well i came back from my first trip to vegas (or any real casino for that matter) and my first stab at counting. All I can say is that I have a long way to go!
I was kind of expecting the dealer to say "18" when my cards totalled 18, and hadn't really practiced the addition + counting, which is to say my practice was virtually useless. If I'd been prepared for that, I think I would have been fine.
Anyhow - the trip was more holiday than counting trip, w/ the wife and another couple. My first soujourn to the table I made the mistake of going very tired, somewhat drunk, and disoriented from US Airways trip that left me in a plane for 7 hours without moving off the runway, and without food or drink (before a 6 hour flight to Vegas). And since there were no good games for less than $50 a hand, which is more than I should have been playing, I sat down and lost about $650 in 15 minutes. This was a 2-deck game and if I'd had my wits about me I think I could have done some damage, but even my basic strategy was off. The dealer had to tell me to double A-7 vs. 6, I think I split against a 2 when I shouldn't have, etc.
Some guy was at the table who I think must have been counting, and seemed to be known to the casino. He was changing his bets pretty obviously, and nobody seemed to care. The second I sat next to him, a pit boss came over and started asking me questions. I realize now that I was the "typical" counter, white male, young-ish, and very underdressed. When the dealer asked me what I did for a living, I mumbled "I'm a banker" and she said "You play blackjack for a living?" So that wasn't a good start. In general, playing at the Bellagio is either very expensive, or very crowded/poor rules.
Anyhow apart from that, I was having a tough time keeping the count at multiple-deck games, so I tried the Flamingo and Harrah's and maybe Bally's single deck games and actually had some success counting at those places. The best part was the first attempt when I looked like a moron cuz I haven't ever played single deck and wasn't anticipating, so I was making all kinds of protocol mistakes, but at the same time my betting was working miracles. The drunk next to me was def confused that I didn't know how to ask for a hit, but was tripling my money. I'd say I profited about $300 in 20 mins or less there, playing a 1-4 spread of $25 units.
Unfortunately, my friend didn't bring his ID and so we ended up leaving. The single deck games there are ok, dealer hits soft 17, other than that everything seemed to be in good order. Also, there are dealers at all those places who expose their card on the single deck games. I haven't practiced this but I'm pretty sure it was enough exposire that with a little experience I could have cleaned up in that regard too.
Tried counting on a mix of MDMA, dexedrine and Percocet, not really recommended. Just ended up in confusion and jaw-clenching.
Apart from the gambling, vegas was pretty hot last week. The wind felt like a hair dryer in your face. Oh and Excalibur is a total dump. The bathrooms are like what you'd expect at grand central station.
I was kind of expecting the dealer to say "18" when my cards totalled 18, and hadn't really practiced the addition + counting, which is to say my practice was virtually useless. If I'd been prepared for that, I think I would have been fine.
Anyhow - the trip was more holiday than counting trip, w/ the wife and another couple. My first soujourn to the table I made the mistake of going very tired, somewhat drunk, and disoriented from US Airways trip that left me in a plane for 7 hours without moving off the runway, and without food or drink (before a 6 hour flight to Vegas). And since there were no good games for less than $50 a hand, which is more than I should have been playing, I sat down and lost about $650 in 15 minutes. This was a 2-deck game and if I'd had my wits about me I think I could have done some damage, but even my basic strategy was off. The dealer had to tell me to double A-7 vs. 6, I think I split against a 2 when I shouldn't have, etc.
Some guy was at the table who I think must have been counting, and seemed to be known to the casino. He was changing his bets pretty obviously, and nobody seemed to care. The second I sat next to him, a pit boss came over and started asking me questions. I realize now that I was the "typical" counter, white male, young-ish, and very underdressed. When the dealer asked me what I did for a living, I mumbled "I'm a banker" and she said "You play blackjack for a living?" So that wasn't a good start. In general, playing at the Bellagio is either very expensive, or very crowded/poor rules.
Anyhow apart from that, I was having a tough time keeping the count at multiple-deck games, so I tried the Flamingo and Harrah's and maybe Bally's single deck games and actually had some success counting at those places. The best part was the first attempt when I looked like a moron cuz I haven't ever played single deck and wasn't anticipating, so I was making all kinds of protocol mistakes, but at the same time my betting was working miracles. The drunk next to me was def confused that I didn't know how to ask for a hit, but was tripling my money. I'd say I profited about $300 in 20 mins or less there, playing a 1-4 spread of $25 units.
Unfortunately, my friend didn't bring his ID and so we ended up leaving. The single deck games there are ok, dealer hits soft 17, other than that everything seemed to be in good order. Also, there are dealers at all those places who expose their card on the single deck games. I haven't practiced this but I'm pretty sure it was enough exposire that with a little experience I could have cleaned up in that regard too.
Tried counting on a mix of MDMA, dexedrine and Percocet, not really recommended. Just ended up in confusion and jaw-clenching.
Apart from the gambling, vegas was pretty hot last week. The wind felt like a hair dryer in your face. Oh and Excalibur is a total dump. The bathrooms are like what you'd expect at grand central station.
