1st Blackjack trip

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Morphy

Well-Known Member
#1
#1
I have just recently returned from my first blackjack trip. It was a company function so I was obligated to attended a few select daily meetings but for the most part I had plenty of time to cut my teeth at the tables. I went into this trip with about 6 months of at home practice and it would be my first time ever playing blackjack at a casino for real money.
The first and most time consuming part was finding a playable game. Every time I turned my head it was a 6to5 table or CSMs or 10 billion minimum bet... My intentions were to only play BS and not worry about tracking the cards but I found it quite easy to keep count and very difficult to abstain from counting itself. First playable game was a 6 decker, I stood back and watched estimated a TC of 2 and sat down and bought in for $100 and flat bet $10. The first thing I learned was sitting at first base you are the first to have to make a decision, so keep your focus. It was tricky but very doable for a greenhorn like myself. I really didn't pay attention to my chips, I just flat bet and waited for the count to drop so I could leave. It did not however and I finished the shoe got up left and cashed out. Then I found a double deck game with about 1/2-3/4 deck pen. They used a mark in the discard tray to cut the deck so it was consistent. Big difference in count range for the DD. I never saw a running count above 5 the whole trip. From everything I read BS is the same for 6 deck as it is 2 deck. The shoes are faster and I enjoyed a couple then left. I was very nervous playing so my first couple sessions were short. My last session was about 3 hours of DD with an insane bet spread of $5 - $25!!! The count would swing wildly and I asked the dealer several times if I could just sit out and wait and to my surprise he didn't mind at all. I don't think I played even 5 hands at a negative count the entire trip.

Mistakes I am aware I made;

sitting at first base
almost hitting a soft 17v3
I felt I was obviously counting but not sure
being told I couldn't surrender (early) and not knowing before hand the real rules


I didn't even keep logs as I considered this trip part of my training but I would say 5-6 hours of table time and I came home +100 units. I must say the fear is out of the way, the practice I had suffered through really seemed to have paid off. I think I'm in it for the long run!
 
P

paymypush

Well-Known Member
#3
#3
Playing basic strategy with a CSM won't hurt you other than the increased hands per hour. You may not even see a difference. Please don't play them. They thwart card counting and we don't want to encourage casinos to install more of them.

There are differences in basic strategy for two and six deck games and, within that, between the dealer hitting or staying on soft 17. You should learn every one of them.

Asking the dealer for "permission" to sit out hands is not a good idea as it may bring unwanted attention. Just do it. Be creative if you have to. There are ways.

The majority of counters that I know prefer sitting at third base. For now sit where you are the most comfortable. First base was not a mistake unless it overwhelmed you. Once you become proficient you may want the third base position. There you can get yelled at like the rest of us for taking the dealers break card etc. :)
 
M

Morphy

Well-Known Member
#5
#5
paymypush said:
Playing basic strategy with a CSM won't hurt you other than the increased hands per hour. You may not even see a difference. Please don't play them. They thwart card counting and we don't want to encourage casinos to install more of them.

There are differences in basic strategy for two and six deck games and, within that, between the dealer hitting or staying on soft 17. You should learn every one of them.

Asking the dealer for "permission" to sit out hands is not a good idea as it may bring unwanted attention. Just do it. Be creative if you have to. There are ways.

The majority of counters that I know prefer sitting at third base. For now sit where you are the most comfortable. First base was not a mistake unless it overwhelmed you. Once you become proficient you may want the third base position. There you can get yelled at like the rest of us for taking the dealers break card etc. :)
Click to expand...
Yes I blatantly asked with a stupid look on my face sat right in my chair and watched all the cards lol....


yes third base is the spot I prefer at this time... 1st was at bit overwhelming...

Thanks!
 
M

Meistro

Well-Known Member
#6
#6
Actually BS does vary from 2 deck to 6 deck, two notable differences are splitting 77 v 8 and 66 v 7. 9 vs 2 is also a BS double in double deck, although the impact of the latter is irrelevant if you are counting and use the double 9 vs 2 index, because it is a basic strategy double because 9 v 2 is a +2 or+3 running count situation. That is to say that as a counter you will have already taken in and used this information.
 
M

Meistro

Well-Known Member
#9
#9
Sounds like you are off to a great start. Now remember, blackjack can be a fun and profitable hobby, but if you are not careful you can also lose a lot of money very, very quickly.
 
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