Is there anyway to have an advantage
- Thread starter UrbanStrike
- Start date
There are a great many ways to have an advantage over the house without counting - if you frequent this forum often enough you'll discover some of these techniques, although many AP techniques do NOT appear in print and (hopefully) never WILL.
As a matter of fact; although card counting is a very strong way to gain an advantage over the house, it's probably the WEAKEST advantage play that exists!
And I'm speaking of LEGAL techniques. There are HUNDREDS of ways that a person could gain an advantage by cheating, and new cheating methods are popping up every day.
As a matter of fact; although card counting is a very strong way to gain an advantage over the house, it's probably the WEAKEST advantage play that exists!
And I'm speaking of LEGAL techniques. There are HUNDREDS of ways that a person could gain an advantage by cheating, and new cheating methods are popping up every day.
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The best and easiest for many to gain a bigger edge at BJ
while using only basic strategy is to employ COMP-counting (Archive copy). zg
while using only basic strategy is to employ COMP-counting (Archive copy). zg
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I know a player who sits at a table in the high limit room with a stack of chips -- but is never dealt a hand of his own. He's a gregarious type who makes complimentary remarks to the female pit people and kabitzes sports with the other players. When somebody is dealt a doubling or a splitting hand, he cordially offers to go in on it. He's established relationships with many of the big shooters, gets some action, always positive, and that's his entire game.
On a more conservative note, you could sit at a crowded table and play the table minimum using only basic strategy. Make sure the table is nearly full and that you are the smallest bettor. With five or six other players there, you'll see several double down opportunities per hour in their hands, most of them for a bigger bet than your own. Go in on as many of them as you can. A typical DD play carries roughly a 6% positive EV. If you can get one double every 15 minutes for twice the size of your own bet, you'll have a positive overall EV. I don't know if milking it to this extent is feasible, but that would do the trick.
On a more conservative note, you could sit at a crowded table and play the table minimum using only basic strategy. Make sure the table is nearly full and that you are the smallest bettor. With five or six other players there, you'll see several double down opportunities per hour in their hands, most of them for a bigger bet than your own. Go in on as many of them as you can. A typical DD play carries roughly a 6% positive EV. If you can get one double every 15 minutes for twice the size of your own bet, you'll have a positive overall EV. I don't know if milking it to this extent is feasible, but that would do the trick.
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From: Hole-carding + Scavenger play
Barfarkel: When our flashing dealer ended his stint the table was still filled to capacity, but The Grifter wanted to continue playing anyway, and indicated that I should watch. This table was filled with some of the worst players I’ve ever seen, but Grif had been giving them solid advice. He swung into action when the ploppy at first base picked up hard eleven. The Grifter boldly asserted, "Flip it over - we're going partners on that." He tossed the player the other half of the double down amount as the ploppy replied "Let’s ride!" They won the hand when the dealer busted.
Grif worked the table for the next hour, getting a slew of partner-doubles and splits (including tens), demonstrating what Grosjean calls "scavenger blackjack." More often than not the others he was exploiting would thank him for "sharing the risk." .... I watched the master in action as he advised everyone - the life of the party as always, as he took advantage of one of his new "table partners who was declining insurance. The Grifter took the insurance bet and won and when the table partner asked how much he owed Grif he was told by a smiling Grifter, "all of it," whereupon the happless accomplice just shrugged and said, "better you then them because, Dude, your my advisor!" Shortly thereafter Grif colored up another 20 unit win at an otherwise unplayable table by any expert's evaluation - his style and outgoing personality allowing him to get away with things that I and most other counters would never even consider trying.
Grif worked the table for the next hour, getting a slew of partner-doubles and splits (including tens), demonstrating what Grosjean calls "scavenger blackjack." More often than not the others he was exploiting would thank him for "sharing the risk." .... I watched the master in action as he advised everyone - the life of the party as always, as he took advantage of one of his new "table partners who was declining insurance. The Grifter took the insurance bet and won and when the table partner asked how much he owed Grif he was told by a smiling Grifter, "all of it," whereupon the happless accomplice just shrugged and said, "better you then them because, Dude, your my advisor!" Shortly thereafter Grif colored up another 20 unit win at an otherwise unplayable table by any expert's evaluation - his style and outgoing personality allowing him to get away with things that I and most other counters would never even consider trying.
Wrong! One may gain a .5% advantage playing basic strategy alone, and technically just for the record, one may gain the additional .5% when a TC is at +1 (hi-lo).
I did want to add the option that you don't have to be counting but if you have that feeling that you did just see an extravagant amount of low cards you can fluctuate your bet to be higher, and wonging, but both of these are mainly for card counting. Stick to basic strategy as i originally stated, and you'll be fine. There are a handful of basic strategy players that do survive on it alone.
I did want to add the option that you don't have to be counting but if you have that feeling that you did just see an extravagant amount of low cards you can fluctuate your bet to be higher, and wonging, but both of these are mainly for card counting. Stick to basic strategy as i originally stated, and you'll be fine. There are a handful of basic strategy players that do survive on it alone.
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True, you may gain an advantage (.5 or more) by only playing perfect basic strategy, but only if the true count is in your favor. Just because you don't count, dosen't mean you will not win, but if you don't count, the bad true counts will end up taking more than it gives. I played for years without counting, won some nights, lost others. the casinos wouldn't give those little stat. cards out if they helped you win. Casinos like peple to use B.S.because it makes the ploppies think they can win in the long run. If everyone set down, lost thier bankroll, never had winning nights, they wouldn't come back. the casinos like taking it from you a little at a time, over and over again. they'll bleed you even if you use B.S., just a little slower. (maybe you won't notice?)