Basic Strategy

[Bumpy2020]

Im new to Blackjack, but wish to get into this.
Iv learnt the basic strategy, but when using this alone in the sim i lose money
Am i missing something ? Or do i use BS + feelings (lots of low cards, next should be high)

[Mikeaber]

Bumpy,

How do you have the "table rules" set up on your simulator?

What I see normally at casinos for 6-deck games is:

Double on Anything
Double after Split
Split three times to four hands
Resplit Aces but hit only one time
Dealer Hits soft 17's

Most of the time, Double Deck games are similar though some restrict the hands to 9/10/11 that you can double down on. Some restrict splitting of Aces to one time for two hands.

Originally Posted by Bumpy2020

Im new to Blackjack, but wish to get into this.
Iv learnt the basic strategy, but when using this alone in the sim i lose money
Am i missing something ? Or do i use BS + feelings (lots of low cards, next should be high)

[Bumpy2020]

Originally Posted by Mikeaber

Bumpy,

How do you have the "table rules" set up on your simulator?

What I see normally at casinos for 6-deck games is:

Double on Anything
Double after Split
Split three times to four hands
Resplit Aces but hit only one time
Dealer Hits soft 17's

I set it up as close as i could to the local casino:
6-deck
Double on Anything
Double after Split
Dealer Hits soft 17's

I just played 5hrs with CasinoOnNet (Free play mode):
Made $800 from $150, then unless i got 19+ couldnt win a single hand (dealer always got BJ/20 in first hand)
Ill try the online ones Ken recomended.

[Mikeaber]

Bumpy,
Without looking it up, that game should yield the house an advantage of around .60% or .62%. In the long run, with flat betting (bet same amount each hand and take all BS double downs and splits), you are going to loose a little. Of course, like with the short run, you might get lucky and win like you did for a while with that $150 increase to $800. Set a goal and discipline yourself to walk away when you reach it....same with losses....

As for increasing bets....that's been a highly debatable topic on the gambling forums. Personally, I increase my bets on the hand after the person sitting three positions to my right is dealt a deuce on the first card. Without counting, that works as well as any other method! And it is fun when you explain your madness to your tablemates <LOL>

I've tried "card watching" and haven't had a lot of luck with it...especially in a 6-deck game. By that, I mean that after a couple of hands where you see virtually no tens, you increase you bet hoping that a string of tens will show. That just doesn't work reliably. I was watching last night the rerun of WSOBJ in which Wong, Blackwood and three ladies (Charlene, LeAnn and I can't remember the foreign lady's name) were playing for two seats in the finals. I recall watching two consecutive hands fairly early in the shoe where there were no faces or maybe only one or two that showed. Max Ruben even commented on the fact that though the previous two hands were all low, the count (and I assume he meant running count) was just +2....certainly not enough to justify an increased bet. But a "card watcher" would have jumpped on that. Sure enough, nothing spectacular happened on the next several hands.

If you are going by "gut feel" or "feelings" of any kind, call it gas and act appropriately.

I know that is not a very positive spin on betting Blackjack, but I think one should face reality from the beginning. It is a negative expectation game. Played correctly, in the long run, you won't go broke...or at least you will go broke slowly. But in the short term, you can walk away with a large win or you can walk away with a large loss. Most of the time though, you will come close to breaking even over several days of play and have a lot of fun doing it.

[RavenSlay3r]

I've been doing a ton of reading on this lately. Basically your simulations SHOULD be showing about .6% loss over time using basic-strategy alone.

I'm not sure of the logic behind Mike's "Duece-Theorm" unless I missed a post or the whole point is there is none :D ... So i'm not going to comment there.

Generally speaking, and you can read this in detail on WizardofOdds.com no betting strategy works no matter what. Regardless of if it's a 'gut-check', or 'card-watching' or any type of progression or negative progression....

The ONLY way you can expect a positive outcome is to ACCURETLY count the cards and bet appropreitly; for example using Hi-Lo IN ADDITION TO correct basic strategy.

If you are more interested in blackjack for the recreational value (as many people are) your best bet is to play Basic-strategy and accept the < 1% loss as "price of entertainment". If you want to walk away a winner (in strictly monetary terms) you have to count.

Raven,

ps. Mike I know I still owe you an e-mail! I WILL reply, just been overwhelmed with schoolwork lately...

[Mikeaber]

Originally Posted by RavenSlay3r

I'm not sure of the logic behind Mike's "Duece-Theorm" unless I missed a post or the whole point is there is none :D ... So i'm not going to comment there.

<busting a gut here>! Raven, there WAS NO point to that. I guess that was the point <LOL> I had no intention of misleading anyone with that. I read on one of the forums one time where someone replied to newbie questions with explanations that were double talk but gave sound basic strategy advise.

(ex) newbie asks what to do with a pair of 8's. Experienced player looks around the table seriously and tells him to split them because the player 2 seats to his right has a black deuce. The advise is good, but the explanation is nonsense.

My point, if any, was that when you are trying to mathematically justify a method for increasing or decreasing bets without "counting", you are using "voodoo" and it will not reliably work for you (unless the moon is full and Saturn aligns with Mars). That's my opinion though....accept it for what has been paid for it.

[RavenSlay3r]

Mike,

LOL, I figured as much but couldn't tell for sure... I'll have to remember that for when I really am at the tables :D <evil grin>

[Bumpy2020]

Can you count cards if the shoe is shuffled after each round/hand ?
We have these Flash computer shuffle thingys
Not sure why they dont do it by hand anymore (did the other week). Guess it gives the house a bigger advantage

[BlackDog]

Originally Posted by Bumpy2020

Can you count cards if the shoe is shuffled after each round/hand ?
We have these Flash computer shuffle thingys
Not sure why they dont do it by hand anymore (did the other week). Guess it gives the house a bigger advantage

If they shuffle after every hand counting would be useless...probably why they started doing it

[RavenSlay3r]

If their shuffling every hand that pretty much takes away the very essence of blackjack - what makes it unique from any other casino game...