Here are all the comments posted on the site, with the most recent discussions listed first.
To participate in any of these discussions, you can reply on the article page.
Hello Ken, I have been reading alot on your website and I want to thank you for everything. Two months ago i was playing without any knowledge about it. Thanks to you I got my winchances up. I wish I had all the knowledge you had… takes alot of time. I just have one question: do you make money playing blackjack? Because as far as I know the winchances are still around 50/50, it never gets in our favors.. or am I wrong?
Card counting provides a relatively easy way to have a mathematical advantage. Check out the Blackjack School here for the details. Do I make money playing blackjack? Yes, I’ve done extremely well. 🙂
As you probably know, this battle has been lost on the strip since both MGM and Caeser’s properties now just pay 6/5 (although I did see a single table in the Margaritaville section of the Flamingo still paying 3/2.
Ken great site u have !!its my second home here !!!i dont get it sith the bets!!may be my english sucks !!.until tc 1 i play only minimum bet for example 5 euro.if the tc goes 4 should i bet 4×5euro?
If you are playing a six-deck game, just substitute euro signs for the dollar signs in the table in the article, and you’re all set. At TC4 you would be betting 40 euros. At TC5, 50 euros. At TC6 and better, 60 euros.
I still try to count six deck game and i feel my brain gets tosted !!just the running count not the true count cause i cant still estimate the decks in the tray !!its very odvious that i have to make my brain like a comp with out mistakes same time to play like very chill and cool guy and also have the bankroll and the diciplane to make money !!in other words … no pain no gain… card counting is an art and skill.
Ken just from curiocity asking?how many systems counting do u know?general you sound like a guy who knows whats he says very serious !also at your opinion how many hours u believe that someone needs in the kitchen table in order to say that he is ready for the tables?
When I started out about 20 years ago, for the first two or three years I used the Hi-Lo. Then I switched to Wong’s Halves count, which has an awesome betting efficiency. That is the count I have used ever since. However, it is a complicated 3 level count (and I use it in true halves form, not doubled). It’s hard to justify a complicated system these days unless you are really playing a lot. These days, when people ask what to learn, I recommend KO and Hi-Lo.
On the flight back from Vegas on my first ” Counting” trip ( family trip part of it too). Taught myself counting by reading everything and practicing. Did two hours a day at treasure Island from 6-8am and I have never felt so good about the game and my hard work and success. Five and ten dollar tables and I moved tables after I won or was down. Got out each time I made a certain amount. I can do this. I want to do this regularly as a supplement to my real job. I like the fruits of the hard work and the possibilities that counting brings rather than the money (though I want that too). Seeing the table and potential in a whole new way is exhilarating. What is the best way for me to take this more seriously and start doing this for $5,000 results in a three day trip to Mecca? Any and all advice is welcome. I thought about taking a counting class in vegas for $795. Thank you.
Your reaction is the main reason that I still encourage smart players to learn to count, even though the game is not as vulnerable as it once was. The change in perspective that comes from beating any casino game will forever change the way you look at casinos. You will begin to see opportunity where you overlooked it before.
As for buying an expensive class, it really depends. Everyone learns best in their own way. For some people, an $800 class could be a good choice, while for others it would be much cheaper to simply buy two or three reputable books and learn at your own pace.
Hi Ken,
First let me say I have learnt so much from your website and I am using it to play online live with favorable results.
My question is, the site I play on go to about 65% penetration before using a new shoe, with an 8 deck game. Should I only play at the table when it is a new shoe? Or is it OK to join and play even if I estimate 2-4 decks in the discard pile?
Just like in a land-based casino, you can join the game at any time. Just consider the discards as if they were behind the cut card. An unseen card is an unseen card whether it was dealt before you arrived, or hasn’t left the shoe yet. Of course, joining a shoe in progress means you will get poor penetration on that first shoe, with a similarly lower chance of good counts arising. But there is nothing wrong with the prospect of joining mid-shoe.
Ken SMith first of all your knowledge is a treasure to us.
i don get it with the 16vs 10
.if tc is bigger than 0 we stand.why we do that?
cause the high cards that are left will bust us or because we hope for the dealer to take first the low card and after a big one?
Also lets say that i play two bets .a 18 stiff and a 16 stiff against 10 dealers .my opinion is that if i stand propably i will loose all my two bets.if i stand like logical in 18 and take card at 16 and get bust with a a ten my other bet will still at the moment be “alive” and maybe the dealer takes a 7 or 8???? Please inlight me !!!
Shame I missed this, there are some great books in there at a bargain.
Hello Ken, I have been reading alot on your website and I want to thank you for everything. Two months ago i was playing without any knowledge about it. Thanks to you I got my winchances up. I wish I had all the knowledge you had… takes alot of time. I just have one question: do you make money playing blackjack? Because as far as I know the winchances are still around 50/50, it never gets in our favors.. or am I wrong?
Card counting provides a relatively easy way to have a mathematical advantage. Check out the Blackjack School here for the details. Do I make money playing blackjack? Yes, I’ve done extremely well. 🙂
As you probably know, this battle has been lost on the strip since both MGM and Caeser’s properties now just pay 6/5 (although I did see a single table in the Margaritaville section of the Flamingo still paying 3/2.
Yes, 6:5 has taken over most of Vegas now. You may be interesting in this take on it: The State of Blackjack
Ken great site u have !!its my second home here !!!i dont get it sith the bets!!may be my english sucks !!.until tc 1 i play only minimum bet for example 5 euro.if the tc goes 4 should i bet 4×5euro?
If you are playing a six-deck game, just substitute euro signs for the dollar signs in the table in the article, and you’re all set. At TC4 you would be betting 40 euros. At TC5, 50 euros. At TC6 and better, 60 euros.
I still try to count six deck game and i feel my brain gets tosted !!just the running count not the true count cause i cant still estimate the decks in the tray !!its very odvious that i have to make my brain like a comp with out mistakes same time to play like very chill and cool guy and also have the bankroll and the diciplane to make money !!in other words … no pain no gain… card counting is an art and skill.
Consider taking a look at KO, in the book Knock-Out Blackjack. It doesn’t require a conversion to true count, and still compares favorably to Hi-Lo.
Ken just from curiocity asking?how many systems counting do u know?general you sound like a guy who knows whats he says very serious !also at your opinion how many hours u believe that someone needs in the kitchen table in order to say that he is ready for the tables?
When I started out about 20 years ago, for the first two or three years I used the Hi-Lo. Then I switched to Wong’s Halves count, which has an awesome betting efficiency. That is the count I have used ever since. However, it is a complicated 3 level count (and I use it in true halves form, not doubled). It’s hard to justify a complicated system these days unless you are really playing a lot. These days, when people ask what to learn, I recommend KO and Hi-Lo.
when is it proper to increase betting in a positive count?
It sounds like you aren’t talking about tournament play, but regular counting instead. Lessons 7, 8, and 9 of the Blackjack School address this topic.
On the flight back from Vegas on my first ” Counting” trip ( family trip part of it too). Taught myself counting by reading everything and practicing. Did two hours a day at treasure Island from 6-8am and I have never felt so good about the game and my hard work and success. Five and ten dollar tables and I moved tables after I won or was down. Got out each time I made a certain amount. I can do this. I want to do this regularly as a supplement to my real job. I like the fruits of the hard work and the possibilities that counting brings rather than the money (though I want that too). Seeing the table and potential in a whole new way is exhilarating. What is the best way for me to take this more seriously and start doing this for $5,000 results in a three day trip to Mecca? Any and all advice is welcome. I thought about taking a counting class in vegas for $795. Thank you.
Your reaction is the main reason that I still encourage smart players to learn to count, even though the game is not as vulnerable as it once was. The change in perspective that comes from beating any casino game will forever change the way you look at casinos. You will begin to see opportunity where you overlooked it before.
As for buying an expensive class, it really depends. Everyone learns best in their own way. For some people, an $800 class could be a good choice, while for others it would be much cheaper to simply buy two or three reputable books and learn at your own pace.
Hi Ken,
First let me say I have learnt so much from your website and I am using it to play online live with favorable results.
My question is, the site I play on go to about 65% penetration before using a new shoe, with an 8 deck game. Should I only play at the table when it is a new shoe? Or is it OK to join and play even if I estimate 2-4 decks in the discard pile?
Just like in a land-based casino, you can join the game at any time. Just consider the discards as if they were behind the cut card. An unseen card is an unseen card whether it was dealt before you arrived, or hasn’t left the shoe yet. Of course, joining a shoe in progress means you will get poor penetration on that first shoe, with a similarly lower chance of good counts arising. But there is nothing wrong with the prospect of joining mid-shoe.
Ken SMith first of all your knowledge is a treasure to us.
i don get it with the 16vs 10
.if tc is bigger than 0 we stand.why we do that?
cause the high cards that are left will bust us or because we hope for the dealer to take first the low card and after a big one?
Also lets say that i play two bets .a 18 stiff and a 16 stiff against 10 dealers .my opinion is that if i stand propably i will loose all my two bets.if i stand like logical in 18 and take card at 16 and get bust with a a ten my other bet will still at the moment be “alive” and maybe the dealer takes a 7 or 8???? Please inlight me !!!
I speak about european bj.s17 no peek hole card
Thanks Ken