First Casino Trip. Am i ready?

[la_dee_daa]

Hey the time in nearing when i can finally enter a casino,very end of this month actually.

I feel im ready for counting in play and would just would like to know if iv overlooked anything or what i should work on.

Well firstly i started looking at counting the summer of 2007 but didnt really do anything other then count through the deck a few times. I really started practicing and learning during january 2008.

Iv been using hi/lo for simplicity sake and count down one deck in 14-15 secs.
I practice using 6 decks dealing them with a friend i am learning with or others, trying to set up distractions such as conversation and movies or the tv on.( i always check my count at the end. 5/6 times i and right on where sometimes the 1/6times i am 1 point off)
Iv learnt a fair number of indices for the rules i will be playing probably about 30 with a number of fuzzy ones and know all the variations of 6deck bs rules i will need to know.

I understand the ideas of betting spread and my bankroll to reduce my RoR.
Currently the way i practice i go from $5- to- 2 hands of $50 with $1000 chips on me just to get an idea of flux but have never dipped below $300 not counting chips in play just to get an idea of what to expect.( this isnt what i expect my bankroll to be)

Iv been looking at team play just with a couple people one my friend when he becomes of age and my ploppy friend just as a big player which i mentioned in another post.

soooooo now to a few questions should i use the practice spread i have mentioned but eliminate the $5 hands by wonging?
How much should my bankroll be $5000? $7500? assuming it is replenishable during initial drops.

one major problem is that because i live in Canada there is only ONE casino with 6 deck shoe games with rules i think( ls, das, double on any, nras, h17 with lucky ladies (4-1 9-1 19-1 125-1 1000-1.. soo at +6.5-7 becomes profitable?) penetration should be just fine also( maybe tell them its my birthday and ask to have 19 cards cut off? lol)
there are other casinos i could go to but they would require day trip and arent as practical for me to visit. There is little to no heat i have heard there from another post and believe it because my friend plays there alot and i would mostly go with him who plays hands from several hundread to several thousand which will be good cover if i team with him or not because he is a establish loser there for a fair penny.

Thats generally what i have looked at and depending on how much they shuffle would probably learn some shuffle type tracking stuff like that... getting a little ahead of myself...

I would love to have any input to make sure i am on the right track or have overlooked anything important and your expereices to so i kinda know what to expect.

La_dee_daa

 

[mdlbj]

Be sure your Basic Strategy is solid and you are able to keep the count. Dont worry so much about bankroll yet, you will surely have a loosing session.

I'm writing this because you do not have the answers before you sit down at a table.

You should be 100% before you try to play a winning game.

 

[Kasi]

I would love to have any input

You don't know me too well but, if you did, when I tell you you can't possibly be serious, it's only for your own good.

Or, propose some definite betting plan for a definite game as opposed to the game that apparently you are not even sure what the rules even are, with a definite bankroll, etc.

Heck, propose 2 or 3 alternative definitive plans, if you're using a friend. Or not.

What's the diff - a $5K roll, a $7.5K roll, playing whatever. Go from $5 to 2 hands of $50 with $1k in your pocket. Sounds like a plan to me.

If you don't have at least one very definite plan and what to expect from it, you are not ready.

Worry everything about your bankroll - whether you can count perfectly, or even with a few errors, or whether you make some occasional BS mistakes, likely pale in comparison to worrying about your bankroll.

Put another way, counting perfectly and playing perfectly mean absolutely nothing if you bet in a way that screws up your bankroll.

It's all you got. Don't lose it.

 

[Ferretnparrot]

Yo i think you guys should lay of the kids back cmon hes learning for one so OBVIOUSLY he doesnt know what hes doing yet which shoudl be a reason for encouragement not to shoot down all his hopes and dreams that hes prob had imbedded in his mind after practicing so ard and so much.

To assault a casino you need four things: Money, the ability to count and keep track fo the cards, playing *PEREFECT* strategy and a betting strategy

It seems like you have at least some knowledge of all that so the only thing that could possibly go wrong is that you dont raise your bet high enough to expect positive numbers. Betting stratagy is also important if you want to maintain a specific risk of ruin, but you really dont actually have to know your exact ror to beat the game but you should try to keep it small by betting small in units not in your bet spread, You also dont really NEED a bankroll either, you only NEED enough to not run out of money that particular night and if you have that your chance of winning or losing money that particular session will be unefected whatsoever

If you have available for the purpose of playing blackjack LONG TERM, between 5 and ten thousand your good for 10 dollar tables with a very slim chance of losing all your money if you have between 10k and 25k you are good for 25$ tables with a low risk of ruin each of these amounts represents totally different betting styles but the ranges of money generally apply to those bet range applications

For one night in the casinos though typically 2500 is enough for a night at the ten dollar tables and 7500 is enough for a night at the 25 dollar tables

if you dont have a plan for betting just go off that and trust that its more likely you will win than lose.

Also i started just like him i didnt care about freiking mathematical probibility of loss i personally was more interested that at certain moments my ev hand to hand was 10X.X% of what i was betting, if i lost i didnt care because i knew that it was a good bet and in the long run if i made enough of them i would make money and i have.

Bottom line if you got strategy down 100 freikign percent and you know at least when to take insurance and raise your bet, you are ready, anything else will only make you more money

 

[mdlbj]

I would agree he has to play his strategy perfectly and that it does not matter if you loose a certain amount of hands because, we are playing with an advantage and in the long run we will come out ahead.

But.. If he is playing perfectly, he could bring half of what you are suggesting. Yet at the same time, he would be adjusting his bets per true count.

I think that they should practice and wait until they have team play down pat before they venture off.

Yet I am torn in a way because, this would be a good and even fun experience for them.

Ferretnparrot, I would suggest you look at some of the material that the blackjack institute http://blackjackinstitute.com has to offer. It will answer the questions you are asking and then some.

 

[Knox]

Go in and flat bet $5 until you are comfortable. You need about $300 and you can do that for hours without even counting.

 

[la_dee_daa]

You don't know me too well but, if you did, when I tell you you can't possibly be serious, it's only for your own good.

Or, propose some definite betting plan for a definite game as opposed to the game that apparently you are not even sure what the rules even are, with a definite bankroll, etc.

Heck, propose 2 or 3 alternative definitive plans, if you're using a friend. Or not.

What's the diff - a $5K roll, a $7.5K roll, playing whatever. Go from $5 to 2 hands of $50 with $1k in your pocket. Sounds like a plan to me.

If you don't have at least one very definite plan and what to expect from it, you are not ready.

Worry everything about your bankroll - whether you can count perfectly, or even with a few errors, or whether you make some occasional BS mistakes, likely pale in comparison to worrying about your bankroll.

Put another way, counting perfectly and playing perfectly mean absolutely nothing if you bet in a way that screws up your bankroll.

It's all you got. Don't lose it.

yea i just have whats gone through my head on the subject written up there.
But i should just be focusing on getting my foot in the door which is the plan.

But if YOU knew me you would know i am in your terms "cant possibly be serious" in my own "good" element :laugh: ( i get it a lot )

But i wont be overbetting my bankroll i still have a couple weeks to figure out how much exactly i feel like dedicating to it.

 

[la_dee_daa]

I would agree he has to play his strategy perfectly and that it does not matter if you loose a certain amount of hands because, we are playing with an advantage and in the long run we will come out ahead.

But.. If he is playing perfectly, he could bring half of what you are suggesting. Yet at the same time, he would be adjusting his bets per true count.

I think that they should practice and wait until they have team play down pat before they venture off.

Yet I am torn in a way because, this would be a good and even fun experience for them.

Ferretnparrot, I would suggest you look at some of the material that the blackjack institute http://blackjackinstitute.com has to offer. It will answer the questions you are asking and then some.

perfect strategy is very important certainly and is number one importance

my team idea isnt truely a team its moreless telling people when to bet, how much to bet with slightly altered bs for a higher count and i take my cut with no money of mine invested. Its either that and have some fun or they lose it on their own. so thats why im willing to rush into it.

 

[la_dee_daa]

Yo i think you guys should lay of the kids back cmon hes learning for one so OBVIOUSLY he doesnt know what hes doing yet which shoudl be a reason for encouragement not to shoot down all his hopes and dreams that hes prob had imbedded in his mind after practicing so ard and so much.

You know what i agree. I really have only looked at this for about a month and a half. But trust me on that no one is able to shoot down my "hopes and dreams" only a few people i know don't just shake their heads at what i go on about.

little quick story on "hopes and dreams" kinda- in gr12 physics i took on a project which i decided i would make my own roulette computer predictor. Everyone i knew dismissed the idea including the teacher which had some PHD in something or other. Made it work with about a 1000 spin trial to my advantage of predictions and extremely well during the test in class( i dont remember the exact results and it was a half size wheel ). I admit it could have been somewhat "lucky".--


Im just here to learn about how to approach this.

 

[sagefr0g]

............
I would love to have any input to make sure i am on the right track or have overlooked anything important and your expereices to so i kinda know what to expect.

La_dee_daa

your bet ramp isn't clear to me. surely your not just jumping to two hands of fifty with no bet incrementing steps?
what is the table min of this casino? hopefully you will be able to play at a $5 min table.
couldn't say your ready but at least your talking about a lot of the right stuff.

 

[zengrifter]

But i wont be overbetting my bankroll i still have a couple weeks to figure out how much exactly i feel like dedicating to it.

Kasi's 2x50 at the earliest acceptable count is correct. zg

 

[la_dee_daa]

your bet ramp isn't clear to me. surely your not just jumping to two hands of fifty with no bet incrementing steps?
what is the table min of this casino? hopefully you will be able to play at a $5 min table.
couldn't say your ready but at least your talking about a lot of the right stuff.

yea like $5 is my min and 2 $50s is my max with incrementing steps
limits are $5-$500 or what ever u want to put down if you have the money.

 

[sagefr0g]

yea like $5 is my min and 2 $50s is my max with incrementing steps
limits are $5-$500 or what ever u want to put down if you have the money.

ok but what are the increments at what true count? point being are you stepping your bets in a proportional manner according to some optimal betting strategy that you understand?

 

[la_dee_daa]

ok but what are the increments at what true count? point being are you stepping your bets in a proportional manner according to some optimal betting strategy that you understand?

something like this

true count $$$
1 5
2 10
3 15-20
4 25-35 or 20x 2
5 25-40 x2
6 40x2 -50x 2
7+ 50 x2 , plus 5+ on LL side bet

something on that depending how sure my deck estimating is accurate

does it sound ok?

 

[dough_boi]

What casino is this?

Which casino is this? I live in ontario and seems everything here is 8 decks

 

[la_dee_daa]

Which casino is this? I live in ontario and seems everything here is 8 decks

This is the other side of canada, BC vancouver might be a long drive for you
and everything else is csms

 

[sagefr0g]

something like this

true count $$$
1 5
2 10
3 15-20
4 25-35 or 20x 2
5 25-40 x2
6 40x2 -50x 2
7+ 50 x2 , plus 5+ on LL side bet

something on that depending how sure my deck estimating is accurate

does it sound ok?

i dunno if it sounds ok lol . i sure know nothing about the lucky ladies bet.....
i set this sim as close to your numbers as i could figure out how to do.
so it might give you something to ponder.
set it up as if your bankroll was $6000.00
a one to ten spread where your unit is $5 and you play two hands always.
sorry couldn't get a mix of playing one hand then going to two hands..... not sure if cvcx can do that or not.
and you can see the game parameters in the image below... oh yeah and i had you at a full table... using hi/lo and i18 & fab4
check the custom bets i tryed to tweak them near your numbers above so it might give you an idea......

 

[la_dee_daa]

i dunno if it sounds ok lol . i sure know nothing about the lucky ladies bet.....
i set this sim as close to your numbers as i could figure out how to do.
so it might give you something to ponder.
set it up as if your bankroll was $6000.00
a one to ten spread where your unit is $5 and you play two hands always.
sorry couldn't get a mix of playing one hand then going to two hands..... not sure if cvcx can do that or not.
and you can see the game parameters in the image below... oh yeah and i had you at a full table... using hi/lo and i18 & fab4
check the custom bets i tryed to tweak them near your numbers above so it might give you an idea......

thank you that gives me a good idea. i guess i probably could start ramping up my bets a little faster at 2-4 maybe? after seeing what the player advantage is i guess i could play full to half kelly betting fairly safely if my bankroll is replenishable.

for the lucky ladies bet i read someone in a link from a post here that it goes into the players favor at 7+

that chart helps a lot
thanks

 

[sagefr0g]

thank you that gives me a good idea. i guess i probably could start ramping up my bets a little faster at 2-4 maybe? after seeing what the player advantage is i guess i could play full to half kelly betting fairly safely if my bankroll is replenishable.

for the lucky ladies bet i read someone in a link from a post here that it goes into the players favor at 7+

that chart helps a lot
thanks

your welcome. i just hope i set the simulator correctly. just take it all with a grain of salt lol ...
but i thinnk if it were me i'd be pretty much worried about losing the whole bank being it is your first shot at this and all. i wish i could tell you how to go about maybe a more conservative couple of trial runs at first. so maybe you can figure that out on your own if you want to. but it's your money so do what you want.

 

[Ferretnparrot]

Dude i would bet 25 on ll if i had the oportunity to do so, getting a count of +7 and above is a reletively rare occurance so you wont be putting your entire bankroll at risk since the number of times you put money in that betting circle will be very limited. Even if your unfortunate and lose the bet every single time.

According to that chart a count of 7 or higher will represent 0.49% of all hands played so like 1 in 200ish hand you will be ABLE to place a bet, and typically in my experience if you get a count that high either it goes down to a lower count , or the cut card comes shooting out of the deck within only a few hands.