New to Blackjack/Card Counting

#1
Hello everyone!

I am fairly new to the concept of card counting, but I am very intrigued by the ability to beat the game within the rules.

I recently started reading some books on the subject. They are definitely outdated, but I am sure the basic concepts behind them still hold true. The books I have read are: Beat the Dealer, Playing Blackjack as a Business, Theory of Blackjack: The Compleat Card Card Counter's Guide, and How to Detect Casino Cheating at Blackjack.

I think that I will be able to pick up the process of card counting very easily, but I would love to get input from current and past player alike. I am a pretty intelligent person with a good memory. Math has always been a strongsuit of mine. I had no problem learning basic strategy for PA(I live in the Pittsburgh area) casino rules in about 30 minutes. I also have plenty of time to read and practice on a daily basis. I do not plan to rush into this without proper preparation. I expect that I will have a good 6 months or more to work on learning card counting. I am hoping to start with a bankroll of about $10,000 (if all goes well).

Based on my quick bio I hope some of you may be able to answer a few questions I have to help get me started.

1) Is it still feasible to be a success player with all the current casino countermeasures and abilities to bar players?
2) What is a good starting point to count cards and become an effective blackjack player?
3) What other books should I read that are more relevant to today's game of blackjack?
4) What card counting techniques work best today?(and any descriptions that talks about the effectiveness vs complexity)
5) How much time should be spent mastering a card counting system before trying to implement it in a casino?
6) or Should I just not attempt it? :)

Those are just a few basic questions to help get me started and I appreciate any replies.
 

jaygruden

Well-Known Member
#2
jsp16354 said:
Hello everyone!

I am fairly new to the concept of card counting, but I am very intrigued by the ability to beat the game within the rules.

I recently started reading some books on the subject. They are definitely outdated, but I am sure the basic concepts behind them still hold true. The books I have read are: Beat the Dealer, Playing Blackjack as a Business, Theory of Blackjack: The Compleat Card Card Counter's Guide, and How to Detect Casino Cheating at Blackjack.

I think that I will be able to pick up the process of card counting very easily, but I would love to get input from current and past player alike. I am a pretty intelligent person with a good memory. Math has always been a strongsuit of mine. I had no problem learning basic strategy for PA(I live in the Pittsburgh area) casino rules in about 30 minutes. I also have plenty of time to read and practice on a daily basis. I do not plan to rush into this without proper preparation. I expect that I will have a good 6 months or more to work on learning card counting. I am hoping to start with a bankroll of about $10,000 (if all goes well).

Based on my quick bio I hope some of you may be able to answer a few questions I have to help get me started.

1) Is it still feasible to be a success player with all the current casino countermeasures and abilities to bar players?
2) What is a good starting point to count cards and become an effective blackjack player?
3) What other books should I read that are more relevant to today's game of blackjack?
4) What card counting techniques work best today?(and any descriptions that talks about the effectiveness vs complexity)
5) How much time should be spent mastering a card counting system before trying to implement it in a casino?
6) or Should I just not attempt it? :)

Those are just a few basic questions to help get me started and I appreciate any replies.
Welcome to the board.
1. Yes, especially if you live in or near PA....very favorable rules. Best bet in the country for shoe games. But you need to spread yourself around and don't burn out the games in your home store.
2. Not sure what you are asking here....if you mean how much practice you need, it depends on the complexity of count system you are using, but I would say practice until you feel very confident that you can keep the accurate count in a casino setting and make all the proper decisions.
3. Read the free E-Book, Modern Blackjack, vol 1 and 2 by Norm Wattenberger. Here is the link..... http://www.qfit.com/book/index.htm
I read some of the old-school books first and didn't find them nearly as helpful as this one for a beginning player.
4. All card counting systems are good, it's a matter of preference and the type of game you are playing. I personally like the REKO count outlined in Norm's book for shoegames (which is all you will find in PA, currently).
It's a good combination of both ease and effectiveness. Regardless of what count you use you need to find the shoegames that offer the best pen.
5. See answer to question #3.
6. You talked about being smart and good in math. IMHO, this is fairly irrelevant. Anyone of average intelligence can become a successful counter if they have the other more important qualities needed....discipline, self-control, patience, social skills, perspective, balance and a big enough bank roll; as well as the risk tolerance, to withstand the up and down variance you will face along the way.

Best of success on your journey.

JG
 

Lowrider

Well-Known Member
#3
Books....

If you told me I could have but one and only one book on card counting I would choose BLACKJACK ATTACK by Don S. - get the most current version which I think is "3". This book is more valuable than ALL of my other BJ and card counting books COMBINED.

Supplement this with CVCX/CVBJ software by QFIT and you'll be all set once you've utilized these resources for a few dozen hours.

Low
 

rrwoods

Well-Known Member
#4
I'd highly recommend Schlesigner's "Blackjack Attack" after you have some experience and practice under your belt. It's a fantastic foray into the mathematics behind the game.
 

Gamblor

Well-Known Member
#5
jsp16354 said:
1) Is it still feasible to be a success player with all the current casino countermeasures and abilities to bar players?
Yes, but the greatest danger in getting barred is when you are inexperienced. Probably like how statistically fighter pilots die inordinately on their first mission, but after around their 10th-12th mission, their death rates fall dramatically.
 
#6
Thanks for all your replies.

I will start into the eBook asap.

Lowrider said:
Supplement this with CVCX/CVBJ software by QFIT and you'll be all set once you've utilized these resources for a few dozen hours.
I will download the trials and check out the software before dropping some cash on them, but the idea of computer simulation seems like it will more than pay for itself.
 

FLASH1296

Well-Known Member
#8
Gamblor, not so fast !

" ... statistically fighter pilots die inordinately on their first mission, but after around their 10th-12th mission, their death rates fall dramatically."

This is as misleading as saying something as silly as "most auto accidents happen within a mile of home."

Obviously that misstatement is created by the reality that EVERY auto trip will include the driver's
being within a mile from home, so all accidents are counted, but as distance increases ...

For what you posted ... The subset of less skillful, less intelligent, unlucky, less cautious, pilots
will have an accelerated death rate, thus weeding themselves out of the set of all pilots.
 

snorky

Well-Known Member
#9
jsp16354 said:
Thanks for all your replies.

I will start into the eBook asap.



I will download the trials and check out the software before dropping some cash on them, but the idea of computer simulation seems like it will more than pay for itself.
I'm not trying to advertising, but I think every serious player should seriously invest in a blackjack simulation program.

I read a bunch of blackjack books along with going through a bunch of sites. I memorized every index for my local store and used what I thought was a decent betting ramp. Needless to say, I was playing at an advantage of 4 dollars per 100 hands with a 0.1% ROR for about a year at my local store, since I was very rarely making a wager over 8 units in a crappy 6 deck shoe... I thought I did everything right, when in reality I was doing quite the opposite. I was way under betting with a linear ramp, that would almost never have me hit my max bet. The thing is, every store has different conditions, and I feel it's important to go in knowing what to expect. I was clueless on my EV for about a year, until making the purchase. The programs had me understand that what I read did not necessarily apply to the game I played.
 

BJinNJ

Well-Known Member
#10
More reading material...

Blackjack Bluebook II by Renzy
Play Blackjack Like the Pros by Blackwood
Blackbelt in Blackjack by Snyder
Professional Blackjack by Wong

I haven't read Qfit's books yet, but I'm sure they're xlnt.
His software is definitely worthwhile.

BJinNJ :cool:
 

Gamblor

Well-Known Member
#11
FLASH1296 said:
Gamblor, not so fast !

" ... statistically fighter pilots die inordinately on their first mission, but after around their 10th-12th mission, their death rates fall dramatically."

This is as misleading as saying something as silly as "most auto accidents happen within a mile of home."

Obviously that misstatement is created by the reality that EVERY auto trip will include the driver's
being within a mile from home, so all accidents are counted, but as distance increases ...

For what you posted ... The subset of less skillful, less intelligent, unlucky, less cautious, pilots
will have an accelerated death rate, thus weeding themselves out of the set of all pilots.
Right, there is the innately unskilled and untalented factor that accounts for a large part of this and they will be weeded out - thus not making it to the 10th mission, and primarily talented pilots are in their 10th mission and beyond. But your skills do increase with more experience too, which is still a factor.
 
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