Casino help

[furinax]

Hi Everyone I need your help. I'm kinda new at playing blackjack regularly I started playing about 2 weeks ago and I have gone 4 or 5 times since. The first 3 times I went to the casino I came out ahead, but as of late I have really been hurting bad. Ok so here is my senario. I go in with 40-60$ to the 5$ tables and I use all the strategies I have been reading up on the net.
1. always stand on 17
2. 14-16 are bust hands for dealers so double or split if its adventagious
3. if dealer has anything higher than 17 hit until I get 17 or higher.
4. Never take insurance
5. Never split 5's.
ext....
Well the last 3 times I have gone to the casino it seems the dealer has been getting 21 or 20 more and more and its been driving me crazy. I will get 20 and the dealer will show a face card and flip and have 14 then draw a 7 or I will get 19 and the dealer will be showing a 6 flip and have a 5 then get a 10 this has been happening more and more it seems. Nomatter how I play it it seems the dealer is always winning and I'm playing the way I have read I should. Do any of you have any suggestions on what I should do when these situations arise? Should I switch tables, get up and leave, or just change my style of play?

 

[Mimosine]

Do any of you have any suggestions on what I should do when these situations arise? Should I switch tables, get up and leave, or just change my style of play?

You should not just whimsically change your style of play. You should strive to make it better. Take a week off from the casino - cool your jets - and really learn basic strategy for the game you are playing.

Start here: http://wizardofodds.com/blackjack

If you are playing a 6D game then you should really learn the "basic strategy" for a 6D game. Make flash cards of different arrangements of cards, learn when to SPLIT, learn when to Double Down and Learn how to play "soft hands," those in which you have an Ace that acts as an 11. Then take out a blank sheet of paper and recreate the entire table FROM MEMORY.

Switching tables won't do you any good unless you know the relative proportion of high to low cards remaining in the deck. You're just as likely to stand up when the dealer's "hot streak" is over.

You should learn basic strategy perfectly and ALWAYS flat bet the table minimum that you wish to play.

 

[humonstick]

Things happen and many times things don't happen the way you want it to be. Since you didn't mention you count cards, i assume you did not. If you only play by the basic strategy, you are still going to lose in the long run. I suggest you read atleast one blackjack book and learn a counting card system, so you can win in the long run. If you lose a few seasons in a roll, it's nothing surprising because if there's any legal way to insure a player to win 90%+ of the season, then everyone will quit their job and rush to the casino and pray really hard to get a spot in the blackjack tables.

 

[furinax]

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess it would have been helpful to explain the casino I play at. It is a 6D table and it uses an automated shuffling machine that you cant even see the cards in so its very difficult to count cards. I actually think the machine shuffles after every 2-3 hands.

 

[GeorgeD]

As said, playing good basic strategy flat betting $5, you will lose in the long run. Your average loss may be a couple of bucks per hour of play, but swings can easily break or double your $40-$50 in pretty short order.

Also, with that that bankroll, you may sometimes be in a tight position to double or split when you should ... do you really want to split 2X then double and have $40 on the table for one hand? Well, sure .. IF you win.

If you are playing for fun and entertainment with money you can afford to lose, that's no problem. Don't let your first couple of winning sessions make you think you can make money at this game without A LOT of practice and a big bankroll.

 

[Mimosine]

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess it would have been helpful to explain the casino I play at. It is a 6D table and it uses an automated shuffling machine that you cant even see the cards in so its very difficult to count cards. I actually think the machine shuffles after every 2-3 hands.

what you're describing is a CSM. and no you can't count cards against it.

 

[furinax]

I understand that I wont always win just because I won a few times but the thing is I would really like to just have a good time. As of late just walking in and loosing almost 7 hands in a row is agrivating. If I can play for hours I'm fine with losing sure winning is a plus but I just love playing the game but when I walk in and lose lose lose lose win lose lose win win lose that gets agrivating because I end up being out of the game in 20 minutes. I'm not trying to become rich I just want to be able to have a good time every time I go. Is it that I need a bigger bankroll? What would you suggest for a 5$ table a good bankroll?

 

[Sonny]

I'm not trying to become rich I just want to be able to have a good time every time I go. Is it that I need a bigger bankroll? What would you suggest for a 5$ table a good bankroll?

Here's a good article on bankroll requirements for basic strategy players:

http://www.blackjackforumonline.com/content/Blackjack_Basic_Strategy_Betting_And_Risk.htm

-Sonny-

 

[EasyRhino]

I had a dealer draw to twenty one six or seven times in a row on me. It was horrifying.

Anyway, like others, I recommend learning the complete basic strategy for whatever game you're playing (if it's a CSM, you can ask how many decks they load inside it, assume 5 or 6). You can bring in a strategy card (or a print out from this site!) if you want.

In terms of bankroll, if you would like to be able to sit down for at least an hour so so, I'd go in with 20 bets. ($100 at a $5 table).

Also, the usual recommendation is to find a hand-shuffled game at a crowded table, with a slow dealer, and slow players, just to slow things down as much as possible. A CSM is probably the fastest game available.

 

[positiveEV]

Tip to memorize the basic strategy chart: don't learn it by memorizing every combination one by one, instead think logically while you are looking at it and make up "stories". I learned it under 30min thinking this way and if there is I have a new game to memorize I only memorize a story or a trick instead, same thing with index plays. Here was my "story" for the 6D chart:

2 is not a super strong dealer's up card, 3 is weaker than 2, 4 is weaker than 3, 5 is weaker than 4 and 6 is about as weak as 5. Then you have 7, a strong dealer's up card! Then it gets stronger until ace. 9 doubles against 3 to 6, stop doubling 10 against 10 or A, stop doubling 11 against A.

Against 2-3, you hit until you have 13 and 4-6 you hit until you have 12. At 7, things gets harder and you have to hit up to 17. Soft doubles: A2-A3 are not very strong, so you can only double against 5 and 6. A4-A5 are stronger, so you can also double against 4. A6-A7 are stronger, so you can double against 3 too with them, but since A7 already equal 18, if you can't double you should stand. A7 can get better against strong hands so you hit against 9-10-A. A8-A9 are strong enough, so you stand.

2-2 and 3-3 can be split up to 7, stop splitting at 8. 4-4 can only be split against weak cards, 5-6. 5-5 is like a 10. 6-6 split up to 6, 7-7 split up to 7, 8 always split, 9,9 don't split against 7, 10 and A. A-A always split.

If you have another kind of game, the strategy is almost the same, just remember the few variations by creating "stories" like that. I memorized almost every index plays (variations from the basic strategy) that way instead of only memorizing 18 like a lot of people.

 

[positiveEV]

To get the house edge of your game, go here and input the rules of your casino: http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.php

To calculate the fluctuations you can expect to get while playing and using flat bets, do that:

Number of hands * unit * your edge edge +/- √(Number of hands)*unit*1.1

If you vary your bets, it will be a little bit over 1.1

Example, you play $50 a hand during 100 hands with a house edge of 0.54%.

You will win on average (100)(50)(-.0054) more or less √100*50*1.1
-$27 more or less $55, so it's still very probable that you win.
The "more or less $X" is the standard deviation.

Note that 68% of the time, your result will be within one standard deviation and 95% of the time you will be within 2 standard deviation. 99.74% of the time you will be within 3 standard deviation.

Edit: By the way the Wizard of odds says the standard deviation is 1.15 but it should not change the results a lot anyway.

 

[TENNBEAR]

Answer one: Ditto to Humanstick suggestion, purchase a good book. On this site under books and software you will find an great selection of good blackjack books, all of which have been approved by our site administrator.
I like Playing Blackjack like the Pro's by Kevin Blackwood. This will help you more than you know.
Answer two: go to Hitorstand.net for a great Basic Strategy training game that will greatly improve your basic strategy skills, and is a lot of fun.

 

[Rookie]

Here's a good article on bankroll requirements for basic strategy players:

http://www.blackjackforumonline.com/content/Blackjack_Basic_Strategy_Betting_And_Risk.htm

-Sonny-

Thanks for posting that link, I was just looking for a table like that!

 

[GeorgeD]

Tip to memorize the basic strategy chart: don't learn it by memorizing every combination one by one, instead think logically while you are looking at it and make up "stories". I learned it under 30min thinking this way and if there is I have a new game to memorize I only memorize a story or a trick instead, same thing with index plays. Here was my "story" for the 6D chart:

2 is not a super strong dealer's up card, 3 is weaker than 2, 4 is weaker than 3, 5 is weaker than 4 and 6 is about as weak as 5. Then you have 7, a strong dealer's up card! Then it gets stronger until ace. 9 doubles against 3 to 6, stop doubling 10 against 10 or A, stop doubling 11 against A.

Against 2-3, you hit until you have 13 and 4-6 you hit until you have 12. At 7, things gets harder and you have to hit up to 17. Soft doubles: A2-A3 are not very strong, so you can only double against 5 and 6. A4-A5 are stronger, so you can also double against 4. A6-A7 are stronger, so you can double against 3 too with them, but since A7 already equal 18, if you can't double you should stand. A7 can get better against strong hands so you hit against 9-10-A. A8-A9 are strong enough, so you stand.

2-2 and 3-3 can be split up to 7, stop splitting at 8. 4-4 can only be split against weak cards, 5-6. 5-5 is like a 10. 6-6 split up to 6, 7-7 split up to 7, 8 always split, 9,9 don't split against 7, 10 and A. A-A always split.

If you have another kind of game, the strategy is almost the same, just remember the few variations by creating "stories" like that. I memorized almost every index plays (variations from the basic strategy) that way instead of only memorizing 18 like a lot of people.

I like your story method. I turned th BS card into rules I memorized. For instance: Stand w 12 VS 5-6, Stand 13-16 vs 2-6, always split A/8 etc.

I still had trouble remembering soft doubles until someone here told me the "Rule of Nines". Hope I can explain it correctly: Stand on soft 19 or higher, with less you always double V Dealer 5-6, never double VS 2. On other dealer up cards if the total of your non A and the dealer's is 9 or more you double, otherwise hit. The exception is A-4 V 4 which you double. The A-7

 

[furinax]

How much?

Hey guys I have been good I havent gone to the casino at all this weekend like you said I'm taking some time off to cool down. Yet I am thinking about going later this week and I was wondering what preemptive tips can you give me? How much to bring to be able to at least play enough hands to break even? What should I look for before sitting down at a table? What should I look for while I'm at the table? The casino I go to is Casino Arizona and I prefer to go to the 5$ tables. I usually bring 40-60$ I know its not a huge bankroll but its pretty decent eh?
Looking forward to hearing all the great feedback thanks.

 

[shadroch]

$ 40-60 is not a decent amount to have when playing a $5 game. Your chances of losing it all are great. A decent BR would be a inimum of $100.

 

[21forme]

In many hobbies/pursuits, there's a saying:

Buy the book before the _________.

I suggest you buy/read a basic text on Blackjack. It will answer most of your questions. My recommendation is Blackbelt in Blackjack by Arnold Snyder. Informative and easy reading.

 

[Mimosine]

$ 40-60 is not a decent amount to have when playing a $5 game. Your chances of losing it all are great. A decent BR would be a inimum of $100.

i'm with shadroch on this one.... bring $100.

in a not so fun, but well remembered session, my $100 evaporated in 2 hours. i had a good time playing, but had i only bought in for 40-$60 it would have been over much sooner, and i wouldn't have had a shot of winning anything.

save up til you have $100, in the meantime learn BS. seriously!

 

[furinax]

Practice

Ok so 100$ thank u for the suggestion. I have been studying BJ pretty seriouslly since I started this post. I have gone to many web sites and pretty much memorized the charts. I have gone to the practice sites ya'll have posted and played all the training games over and over and I even downloaded BJ for my phone and have been playing that whenever I'm sitting arround bored. I think I'm about 90% down with the basic strategy. I still slip up every once in a while with simple errors like hitting on a soft 17.