Is there a "standard definition" of a UNIT?

Richard Munchkin

Well-Known Member
tthree said:
A guy goes in and plops down a $15,000 bet and wins and walks. Another guy worked for hours to make 1000 $15 units spreading $15 to 2x$150. The count never got good enough to make his top bets. They win the same. One is obviously an impressive feat of skill the other just a hand of blackjack. How big was his unit? He never made his top bet. Was it the biggest bet he actually made? Was it the max bet he intended to make? If so, is it $300, $150 or the single hand equivalent of $200? Pretty confusing idea of unit size. I think Munchkin had the most useful definition for unit when standardizing discussion.
To me when someone posts some description of - I won or lost 110 units today it is completely meaningless. If I discuss with someone their results what I want to know is, how much money did you win or lose (as WRX said) and what interests me is how the casino took it. Did they sweat it? Did you bet table max? Did that change their attitude? Questions like that.

For me the a unit is only something for card counters to determine how to bet a given bank. Someone asks, I have $20,000, how should I bet it? My thinking would go like this. (These are round numbers so don't get caught up in minutiae.)
I want to bet approx 1/2 kelley
1% of $20,000 is $200
I want to bet 1/2 that so when I have a 1% edge I will bet $100
My edge goes up 1/2% for every true count so I will bet $50 at TC 2
and $150 at TC 4, $200 at TC 5 etc. My "unit" is $50.
I may decide to max out at $300 if I ever get a TC7.

OK, so my unit is 1 hand of $50, my max bet is $300, and my minimum bet might be $25 at a quarter table or $15 at a $15 table.

Here is a bonus question for the class. When I play at that $15 table I have increased my spread right? Does my variance go up or down?
 

tthree

Banned
Richard Munchkin said:
To me when someone posts some description of - I won or lost 110 units today it is completely meaningless. If I discuss with someone their results what I want to know is, how much money did you win or lose (as WRX said) and what interests me is how the casino took it. Did they sweat it? Did you bet table max? Did that change their attitude? Questions like that.

For me the a unit is only something for card counters to determine how to bet a given bank. Someone asks, I have $20,000, how should I bet it? My thinking would go like this. (These are round numbers so don't get caught up in minutiae.)
I want to bet approx 1/2 kelley
1% of $20,000 is $200
I want to bet 1/2 that so when I have a 1% edge I will bet $100
My edge goes up 1/2% for every true count so I will bet $50 at TC 2
and $150 at TC 4, $200 at TC 5 etc. My "unit" is $50.
I may decide to max out at $300 if I ever get a TC7.

OK, so my unit is 1 hand of $50, my max bet is $300, and my minimum bet might be $25 at a quarter table or $15 at a $15 table.

Here is a bonus question for the class. When I play at that $15 table I have increased my spread right? Does my variance go up or down?
My intuition says variance decreases slightly and EV goes up.
 

Cardcounter

Well-Known Member
Lets say that you bet in $10 units vary your bets from $10 to $30. Your unit would be $10. So you could bet 1 ,2,3 units or $10,$20,or$30 a hand.
 

Richard Munchkin

Well-Known Member
Cardcounter said:
Lets say that you bet in $10 units vary your bets from $10 to $30. Your unit would be $10. So you could bet 1 ,2,3 units or $10,$20,or$30 a hand.
Sure, but that better be a full-pay single deck or you are losing money.
 

rookie789

Well-Known Member
???

I think Cardcounter was offering his opinion of the original question ask in this thread, "Is there a standard definition of a unit".

Cardcounter was not responding in my opinion to the unasked question "How many units do I need to spread to win in a single deck game".

Your answer summerized as spreading $10-$30 in single deck games is a losing battle is completely irrelevant to the original question ask in this thread.
 
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Cardcounter

Well-Known Member
Richard Munchkin said:
Sure, but that better be a full-pay single deck or you are losing money.
That is a given! I won't even consider a 6:5 table. I played it once unwittenly got a blackjack on my $10 bet and I was like you shorted me $3. When he told me it was a 6:5 table I left immediately. Still pissed about the $3 I lost at the 6:5 table. I will always pay attention to it from now on.
 
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