Obvious Counter

I have now spent about 12 hours (3 sessions) counting and so far doing good! I can easily keep the count, remember indices, find the true count...etc thanks to cvbj! I'm up 27 units, half of which is due to luck (Expected win is only at about 15 units for 12 hours of play).

The problem is, I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb! I backcount until the TC=1 (if the tables fairly empty) or TC=2 (if its pretty full). So I have to stand behind tables quit a bit. I know the goal is to blend in but its tough!

In "Blackjack Attack" Don says he makes it look like hes more into the craps game as he counts from a distance. I tried standing closer to the craps tables or roulette but then people are blocking the cards and the ones that are not being blocked are often to far to make out. I have perfect vision so I don't understand how anyone could pull this long distance counting off!

Anyone have any hints to get me brainstorming in the right direction? I'm beginning to realize that learning to count may be the easy part of the process. Theres no clear steps to follow on how to get away with it. Any responses or PMs would be appreciated.

hey ok menace, me again, lol.
i've just been starting back counting as well.
one thing, and maybe this isn't proper, but i don't hover much over any given table. like again, just me maybe but it doesn't take much for me to give up on a table and to move on to another. i mean it seems like a couple or three rounds or so and the count has turned so rotten i'm off to the next table, sort of thing. so the point is it's not like i'm seen watching some table for an extended period of time. then another thing, just maybe in my case, but i'm in no big hurry, sort of thing, so again that i think helps keep me out of the lime light. and like say i do fairly well, say pretty quick, well i'll likely lay off them, lol, maybe go to another joint that has a better game for play all or something. so it seems i maybe wont spend a real lot of time back counting this particular joint before i'll leave or at least give it a break for a while.
another thing is my back counting activities are pretty much broken up by some other stuff i'm doing, so it's not such a continuous thing anyone is gonna see going on.
another thing where i guess i'm lucky is the particular joint i'm back counting in just seems to have the perfect environment for it. it's a kind of dimly lit joint with lots of bj tables spread out over a large discontinuous area sort of thing. another thing, pretty much due to the table mins being forced upon people at this joint, well, lol, they tend to bust out pretty quickly, so it's fairly normal for people to be coming and going on and off these tables, sort of thing.
one thing on that counting from a distance, well maybe you watch a few rounds or just one from a distance, well ok, maybe you can't see the card faces and numbers but you can see if the players and dealer is getting more cards than usual sort of thing. barring hands getting aces this will usually mean pretty many small cards came out, then you might move in and watch the table more closely for hopefully more small cards coming out, then you can say ok i didn't see so many cards and i have some tc (what ever) but it's likely the tc might be even better than i think it is sort of thing.
but yeah i remember that Schlesinger's Blackjack Attack has some really good stuff on back counting. i gotta go back and read that over again.

Hey Sagefr0g,

Either sitting down or moving on after 3 rounds seems like good advice. I'm usually so hopeful its going to get good that I think I stay too long. But then again even if you do move to another table quickly, if its the same pit the pit boss could notice your still standing around watching.

How long have you been counting? Ever get backed off?

I just sit down and act like a ploppy. I say dumb stuff like "I wanna see how the shoe goes before I start to play" I tell the dealer she's being mean to the players because she keeps winning. maybe if she starts busting more, I'll start to play. I've also complained about the fact that the joint doesn't offer DD pitch, so I'm gonna treat this 6d like DD, and wait till it gets down to about 2D before I start to play.

Jack



That is great!!:laugh::laugh:

CP

right you are, that's where i'm lucky, the joint is big enough and bj is spread out enough, and then it's just natural that a pack being just shuffled or starting out is a far piece off from the last table i hawked, so i end up walking a bit, lol.

counting almost five years, but that's only about 256 sessions.
nope never been backed off. vast majority of my play has been nickle tables though.

haha that's good. I've heard plenty of those nonsense lines at the table. Fit in quit nicely! Haha What happens when everyone starts winning at -6 count? Uhoh!

wow 5 years and no backoffs. You must be doing something right!

If you wong often enough at the same casino, try exiting the casino every hour or so and reenter via a different door. Casino Survailance will most likely backtrack you to the frame when they see you enter the door. I doubt they will go looking for you past that point.

You may not be as obvious as you think. Think of counting as like being high. You think everybody else is high and you think other people are high, but in reality probably no one knows you are high unless you tell them, and probably no one else is high.

I'll just say that I've made my share of fake phone calls while hanging out in table game areas.

hahaha :laugh:

Next time say you have irritable bowel syndrome and they ran out of soap in the bathroom. Kills two birds with one stones

I've never had anyone ask me to play when people start winning during negative counts. Everyone is in their own world sometimes, even when sitting next to each other. But just say more ploppy stuff if the situation arises. "i'm not convinced that your(dealer) winning streak is over. well, now that I think about it, one time a cute dealer was asking me to start playing since she was busting more often during a negative count. Before I could respond, 1 other player had a problem with me entering to play and told me to stay out, since I would mess up the "flow of the cards" I said, sure thing. and mumbled under my breath, "idiot."

Or just use the DD excuse.