a general rule, the harder the system, the more powerful it is. But making any mistakes at all will cause it to lose power. There are balanced and unblalanced, level 1 through level 4 and various sidecounts. Practivce with a few and see which one you can handle best.
 
F

FLASH

New Member
The education of a Novice

There are many months of practice and study that await you before you attempt to put your money on the table, if you are SURE that you are willing to give up gambling in favor of advantage play.

Learn Basic Strategy perfectly. You must know it 100% and be able to access it without ever having to spend more than a small fraction of a second to recall a B.S. play.

Buy a copy of "Professional Blackjack" by Stanford Wong. I have seen this at Borders and Barnes & Nobles. Of course you can secure it online. Read it thoroughly, and learn . . .

... the balanced "one-level" count therein known as Hi-Lo. (In the future, should you defy all odds and succeed at this endeavor, you should learn "Hi Opt II" or the "Zen Count."

Memorize the most important Indices for deviating from Basic Strategy. Best source is "Blackjack Attack", 3rd Edition by Donald Schlesinger.

Practice until you can countdown a deck of cards face-up in bunches of 2 and 3 cards with 99% accuracy in under 20 seconds.

Learn the crucial mathematical facts of this game. If you are a polished pro player you will need a bankroll of 1,000 units of (fully discretionary) CASH. Even then, you will still lose on 1/3 of your sessions!

Reality is a bitch and a half in THIS twisted world of 21.
 
W

Will

New Member
thanks

Thanks for the constructive input guys.
I realise that one should never gamble unless the odds are in their favour, otherwise you are certainly throwing away money.
even after a couple of hours, i can run down a single deck using the hi-lo system almost completely correct. but i lose my concentration and stuff up halfway through as well.
1 question guys. is the financial gain from card counting well worth the many hours spent learning the trade? how long is it before the 'enemy' picks up on a counter?
Thanks again,
Will

ps. i was reading up on shuffle tracking, it sounds like it increase the advantage for the player yet it seems very complex. Can any1 refer me to a good site regarding it?
 
J

Jman69

New Member
I suggest KO

KO is ultra simple and ideal for 6-8D games. Good single & DD games are becomming harder and harder to find, while 6-8D games are becomming more and more prevalent in casinos today.
KO allows the player to focus more on their cover/act because very little mental focus is required.

With Hilo I have trouble taking with the dealer/players without making errors with the count. I become quiet & highly focused on the game which causes the pit to take notice.
 
B

BJKing

New Member
BlackJack Now

You can't beat Blackjack in the end. Because your luck will run out!!! If you can even out with a 1 win to 8 losses or sometimes event 1 win to 9 losses then you have a chance of crushing the casino... but I've seen where you can lose 10 hands straight.. so it's good to count. but lots of luck and gut feeling too (gut feeling is when your brain is counting cards without you knowing)... the best is to keep track of face cards only!!! There is a way to lose 10 hands and still even out... but out of 8 hands.. there is one winning hand which you didn't play right.. and that can kill you in the end...

I normally just play like the dealer and by myself so no one can mess me up..
 
T

The Mayor

Well-Known Member
More nonsense

This site does not have much tolerance for nonsense, of which this post is a perfect example.

I allowed this post simply to make the point that nonsense is easy, the truth is often subtle and much more difficult to grasp - but it is always worthwhile to pursue.
 
S

Sohrab

Active Member
I suggest Red 7

It is as easy as KO and has better SCORE against 6-8 decks unless S17 deep pen. These are very hard to find. Counting a different system provides a little cover too because of pit uses KO sometimes they think you make a mistake when index is different.
 
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