max bet

[soft_doubledown]

hello gang. new to this board. have a question about when to place your max bet. I use the hi-lo count, playing mostly 6 and 8 deck shoes in atlantic city, (I know it's a terrible game but it is 15 minutes away). currently I place my max bet of $150, which is 1% of my bankroll at true counts of +4, when I have about a 2% advantage. (took this advise from kevin blackwoods book) of course the problem is true count of +4 are far and few between. Would I be better served to place max bet at say tc of +3?? of course I know this would increase RoR somewhat. wonder at what count others place max bets? especially relating to 6-8 deck games where high counts are infrequent. thanks

[Sonny]

Your max bet should usually be around +4 or +5, but it will depend on your playing style and the size of your bet spread. If you are backcounting then you can afford to wait a bit longer to reach your max bet, maybe +6 or so. If you are Wonging out then +5 is probably a good point. If you are playing every hand then you’ll probably want to hit your max bet earlier, maybe +3 or +4, to make up for all that bleeding during negative hands. Hopefully you are not playing every hand if you are playing in AC.

-Sonny-

[soft_doubledown]

thanx 4 reply sonny, I should have mentioned that I play off the top of shoe but wong out at tc -1. Atlantic city is just too crowded to try to wong in at my betting level ($10 or $15 table)

[Sonny]

With a 1:10 spread Wonging out at -1 your max bet should be around +5. You'll only see a few max bets per hour, if any at all, but it will get you to the long run quicker.

-Sonny-

[callipygian]

Originally Posted by soft_doubledown

Atlantic city is just too crowded to try to wong in at my betting level ($10 or $15 table)

Can you move up to a $25 table that's less crowded and Wong in higher?

You will be better off at a $25 table betting

TC = -1: $0
TC = 0: $0
TC = +1: $0
TC = +2: $25
TC = +3: $50
TC = +4: $100

than at a $10 table betting

TC = -1: $10
TC = 0: $10
TC = +1: $10
TC = +2: $25
TC = +3: $50
TC = +4: $100

If you're going to drop most of your low bets anyway you might as well play at higher limit tables.

[soft_doubledown]

I am sure wonging in and only playing pos counts would be more benificial than starting at the beginning of a shoe and wonging out at -1, however even that can be difficult in atlantic city as even the $25 tables can be crowded on nights and weekends during the summer. Also many have no mid shoe entry. Anyway, I am comfortable with my approach. I am just wondering if I should place my max bet of $150 at +3 rather than +4. Was wondering what count others placed their max bet?

[callipygian]

Originally Posted by soft_doubledown

Was wondering what count others placed their max bet?

TC = +4 or +5, Hi-Lo. If I win a hand and the count moves from +2 to +3, I'll just let my winnings ride; if I win again and the count moves from +3 to +4, I'll let my winnings ride again and I'll be at max bet at +4. If I end up losing a hand along the way, I'll raise my bet more slowly, and don't get to max bet until +5.