Hello all...

[A Lot to Learn]

I have been learning BJ on the strategy trainer for several months, and have been going to some of the local casinos, (St Louis) to play. I'm a pretty simple guy in that I stick to the $5 tables. I prefer 1st base. I seem to have a knack for getting 15 and 16, and would greatly appreciate some advice on playing. They use 6 deck shoes, (sorry but I am not too familiar with all the "lingo" here yet), auto-shuffle. I love playing BJ but can't help wondering if the is a way to play through or around the bad streaks other then muddling through them. I use bs (basic strategy?) which helps alot.

Thanks:grin:

 

[FLASH1296]

Welcome

I prefer 1st base ... knack for getting 15 and 16, and would greatly appreciate some advice on playing ... a way to play through or around the bad streaks other then muddling through them. I use basic strategy which helps alot.

Why would you prefer 1st base? As you do not count cards there is no difference as to where you sit - but I am curious as to just what superstition you are tapping into.

There are no such things as "streaks". That is merely a term that people use (after the fact) to describe losing numerous hands in succession.
In BJ your chances, as a Basic Strategy player, is to win about 43% of your hands and to "push" about 9% of the time. That is why you think that there are "bad streaks"

I presume that you mean by a "knack" for 15's and 16's you are trying to say that you receive a lot of hands that start out as 15 or 16. We receive a lot of "stiffs" simply because there are many ways to produce them. Lets take a hand of 12. You can have any face card or a 10 combined with a Deuce OR a 9 with a trey OR an 8 with a 4 OR a seven with a 5 OR even a pair of 6's. That is a lot of ways, eh? How about a Blackjack? An Ace with a Face or a Ten. That is all.

In any case we are all subject to varying degrees of "selective memory".
I suspect that it "feels" to you that the dealer gets more Blackjacks than you do.

You said that "Basic Strategy helps a lot"
What is the alternative - for you? Coin Flipping ?

You said that you would "greatly appreciate help on playing"
There is no magic method, but you will find that these forums are
populated mostly by Card Counters - from Noobies to Professionals.

 

[takinfromindians97]

what flash said lol

 

[KOLAN]

if you use basik strategy same times need change
samples dealer 4 (1plaers 10Q) (2players 10 k) (you K4) you need hit
seet all times first or last
first is good for corect bet , last is good for corect play.

 

[FLASH1296]

Why not find an English translator so that we can more easily see what you are trying to say ?

 

[KOLAN]

Why not find an English translator so that we can more easily see what you are trying to say ?

just switched on logik sometimes it is very helpful
sorry next time i gonna try write in english

 

[Johnrfla]

Greetings,

Which casino in St Louis are you playing at? I been to a Ameriastar that offered 4 deck shoes. The dealers were slow at passing out the cards which made it extra easy for a newbie like myself.

 

[EasyRhino]

Lottalearn, basic strategy is indeed the most important thing you can do.

Another thing is to bet less.

Another thing is to find a game with better rules. None of the games around St Louis are really "good", but for isntance, at Ameristar, if you play a 2 deck game instead of 6 deck, the house edge is slightly lower. Or, if you want to go to East Beirut/St Louis, the Casino Queen has a game where they stand on soft 17, which reduces the house edge.

And finally, you can learn something like card counting, where you can then bet more when you have an advantage (or simply not play at all when you have a disadvantage).

 

[shadroch]

Seek out whatever coupons you can find. Just a few $5 MPS a day can turn your game into a potentially winning one. Be sure to play using a player card at all times while still a basic strategy player. Comps and coupons can make BS a positive game.
As for the 15s and 16s, welcome to the club.

 

[FLASH1296]

The Zen of Game Selection.

Easy Rhino's suggestion of switching to a casino where the dealers Stand on Soft 17 is sage advice.

That is not a trivial matter. The difference in your expectation is very significant. Typically a shoe game will lose approx. 1/3 of its entire 'House Edge' when switched from H17 to S17, i.e. approx. .63% to .43%

Think about that for a moment if you will.
Would you rather pay 6.3% or 4.3% interest on a loan ?
While "compound interest" is not an entirely accurate analogue
for the mathematical advantage that the casino enjoys over the 'Basic Strategist', it does serve well to emphasize the gravitas of certain rules.

(I hope that it is 'needless to say' that) any BJ game where you receive less than a 3:2 premium on your BJ's is anathema as it raises the House Edge to an order of magnitude that is (I M O) larcenous.
Beware the ruinous 6:5 payoff, that like a plague, has spread across the land.

As an additional note I may suggest reading Comp City, not for the advice on generating "comp's"; but because the chief component outlined is learning how to play Basic Strategy at the slowest pace possible. As you are playing a "negative expectation game" where the cruel reality is that you are slated to lose money over the long term, you can only accelerate your losses by playing quickly.

Finally, I would hasten to add that you need to be able to ascertain that the "Basic Strategy" you are employing is correct for the number of decks in play and the rules that are in effect. "One Size Does (NOT) Fit All", Y M M V (Your Mileage WILL Vary"); and mixed metaphors replete with contemporary vernacular acronyms have little to do with the House Edge ! R.O.T.F.L.M.A.O.