Blackjack on a small bankroll?

[Ricd11]

Hi folks,

First of all I want to apologise if this has been covered here on the forum before, I'm guessing it has but my searches yielded no results. Now to the business end:

I have been recently 'studying' blackjack, reading books from the likes of Humble & Cooper, Wong, and Blackwood. I learned basic strategy over a year ago and have made a few casino trips for enjoyment purposes (admittedly some were after the nightclubs close), and I have now been reading about counting and other blackjack information found within these books. I have also started practising to count cards, just going through the decks at home. But before I get ahead of myself practising,

How do you play blackjack with a small bankroll?

Reading the texts it's clear that there are fluctuations and calculations of risk of ruin etc. I'm not a mathematician but consider myself to have a fair level of intelligence and am fine with understanding this. Suggested betting is a max bet of 1% of the total bankroll, and sometimes even more conservative. I'm wondering where this would leave me. With a few hundred pounds available, is it possible to seriously play, as in not just play and lose everything in 30mins (although I understand there's always a chance of this happening). I'm not interested in trying to make hundreds off such a small amount over a weekend or anything daft like that, I know this is not realistic. I would, however, like to know that I could enjoy the game and slowly progress to a bigger bankroll. I like the idea that with some hard work and patience you can beat the casino, and don't want to miss out on this because I don't have much money! I could squeeze to a slightly bigger bankroll, but I will obviously not be willing to compromise money I require to live.

Would the application of tactics such as Wonging be the only ways to get a foothold into the game and build up a bigger bankroll?

I'm from england (I'm guessing this forum is primarily american) and the cheapest tables are £3 minimums, which is a problem for having say only £300-400 to spare. Perhaps anyone knows casinos that offer £1 tables?

I hope the responses aren't just along the lines of 'you haven't got a chance, keep dreaming'. Surely some people out there started with nothing and worked their way up...


Many thanks,

Richard

 

[sabre]

You aren't going to be able to beat modern blackjack games by counting alone with a few hundred pounds as a bankroll. You would need to wong incredibly aggressively (playing virtually 0 hands without an advantage), and even then your risk of ruin would be high unless you're using a $5 max bet.

Counting requires capital. There's no way around it.

 

[Sonny]

How do you play blackjack with a small bankroll?

From the Frequently Asked Questions thread:

Q: I didn’t realize that I needed such a big bankroll to count cards. Can I still play with a smaller bankroll?
A: Sure, as long as you understand the risks you are taking. If you are able to add some money to your bankroll regularly then you can play a little more aggressively. Here are some tips on playing with a small bankroll and supplementing your bankroll:

http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=5655
http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=5939
http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=9604
http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/showthread.php?t=9258

-Sonny-

 

[NightStalker]

build your bankroll:

1) Tournaments are always effective with minimal buy-in and big payouts
2) Teaming up with other players
3) Playing poker and other low investment games
4) Gamble it on a direct number at roulette (don't try this )

 

[Ricd11]

Thanks for the responses everyone, much appreciated. I've enjoyed playing 21 in casinos with bs so i think i'm going to give things like backcounting a go anyway and see what happens. Theres something that still makes me want to learn, practice and implement counting. And I don't like being told I can't do something! (these could be famous last words...)

 

[bigplayer]

Blackjack on a Small Bankroll

Hi folks,

First of all I want to apologise if this has been covered here on the forum before, I'm guessing it has but my searches yielded no results. Now to the business end:

I have been recently 'studying' blackjack, reading books from the likes of Humble & Cooper, Wong, and Blackwood. I learned basic strategy over a year ago and have made a few casino trips for enjoyment purposes (admittedly some were after the nightclubs close), and I have now been reading about counting and other blackjack information found within these books. I have also started practising to count cards, just going through the decks at home. But before I get ahead of myself practising,

How do you play blackjack with a small bankroll?

Reading the texts it's clear that there are fluctuations and calculations of risk of ruin etc. I'm not a mathematician but consider myself to have a fair level of intelligence and am fine with understanding this. Suggested betting is a max bet of 1% of the total bankroll, and sometimes even more conservative. I'm wondering where this would leave me. With a few hundred pounds available, is it possible to seriously play, as in not just play and lose everything in 30mins (although I understand there's always a chance of this happening). I'm not interested in trying to make hundreds off such a small amount over a weekend or anything daft like that, I know this is not realistic. I would, however, like to know that I could enjoy the game and slowly progress to a bigger bankroll. I like the idea that with some hard work and patience you can beat the casino, and don't want to miss out on this because I don't have much money! I could squeeze to a slightly bigger bankroll, but I will obviously not be willing to compromise money I require to live.

Would the application of tactics such as Wonging be the only ways to get a foothold into the game and build up a bigger bankroll?

I'm from england (I'm guessing this forum is primarily american) and the cheapest tables are £3 minimums, which is a problem for having say only £300-400 to spare. Perhaps anyone knows casinos that offer £1 tables?

I hope the responses aren't just along the lines of 'you haven't got a chance, keep dreaming'. Surely some people out there started with nothing and worked their way up...


Many thanks,

Richard

You have two choices. 1-Take a shot and hope to get lucky 2-Don't play blackjack. Just because you have enough money to make a few bets doesn't mean you have enough to really have a shot to win.

I'd like to be able to be an oil tycoon...but I don't have a well or enough money to drill one.

Any business venture requires seed capital and blackjack is a business.

 

[riggler]

Yeah, there are a lot of naysayers here. And who is to say exactly why. Perhaps they don't like counting competition? Perhaps they are really trying to help.

The point is if you are going to play blackjack anyway, irregardless of whether you know how to count, use indexes or spread, if you count cards, don't use indexes and don't spread as wide as the "books" say to spread, then you are at more of advantage than the average ploppy.

You may still lose in the long run, but...you'll lose less than the ploppy.

 

[Homeschool]

Yeah, there are a lot of naysayers here. And who is to say exactly why. Perhaps they don't like counting competition? Perhaps they are really trying to help.

The point is if you are going to play blackjack anyway, irregardless of whether you know how to count, use indexes or spread, if you count cards, don't use indexes and don't spread as wide as the "books" say to spread, then you are at more of advantage than the average ploppy.

You may still lose in the long run, but...you'll lose less than the ploppy.

Or perhaps they know what they're talking about and are trying to warn you.......

Sounds like you have an answer you're looking for and aren't going to accept any answer other than that.

Homeschool

 

[sabre]

Yeah, there are a lot of naysayers here. And who is to say exactly why. Perhaps they don't like counting competition?

This is one of the stupidest comments I've ever seen posted here ...

 

[shadroch]

This is one of the stupidest comments I've ever seen posted here ...

You must have a bunch of people on ignore.

 

[PierceNation]

On a small bankroll...

Yo, I found myself in the exact same position when I started, the truth is, unless you get a reasonable amount of positive fluctuation when you start, its very difficult. HOWEVER I recommend you read :

Arnold Snyder - Blackbelt in Blackjack.

He talks about replenishable bankrolls. I.e If I earnt 20k a year, and after bills had say, 400 a month free. Dont think of it as 12 bankrolls of 400 pound, think of it as 1 bankroll of 400x12 =4800. nearly 5 grand! If you tap out one month (which you undoubtedly will at some point) no worries, next month, carry on where you left off!

Arnold describes it better =)

Pierce.