Thank you, all of you

Hello to all.

It's come to my attention that I should contribute to this beautiful place, if I want to take advantage of some of the features here. Fair enough, but be careful what you wish for, and all that...

First, thank you to the members here. I've been reading for years, and there is just an incredible amount of information in this forum, including about every worthy blackjack link left on the interwebs. It really seemed unnecessary to post, because for every question I had, somebody had already answered it.

Second, a brief synopsis of my blackjack skills, or lack there of: I'm a California guy, who gets to Reno a few times a year, and plays solely single deck. With the decent games/penetration left in single deck heaven, I figured why play the Indian shoes. My counting started with an old book that I no longer have, which had me counting tens as -2, and the other counted cards (I don't remember which) as +1. It wasn't long before I found information saying that this was obsolete, and I learned hi-lo.

I think I've taken hi-lo a long way; I've been using it for ten years or more, and I've got the 18 indices down. My problem is, and always will be, a lack of discipline, a $1000 trip bankroll with $20 max bets, and the desire to drink while playing. But, I've accepted that I ain't gettin' rich at this anyway, so at least I'm gambling with even odds, or even a little better, and enjoying the social aspect. It's got to be better than my hardway bets on the crap table, anyway.

So, I guess I said all that, to say: Zengrifter is killing me. I've been training to switch to Hi-Opt II; there are just so many of you that advocate for an ace-neutral system for single-deck, and since I don't spread much anyway, I figure the BC is even less important than the high-pe and ic that single deck needs. I swear I've looked at 500 graphs, and a hundred Scores, and at the bottom, seemingly every time, is Zengrifter saying "don't do it, don't do it, just learn a few more indices..."

Well, Mr. Grifter. For now, you win. Tomorrow's trip will have me using my old stand-by (with a few more indices). But, I'm close, sir. I can tell you I'm close. And, if I can ever find somebody who'll give me the Hi-Opt II illustrious 18 (rounded) for Reno rules, I'm switchin' to the dark side. I just don't trust myself to generate or round them myself, and have seen conflicting information about whether these are accurate:

http://web.archive.org/web/20040604185756/http://www.cardcounter.com/indices/011221100-2.htm

OK, if you read all that...well, I'm not sure what that says about you, but thank you. And thanks again to all the members; I'll let you know how it went in Reno. Be careful what you wish for...
 

tthree

Banned
Go to ace neutral with ace side count. How hard is it to count 4 aces. At least count aces using hilo. Learn the ace adjustment for bet sizing and the appropriate hand match ups.
 
BJLFS, yes, sir. From your posts, you too, right?

tthree, I have learned to up my bet if the remaining deck is light on aces. Where I really think I need to improve is applying that information on insurance bets. I've read some things here, and elsewhere, but I'm so scared of applying it wrong, that I don't do anything. Second hand to two of us, count's even, dealer's got the remaining ace, and I'm sitting there goin' I know I should be taking insurance... And, I do. But rarely is it so obvious...

Aussie, I know I've read 'which system should I use' more times than I need to in my life, usually from folks who don't know what a sticky is. And, I suspect I've read about a thousandth of those posts that most here...

(Disclaimer: I emailed asking why I could no longer PM. An hour later I found the sticky. I didn't say I wasn't an idiot.)
 
No, not a shoe guy. Too lazy to learn for as little as I play, I guess...

Everything in Northern California is still a shoe, or 6-5, right?
 

BJLFS

Well-Known Member
Bay Area Steve said:
No, not a shoe guy. Too lazy to learn for as little as I play, I guess...

Everything in Northern California is still a shoe, or 6-5, right?
Not really. But you have to look around at the a little bit. At Cache Creek there are 6D shoes with BJ 3:2. River Rock has 8D BJ 3:2.
 

tthree

Banned
Bay Area Steve said:
BJLFS, yes, sir. From your posts, you too, right?

tthree, I have learned to up my bet if the remaining deck is light on aces. Where I really think I need to improve is applying that information on insurance bets. I've read some things here, and elsewhere, but I'm so scared of applying it wrong, that I don't do anything. Second hand to two of us, count's even, dealer's got the remaining ace, and I'm sitting there goin' I know I should be taking insurance... And, I do. But rarely is it so obvious...

Aussie, I know I've read 'which system should I use' more times than I need to in my life, usually from folks who don't know what a sticky is. And, I suspect I've read about a thousandth of those posts that most here...

(Disclaimer: I emailed asking why I could no longer PM. An hour later I found the sticky. I didn't say I wasn't an idiot.)
The problem with HILO and insurance correlation and playing efficiency is it includes aces as a high card but in many hands it acts as a low card for the player or dealer. Knowing which cases the count looks at aces backward for your situation allows you to adjust your RC to determine your TC for a given index. Doubling an 11, insurance, hitting stiffs, as well as dealer stiffs are all cases that the ace confuses the HILO playing efficiency. All these situations ace density should be factored in (or out in HILO).

By switching to ace neutral with ace side count your high card information is pure and you can factor in the affect of aces for individual hand match ups. You can also use a pure insurance index or the VIP index.
 
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