My card counting experience

[SleightOfHand]

So, its been 5 months since I first started learning how to count and its been quite something. I suppose it first started when I watched the movie "21." I remember having heard of the book prior to the movie, although my only knowledge about it was of a MIT team using counting to make a lot of money playing blackjack. After watching the movie, I was excited about how cool it was that you can make money like that. I researched a little, reading about basic strategy. I didn't read much more until it was summer and I went to the "Motherland." Hearing of a casino being near where I was staying, I decided I would try playing with what I remembered. I got pretty lucky I suppose, I made something like $10 after 2-3 hours of play (better than losing). When I went back home, I started scouring the internet on card counting. My biggest find was the Wizard of Odds, where I once again found the BS chart and a few links about card counting. I then went to Barnes and Noble, where they had only 1 book that taught counting: "The Big Book of Blackjack." I learned the basics, started memorizing BS thoroughly, and started looking for free programs to help teach counting. I came across a simple little program, that flashed pairs of cards at a desired speed and kept track of the count. In a few weeks, I mastered BS and was able to count down a deck in 30 seconds. During those weeks, I also came across BJInfo while searching the web for more information (as I was always kind of a perfectionist when it came to things that can be so precisely calculated). I started looking through the forums finding little bits of info, books to read, answers to all the little barely important questions that I had. I also found CVBJ, where I started practicing my bet ramp and actually playing blackjack while counting. After another few weeks, I decided I was ready for real casino play.

I went to Turning Stone Casino, which was the closest available, and attempted backcounting. I suppose I did ok; I was able to keep track of the RC and calculate TCs but my "act" was probably really obvious. I made $200 after a few hours (spreading 15-30 lol), and on a later visit made a few hundred more. Excited that it was working, I increased my spread to 15-50, thinking I was a bigshot betting 2 quarters lol. I got CVCX and playing around with the settings and sims, I realized that the kind of spread I was doing was barely making a profit. Further research showed me that I can play at Foxwoods, which was an hour further than TS, and make a MUCH larger profit due to better rules, pen, and mins. I also started to learn Zen, because I felt that the added strength would be worth the little bit of effort. After about 25 hours of FW play with Zen, I was down $1200. I was sad, but was confident that in the long run, this will work. I went to Vegas with some family and decided that I will try to make some of that money back, so I decided to play more aggressively and spread wider. I spread 10-2x50 and made about $350 in 15 hours. I hit a pretty big losing streak after that. After 100 hours of total play, I was down $2000. I won 2 out of 10 sessions after my Vegas trip. 7 of which, were excellent games (5/6 pen H17 DAS ESvX NSvA). I was very disapointed but was a firm believer of the "long run."

I should also mention that a few months after I started learning to count, my cousin also decided to learn as well. I told him all the steps that I went through and he decided to learn KO despite my suggestion that TC systems have better accuracy in detecting the current true advantage. A month or so later, he decided that he would change his mind and learn Hi-Lo because of that very reason (hehe). We decided to form a team when he was confident in his skills. Knowing that we have the same kind of personality when it comes to perfection, I was confident that he would know when he was ready. We combined BRs and created a standard deal where half of the earnings go to investors based on investment and the other half goes to proportion of EV as calculated by CVCX.

I just came back from our first team trip, which included a total of 6 days in Vegas and a short trip to Palm Springs. We used about $861 EV worth of coupons we got in LVA, ACG, and sign up promos for most of the 30 casinos we visited during our "coupon run." We played some strong DD games and some average shoe games. So finally, after 75 hours of total team play, we are up almost $2000, which is almost right at EV. Seeing the charts I created in Excel, my hope for counting is revitalized and I can only hope that things keep going well for us.

[celadore]

A good example of perseverence. If I'd gone down $2,000 at the start I doubt I'd still be counting today.

Were you making any mistakes when you first started?
What kind of teamplay strategy are you using. I see you combined bankrolls. Does that mean you are both playing individually to the combined bankroll?

Keep us updated. Thanks for sharing.

[EasyRhino]

Early surrender vs 10? In Vegas?!

[SleightOfHand]

Originally Posted by celadore

Were you making any mistakes when you first started?
What kind of teamplay strategy are you using. I see you combined bankrolls. Does that mean you are both playing individually to the combined bankroll?

I think my biggest mistake early on was not being aggressive enough when wonging. Even though I planned to wong out at -1 (HiLo), if it was something like -1.5, I would stay in hopes that it would come back.

Our team is a simple EMFH strategy playing on the same BR.

Originally Posted by EasyRhino

Early surrender vs 10? In Vegas?!

Hehe not in Vegas

[SleightOfHand]

1. I had my first major dealer error. I had a $50 bet which I then proceeded to double down. Winning it paid me off with 2 black chips

2. My first counter encounter. I was playing a nice DD game (1.5/2 H17 DAS RSA) when some kid decided to sit at my table and spread from 10-100 with no cover. I kept trying to subtely tell him to leave but as he wouldn't, I was forced to move to another table. Annoying, but no biggy.

3. Coupons are practically free money! (Well, not free due to #5, but very reliable)

4. Being nice could pay. There was a pretty drunk woman at the game I was playing that kept talking to me saying what a nice guy I was (While everyone was sneering at her I would just keep quiet or just try to be aggreable as I don't like playing the angry guy at the table). She let me put a few reds on her side bet, which was advantageous at the time. It lost, but when she asked me how much she owed, I mentioned that I put $10 on her spot, so I guess that's ok. She proceeded to give me $20 due to my "niceness."

5. AP is WORK. The coupons we used in the speed that we were able to use them at gave us a WR that was about the same as if we played with our usual spread at the tables. However, we decided that the huge advantage given by the coupons was worth the amount of driving that we were going to have to do in order to redeem them all. It took about 2 days to use all the coupons we had. As my partner did all the driving (I can't drive stick lol), it was definately a tiring experience having to do all that travel.

6. After playing pitch games for a while, wonging in the shoe games on the strip was incredibly easy (and fun!). To be able to see all those cards, not having to attempt to peek at the other's player's cards, and having so many tables and pits available, I wonged aggressively; Playing almost entirely positive decks, I felt like a ninja, looking for a advantageous situatioin, attacking, and retreating before they even knew what was going on.

[michaela26]

I've personally never tried card counting before, but my friend is very good at it It seem to work very well most of the time I guess just like any game, blackjack, poker, you need a good system behind you.

[SleightOfHand]

So, its been about 138 hours of team play (85 being mine) and our BR has experienced about 40% growth. We had a wonderful high and a saddening drop soon after (which occured at the BJ BASH which nonetheless had a wonderful game).

We hope to have another one of our cousins and possibly one of my friends join the team to give us a boost. We'll see what happens by then.

[creeping panther]

Originally Posted by SleightOfHand

So, its been about 138 hours of team play (85 being mine) and our BR has experienced about 40% growth. We had a wonderful high and a saddening drop soon after (which occured at the BJ BASH which nonetheless had a wonderful game).

We hope to have another one of our cousins and possibly one of my friends join the team to give us a boost. We'll see what happens by then.

Sleight is a natural, a very skilled player and on a personal note... I have great respect for him and found him to be a very fine and likable young man.

I am sure his parents are very proud of him.

CP

[forwhat77]

OK...I am quite new to the forums and have not posted much, but I am an aspiring counter. I would love to meet some fellows in my area because I know I have probably played with some of you all. Midwest here loving that you are loving your new skill...