Help a newbie.. !!!

hey everyone im somwhat a newbie in blackjack, trying to assimilate as much the basics. I have been praticing basic strategy and Hi-Lo card counting for the past week.

I'm living in Quebec, I am pretty young (19) and have a small bankroll.. i'm willing to pratice and learn in the next weeks before going to the casino but...

i've read and heard that 8 decks / hit on soft 17 is pretty bad and giving a bigger edge to the casino, and those rules applies to all blackjack games in quebec's casinos...... altough card counting supposely doesn't bring alot of heat over here wich is great in a way.

So yea, what do ya'll think? Should I give it a try after some weeks of practice and being able to come out with some extra money? Or should I turn myself to online casinos? Should I get a bigger bankroll or whatever else you think i should do i need advices !!

8D games can be played and beaten, under the right playing conditions. One of the big differences between 8D and other games is that 8D can be less volatile, i.e, the true count doesn't fluctuate as rapidly as in, say, 2D.

My advice, read and build a bankroll so you have enough money to play once you are ready, and so you'll know what to do in the casino. You're not ready yet.

Also, stay away from online casinos if you want to play with an advantage. Online blackjack card decks are continuously shuffled and can't be counted.

Let someone else have third base if possible. It's an important seat and players don't want to see someone asking a bunch of questions, like should I hit this, split that. Even I'll ask why are you sitting there and I only have a 10 spot on board.

If there's only one seat at a table, find another table. I like 2-5 people. Fewer 10's get dealt, leaving some for next hand. Play smart and safe. Stay within your limits, and leave most of your money at home.

If you feel you need to take a poke at a big hand, wait until you see running non-ten cards on board and don't bet more than half your stack. This is a 1st and 2nd base move. You are raising your bet because the lack of 10's land 7 non-ten cards came out in a row.

If everything I said worked 51% of the time, I'd be a millionaire.

With all due respect...the place FaultyX should be sitting is at the kitchen table with a good BJ book.

In the casino, of all the things FX needs to worry about, where he is sitting is pretty far down on the list. If people are going to be jerks (and some will), and comment on a newbie's play at the table, they will do it regardless of where he sits.

...or worse, just to get him off the table.

Don't forget the chips and cards...

There's nothing like a long pause by a player, the longer it goes, the more nervous they can get.

This whole post is pretty awful advice. You'd be wise to disregard it entirely, as he clearly has no idea what he's talking about.

- Third base doesn't matter at all, and it's certainly not "important". You might catch a little flak from other players by playing correctly, but so what? If you're asking questions about plays you shouldn't be playing anyway.

- If you are playing at an advantage, it's best to play with fewer people, so that you get more hands per hour. That's really all that matters. "Fewer 10's get dealt" is totally wrong.

- Don't "wait until you see a streak of cards" or whatever bullcrap that guy is talking about. It's nonsense. Bet according to the count, at a level that's correct considering your bankroll, risk tolerance, and advantage.

- Bring an appropriate bankroll for your session.

Go read more about card counting, practice a lot, ask questions, and don't listen to Leaveawinner's voodoo.

- Read GOOD, REPUTABLE books. Plenty are listed here.
- PRACTICE using QFIT's software. A lot.
- Build a good bankroll (easily 5 figures)
- Stay away from the online casinos.

I can't tell whether this post is a joke ...

with all due respect

i.e., none?

The best thing for you right now is to backcount, you will play less hands at an advantage significantly reducing your risk. Dont have high expectations for your hourly win rate

FaultyX the reality is that you are up against very difficult odds. Your games are terrible and for it to be worth your while you will require a large bankroll. If you can't at least raise 10k don't bother, but 20-25k would be even more preferable. 8D H17 games with 65-70% pen are a grind. You will have to employ backcounting only and it requires a ton of patience with long hours and huge bankroll swings to make very little money. If you can't put together a large bankroll working at McDonalds will probably yield you more money over the course of a year and I'm being serious. At your age you will be better off chasing after women. Now that's positive EV!

thanks everyone for the advices.

Well as now i won't go to casino before a long time, i'll try to get trough a book first. I'll probably buy the stanford wong's book i think.

Therefore, for the bankroll..... i'm currently studying and i don't think i could get a bankroll higher than 10k with a part-time job honestly. I could get maybe a 3000 $ bankroll.

I had the intention to backcount and sit when the TC would have been favorable.

Well for books, any advice on which should I read first, and should I even try to play with that kind of bankroll?

Chasing women may not have that much to do with age. Some APs here are still doing it regardless of EV!

Anyway, I believe it is a great way for new players to practice counting by watching others play. Creative Wonging is the most effective way to beat shoe games.

The games in quebec are actually PERFECT for your situation. Your game plan is this :

go into the store and shop for pen. Back count good pen dealers until the true count is +2 and then bet the minimum, raising your bet at +3 and +4, and wonging out if the running count gets negative. Also you will only want to back count shoes from the very beginning of the shoe. If the table is full, you are able to back bet perfect semi-basic strategists.

then learn to back count two tables at once.


you can set your max bet as low as you want with this strategy (1% of your bankroll perhaps, or .5% if you want to play it safe) and it doesn't matter how aggressively you spread, because almost every bet you make should be +EV. Of course you won't be maximizing value, but you will be minimizing bankroll requirements, and maximizing the return on a small investment.

In a nutshell, this is some of the best advice one could offer.

JOHN DOE's sage advice saved me the trouble of responding.

Leaveawinner's superstitious babble belongs on the Voodoo BJ forum, not here, where impressionable newbies are struggling to incorporate good advice.