A Rookie in Vegas

[chknjetski]

Next month I will be taking a trip to LV for a few days. I have been there before and have played a little BJ - just with a general knowledge of BS. I have never considered myself a serious player.
Until now.

This time, I am stronger in BS, but inexperienced with counting and more advanced AP play. I intend to focus on BS, work on my counting, and generally just get some real world experience. I do not intend to use a large spread, if any. I just want to take small steps.

What locations and games do you recommend for cutting my teeth into the AP world? What about times/shifts? How much time should I plan to put in to make it a valuable experience? What kind of bankroll whould I plan on using (red)?

I can't wait to get out there and put some work in. I will share my experiences once I return.

 

[BJLFS]

One note is that bet variation according to the count is way more important than the devation numbers for playing. So if you are going to try to count just keep that in mind.

 

[apex]

How much would you budget for gambling if you weren't planning to count? That should be your trip bankroll.

I would recommend you head downtown and try a double deck game. With double deck, if you lose the count you will get another chance to start over soon. Downtown has the best rules, and El Cortez is the best of them. If you only spread 1-4 red you can probably play there for awhile to get some practice, and be +EV with a small spread. They may politely ask you to leave if they catch you counting.

Play as long as you are enjoying it. The more you play the better you will get. Bring a deck of cards on the plane and practice counting while you are en route. Good luck have fun!

 

[moo321]

Make sure you don't get backed off at a bunch of places and get put in Griffin.

 

[BJgenius007]

Next month I will be taking a trip to LV for a few days. I have been there before and have played a little BJ - just with a general knowledge of BS. I have never considered myself a serious player.
Until now.

This time, I am stronger in BS, but inexperienced with counting and more advanced AP play. I intend to focus on BS, work on my counting, and generally just get some real world experience. I do not intend to use a large spread, if any. I just want to take small steps.

What locations and games do you recommend for cutting my teeth into the AP world? What about times/shifts? How much time should I plan to put in to make it a valuable experience? What kind of bankroll whould I plan on using (red)?

I can't wait to get out there and put some work in. I will share my experiences once I return.

The next step is to play perfect Basic Strategy and spread-bet according to true count. You don't want to use index play yet for the next few trips. You have the advantage when the true count is +1, so you want to find a $5 table and place the bet according to TC:

TC Bet
Neg or 0 $5
+1 $10
+2 $40

 

[Sucker]

Make sure you don't get backed off at a bunch of places and get put in Griffin.

Griffin is back, up & running? Last I heard, Anderson was retired, & living in Florida. Maybe doing some consulting work for the Indians there. And I doubt if Beverly has the brains to run the operation, or to find someone competent enough to run it for her.

 

[moo321]

Griffin is back, up & running? Last I heard, Anderson was retired, & living in Florida. Maybe doing some consulting work for the Indians there. And I doubt if Beverly has the brains to run the operation, or to find someone competent enough to run it for her.

As far as I know, it emerged from bankruptcy. If it's not being updated, there's definitely old issues around that are being used by casinos.

 

[chknjetski]

One note is that bet variation according to the count is way more important than the devation numbers for playing. So if you are going to try to count just keep that in mind.

No, I fully understand this. I am just not confident in my ability to keep an accurate count yet, including estimating the remaining deck to get the TC. I think that if I get a high count, I'll raise my bet slightly. I'd be a little afraid to raise it to 8 units at a +2. Wouldn't that draw attention?

 

[apex]

I'd be a little afraid to raise it to 8 units at a +2. Wouldn't that draw attention?

Probably not.

TC Bet
Neg or 0 $5
+1 $10
+2 $40

This is a poor bet ramp. Assuming a $40 top bet, this is better:

Neg, 0, or 1 $5
+2 $10
+3 $20
+4 $30
+5 or greater $40

 

[BJLFS]

No, I fully understand this. I am just not confident in my ability to keep an accurate count yet, including estimating the remaining deck to get the TC. I think that if I get a high count, I'll raise my bet slightly. I'd be a little afraid to raise it to 8 units at a +2. Wouldn't that draw attention?

Actually, for now, if I were you, I would stick by a betting sheme of one unit for every TC1. In my opinion going up to 8 units at TC2 is a little too much regardless; especially if your BR is smaller. But as far as your counting abilities just keep practicing. :cool2:

 

[aslan]

Make sure you don't get backed off at a bunch of places and get put in Griffin.

I thought Griffin was defunct? I know that MGM Resorts no longer uses them.

 

[getwellboss]

Next month I will be taking a trip to LV for a few days. I have been there before and have played a little BJ - just with a general knowledge of BS. I have never considered myself a serious player.
Until now.

This time, I am stronger in BS, but inexperienced with counting and more advanced AP play. I intend to focus on BS, work on my counting, and generally just get some real world experience. I do not intend to use a large spread, if any. I just want to take small steps.

What locations and games do you recommend for cutting my teeth into the AP world? What about times/shifts? How much time should I plan to put in to make it a valuable experience? What kind of bankroll whould I plan on using (red)?

I can't wait to get out there and put some work in. I will share my experiences once I return.

I'm in the same boat. I have BS down and can count a deck from 20-25 seconds. However have some rough patches in the casino because of distractions and speed of dealing...getting better though. I am going to be in Vegas mid march so I plan on playing the $5 tables there pretty much the whole trip.