Recent content by SBT

Yeah, I was thinking that this fellow may just gamble it all away again. If I won the amount he won I would invest it in real estate or stocks and not play bj seriously again.

No shoulder tap? I am new to this pursuit, but I read on this message board of players being "backed off." I wonder why this winner at Presque Isle Downs was not backed off before he got away with a half million.

Big Winner in PA A Pennsylvania man in his late 20s won $568,290 playing blackjack at Presque Isle Downs. The article doesn't have much detail, of course. http://www.goerie.com/article/20111117/NEWS02/311179876/Big-blackjack-winner-puts-dent-in-Erie-casino's-October-revenue The bits and...

Responders seem to be saying that progressions are a terrible idea. Since you all have been doing this pursuit longer than I have, I will take your word for it. Also, the research I have been doing shows that it can’t be a winning system over time. Regarding the probability of losing a...

Responding to icountntrack, I see what you mean that when one is about to be dealt the 5th hand (after say losing four in a row), the probability of loss is the same as when you are dealt the first hand. However, are you saying that it makes no sense to consider runs of losses? Certainly it is...

Kewljason, yes, I was considering a voodoo strategy. I was considering raising my bet by one unit each time that I lost a hand. If one wins by the sixth bet progression, you are not behind in total losses. But one cannot protect oneself from randomness. Even though it is only a 2% likelihood of...

Thanks for replies and information. I took .53 (dealer's win average) to the fifth power. Extrapolating, one has an approximately 4% chance of losing five hands in a row, in any five-hand sequence. That would mean that such a streak happens once per hundred hands, on average. Not sure if this...

I am new to this endeavor. I am wondering, has any blackjack player or writer calculated the probability of losing a certain number of hands in a row (given proper execution of Basic Strategy)? I am aware that one cannot simply raise .5 to the exponent of the number of hands, because the...

Thanks! The thread about doubling or splitting 4's, started by Bacchante is very informative and helpful. Thanks for mentioning it, tthree and Bacchante.

Thanks, Ken Smith. Yes, I did find another chart in Wong, where he indicates to split 4's vs dealer 5 or 6, if the count equals or exceeds -1, or -2, respectively. (Applying when rules allow DAS, and dealer stands on S17.)

Wong advises in Professional Blackjack to never split them, to treat as an 8. My strategy chart says to split when the dealer has an upcard of 5 or 6. Would appreciate feedback from forum members. thanks!

Recent trip Was just in the Niagara area this past weekend. Seneca Niagara is now all csms, except for $50 tables and up, according to a "regular" I spoke to there, and a dealer confirmed it. Fallsview was all csms, except $50 & up, this past Sat night. I thought I'd find at better deal...

Niagara -- bad conditions for an AP I just came back from a weekend at the Falls. I am newer blackjack player, and was doing some research on conditions up there. The American side -- Seneca Niagara Casino -- forget it. All CSMs except for 50 min and up, as the OP noted. What is...

I am new at playing. But when I start to win during a playing session, I do put chips in my purse or jacket pocket. I don't try to hide this activity. From reading this thread, I guess I should try to be a little more secretive. I pocket them for a couple of reasons, one of which is that I like...

Thanks for the info, Jay. Regarding Gamblor, perhaps there is a bit of collegial razzing that goes on in this forum, & he didn't mean any harm. However, when one is new, one doesn't want to be called a name; it comes across as hostile. Plus, I am a woman, and not sure how many others...