Newbie Question - Bankroll needed to start

[hawkeye]

I have been reading this forum for a while as well as hitorstand.net's archives. I see a lot of the same people here, ihAt17, bojack, renzy, zen, etc. I have seen questions like this, but since a lot of you guys seem very nice and very helpful I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. If this is redundant please forgive me.

I have been playing blackjack for years, grew up playing, but only playing recently as an advantage player. I'm very good at BS, and good at counting Hi/Low. Not great, but good. I live nearest to Phoenix and there are a lot of casinos around. I play blackjack at them often, and do basically ok, mostly even. I win, then lose, you get it.

Anyways, I've only played a couple of times since counting and studying indexes and betting more units with the count. I can see it working, not 100% of course, but I can see where the advantage hits. Earlier today I played for a bit and only raised my bet 4 times (lousy counts and barely anyone at the casino so I had no choice but to play instead of wonging) and 3/4 times I hit 20 when I raised my bet. It worked well. But, overall I still lost.

I realize losing is part of the swings of the game, I've noticed that since I turned 18 and started playing. The question I have is a matter of practicality. I play to have fun, my unit bet is either $5 or $10, never more. I have a day job and blackjack is a good time and if I win it's a plus. I do believe in the stats, I'm kind of a math geek, and I believe in counting and grinding it out.

But what will I realistically need to make a run at the long term as far as bankroll?
My last few outings have went like this, playing at either $5 or $10: +100, -100, +50, +70, +85, -100. I do alright, I'm not dumb, but I don't have a ton of extra money to play with. What do I need to have in cash as my bankroll in order to be realistic? Options at $5 and $10 would be nice if you guys have an idea about both.

Thanks for any info you may have, I appreciate all the advice and I take it to heart. I love playing cards, but I'm a young guy and I don't have tons of money to throw away. At the same time, I don't want for a lot either, I'm not broke. So I can find a middle ground, I just want to be realistic about what that middle ground might need to be.

[shadroch]

It differs,depending on the type of game you are playing.
In a Single or Double Deck,you can get by spreading 1-4. In an 8 deck game,you need about 1-12.S,your max bet on one game might be $20( 4x$5) while on another it might be $60(12x5).
A rather simple rule of thumb is to have a BR of 25 big bets,so it could be $500 or $1500 depending on the game.
I'd say a dedicated BR of $1,000 that you build upon is fine to start with. You have a job and are playing recreationally for now.You should be fine.