First time out...........

Z

Zero Cool

Member
#1
#1
Spent the past 4 months studying (and I do mean studying) card counting. Downloaded Super Blackjack and have played countless hours. I have practiced to perfection.... I don't even have to think about what to do it's just all second nature. I don't always come out on top in the sim but most times I do really well. Finally got the balls up to hit the casino today and play with real money.

The game was a 6 deck shoe with about 80% pen. I was kinda nervous about throwin some of those big bets down (big for me) but I tried to just pretend it was the sim and not worry about it. One hand I had $50 down on S19 against the dealer's 5 with a TC of plus 6. I put my bet up to double and the dealer's like, "no no no honey.... are you really sure you want to do that?". Sure did work out good for me. I know that is against BS but it was the end of the shoe and the TC was pretty high. I was pretty certain I'd get a 10 (and I did) and that she would bust at 25 (and she did). Felt good to win :grin:

Anyways, the point is in a little over 4 hours I walked out 475 richer than I walked in. Been lurking here for a while now reading your posts and it's helped a lot along the way...... Thanks!!!
 
zengrifter

zengrifter

Banned
#2
#2
Zero Cool said:
I know that is against BS but it was the end of the shoe and the TC was pretty high. I was pretty certain I'd get a 10 (and I did) and that she would bust at 25 (and she did). Felt good to win :grin:!
Click to expand...
Do you have an index# for that play? zg
 
R

rukus

Well-Known Member
#3
#3
zengrifter said:
Do you have an index# for that play? zg
Click to expand...
Whetherr he knew one or not, a tc of 6 should be way more than needed to double A8 v 5. But I agree, he should definitely learn them instead of flying by the seat of his pants at the table. More often than not the guess is wrong.
 
SleightOfHand

SleightOfHand

Well-Known Member
#4
#4
The index for your play is somewhere in the region of +1 to +2 for HiLo if I remember correctly. But if you didn't know that, STOP. Some plays may not be as obvious as it seems. Check the indexes just to make sure ;)
 
Z

Zero Cool

Member
#5
#5
yeah.......

I don't know all of the indexes and I generally stick to BS so far but I thought with a TC of 6 it was pretty obvious. If I had lost the hand it wouldn't matter much. I have a day job and I do ok.

More than anything I just like learning and then putting what I have learned into action. While making money is nice...... I'm really just doing it to see if I can do it.
 
Z

Zero Cool

Member
#6
#6
Just to be clear. When I say I studied counting I mean I have learned BS perfectly and I can keep the count no matter what. That was pretty hard to learn for me. At first I would constantly lose the count while adding up my cards.

In my head example: "ok TC of 4, hand 6 and 8.... 6 and 6 is 12 + 2 is 13 14 so I hit, got a 6.... 14 and 6 is 15 16 17, 18 19 20. Stand. I got a six so I add one to my count.... hmm. What was my count??". I didn't realize it but I did NOT know small addition.... say, if I added 6+3 in my head I did not know the answer, but I would arrive at it by going "6.... 7 8 9". Maybe seems silly, but I had to go memorize all that crap before I could really keep the count. Now...... the count is a peice of cake. I can cook dinner, talk on the phone, feed the dog, and pay attention to my girlfriend all at the same time while still keeping the count in my head.

While I have played what seems like thousands of hands on my laptop this being my first time EVER stepping into a casino I really expected to lose a little so, I'm pretty stoked with the results.
 
J

jaredmt

Well-Known Member
#7
#7
cool, sounds like you hit a good positive variance. just wondering, how much did you go into the casino with and how much was your max and min bet?
 
creeping panther

creeping panther

Banned
#8
#8
Zero

keep up the good work and Zen may sign you up for his team.;)

Seriously, learn the indices and be ready for the times when nothing works and...........................................................................................
your A-Hole begins to pucker:eek:

CP
 
Z

Zero Cool

Member
#9
#9
I went in with $1500 with a 1-15 spread ($75 max)..... but I cashed in for a hundred dollars and never pulled another dime from my pocket :grin: . I've been back twice now with similar results ($360 one session, $285 the other). I also was pretty aggressive in wonging. There is one table that just seems to always keep a pos count though..... and I ONLY played tables that were full of people. I don't know why, I'm fast enough to keep up with a good dealer 1 on 1 or with a full table, but I just feel more comfortable on a full table. Like there is less attention on what I'm doing and more on the drunk idiots next to me.

I DO understand variance and I know that on a $1500 bank roll with a 1-15 spread I should NOT be making 75 - 100 dollars per hour...... but I am, and that's nice for now. Also, I understand my ROR with that BR and spread. But I don't mind betting aggressive. I'm sure I might have crumbled had I came in on a neg swing and probly just walked out to go sim some more..... but it just didn't happen that way.

P.S. My last time in I got a players card and only used it once..... insisting that because I was new to gambling and this was the first play on my card they should comp me a meal or something........ AND IT WORKED!!! LMFAO I love this ****. I'm sure though, give me a few more times and I'll be on with my sob story about how I lost all my money. It's okay though, I get a pay check every week.

And last but not least, the indices are the next step in my Black Jack Evolution. I am starting on them now. I18 that is, yeah.
 
Last edited:
Z

Zero Cool

Member
#10
#10
One more thing...... I don't think that I'm really getting any heat. But I am sure that I will if I continue to do this. I can tell that it is obvious what I'm doing. I haven't been just casually looking out of the corner of my eye to get the count. When everyone gets their first card I pay no attention, but when the second cards start coming I turn my head and strait up eyeball every one as it hits the felt. I didn't realize I was doing it for a while..... then I just caught myself. Had to be obvious to everyone there. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

And on top of that..... I get the shakes cause I'm nervous. As far as the cards go that's good, because I LIKE to work under pressure. But the floor and the "ploppies" must think I'm a crack head or something (which actually kind of fits in where I'm playing come to think of it..... hmmmmm, natural cover :laugh:). Seriously, I do get really nervous, and I don't know why. Even if I busted my whole BR it wouldn't ruin me or anything...... and I'm not so worried about getting caught counting, I don't want to get caught but if I did oh well. Nervous just because I guess.
 
hawkeye

hawkeye

Well-Known Member
#11
#11
I think you'll get less heat playing at a full table, even though it's not as many hands per hour.

I was sitting a few weeks ago playing and counting and winning at a $10 table, but right across from us was a guy playing by himself at a $25 table and he was playing 2 $200 hands, sometimes 3 hands. All the heat was at him, a table full of lower stakes people is not going to attract as much attention.
 
EasyRhino

EasyRhino

Well-Known Member
#12
#12
Zero Cool said:
Nervous just because I guess.
Click to expand...
Could just be the gambling. Even if $75 isn't much to you, you may have been waiting for a high count for a really long time, and now it finally came, so there's some built in hype.

Or it could be nerves that you're going to be left in the desert.

At some places, a max bet under $100 might never, ever, ever, get you backed off.
 
S

standard toaster

Well-Known Member
#13
#13
Zero Cool said:
One more thing...... I don't think that I'm really getting any heat. But I am sure that I will if I continue to do this. I can tell that it is obvious what I'm doing. I haven't been just casually looking out of the corner of my eye to get the count. When everyone gets their first card I pay no attention, but when the second cards start coming I turn my head and strait up eyeball every one as it hits the felt. I didn't realize I was doing it for a while..... then I just caught myself. Had to be obvious to everyone there. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

And on top of that..... I get the shakes cause I'm nervous. As far as the cards go that's good, because I LIKE to work under pressure. But the floor and the "ploppies" must think I'm a crack head or something (which actually kind of fits in where I'm playing come to think of it..... hmmmmm, natural cover :laugh:). Seriously, I do get really nervous, and I don't know why. Even if I busted my whole BR it wouldn't ruin me or anything...... and I'm not so worried about getting caught counting, I don't want to get caught but if I did oh well. Nervous just because I guess.
Click to expand...

with a red chip table i dont think you should get all that much heat and as for checking out everyones cards as soon as it hits the felt i dont think is a bad bad giveaway most people want to see what everyone else has. were a curious creature and as long as you talk (which you should because you can always keep count) i doubt you will be kicked out to soon
 
Z

Zero Cool

Member
#14
#14
Yes.... I do hold conversation and the more I play the better and better I get at keeping the count.

I did however, have my first taste of negative variation today...... I went down $400 :eek:!!!!!! The count was high but dealer just kept getting the BJ's (and I mean over and over and over) but I stuck to the plan and made all but $150 back. I'm sure I could have got the rest back but I need to go to bed so I can go to work tomorrow. I'm still positive quite a bit though, for only having been 4 times now.

I will say, it's an awesome experience to leave the casino in the positive...... but it sucks to leave in the neg (well, overall I'm still ahead but for this session I'm down). The low of losing is about equal to the high of winning but I have faith in the numbers though, so I will carry on :grin:.
 
Z

Zero Cool

Member
#15
#15
P.S..... one of the hands that got me:

The count was High, I have max bet out ($75). I get two 8's on a dealers 5. Split 8's and I draw a 3 on one and a 6 on the other. Double on 11 to draw a 3..... a freakin 3!!! so I stand on 15 and stand on 14. But I'm all smiles cause I know, man I KNOW the dealer is busted.

yeah

Dealers hole card was a 10 and the dealer draws........ drum roll please........ a 6.

Yeah :cry:

Oh well, at least they can't eat me..... can they??
 
S

standard toaster

Well-Known Member
#16
#16
Zero Cool said:
P.S..... one of the hands that got me:

The count was High, I have max bet out ($75). I get two 8's on a dealers 5. Split 8's and I draw a 3 on one and a 6 on the other. Double on 11 to draw a 3..... a freakin 3!!! so I stand on 15 and stand on 14. But I'm all smiles cause I know, man I KNOW the dealer is busted.

yeah

Dealers hole card was a 10 and the dealer draws........ drum roll please........ a 6.

Yeah :cry:

Oh well, at least they can't eat me..... can they??
Click to expand...


yes...yes they can.. but dont worry thats only after they take all their money back so no worries yet!

i always remember the split 8s double one re split another then double those two as well for a 25 unit loss those just hurt
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top