Newbie heading for Vegas, Questions?

G

Girl21

Active Member
#1
#1
Hey everyone, appreciate your expertise here. :)

I am totally new to BJ, but am very interested in learning the game and developing my skills over time.

I am heading to Vegas in one month. Can I learn enough about BS to safely play in Vegas by then? Since I am totally new to this, I will be playing $5 tables with a low budget. I will probably play at the Mirage. I don't want to go there and appear like a total idiot or disrupt anyone's play.

My objective for this trip is fun and entertainment. I would like to be able to play for awhile and lose as little money as possible or break even. Winning money would be great, but I don't plan on it. I know this isn't an easy mission. When I've watched friends or family play in the past they just seem to lose. But, I don't think they've even studied BS.

Thanks so much for your input!
 
Z

zachs

Active Member
#2
#2
BS can pretty much be learned in a few hours perfect, then just drill it a bunch.

If you look at the chart, its mostly just patterns. Or that is the way I see it.
 
B

BJinNJ

Well-Known Member
#3
#3
You can learn BS...

quite well in a month.

You might even get a simple count in, too.
Renzey has an Ace/10 Front count, where you count before
you sit down at a shoe, then just play BS. It just lets you
know that the cards are generally favorable for you, and may
actually give you a tiny advantage.

BJinNJ :cool:
 
S

shadroch

Well-Known Member
#4
#4
I don't believe there are any $5 tables at The Mirage.
You can put a pretty good dent in BS in a month,but be aware that you can bring a chart with you and consult it at will.Just be sure you use the chart for the game you are playing. You can print them up for free off this site or many other websites.Make sure you sign up for the top ten BJ mistakes email that Mr smith offers on the search page.
 
M

mdlbj

Well-Known Member
#6
#6
There are decent shoe games at the mirage but it will run you about 15 dollars a hand. B.S can be learned in a month no problem.

Girl21 said:
Hey everyone, appreciate your expertise here. :)

I am totally new to BJ, but am very interested in learning the game and developing my skills over time.

I am heading to Vegas in one month. Can I learn enough about BS to safely play in Vegas by then? Since I am totally new to this, I will be playing $5 tables with a low budget. I will probably play at the Mirage. I don't want to go there and appear like a total idiot or disrupt anyone's play.

My objective for this trip is fun and entertainment. I would like to be able to play for awhile and lose as little money as possible or break even. Winning money would be great, but I don't plan on it. I know this isn't an easy mission. When I've watched friends or family play in the past they just seem to lose. But, I don't think they've even studied BS.

Thanks so much for your input!
Click to expand...
 
pieinthesky

pieinthesky

Well-Known Member
#7
#7
If you find any $5 min. games on the Strip, they are likely to pay 6 to 5 on a blackjack, even if they are shoe games. You should avoid any game that pays 6 to 5 on a blackjack.
 
S

SystemsTrader

Well-Known Member
#8
#8
pieinthesky said:
If you find any $5 min. games on the Strip, they are likely to pay 6 to 5 on a blackjack, even if they are shoe games. You should avoid any game that pays 6 to 5 on a blackjack.
Click to expand...
Circus Circus, Slots-a-Fun, and Tropicana all have $5 shoes all the time paying 3-2. Hooters might as well? The Tropicana shoes are S17.
 
D

Diver

Well-Known Member
#9
#9
I did something similar+

the first time I went to LV (for a trade show). I used the basic strategy trainer on this site until I was pretty consistent, but not perfect. I played $15 minium 6D games and had decided I'd risk up to $500 bucks. I also decided I'd quit a session if I got up to approximately $500 ahead for that session. I did drop out of one session early when I crawled up to +$400 after some difficult shoes. In all, I wound up $2000 for four sessions. I was lucky. It would have been pretty easy to have lost the $500 on the first session.
 
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Nutorious

Nutorious

Member
#10
#10
Like most you should be able to basicly master BS to the set rules you want in a month quite easily i guess, but some take longer than others! You probably once again could get a basic knowledge of the counting side aswell. But using BS you still are able to have fun knowning you may or may not win but your chips usually will go further!

Saying that i have just been using BS for the last 30 mins and i lost 50% more hands than i won! Remember this game still does have the luck side, but BS will improve your luck alot more :)

Good luck and have fun.

Aslong as you don't go with the intention to win with BS you will have fun.
 
B

Bashful C. Stupid-Butt

Well-Known Member
#11
#11
The only thing I can add is to always get up from the table when you are ahead. It sounds obvious, but even I have trouble with it. Always wanting to break the bank NOW.

The example I have of what I am saying was last night. After 1 shoe I was up 90 bucks. After second shoe I was up 35 bucks, after 3rd shoe I was up 130 and finally got up a winner.

I had 2 previous chances to get up a winner before I did, but pressed my luck and got lucky to hit a 30 dollar winner the only time I remember the shoe being favorable. Most of the night was table minimum.
 
ihate17

ihate17

Well-Known Member
#12
#12
Explain why this makes no sense at all to me.

Bashful C. Stupid-Butt said:
The only thing I can add is to always get up from the table when you are ahead. It sounds obvious, but even I have trouble with it. Always wanting to break the bank NOW.

The example I have of what I am saying was last night. After 1 shoe I was up 90 bucks. After second shoe I was up 35 bucks, after 3rd shoe I was up 130 and finally got up a winner.

I had 2 previous chances to get up a winner before I did, but pressed my luck and got lucky to hit a 30 dollar winner the only time I remember the shoe being favorable. Most of the night was table minimum.
Click to expand...
If you are a cardcounter, then the longer you play the more you should make over the long term. What may happen during a shoe or hour or day mkes little difference over this long term. So you are up a little after a few shoes, how do you know you will not be up more after a few more?
What I do know very well is that novice cardcounters who cut winning sessions short also tend to play marathon sessions when losing, trying to get it all back. This results in many small session wins and some huge session loses.
Basically, as an advantage player you have turned the tables on the casino. The casino wins because it has many tables going 24/7 and is always in the long run and always has a house edge. You as a counter can only get to the long run by playing but you instead of the casino have the edge.

Now if you are not a cardcounter the opposite is true. Leave when you are aheade because the longer you play the more you will lose.

ihate17
 
G

Girl21

Active Member
#13
#13
Thank you!

Thank you guys so much! You have all given me great advice and I have taken every bit of it and written it down as well.

As I am not yet a cardcounter, I will leave the table when I am ahead. Ah...but how much ahead?? :rolleyes: I will have to give myself some kind of limit.

Off to study and practice.

As Kenny says, "Know when to walk away, and know when to run." ;)
 
D

Diver

Well-Known Member
#14
#14
pretty easy

Girl21 said:
Thank you guys so much! You have all given me great advice and I have taken every bit of it and written it down as well.

As I am not yet a cardcounter, I will leave the table when I am ahead. Ah...but how much ahead?? :rolleyes: I will have to give myself some kind of limit.
Click to expand...
Whatever amount you're prepared to lose, aka cost of entertainment.
 
B

Bashful C. Stupid-Butt

Well-Known Member
#15
#15
I was happy with the the 130. I don't like marathon sessions. Sure I like winning, but most of the time, I double up within the 1st shoe and a half and would rather be at a $25.00 table playing for 1000's. Just not quite ready to move that kind of money right now.

But you are right, I could have stayed and could have won more money. I can easily afford to lose $200.00 going for $750.00, but I'm looking for happiness at the moment, and $130.00 was a good number. It had taken 5 years to get 40K from the City and I pretty much lost who I was prior to the false imprisonment.

I don't know where else I can legally get $65.00 an hour. Pizza Delivery doesn't come close, and as I remember it, was quite enjoyable.

I'm leaving for Colorado at noon via Greyhound. Again, I'm protecting my money. I'm saving about 80 bucks over an airline ticket. I will be looking at several 500 dollar mobile homes and camping out under the stars until June 4th.

The casino trip, kind of put a damper on the move to Colorado I would also enjoy very much, but they don't have decent blackjack.

Other than that, anytime someone gets up a winner, that person did the right thing regardless of the count. It's best to get into the habit of leaving the table with more money than you had when you sat down even if it's just gas money.
 
W

WRX

Well-Known Member
#16
#16
Blackjack is never safe....

Learning to count is probably easier than getting basic strategy down cold. But you still have to get the BS cold.
 
R

rukus

Well-Known Member
#19
#19
Bashful C. Stupid-Butt said:
I was happy with the the 130. I don't like marathon sessions. Sure I like winning, but most of the time, I double up within the 1st shoe and a half and would rather be at a $25.00 table playing for 1000's. Just not quite ready to move that kind of money right now.

But you are right, I could have stayed and could have won more money. I can easily afford to lose $200.00 going for $750.00, but I'm looking for happiness at the moment, and $130.00 was a good number. It had taken 5 years to get 40K from the City and I pretty much lost who I was prior to the false imprisonment.

I don't know where else I can legally get $65.00 an hour. Pizza Delivery doesn't come close, and as I remember it, was quite enjoyable.

I'm leaving for Colorado at noon via Greyhound. Again, I'm protecting my money. I'm saving about 80 bucks over an airline ticket. I will be looking at several 500 dollar mobile homes and camping out under the stars until June 4th.

The casino trip, kind of put a damper on the move to Colorado I would also enjoy very much, but they don't have decent blackjack.

Other than that, anytime someone gets up a winner, that person did the right thing regardless of the count. It's best to get into the habit of leaving the table with more money than you had when you sat down even if it's just gas money.
Click to expand...

is it just my fried brain, or am i really in the voodo section of this forum?
 
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