EARN While You LEARN.....& need lots more info. to better answer your Questions!.......
You ask many good questions. Much more info. is needed, such as: #decks, specific rules, tolerance, comps., experience, bankroll, goals, distance of NON-CLOSEST Casino's, etc. Some GENERAL answers/comments:
(1) Indian Casino's....NOT a good place to play for Big Wampum! If you are cheated (or more likely, just think you were), you will usually NOT have the recourse of the State's "Gambling Control Board" to intervene, retreive tapes, appeal, etc. Further, MOST litigation is prohibited!
(2) Closest Casino....DO NOT BURN OUT YOUR HOME STORE! Spread Low, use it for practice, entertainment, and comps. For example only, if you play 4 hours most every Friday night @ Low $ Tables, even with Low Spread, you will most likely:
---Never pay for a Drink.
---Rarely pay for a Buffet/Coffee Shop for two.
---Often get a "Steakhouse" Comp. for 1-2.
---Occasionally get a "Free Room"...handy when you have capitalized on the Free Drinks...even handier when relatives that you do not like (In-Laws) for example, come to visit.
---Free Promo's, Side-bet coupons, Slot Play, etc.
---Still be likely to be EVEN or AHEAD on BJ!!!
(3) "I am not a Counter"....BECOME ONE!
(4) "A few mistakes in BS"....NOT TOLERABLE! BS must be PERFECT, if ALL else is to proceed to your +EV! If not possible in the short-term, then buy and use a BS card sold in most stores' Gift Shops and use it at the table (WARNING!!!...I have heard-of, but not personally seen, WRONG BS Cards being sold...be sure and compare yours to a few "BOOKS").
(5) "Is it wise to play a h17(0.79) game"....again, LOTS MORE INFO. would be nice, i.e., DAS, RSA, Spl. to 4, etc.....but IF your # 0.79 = Pen., then:
---6D...HELL YES!
---2D...Play it until your children retire!
---1D...Play it until your Decubitus Ulcers require Medical Treatment!!!
(6) "Few Advantage Plays"...see #5 above.
(7) "Tells/Mirrors"..."tells" are perceivable Dealer reaction(s) to seeing their holecard...mirror vs. peek not usually consequential. IMHO, put "Tells" on the back-burner until you have PERFECTED BS and CC'ing, then revisit the study of TELLS...but BE CAREFUL! We often see what we want to see!
(8) "Sloppy Dealers Possible"...Need to KNOW, YES or NO! "POSSIBLE" ain't good enough in this case! And if "YES", do you know how to PROPERLY play Double Exposure BJ against a HCF (Holecard Flasher)??? For example, you have a 10,9 vs. Dealer 10-up + "Paint Flash" down below. What do you do?
---STAND...100% chance of losing your bet.
---HIT.....circa. 7.7% chance of a tie, and 7.7% chance of a win, 84.6% chance of a loss....and nearly 100% chance of a BARRING, especially if you do it more than once a session.
---DD....same as "Hit" immediately above, except you will LOSE even more $, and be even more likely to be barred....what Ace-hole ever DD's 19?
---SURRENDER (if avail.)...same as "DD" immediately above....what Ace-hole ever surrenders 19?
---BEST PLAY = STAND!
(9) "Looking for lots of small cards played"...Lots of Big Cards played also important......DECREASE your bet AND Play changes when appropriate.
(10) "How to play and have a Snowball's chance"...covered above, BS then CC'ing, then, AND ONLY THEN, consider advanced techniques.
(11) "Best approach"....ALL OF THE ABOVE!
(12) "Best Counting Technique"....N/A...any common system is FINE! Certainly, those who use more complex multi-level systems gain +EV, but USUALLY "Give it Back" with errors/fatigue/etc. Conversely, level-one "simple" systems have less +EV on the front-end, but with less errors, AND LESS -EV affect of said errors, gain back most losses against more complex systems.
Hope this info. is helpful.
Phantom007.
