Attention aspiring card counters : please remember the three ps

[Meistro]

The three ps are the secret to success at the blackjack table. What are these ps?

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE


Many an aspiring table has sat down at the green felt, with a vague understanding of the concepts surrounding blackjack in their head and proceeded to get their ass handed to them. You see, a skilled card counter has only a very modest advantage against the house. Even in the very best of games, with an extremely tall spread and great conditions, your overall edge on action will be no more than 2%. A more common player edge on total bets is 1%. Given that your edge is so small, you will see that there is precious room for error. Even a few minor mistakes and you will no longer have an advantage. And the only way to play error-free is to practice so much that counting cards is second nature to you, as automatic as breathing your next breath.

I recommend 60-100 hours of at home practice before you step foot in a casino. And even after you make your first mission, I recommend an extremely conservative bet spread and continued at home practice as well. Winning blackjack is a marathon, not a sprint, and many a foolhardy gambler have been brought down by hubris.

 

[ZeeBabar]

I disagree. There are no absolutes. If you have a replenishable bankroll, can afford it, you should get the counting down and start going to the casino.

There is nothing like actual casino play. Why invest 60-100 hours only to find out you don't have the temperament to play the game. It's terrible to find yourself in a profession you don't enjoy.

At the time, I started, my wife had paid $10k towards tuition for the career she was looking at and I decided to accept a loss of $10k to learn BJ. I played $5 tables and began learning in a casino environment. I "practiced" in that environment, observed other players, experimented with her spreads, playing two hands, dealing with ploppies, my own issues with putting out extra money. I doubled for less when doubling 11 against 10, was reluctant to split 9's against a 9 when money was on the table, balked at splitting 8's against a 10.

Lots of decisions are easy when practicing at home, a different animal in a casino where ploppies are getting mad at you, when pit boss is hovering around the table, when dealer is commenting on your play and the cocktail waitress has her boob touching your elbow.

If you can, learn to count, know that you get more in positive count, learn basic strategy, maybe 15 hours total and then venture out to the casinos..

 

[Meistro]

As you can see there are different schools of thought on this matter; I will confess when I got started at the blackjack tables I took more of the ZeeBabar approach but I am confident that extensive at home training would pay handsome dividends to any neophyte blackjack player.

 

[ZeeBabar]

Theory is good but you never know how you handle wins, losses and swings till you try it. A good percentage of those who win the first few times, end up either as addicts or good AP's. Those who fail the first few times, give up and go for something else.

 

[Meistro]

On the other hand, if you are going to risk your money, it is better to play with an advantage. I don't see why you should make all your noob mistakes when there is actual money on the line, instead of when you are playing for fun at home.

 

[LatamCC]

Theory is good but you never know how you handle wins, losses and swings till you try it. A good percentage of those who win the first few times, end up either as addicts or good AP's. Those who fail the first few times, give up and go for something else.

I have to agree here. I´ve been playing BJ for 8 years, the very first time I stepped to a casino was after studying a BS chart... very young and with no money tho... only 3 months ago started my proper "career" as a counter. I keep the record of the date, casino name(s) of the day ("trip"), the number of hours, exact fluctuations and a chart showing all results with a trendline. Although my first few sessions were pretty good, day after day I'm more convinced that there is still a lot to learn an improve.

 

[Meistro]

Record keeping is definitely a healthy habit, that is one area where I could improve.

 

[KewlJ]

Although my first few sessions were pretty good, day after day I'm more convinced that there is still a lot to learn an improve.

And for good reason....there is still a lot to learn and improve. I am through 14 years now of supporting myself from card counting AP play and I am still learning new things that are beneficial and improve my game. That is the beauty of sharing experiences on these message board sites. And it doesn't have to be that someone shares something earth-shattering. Maybe it's little things that someone vaguely makes a reference of and you say "damn, that's a good idea. Will help draw less attention and improve longevity" or will help with this or that. Or less off this or that.

At this point in my career, I have developed sort of a unique approach, tailored to my individual circumstances. And there are so many little things that I have incorporated into my game and approach that came from others on these sites. Never stop learning. Never top listening.

Record keeping is definitely a healthy habit, that is one area where I could improve.

Yeah, but you can over do it too. I used to keep really detailed records. And then you find yourself over-analyzing every little thing, and drawing some conclusions that really are meaningless because of small sample size. Especially data concerning individual stores. Even if you are a grinder type player and play alot, data for any one casino is probably insignificant to draw any conclusions from. But that doesn't stop you. Like I said you over-analyze, or at least I often did, until I finally simplified some of my record keeping.

Now I am focused on two numbers. My total win/loss for the year, and my accumulated Ev for the year. And in a perfect world...they are the same. That rarely is THIS world though.

 

[Meistro]

In the past I have kept gambling journals, so that is a form of record keeping I suppose, and allows you an opportunity to reflect and think about what has been going on.

 

[LatamCC]

Now I am focused on two numbers. My total win/loss for the year, and my accumulated Ev for the year. And in a perfect world...they are the same. That rarely is THIS world though.

I guess I'll take a look at that 9 months from now. For now i'm on a 1-12 spread (started with 1-6 with multiple hands, then 1-5. Realized it was way too low, now 1-12 only one hand, still evaluating) and up about 30 units, was up 120 units 3 weeks ago.

 

[LatamCC]

In the past I have kept gambling journals, so that is a form of record keeping I suppose, and allows you an opportunity to reflect and think about what has been going on.

I use google sheets so I can edit the info right after the session from the app. Seems to work fine and really powerful tools to analyze all the data. It can be a little distracting tho...

 

[Meistro]

I guess I'll take a look at that 9 months from now. For now i'm on a 1-12 spread (started with 1-6 with multiple hands, then 1-5. Realized it was way too low, now 1-12 only one hand, still evaluating) and up about 30 units, was up 120 units 3 weeks ago.

Welcome to the wonderful world of card counting blackjack. There is a TON of variance in this game, and you never know which way the pendulum will swing. That is why you should always have at least 100 max bets in your bankroll.

 

[LatamCC]

Hey everyone, if you guys win a draw at the casino (tickets are given to players for each suited blackjack, 7 sevens and for each hour of play) how would you count that "win"? I mean, I'm definitely adding those 50 units to my BR but not sure if I should count it as part of the session. Any thoughts?

 

[Meistro]

Did you win some sort of promotion? Congrats bro.

 

[LatamCC]

Yes, thanks bro! The promotion (at least at that casino) is as follows: Every player (only table games) gets 2 coupons for each hour of play, additionally for every suited BJ and if you get 3 sevens or a 21 made of 6,7 and 8. The draw is at Wednesdays, 300 every hour from 10:30 til 2:30 with a chance of getting 500 (some hi card bonus) and the 2:30 draw for 1000. Most casinos here have this kinda promo but this is a small room so I, with 12 cupons, had some chance.