What book to buy?

[jmp]

Hello.

1 week ago i watched a TV program about the legendary BJ card counter Tommy Hyland, and i thought, hey, that sounds interesting.
So i surfed the net for information, and here i am.
I know about Basic Stradigy and im currently practicing it, every day. I also know about card counting, and im practicing the Hi-Lo type(currently i got one deck down to about 40 secs).
As it is now, im constantly loosing, although im playing exactly after the Basic Stradigy, and using the Hi-Lo stradigy, so i must be missing something(besides practice). I've searched for a book that might help me, but i quickly found out that there are hundreds of them out there.
Which one should i choose?
PS: im not planning to make BJ my main income. Im almost done with school, got exams in not so long, so right now it's just going to be learning to get good at it, and maybe sometime in the future i might go to real casinos and play for real money.

Thanks in advance, JMP.

[zengrifter]

Start with two books: Blackbelt in BJ by Snyder, and Knockout Blackjack by Fuchs & Vancura. Then decide whether to learn KO, HiLoLITE, Red7 or ZEN.

Also, read my interview, here on the interview page. zg

[jmp]

Originally Posted by zengrifter

Start with two books: Blackbelt in BJ by Snyder, and Knockout Blackjack by Fuchs & Vancura. Then decide whether to learn KO, HiLoLITE, Red7 or ZEN.

Also, read my interview, here on the interview page. zg

Thanks alot. Im going to order them right away.

JMP.

[bigbjfan]

I agree 100% with Zengrifter. Blackbelt in BJ by Snyder, and Knockout Blackjack by Fuchs & Vancura are the two books I started out with and they have given me a solid foundation to build upon. I find myself continually going back and re-reading them as I get more experienced in my play.

[jmp]

Originally Posted by bigbjfan

I agree 100% with Zengrifter. Blackbelt in BJ by Snyder, and Knockout Blackjack by Fuchs & Vancura are the two books I started out with and they have given me a solid foundation to build upon. I find myself continually going back and re-reading them as I get more experienced in my play.

Sounds really good
What im not so happy about is that i live in Europe, so I have to wait a pretty long time for the books to arrive
I guess i'll have to just practice while i wait

JMP

[zengrifter]

Originally Posted by jmp

Sounds really good
What im not so happy about is that i live in Europe, so I have to wait a pretty long time for the books to arrive
I guess i'll have to just practice while i wait JMP

In the meantime here is plenty to read -
http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=697
http://www.bjrnet.com/thop/T-H_Basic_Blackjack.zip

[jmp]

Originally Posted by zengrifter

In the meantime here is plenty to read -
http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=697
http://www.bjrnet.com/thop/T-H_Basic_Blackjack.zip

Thanks a bunch! The more background knowledge, the better

I just spent a couple of hours practicing the Basic Stradigy, with $1000 as my bankroll, using $5 as my bet. I know it's just pure luck, but i ended up with $1200 and that's without counting cards. I know i should have lost money if you look at my chances, but it was fun anyways Was just to practice the BS which i have almost memorized totally now.

JMP

[Mikeaber]

Actually, you shouldn't necessarily have lost. Not in the short term. With an edge of less than 1%, it doesn't take a lot of variance to swing between winning and losing any given session. But, the next time you "practice" you will be adding more time to the overall win loss ratio and eventually, you will level out to that small loss percentage represented by the dealer's edge.

With Advantage Play, the figure most tossed about is that overall, APs will gain 1.5 to 2% over the house. That's not very much but it is a slight advantage and it will work in your favor the longer you play...assuming you do not run out of money before you realize the benefits

The point is, do not get overly optimistic with a short term win or get disappointed over a loss. The edge is small enough that variance can make you a winner or loser over short segments of play. Persevere!

[jmp]

Originally Posted by Mikeaber

Actually, you shouldn't necessarily have lost. Not in the short term. With an edge of less than 1%, it doesn't take a lot of variance to swing between winning and losing any given session. But, the next time you "practice" you will be adding more time to the overall win loss ratio and eventually, you will level out to that small loss percentage represented by the dealer's edge.

With Advantage Play, the figure most tossed about is that overall, APs will gain 1.5 to 2% over the house. That's not very much but it is a slight advantage and it will work in your favor the longer you play...assuming you do not run out of money before you realize the benefits

The point is, do not get overly optimistic with a short term win or get disappointed over a loss. The edge is small enough that variance can make you a winner or loser over short segments of play. Persevere!

Yeah, i have read serveral places now where they point out, that the most important thing to keep in mind, is to NOT overbet. People seem to get greedy when they are on a win-streak, and therefore they bet higher. This oftent results in people loosing all their money instead of winning more.

Your right that i might aswell have won than lost, but as you point out yourself, i would have lost in the end. The house still has an advantange of about 0,5%, even when you play perfect BS.

JMP.

[zengrifter]

Originally Posted by jmp

Yeah, i have read serveral places now where they point out, that the most important thing to keep in mind, is to NOT overbet. People seem to get greedy when they are on a win-streak, and therefore they bet higher.

Many bet bigger when they are losing, as well. zg