Starting Out

#1
Hi everyone:

I'm 16 years old and i want to learn the game of blackjack, and then how to count cards (the plan is if i start now i'll know what i'm doing when i'm old enough to gamble). I'm looking for suggestions on good books and websites (besides this one) to learn basic strategy and card counting. Any suggestions would be much appreciatied.

Thanks, and good luck at the tables!
 
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tribute

Well-Known Member
#2
Where to Begin

Study and memorize the basic charts on this site.
Play the simulations on this site.
Get the book, "Blackjack Blue Book II" by Fred Renzey. Learn Ace/10 Front Count.
You will then be well ahead of most players (and dealers) I encounter in the casinos!
 

BJStanko

Well-Known Member
#4
welcome!

Get a very simple book about blackjack, that will well explain basics well (rules of the game, basic strategy) "The Smarter Bet Guide to Blackjack" by Basil Nestor . Practise that for about 1 - 2 years. And by the time you are 18 and you still like it and wanna become adventage player start reading about card counting and oder advanced strategies. By the time you are 21 you'll be more than ready to hit casinos!!

Good Luck!
 

SweetAxtion

Well-Known Member
#5
Live life with discipline

In order to be a succesful BJ player I believe you must be disciplined. If you can look at your life and say you have the discipline to say no to various addictive behaviours and are able to stay in relative control of your emotional state than at that point you will be ready.

If at this stage you are not at the level then develop it. Coupled with the advice on how to get started in regards to BJ play you must IMHO develop this integral part. One may never be like Spock, but they should at least be like Phil and know when you're not playing effectively because of the emotions clouding your play.

There is good advice here in regards to BJ. Just don't forget that it's not just about knowing BS and how to count cards that will make you effective.
 

Mikeaber

Well-Known Member
#6
SweetAxtion said:
In order to be a succesful BJ player I believe you must be disciplined. If you can look at your life and say you have the discipline to say no to various addictive behaviours and are able to stay in relative control of your emotional state than at that point you will be ready.

If at this stage you are not at the level then develop it. Coupled with the advice on how to get started in regards to BJ play you must IMHO develop this integral part. One may never be like Spock, but they should at least be like Phil and know when you're not playing effectively because of the emotions clouding your play.

There is good advice here in regards to BJ. Just don't forget that it's not just about knowing BS and how to count cards that will make you effective.
Not bad SweetAxtion. I will add one other comment that newbies might not like to hear. Establish intellectually "Why" you want to play! If it is to earn a living at it or if it is going to bust your chops if you loose, then you need to attack the game much differently than if you play strictly for recreation...or maybe you need to find another game! You will very likely NOT break the bank playing at the $5 and you will loose as much as you win unless you get that advantage! And as I think has already been stated, you need a pretty good bankroll and a lot of table time to take advantage of that advantage :eyepatch:

Playing for recreation to me means that the fun you have playing the game offsets the times you play and loose. Those times you win are a bonus...and they do happen more often than you might think even when you flat bet and play Basic Strategy without counting! When I get to the point that I cannot loose and walk away feeling that I got my money's worth at the table, it will be time to hang it up!

If I go into a casino and play $5 minimum tables for 2 hours and quit with $25 win, I consider it a waste of my time. However, if I play 10 hours and loose $50, I consider it a great success IF I've had a good time, had good cocktail service and had a good dealer and tablemates <LOL>

I've already posted that I played an average of 10 to 12 hours a day in Vegas this last trip and ended up around $200 ahead. To me that was a tremendous success not because of the money but because of the BLAST I had playing it!

This past Saturday, I played for 12 hours at AmeriStar in Kansas City and ended up $60 ahead. Had a blast doing it so it was a success!

My strategy is just to have fun with it. If that were not so, I darn sure wouldn't be playing the $5 tables and I would be working at the game instead of playing at it. To each his own...but decide what "your own" is and play accordingly.
 

SweetAxtion

Well-Known Member
#7
Mikeaber said:
I will add one other comment that newbies might not like to hear. Establish intellectually "Why" you want to play! If it is to earn a living at it or if it is going to bust your chops if you loose, then you need to attack the game much differently than if you play strictly for recreation....

Good point there. There is a total difference between playing for recreation and playing to make money. If you don't have a decent bankroll than you shouldn't be playing to "make money". Meaning...I have friends who know how well I do but in their words "I only want to risk $50.00 for the night". They chomp at the bit when they know I make a minimum of $500.00 and they think they should at least make $100.00. Well my friends are recreational players who *think* they should be making money and on average ALL my friends who come out with me to play (and actually never heed my advice even at the table with me) lose every single cent they come in with.

What they don't take into account is that I'm usually in the Casino with a minumum of 10k to make $500.00. I'm a non-recreational player, but I also have the means to lose 10k in a session too.

If losing $50 or $200 is actually going to mean the difference whether you pay your credit card bill for the month, or your rent then playing recreationally IMHO is risky...because unless you are only willing to go up in small increments until you have a sizeable bankroll swings such as losing 10k-40k in my own experience can and DO happen.

For the 16yr old fella...just be warned that Blackjack isn't a get rich easy money game. You only ever hear from the slot machine addicts about how many jackpots they hit...and in the same manner, there are enough losing blackjack players (card counters included) who keep Casinos in business.

If you are cool with this, by all means study up and heed the advice of those who will give it. Don't be like my buddies who say to me "Oh I can't play like you do, I already planned to be able to lose this money if it came down to it". All the while I'm knocking them on the head telling them they should be happy they got something to eat for free and a tank full of gas if they only walked out ahead.
 
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