starting too young?

[red1]

im 16 and have recently got into card counting, some people think im nuts and it will never work, so i just wanted to ask some people who have experience what they think

 

[ScottH]

im 16 and have recently got into card counting, some people think im nuts and it will never work, so i just wanted to ask some people who have experience what they think

Yes, I think you're too young to start. You'll run into lots of hassles trying to gamble underage. I'd wait until you're 18, and just keep it in mind for right now.

 

[halcyon1234]

Yes, I think you're too young to start. You'll run into lots of hassles trying to gamble underage. I'd wait until you're 18, and just keep it in mind for right now.

Yup. Read over the threads here, and one common theme you'll see is that practice is only worth so much without augmenting it with in-casino play. When you're in the casino, you experience "real world" conditions-- the lights, distractions, other players, on the fly decisions, handling chips, real money down, etc, etc, etc.

If you were to take up counting right now, you wouldn't be able to do any in-casino practice for 2 years (or 5, depending on the gambling age where you are). You can't even go in and flat bet with BS. You can't even just hang around and watch what goes on. All you'd do is practice for 2 years (or 5). That could end up being extremely harmful. You'd get waaaaaay too used to the "home game"-- your cards, your chips, your pace of dealing. Any bad habits or wrong plays would be so ingrained into you that it would be a huge disadvantage at the casino.

I'd reccomend browsing through the forum. Get an idea of what card counting is all about, the basics-- a taste. Then, grab yourself a blackjack game for your PC or hand-held game system or PDA or whatever. Get a hold of a basic strat chart, and play away. With a portable BJ game, you can fire it up whenever you have some free time-- in a line, waiting for the movie to start-- whenever it's convenient. Practice your BS until you have it 100% perfect. (That's another thing you'll find-- without 100% perfect basic strat, you don't stand a chance at counting). The more complex a game you can find, the better. (Heck, if you manage to find a free, downloadable Blackjack game that lets you vary the rules and play multiple spots, let me know!).

When you get to the summer of the year before you're legal to gamble, THEN take up counting. Since it's the summer, you won't have to worry about school. (DON'T sacrifice education for card counting). Get a good summer job, and start saving. Buy yourself 8 decks of cards, a dealer shoe, and a set of poker chips. Then, start learning. Read through the forums again. Buy a book or two (who knows which books will be the best books in 2-5 years). Practice at home over the summer. Get good.

Then, on your legal-aged birthday (or sometime after), head off to the casino. Bring with a small amount of money. Flat bet at the cheapest, most rule-friendly table you can find. Learn what it's like to be in your casino. Learn the environment. Learn the rules and games offered (again, who knows which rule sets will be around in 2-5 years?). Backcount for a bit. Keep the count whileyou flat bet.

And after that, you'll be ready to roll. Hopefully, you'll have a small bankroll saved up (without neglecting post-secondary education, of course). You'll know how to play with an advantage.

 

[Mimosine]

im 16 and have recently got into card counting, some people think im nuts and it will never work, so i just wanted to ask some people who have experience what they think

the advice halcyon gave is great all around advice. listen to it

having been counting for 6 months, and having been fairly successful at it, i typically don't talk to too many of my friends about it. there are a lot of threads on here really describing how people who don't count really don't understand it, think poorly of anyone who goes to casinos, think of gamblers as degenerates - the people whom i've chosen to tell i imagine are expecting me to go broke doing what i do, because they don't believe you can beat a casino.... another thing a few years of life will give you is the ability to temper losses. there will be days where you are counting perfect, and you lose, you lose everything in your pocket. it happened to me in vegas, playing games that are far superior to the ones i regularly play at home, it was brutal, but not for one second did i doubt that counting works, that it is proven, i didn't change my betting or my game plan which i researched before playing. you'll have to commit yourself to thinking like this too, especially when you're losing..... it's a rough road sometimes, but if you are interested enough, buy some books, read, think, practice and you too can do it. oh, you could start building a bankroll right now too.... open a savings account (better yet get a few 18 month CDs with 5% or higher APR, or a high yielding money market account, see fool.com or ingdirect.com) and start putting away some money. you'll need it!

 

[TENNBEAR]

im 16 and have recently got into card counting, some people think im nuts and it will never work, so i just wanted to ask some people who have experience what they think

There is nothing you can learn that is not a benefit to you. Learning to count cards at 16 will teach you math, strategy, and disipline that is beneficial to you even if you never set foot in a casino ever. Learning advanced strategys and even beating casino verite at home on your own computer is a serious and worthwhile challenge. Learning to beat the game of blackjack is challenge we all pursue, when successfull the money is the added bonus. Good Luck and one last thing, 5 years will go by Quickly.

 

[ScottH]

5 years will go by Quickly.

Don't lie to the kid to give him hope... :laugh:

 

[NDN21]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TENNBEAR
5 years will go by Quickly.

Don't lie to the kid to give him hope...

At age 16 those 5 years will fly by.

I say try card-counting now to find out if you like it or show any proficiency for card counting.

If you aren't any good or don't like then you are free for other pursuits and will not have lost alot of $. If you do like it then you have plenty of time for practice (but even then don't spend much time practicing, people are right when they say nothing can simulate actual casino conditions).

I am assuming you do not mean to try to gamble while underage (since you did not mention anything about it).

Nothing is a bigger waste of time like waiting for years to try something then find out you hate it or you suck at it. By waiting the experience may be built into something so big that you will go thru anything to realize it.

But don't spend all your free-time or even a fourth of it with card counting. Just try it a little to see how you are with it.

 

[EasyRhino]

I would only fart around with it a little bit, basically the same as playing solitaire. I'd only recommend working hard on it after you're old enough, and have at least been into a casino to see if the environment is a total turnoff.

There's got to be more fun or useful things you could be doing.

 

[red1]

cool, i think i will just mess around with it a little for now, im okay at it, i read kevin blackwoods play blackjack like the pros and thought id be good at this.
also what systems do you prefer, i like the uston apc

 

[Arctapodema]

haha, young-uns.

Stay off the drugs, booze and girls and youll be just fine.
(OK, be careful with the ladies,they can just as bad as the former two.)

But seriously. If youre young, pursuing cardcounting in my opinion would be disheartening and difficult, but if its something you think youd enjoy, the go balls out and have a hayday. When i was your age, i was pursuing pretty much everything i could, from foreign language to stock trading. The reason i play and study is so i can have a little fun, which is the whole point of living, right?

I have the suspicion that what drew you in is the lucrative idea of making easy cash and retiring early, all that jazz. And from my experience and im sure eveyone elses on this board, counting is anything but easy. (SERIOUSLY.) Its a lot of work, and emotionally taxing if you enjoy youre money being in your pocket. However, its also very rewarding and fun if you can put the time into it, be disciplined, and enjoy it.

My advice to you is to pursue education, nothing else should matter at your age. It is what will give you a life, and believe me, no matter how much you do/do not enjoy school, college with give you the ride of your life. Stick with it.

For card counting, if you feel strongly that it is what you would love to enjoy doing (as with my case), then practice, and keep an open mind. Its not an easy road, but anything worth doing wont be easy. Practice here and there, and by the time you turn legal, youll be miles ahead of everyone else.

Good luck.

 

[Kasi]

im 16 and have recently got into card counting, some people think im nuts and it will never work, so i just wanted to ask some people who have experience what they think

I don't think u r too young to start the journey. Of course u r too young to legally play but so what.

Use the time to learn everything u can, thru books or otherwise, and buy (or use free internet) software to practice as much as u can in ur spare time. U have plenty of it. It doesn't have to detract from anything else. And don't let it. It's a great thing to enjoy but DON"T plan ur life around being a professional BJ player. The game today won't be there tomorrow anyway.

U ask about Uston APC? - don't ask us, read about that and it's playing and betting efficiency compared to other systems.

On the one hand, BJ and counting cards is so simple a 12 yr old could do it. On the other hand, some people have spent half a lifetime trying to figure it all out and still haven't got there.

So beware it's not just about counting a deck of cards in 10 seconds - that's merely the beginning of the beginning of the beginning.

 

[person1125]

I think you are pretty young, but if you are looking at counting cards more as a hobby to do once you are old enough I don't see anything wrong with you trying to learn now (could be doing a lot worse things after all). Just be careful once you start - don't blow all your money on gambling. Otherwise good luck.

 

[p8ntballsk8r]

exactly right to think of it as a hobby. I'm 18 and can play at the local casino, but have **** for a br so I basically just do it for fun every once in a while when me and my buddies who don't count go out and play.

The way i'm looking at it, I'm just getting comfortable with my game and how to play in the casino environment early, and at a red chip level so when I'm 21+ and can play in vegas and other areas I'll be able to play at my best.