Few questions for amateur counter

[hopson77]

Short time lurker, first time poster. I'm an amateur card counter (hi-lo), mostly for nickels and dimes, and I'll be heading to Vegas for the first time in January. I know the older places downtown have the best single deck games going, with a 0.17 house advantage.

1.) I've heard your unit bet should be 1/100th of your bankroll. Is that trip bankroll or total bankroll?

2.) How many units should your big bet be? I've heard 5 is standard.

3.) Where can I get a copy of the indicies for single deck 3:2, h17, DA2, No DAS?

4.) Anything else I should know as a relative n00b and Vegas virgin?

Many thanks!

[ScottH]

Originally Posted by hopson77

Short time lurker, first time poster. I'm an amateur card counter (hi-lo), mostly for nickels and dimes, and I'll be heading to Vegas for the first time in January. I know the older places downtown have the best single deck games going, with a 0.17 house advantage.

1.) I've heard your unit bet should be 1/100th of your bankroll. Is that trip bankroll or total bankroll?

2.) How many units should your big bet be? I've heard 5 is standard.

3.) Where can I get a copy of the indicies for single deck 3:2, h17, DA2, No DAS?

4.) Anything else I should know as a relative n00b and Vegas virgin?

Many thanks!

1. It's better to have your top bet be 1/100th of your total bankroll. Then figure out your unit size depending on the spread you will be using. The swings are crazy, you can easily lose 100 units in one session.

2. It depends on your spread. Your top bet will always be the same, and it depends on your bankroll. After you figure out your top bet, determine the spread you want to use, then use that info to figure out your unit size.

I can't help you with the other 2. Good luck!

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by hopson77

I know the older places downtown have the best single deck games going, with a 0.17 house advantage.

There aren’t a whole lot of 3:2 SD games left. You might be able to find one at the El Cortez, Western or Golden Nugget. For the most part SD in Vegas is dead.

Originally Posted by hopson77

1.) I've heard your unit bet should be 1/100th of your bankroll. Is that trip bankroll or total bankroll?

Usually they mean 1/100th of your total bankroll. If you have a replenishable BR then you can be more lenient and use your trip BR, but I don’t recommend that.

Originally Posted by hopson77

2.) How many units should your big bet be? I've heard 5 is standard.

For SD you can get by with a 1:3 or 1:4 spread. A DD game usually requires around a 1:8 spread. If you can get away with more then go for it, but those are a good starting point. It all depends on what sort of EV you are looking for.

Originally Posted by hopson77

3.) Where can I get a copy of the indicies for single deck 3:2, h17, DA2, No DAS?

Here you go:

http://www.casino.com/blackjack/article.asp?id=332

-Sonny-

[hopson77]

Thanks, Scott and Sonny.

I read in an article at casino.com that SD is still alive at Binion's and Four Queens as well, but I don't know when the article was written. Are the comps at any of these places (including the ones Sonny mentioned above) especially good or hard to get? I imagine most times your comp rate depends on how the pit boss is feeling that day, if you have established yourself at a particular minimum per hand player.

[jimbiggs]

Originally Posted by hopson77

Thanks, Scott and Sonny.

I read in an article at casino.com that SD is still alive at Binion's and Four Queens as well, but I don't know when the article was written. Are the comps at any of these places (including the ones Sonny mentioned above) especially good or hard to get? I imagine most times your comp rate depends on how the pit boss is feeling that day, if you have established yourself at a particular minimum per hand player.

The single deck at Binion's is Rof5 and at 4Queens they use a cut card placed at around 50% or less.

They have Rof6 single deck at the El Cortez, Las Vegas Club, and the Western. The min. bet at the LVC is normally $25. The mins are $5 at the other two. I didn't find it hard to get comped meals at the EC or LVC. At the Western I was flat bet after 30 minutes spreading $5 - $50.

[hopson77]

<-- n00b

Rof5, Rof6?