Well...I'm in Windsor right now on a biz trip, and a few coworkers wanted to check out a local casino. I have been practicing counting religiously on CVBJ and feel like I've got a pretty good handle on it now.
All I had was 200 Canadian on me, and I didn't want to break out the ATM card in front of my coworkers since they are very light gamblers. I didn't expect to come home with anything due to that fact, but decided to see how I fared in keeping the count.
This was my first time in a casino in around 2 years. Prior to this, I had very limited knowledge of counting. The table minimum was 15$ so I basically back-counted and wonged in when things got hot.
Here's what I learned:
1. I had NO PROBLEM keeping the count and making the TC conversions the entire game. I had been running CVBJ on close to full speed during practice, so keeping up with the dealer was a cinch.
2. It takes FOREVER to sit through an 8-deck shoe after payouts, coloring up, people jumping in, etc. In CVBJ I can shuffle up when the count tanks...takes a lot longer when circling tables like a vulture in real life.
3. The good thing about little cards is that when they come out, they come out in the masses. It seems the count drops at a slower rate and it rises at a faster rate due to stands on higher hands and hits on lower hands. During play, I wondered if this could be mathematically supported?
4. I sat around forever waiting for a decent true count. I decided to wong in at TC=0 and play a few hands just for the heck of it. The count was up to TC=3 on the last round. I decided to raise my bet and...sure enough, I hit blackjack. It felt like magic. I wound up profiting 2.50 Canadian at the end of the night. That certainly was not magic, but the confidence in my abilities has skyrocketed!
5. I was surprised how often the dealer bent cards while dealing out of the shoe. I'm sure some AP approach could be used for this.
6. I never really appreciated how nice Tunica, my home turf, actually is. The buffets are so much better and beverages are complimentary when playing. Plus there are so many more tables and 5$ minimums, when compared to the "circle of death" I was hovering around tonight. With that said, I've never been to Atlantic City or Vegas.
All in all, the biggest reward for the night for me was that I came to grips that I can actually make this happen! I need to get a bankroll and an attack strategy figured out, but I have the fundamentals down.
All I had was 200 Canadian on me, and I didn't want to break out the ATM card in front of my coworkers since they are very light gamblers. I didn't expect to come home with anything due to that fact, but decided to see how I fared in keeping the count.
This was my first time in a casino in around 2 years. Prior to this, I had very limited knowledge of counting. The table minimum was 15$ so I basically back-counted and wonged in when things got hot.
Here's what I learned:
1. I had NO PROBLEM keeping the count and making the TC conversions the entire game. I had been running CVBJ on close to full speed during practice, so keeping up with the dealer was a cinch.
2. It takes FOREVER to sit through an 8-deck shoe after payouts, coloring up, people jumping in, etc. In CVBJ I can shuffle up when the count tanks...takes a lot longer when circling tables like a vulture in real life.
3. The good thing about little cards is that when they come out, they come out in the masses. It seems the count drops at a slower rate and it rises at a faster rate due to stands on higher hands and hits on lower hands. During play, I wondered if this could be mathematically supported?
4. I sat around forever waiting for a decent true count. I decided to wong in at TC=0 and play a few hands just for the heck of it. The count was up to TC=3 on the last round. I decided to raise my bet and...sure enough, I hit blackjack. It felt like magic. I wound up profiting 2.50 Canadian at the end of the night. That certainly was not magic, but the confidence in my abilities has skyrocketed!
5. I was surprised how often the dealer bent cards while dealing out of the shoe. I'm sure some AP approach could be used for this.
6. I never really appreciated how nice Tunica, my home turf, actually is. The buffets are so much better and beverages are complimentary when playing. Plus there are so many more tables and 5$ minimums, when compared to the "circle of death" I was hovering around tonight. With that said, I've never been to Atlantic City or Vegas.
All in all, the biggest reward for the night for me was that I came to grips that I can actually make this happen! I need to get a bankroll and an attack strategy figured out, but I have the fundamentals down.
