My final conclusion on card-counting

[creeping panther]

At the end, playing BJ is just like any other business, you will need to find the thin balance between adapting your lifestyle to your playing and adapting your playing to your lifestyle...[/QUOTE]

Count, BJ is not "like any other business", it can become very addictive, the game and the lifestyle, and if you are not highly skilled and disciplined you can lose large amounts of money, "just because it happens". What you are asking Matt to do is dance with the devil, just not real close. Foolish

It can also easily destroy ones family and life style.

If Matt wants out I say good for him! Let all here STOP trying to talk him out of his decision. Keep your Jones to yourself

If any of my kids took up Bj as a serious pastime I would be mortified.

CP

[iCountNTrack]

Originally Posted by creeping panther

At the end, playing BJ is just like any other business, you will need to find the thin balance between adapting your lifestyle to your playing and adapting your playing to your lifestyle...

Count, BJ is not "like any other business", it can become very addictive, the game and the lifestyle, and if you are not highly skilled and disciplined you can lose large amounts of money, "just because it happens". What you are asking Matt to do is dance with the devil, just not real close. Foolish
[/QUOTE]

A business is a business, businesses might be different in appearance, but they all have the same building blocks for success: good planning, dedication, ,good management... all of which could heavily tax your time.
So this is where good time management that suits your lifestyle preferences.

If any of my kids took up Bj as a serious pastime I would be mortified

If they become steaming gamblers surely, not if they understood ev, variance, SCORE, risk of ruin...

[31showtime]

Hey im playing this game at my casino that is identical to 21 but there are no 10's in the deck only face cards....does this change everything....can i still count?

[Pelerus]

Originally Posted by 31showtime

Hey im playing this game at my casino that is identical to 21 but there are no 10's in the deck only face cards....does this change everything....can i still count?

Not to hijack the thread, but...

The game you are describing is called Spanish 21. The removal of tens from the deck is greatly disadvantageous to the player, but the game features several rule modifications from standard blackjack which decrease the house edge to between 0.40 and 0.76 percent, depending on the variation.

This page from the Wizard of Odds outlines the basics:
http://wizardofodds.com/spanish21

Until a few years ago, the prevailing notion among the AP community was that "counting was not as advantageous as in blackjack but you could get away with a lot more. I know of no published material on this," to quote the Wizard from March 6, 2004.

That all changed with Katerina Walker's "The Pro's Guide to Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon," in which she dismissed a lot of misconceptions about the game, showing it to be not only beatable, but potentially lucrative. The one downside for an existing blackjack player who has learned the basic strategies for the various standard games plus accompanying index deviations is that he would have to learn an entirely new set of basic strategies + deviations for Spanish!

Nevertheless, if you have not yet spent a lot of time studying standard blackjack, and there are plenty of Spanish games available to you, going the Spanish route is an entirely feasible option.

[bartmanxoxo]

being new 2 these boards .... id like 2 thinck the compsyouve recieved would be quite considerable ,unless that is that u dont usee a comnp card 4 reasons im not aware of ,2 day is my first day on thi s blog

[vingtetun]

Blackjack is not like another job. You get to play a game that catches many people with addiction. You even have to pretend you are one of them. The more addicted and even degenerate and drunk you seem the better for your cover. But inside, you know its not true and its all an act. But if you don't watch it you can easily fall over the fine line.

If you don't have a high level of self control your "AP" play can easily become a gambling habit. If someone wants to leave our little past time I say let them go, they're probably better off.

[tribute]

matt21,
Thanks for your post. Now I know why I am NOT a card counter! You have explained it better than I ever could.

[matt21]

it's time for an additional post on this thread .....

1. re-considered my decision-driving variables and other business opportunities out there.
2. made some changes to my betting ramps.
3. continued playing.
4. got lucky (+459 units in 64 hours)
5. have now doubled my bankroll. After 523 hours i am ahead by 1,005 units.
6. & met lots of good-looking (female) dealers
7. but agree with other people's comments that it's very hard work

happy counting

[UncrownedKing]

Originally Posted by matt21

it's time for an additional post on this thread .....

1. re-considered my decision-driving variables and other business opportunities out there.
2. made some changes to my betting ramps.
3. continued playing.
4. got lucky (+459 units in 64 hours)
5. have now doubled my bankroll. After 523 hours i am ahead by 1,005 units.
6. & met lots of good-looking (female) dealers
7. but agree with other people's comments that it's very hard work

happy counting

Glad to have you back

[tribute]

Originally Posted by iCountNTrack

As far as personal life, you don't have to be so serious and so secretive about it. Being AP requires a lot of discipline, but it doesn't mean you can't add some fun to it. You can plan a long weekend with family/friends at a nice casino resort, you can work out a schedule, be able to play 15-20 hours and spend sometime with them.

...

On this, I concur. Sometimes I ask myself, "What is the reason I am willing to drive 5.5 hours for an opportunity to play a few hours at a simple game with high variance, sit next to cigar smokin', intoxicated, sometimes rude beings, and hope to be able to take a little more cash away than what I brought?" It must be due to:
1) Pure enjoyment of the game.
2) The challenge and satisfaction of beating the house, at their game, on their own playing field, where the odds are tilted toward them.
3) To escape from the weekly "routine"
4) My compulsive nature (Maybe I'm just hopelessly addicted)
5) Win or no win, the house still pays for my room and food, sometimes extra cash.

What better form of entertainment could be found?