Bankroll for beginner in MS???

[KidTampa]

Looking to start playing both for fun and to maybe supplement my income. Was curious as to what a good starting bankroll would be for playing just basic strategy?

[nc-tom]

Originally Posted by KidTampa

Looking to start playing both for fun and to maybe supplement my income. Was curious as to what a good starting bankroll would be for playing just basic strategy?

Well $10,000 would be a good start if possible. Would not start out with less than $3000.

[Automatic Monkey]

Originally Posted by KidTampa

Looking to start playing both for fun and to maybe supplement my income. Was curious as to what a good starting bankroll would be for playing just basic strategy?

Zero. You cannot earn any income playing basic strategy.

[ScottH]

Originally Posted by Automatic Monkey

Zero. You cannot earn any income playing basic strategy.

Agreed. He won't be supplementing any income with only basic strategy. If only it was that easy...

[adt_33]

I disagree. Although I still consider myself a novice, I've walked away from the casino six times (out of six) with a profit. My total profit is now over $550.

I don't remember the actual odds with playing perfect BS (and sources disagree anyways) but as I recall you win 43%, push 9%, and lose 48%. With the odds being slightly less than half in your favor, you must know when to leave the casino. That is what I believe keeps me ahead. Of course, with this site being full of counters, they will tell you that my winnings were due to luck. Well, that may be true to an extent, but a successful six out of six casino trips keeps my eyebrows raised at the counters. (Not that I'm not grateful to you counters for the help you regularly dispense on this site)

You can find on nearly any page here that card counting is the only way to tip the odds in your favor, and I believe that. And if you mean by supplemental income you mean significant income, then I retract my disagreement. But if you're looking to use your winnings to buy a case of beer every now and again, then you shouldn't have a problem if you know when to quit playing.

And to your actual question, I've always bet 1/10 (or less) of what I bring to the casino.

[ScottH]

Originally Posted by adt_33

I don't remember the actual odds with playing perfect BS (and sources disagree anyways) but as I recall you win 43%, push 9%, and lose 48%. With the odds being slightly less than half in your favor, you must know when to leave the casino.

If you know the odds are against you 48 to 43, then knowing when to leave the casino is simple, leave as soon as you possibly can!

Originally Posted by adt_33

That is what I believe keeps me ahead. Of course, with this site being full of counters, they will tell you that my winnings were due to luck.

Whether you want to admit it or not, they are right, it's due to luck. Keep playing and see for yourself.

Originally Posted by adt_33

You can find on nearly any page here that card counting is the only way to tip the odds in your favor, and I believe that. And if you mean by supplemental income you mean significant income, then I retract my disagreement. But if you're looking to use your winnings to buy a case of beer every now and again, then you shouldn't have a problem if you know when to quit playing.

You just said that counting is the only way to tip the odds in your favor, then you talk about buying beer with the profit. If you play only BS long enough, you won't have any profit to buy your beer. In fact, by playing BS, you are essentially giving your beer to the casino.

[ScottH]

Originally Posted by adt_33

I disagree. Although I still consider myself a novice, I've walked away from the casino six times (out of six) with a profit. My total profit is now over $550.

I don't remember the actual odds with playing perfect BS (and sources disagree anyways) but as I recall you win 43%, push 9%, and lose 48%. With the odds being slightly less than half in your favor, you must know when to leave the casino. That is what I believe keeps me ahead. Of course, with this site being full of counters, they will tell you that my winnings were due to luck. Well, that may be true to an extent, but a successful six out of six casino trips keeps my eyebrows raised at the counters. (Not that I'm not grateful to you counters for the help you regularly dispense on this site)

You can find on nearly any page here that card counting is the only way to tip the odds in your favor, and I believe that. And if you mean by supplemental income you mean significant income, then I retract my disagreement. But if you're looking to use your winnings to buy a case of beer every now and again, then you shouldn't have a problem if you know when to quit playing.

And to your actual question, I've always bet 1/10 (or less) of what I bring to the casino.

I think that one of the worst things that can happen to a gambler has happened to you. You have started out winning without any problems. You have won 6/6 sessions and now you think that you can make a profit by just knowing to quit while you're ahead.

I think it's much better to start out losing, then you realize you're playing a losing game and either quit, or learn how to play a winning game. By getting lucky and winning while playing a losing strategy, it can give you a false idea of the game, and will only cost you money in the long run.

So it you are wise you will snap out of it, and learn how to count!

[Sonny]

I wouldn't say that card counting is the only way to get the edge, but it is probably the easiest method. As far as profit goes, any player, no matter how poorly they play, will occasionally win some money. Basic strategy will ensure that you are playing accurately and therefore increasing your chances of walking away a winner, but it will not produce consistent profit. The house will still have the edge so you should expect to lose money in the long run. You will have plenty of winning sessions but you should not expect any profit (defined as "positive gain from an investment or business operation after subtracting for all expenses") from the game unless you learn advanced techniques.

The bankroll requirements will depend on how many houes you expect to play during each session.

-Sonny-

[adt_33]

Originally Posted by ScottH

You just said that counting is the only way to tip the odds in your favor, then you talk about buying beer with the profit. If you play only BS long enough, you won't have any profit to buy your beer. In fact, by playing BS, you are essentially giving your beer to the casino.

I must be honest I don't understand this part.

Example of what I was getting at:
Casino Trip #1: win $35. Buy beer.
Casino Trip #2: win $10. Buy beer.
Casino Trip #3: lose $50. Cry yourself to sleep.
Casino Trip #4: lose $25. Vow to never gamble again. (only to return in three months)

etc...

ScottH: I think you're crazy to think I meant "you can't ever win w/ BS" when saying that counting is the only way to increase your odds. Of course you can win in the short-term. As usual, counting increases long-term odds, which I thought was obvious in my statement.

Sidenote: I can't ascertain the distinction between long-term and short-term. Does my current "good luck streak" mean that I'll lose soon, because it should always be factored into the long-term? Well, I asked that question recently only to be assured that this is an example of the gambler's fallacy (which I already suspected). So, in the long run, every win with BS has nothing to do with subsequent/previous wins with BS.

But yes, counter demi-gods, you are better than me at blackjack!

[KidTampa]

Did not mean to start a world war here. My intentions as a player are to learn to count and get to where I can play with the edge. I should have been more clear on my initial post. But I think in the midst of all this that I got my answer. So take 100 times whatever you plan on betting correct? Also, when you counters go to a session do you set out to play for a set number of hours or do you set a stop loss amount?