I hate Basic Strategy

Mikeaber

Well-Known Member
#21
The casino I'll be playing at this next session is the one that short-shuffled me two or three months ago. Even back then, when I quit the DD table and went to the 6-D table, they didn't do anything different. I guess that the 6D games are "fair game" to us :D That was one of the casinos where I was talking to two PCs and both told me that they were not concerned about the shoe games because they couldn't be counted. I can't begin to tell you how many different PCs and Dealers have told me that about multi-deck shoes.
 

sagefr0g

Well-Known Member
#22
Canceler said:
Mike and Mr. Fr0g have summed up my situation just about exactly between them. I'm pretty sure my casino knows I count, but they don't seem to care. I just play red to low green, and try not to rub their noses in it by being too obvious about things.

For awhile though, I had the feeling my picture must be posted somewhere. Dealers I had never played with before commented that they had looked forward to playing with me. (I think one thought she could deal faster than I could count. Wrong!) 1 or 2 dealers seem to hate me, like I might be stealing bread off their table. One of those always wants me to color up the greens he suspects I have in my pocket. I never do. 98% of the dealers don't care one way or the other.

One dealer commented that she didn't think I was really a gambler at heart. Some people come here thinking they can actually win, she said. Right on both counts, but I didn't tell her that.

It's fairly disconcerting to have the dealer say, "Oh, you're playing greens, the count must be really high." I don't know if he was just guessing, or knew something, or was just trying to mess with me. To that kind of thing I just give my dumb look which says I have no idea what they're talking about.

Floor people are always friendly to me. One or two of them, when I try to hand in my player's card, say they've already got me. No heat at all.

The whole situation just seems so strange and uncertain. They must know, but not care! I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing, playing low stakes, and try not to be obvious. If I decide to play for higher stakes I think I would do it somewhere else, though. Don't want to ruin a good thing.

Sorry, this is the most I've ever rambled on about anything, but this thread stuck a chord with me.
Canceler it does sound as if we are pretty much both floating in the same boat. you may be able to take advantage of the same situation that i'm working on. that being the locals who are fairly regular but who are not ap's. they are well known to the staff and valued for the regular income they provide the joint. the idea is to blend in with them, ingratiate yourself to them with out overdoing it. become a low key member of the club so to speak. the idea being two fold, genuine enjoyment of the social atmosphere and protection from being singled out as an ap by being liked by the staff and locals. well thats what i'm trying to pull off all the while trying to hold down my greed factor a bit.
best regards,
mr fr0g :D
 
#23
I'm not a card counter and hubby & I have been to the casinos only a few time since there is not one close to were we live. But I have practiced bs on this site, hitorstand.net and on casino verite. I want to get bs down perfectly before starting to learn to count.

This Saturday, h & I went to a new casino in ok and played the $5 min. 6 deck shoe. We played a bit and I was doing ok, but still down some. Later in the afternoon, I played a different table and started doing very well. I started with a $5 bet, and as I kept winning, I'd increase the bet slightly. Before I realized it, I had bet $75 a couple of times. Then I got a pair a 9's vs a dealer's 6, so I split. On the first 9 I got a 2, so I DD. The pit boss had been watching me. He says says to me, "I expected you to make that play. duh! dealer 6 to 11, no brainer. Next I get another 9 and split again. I ended up losing one hand and making the dd and the other 9. After a couple of hands, a new dealer comes in and the pit boss tells her to shuffle the cards. I'm not doing to well so, I decided to color up and ended up with $650 in chips and had started with $100.

I never counted a single card, I just used bs. Maybe if I'm going to be single out for playing bs, I need to learn to count. lol.
 

ScottH

Well-Known Member
#24
msshay said:
I'm not a card counter and hubby & I have been to the casinos only a few time since there is not one close to were we live. But I have practiced bs on this site, hitorstand.net and on casino verite. I want to get bs down perfectly before starting to learn to count.

This Saturday, h & I went to a new casino in ok and played the $5 min. 6 deck shoe. We played a bit and I was doing ok, but still down some. Later in the afternoon, I played a different table and started doing very well. I started with a $5 bet, and as I kept winning, I'd increase the bet slightly. Before I realized it, I had bet $75 a couple of times. Then I got a pair a 9's vs a dealer's 6, so I split. On the first 9 I got a 2, so I DD. The pit boss had been watching me. He says says to me, "I expected you to make that play. duh! dealer 6 to 11, no brainer. Next I get another 9 and split again. I ended up losing one hand and making the dd and the other 9. After a couple of hands, a new dealer comes in and the pit boss tells her to shuffle the cards. I'm not doing to well so, I decided to color up and ended up with $650 in chips and had started with $100.

I never counted a single card, I just used bs. Maybe if I'm going to be single out for playing bs, I need to learn to count. lol.
Why were you raising your bets when you had no idea what the count was?
 

ScottH

Well-Known Member
#27
msshay said:
Because I kept winning.
Not a good reason to increase your bet.

msshay said:
And a lot of low cards had been played at that point.
Still not a very good reason to increase your bet. If you arent counting you still have no idea how big your advatage is, if any.

If you were just a BS player that likes to vary their bets I wouldn't say anything. BUT it sounded like you wanted to become an AP. Knowing that you want to become an AP, I would think you wouldn't like the idea of betting more when you have no idea what your advantage/disadvantage is. If you raise your bets without knowing the count then you are just an average gambler and not an AP. So think about that when playing, until you learn how count cards.
 
#28
ScottH said:
Not a good reason to increase your bet.



Still not a very good reason to increase your bet. If you arent counting you still have no idea how big your advatage is, if any.

If you were just a BS player that likes to vary their bets I wouldn't say anything. BUT it sounded like you wanted to become an AP. Knowing that you want to become an AP, I would think you wouldn't like the idea of betting more when you have no idea what your advantage/disadvantage is. If you raise your bets without knowing the count then you are just an average gambler and not an AP. So think about that when playing, until you learn how count cards.

Gee, never claimed to be an ap. Kept setting aside my winnings, and wasn't increasing my bets in large increments. Only increase my bet after several wins, so I wasn't touching any of my orginal funds. Is that a problem if one is only a bs player?
 

ScottH

Well-Known Member
#29
msshay said:
Gee, never claimed to be an ap. Kept setting aside my winnings, and wasn't increasing my bets in large increments. Only increase my bet after several wins, so I wasn't touching any of my orginal funds. Is that a problem if one is only a bs player?
I know you're not an AP, I just thought you were aspiring to be one. That's why I am telling you not to increase your bet until you are one.

Any increase in bet for whatever reason, is bad for the BS player. Even if you're only playing with winnings, by increasing your bet you are just betting more money at the house edge.
 
#30
Basic Strategy Card

I once handed a cute girl a Basic Strategy Card who had be asking me advise at the BJ table. To which a player that had been playing badly all night said "ya.. casino's just love people that use systems".
 

avs21

Well-Known Member
#31
Automatic Monkey said:
One time I got a lecture about counters from a dealer. He tells me: "You can always tell a card counter. They just stare at the cards, they never talk, and they never drink."

"No kidding, really?" I answered, looking him in the eye and taking a sip of my martini.
Drinking definitely allows you to get away with a lot more.
 

ihate17

Well-Known Member
#32
It is not you, it is the casino

msshay said:
Gee, never claimed to be an ap. Kept setting aside my winnings, and wasn't increasing my bets in large increments. Only increase my bet after several wins, so I wasn't touching any of my orginal funds. Is that a problem if one is only a bs player?
You are just playing basic strategy and increasing your bets because you are winning and have no idea of the count but you get a little heat from the pit. This is not surprising at all, you are in a sweat shop with a pit that absolutely no idea of what he is doing. You are winning, so he feels there is a reason besides the fact that you were lucky. But he does not have the knowledge to evaluate your play properly, all he knows is that you won some of your larger bets.
You are not guilty of anything. That casino is guilty of ignorance. Not surprising and not uncommon. Tons of people have been backed off of blackjack tables at certain casinos (Coast and Harrah's are famous for this) because they were not counting, just lucky but had a pit that did not know their own game.

ihate17
 

PokerJunky

Well-Known Member
#33
avs21 said:
Drinking definitely allows you to get away with a lot more.
I agree. Especially those watered down drinks the casinos serve. Great cover..."Look at the drunk guy w/ the big pile of chips hitting a 12 against the 6.....He'll give it all back."
 
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