Noob, playing BS

[InPlay]

Hi Shed

I am also a new BS player. But, I haven't had enough time to learn it perfectly yet. I think if I have a few hours in the next couple days, I'll have it down. There are only a few hands that occasionally trip me up right now. I am hitting my first casino in Vegas in about 2 weeks. I know counting is the direction I should head in, I just haven't had the chance to learn yet.

How long did it take you to master BS? What methods did you use to memorize every play? Have you used the stategy coach on this site?

Congrats on mastering BS and on your wins. Hope your luck holds up.

Oh, and screw those other players who make comments about your play. Just do your thing. They probably wouldn't know BS if it bit them in the arse.

Still hanging around. Have you mastered your BS ?

 

[InPlay]

It's not just that, some people think if they are counting they are going to be arrested or beaten up, thanks to good old 21 The Movie :flame:

They must be on drugs this ain't the 1950"s.

 

[Girl21]

Hi Girl 21,

to practise I used the strategy drill from the sticky link on this board, as I found the strategy engine on the mainpage too slow.

Shed, where is the strategy drill sticky link you mentioned? I must be blind, but I can't find it!

I've been using the strategy engine, but I agree it is slow. I would also like it if it didn't tell you what your hand and the dealer's hand add up to. It seems like a small thing, but obviously you have to think for yourself in the casino and you need to train yourself to think fast.

The way I really learned BS though was from BlackjackHero.com. Rather than memorizing a chart, they explain the proper play for each hand and the reasoning behind it. That is how my brain works and how I learn. I need to know the reasoning behind each play or my mind doesn't hold on to it. Everyone learns in a different way.

 

[_shed_]

Hey, it's here (Dead link: http://www.blackjack-bst.com/)

agree it's important to know why you have to make the plays you make.

how's your practice coming along?

thing about it telling you the total, the dealer always tells you this anyway.

to practise counting, i'm using the counting drills from the sticky on the counting forum.

it definitely is the way forward; with BS the house still has an advantage.

something else i wanted to ask: is it better to play at a table with fewer or more players?

 

[_shed_]

I thought London switched over and the dealer now has a hole card and rules are pretty much like Vegas

I've played at two casinos in Leicester Square so far, the first is with 6 decks (Empire) and it's really hard to get a spot there so I always play at the 4 deck game.

in neither casino there's a hole card, and i'm not sure about elsewhere. I wonder why we have to have it different over here. So is it better playing when there's a hole card?

 

[mdlbj]

something else i wanted to ask: is it better to play at a table with fewer or more players?

Depends on what the count is.

 

[_shed_]

dumb noob questions

hey guys,

after practising Hi-Lo solid over the weekend until I was dreaming about cards, I think I'm about a week away from hitting the casino.

there's just a few terms on here that i'm unfamiliar with, namely:

ROR, EV, FAB4, Illustrious 18.

can anyone clarify or point me to some decent links?

 

[Sonny]

there's just a few terms on here that i'm unfamiliar with, namely:

ROR, EV, FAB4, Illustrious 18.

can anyone clarify or point me to some decent links?

There are some links in the Frequently Asked Questions thread, but here's a quick description:

ROR is your risk-of-ruin. It is the probability that you will lose all of your money.

EV is your expected value. That is how much you expect to earn for a given time period. For example, making 100 bets of $10 at Roulette has an EV of -$52.60 because the house edge is 5.26%.

The Fab4 and Illustrious 18 are numbers that card counters use to deviate from basic strategy. When the count is low (mostly small cards left) they will hit more often but when the count is high (mostly big cards left) they will surrender, double down and stand more often.

-Sonny-

 

[jay28]

I've played at two casinos in Leicester Square so far, the first is with 6 decks (Empire) and it's really hard to get a spot there so I always play at the 4 deck game.

in neither casino there's a hole card, and i'm not sure about elsewhere. I wonder why we have to have it different over here. So is it better playing when there's a hole card?

The law in the UK did change last year, you can now double any 2 cards and can split any pair. However, still no hole card.

Some casinos are still playing the old rules (only dd 9-11 & can't split 4's, 5's & 10's)

Make sure your playing the correct BS for these games as no hole card makes a big difference to play.

The house has a slightly larger edge with no hole card.

 

[TENNBEAR]

For BS Practice

Shed, where is the strategy drill sticky link you mentioned? I must be blind, but I can't find it!

I've been using the strategy engine, but I agree it is slow. I would also like it if it didn't tell you what your hand and the dealer's hand add up to. It seems like a small thing, but obviously you have to think for yourself in the casino and you need to train yourself to think fast.

The way I really learned BS though was from BlackjackHero.com. Rather than memorizing a chart, they explain the proper play for each hand and the reasoning behind it. That is how my brain works and how I learn. I need to know the reasoning behind each play or my mind doesn't hold on to it. Everyone learns in a different way.

Another non-downoad BS trainer is hitorstand.net, this game has a difficult level of the not so common BS plays and scores you on your basic strategy. It is great way to help sharpen your BS skill

 

[_shed_]

The law in the UK did change last year, you can now double any 2 cards and can split any pair. However, still no hole card.

Some casinos are still playing the old rules (only dd 9-11 & can't split 4's, 5's & 10's)

Make sure your playing the correct BS for these games as no hole card makes a big difference to play.

The house has a slightly larger edge with no hole card.

OMG so i've been playing hole card BS with a no hole card game!!!

Is the BS for no hole card much different?

Why does having no hole card give the house a larger edge?

Sorry for the questions but this is a real shock!

 

[GeorgeD]

OMG so i've been playing hole card BS with a no hole card game!!!

Is the BS for no hole card much different?

Why does having no hole card give the house a larger edge?

Sorry for the questions but this is a real shock!

I think no hole strategy has you double and split less often, but only if you lose your split or doubled bet if dealer has BS. Otherwise there's no strategy change

You can check the strategy engine here.

 

[Harman]

It's under peek/no peek

Never split 8s vs A/10

Never double down on 11 vs A/10

Never split Aces vs 10/A

That's it I think

 

[_shed_]

Harman, yup that's right. And thanks Sonny for the explanations.

I'm hitting the casino tomorrow night after work to use the proper no hole card BS. And to probably fail miserably at counting

But i still don't get why just having the dealer draw after you've made your plays means you have to double down and split less often.

 

[Sonny]

But i still don't get why just having the dealer draw after you've made your plays means you have to double down and split less often.

Because if the dealer flips over a BJ you lose all additional bets (splits and doubles). If the dealer takes a hole card they they can check for a BJ right away so the playes can only lose one bet. This article will show you how to tell a european no hole card game (ENHC) from other no hole card games (sometimes called OBBO for Original Bets and Busts Only):

http://www.blackjackforumonline.com/content/aruba_no_hole_card_blackjack.htm

-Sonny-

 

[GeorgeD]

It doesn't matter when the dealer deals their down cards, it's when he checks (peeks) for a BJ. In a US game he checks before the players have a chance to double or split, so if you have say 88 or 74 and the dealer gets a BJ, you lose only a single bet. If you play before he peaks and you split/double you lose 2x your bet so it's best to not risk marginal splots or doubles.

I did see a game in aruba where the dealer took his card last, but if he had a BJ you would only lose your initial bet even if you had split or doubled. You would use a "no peak" strategy in that game.

Harman, yup that's right. And thanks Sonny for the explanations.

I'm hitting the casino tomorrow night after work to use the proper no hole card BS. And to probably fail miserably at counting

But i still don't get why just having the dealer draw after you've made your plays means you have to double down and split less often.

 

[_shed_]

hey guys, thanks for the explanations.

well i've just got back from the casino and here's how it went:

i flaked out on the counting and just stuck to BS.

bankroll £100
flatbetting £5
lowest swing: -£60
win: £30
time: 3 hours

i can't help thinking though that i should have played a BR of £1000 and walked off with £300!

 

[Harman]

hey guys, thanks for the explanations.

well i've just got back from the casino and here's how it went:

i flaked out on the counting and just stuck to BS.

bankroll £100
flatbetting £5
lowest swing: -£60
win: £30
time: 3 hours

i can't help thinking though that i should have played a BR of £1000 and walked off with £300!

Yeh but you could also have lost that 600 pounds. If that was the case, since you were just playing BS would you have continued or just quit?

 

[_shed_]

I would have just continued. I'm realising you have to be strong psychologically to be a good BJ player, so recognising swings when you see them and not getting scared.

Someone in the other thread about female players said that with BS you won't make money; it will just limit your losses. But playing with a BR of $200, flatbetting $10 you are not going to get 20 bad hands in a row, so you will always recover the swings and get into profit, providing you leave the table when you're up.

 

[EasyRhino]

Not quite.

Let's say you set up a "money management scheme" where you only flat bet $10. But you leave the table as soon as your stack is $210.

The vast majority of the time you will leave with $10 profit. Sometimes this may be only after one hand, other times after many hands. And once in a while, you will lose the whole damn $200. It will still work out to the same house advantage as any other scheme.