help out the new guy

[jackal]

so my friend and i have been playing arround with the idea of counting cards for a few weeks. i've been reading through all the faq's and such and just have 3 questions to ask 1 simple the others maybe not so.

first:
is it manditory to restart the count every time the dealer replaces the cards back into the shoe?

second:
i understand that the key to counting is first being able to use BS. but say the true count is like +6 in a 6 deck game and im looking at a 15 or 16 when the dealer has either a 7, 8, 9, or 10. is it still in my best interest to hit, knowing the odds are that i will bust? or would it be smarter to stay and see if the dealer busts?

third:
all the casinos in my area play with six decks and replace the cards back into the shoe every deck or so. is it even possible to make counting effective in these conditions? oh and just a side note these are the automatic shufling shoes.

 

[RJT]

The advantage in card counting come from seeing a large % of the cards and knowing that those cards can't be played again. So if they are replacing the discards into the shoe (i.e. using an automatic shuffler) every few rounds you will never see enough of the cards to gain an advantage.
So to answer your questions
1) yes
2) There are departures from basic strategy based on the count, but you should n't just guess at these, they happen at very specific counts.
3) no

RJT.

 

[Mimosine]

third:
all the casinos in my area play with six decks and replace the cards back into the shoe every deck or so. is it even possible to make counting effective in these conditions? oh and just a side note these are the automatic shufling shoes.

RE #2: re-read what RJT wrote, then re-read it again.

#3: What you are referring to is a CSM or Contiunous Shuffling Machine, every few rounds the dealer feeds the cards back into it and it shuffles them up, effectively creating what is known as an infinite # of decks. They can not be counted using stardard techniques nor should they EVER be played as even the BS player advantage typically decreases with an increasing number of decks. what the house advantage is with a CSM, i have no idea... two things to always avoid 6:5 and CSM.

 

[shadroch]

Jackal,
The mere fact that you had to ask question #1 shows you are not ready to try counting in real life. Combined with the casinos using CSM's,don't try it. Yet.
Keep reading and practicing.

 

[21forme]

Jackal,
The mere fact that you had to ask question #1 shows you are not ready to try counting in real life. Combined with the casinos using CSM's,don't try it. Yet.
Keep reading and practicing.

Agreed.

Don't try to learn how to count strictly from reading Internet forums. Buy or borrow a few books and read them from cover to cover. Then read them again. Then practice until you know it cold, before hitting a casino.

 

[Mimosine]

Agreed.

Don't try to learn how to count strictly from reading Internet forums. Buy or borrow a few books and read them from cover to cover. Then read them again. Then practice until you know it cold, before hitting a casino.

having only just begun counting "live" these words above ring true.

these forums won't give you a full picture of all you need to be aware of in order to successfully count. you really need to read a few books on the subject to understand all the theory and principles and discipline behind counting. failure to do so could be catastrophic. what these forums do well is to refine specific points, issues, theories and experiences that are not covered in books. but forums - as indicated above - can't replace/recreate the source material from which most of these questions and issues stem from.