blackjack avenger said:
To say counting is either lucrative or not depends on some variables:
Skill of player
Style of player
games available
So it's very relative
:joker::whip:
good cards
Hi BA,
Well, granted that money can be made from counting. However, its a very weak form of advantage play. Its really the equivalent of big game hunting armed with a rubber band and a paper clip, and I don't care what kind of rubber band you are using.
Even those nifty red ones.
I have access to some exceptional games. ES, deep pen, RSA, no heat. All the good stuff. NOs hover around 7500. But a typical low-stakes, and even mid-stakes, live NL cash game on the weekend has about twice the comparative return and half the variance for those with limited bankrolls.
I won't get into details, but I hit a bad stretch at one point in this field. We all do, it's inevitable. So on a lark, I wandered into a live 1-2 NL cash game. Made about $20K that summer. I don't think I ever was down more than a few hundred on any given session. I found that when the money went in, I was routinely averaging 40%-60% advantages. You just won't find that with counting. Or tracking. Or your favorite dealer who's flashing (most of the time) that one card, 3CP game.
Truth be told, solo counters struggling with yearly returns around the mid five-figure mark should all be playing 1-2 poker. Mind you, I acknowledge that we don't all play for the same reasons. However, if you are putting any significant time in at the tables, you'll find a far more diverse cross section of humanity at poker than BJ. So, the working conditions are also better.
And it's fun taking money from doctors.
Best,
Syph