Hitting the tables

[daddybo]

Seems like you guys all know each other.

Went on my first counting trip last night to atlantic city and played at trump mahal. There were no $5 tables, so I played $10 table and raised up to $15, $20, $25 and finally $30. Played for about three hours and won $100, so I guess Revere was right and kewljayson was wrong and you can still win with a small spreading amount. I was ahead almost $200 but quit after a bad spell that gave some back. One thing I didn't get was Ihad a 18 and the dealer had a Ace and 6 which should have been 17 and he should stay acording to my book, but he took another card which was a 2 for 19. Isn't the dealer suppossed to stay on 17?

Was it a S17 game or a H17 game? Why don't you spread more? Are you familiar with wonging?

and a ditty for you.

poor billy bonnie, your only 21
that dealers got your name on every card just for fun
he's dealin a BJ to everyone but you
he's hittn' 17 and your fellin kinda blue.

sorry couldn't help it.. :laugh:

 

[johndoe]

Seems like you guys all know each other.

Went on my first counting trip last night to atlantic city and played at trump mahal. There were no $5 tables, so I played $10 table and raised up to $15, $20, $25 and finally $30. Played for about three hours and won $100, so I guess Revere was right and kewljayson was wrong and you can still win with a small spreading amount. I was ahead almost $200 but quit after a bad spell that gave some back. One thing I didn't get was Ihad a 18 and the dealer had a Ace and 6 which should have been 17 and he should stay acording to my book, but he took another card which was a 2 for 19. Isn't the dealer suppossed to stay on 17?

A 1-3 spread is a losing game. If you think that your lucky win proves that "Revere was right and kewljayson was wrong" you're an even bigger fool than I thought. And no, most tables in AC (especially the cheap ones) are H17, and they say so right on the table felt in big letters.

You really should do some more studying before spouting your mouth off around here. The folks here have been more than gracious with you in offering help, and you've done nothing but throw insults around like an arrogant adolescent.

 

[BillytheBJkid]

Was it a S17 game or a H17 game? Why don't you spread more? Are you familiar with wonging?

and a ditty for you.

poor billy bonnie, your only 21
that dealers got your name on every card just for fun
he's dealin a BJ to everyone but you
he's hittn' 17 and your fellin kinda blue.

sorry couldn't help it.. :laugh:

WTF. what is with you guys. No one here likes to help? are you all afraid that the more people that learn countig and the casinos will stop playing blackjack, so you don't want to help. What happened to the people here being knowledgeable and helpful like that other guy said?

 

[daddybo]

WTF. what is with you guys. No one here likes to help? are you all afraid that the more people that learn countig and the casinos will stop playing blackjack, so you don't want to help. What happened to the people here being knowledgeable and helpful like that other guy said?

A. If you would answer the questions I posted... you might get some help.
B. if you would listen.. you would see these "people" are trying to help you.

 

[johndoe]

WTF. what is with you guys. No one here likes to help? are you all afraid that the more people that learn countig and the casinos will stop playing blackjack, so you don't want to help. What happened to the people here being knowledgeable and helpful like that other guy said?

Many people have already offered their help, and you've done nothing but respond with insults and accusations that they're wrong (or colluding!) At this point I don't see why anyone should bother.

Perhaps if you apologized, people would be more receptive to helping you out.

 

[BillytheBJkid]

A. If you would answer the questions I posted... you might get some help.
B. if you would listen.. you would see these "people" are trying to help you.

No I don't know what wronging is?

 

[BillytheBJkid]

Many people have already offered their help, and you've done nothing but respond with insults and accusations that they're wrong (or colluding!) At this point I don't see why anyone should bother.

Perhaps if you apologized, people would be more receptive to helping you out.

ok I apoligize if I have offended anyone of you guys? I'm just trying to learn and some of you are saying different things fom my book.

 

[daddybo]

ok I apoligize if I have offended anyone of you guys? I'm just trying to learn and some of you are saying different things fom my book.

the book is old... the count works.. but there are better... the games have changed a lot since the book was written. (the author died in '77, I believe.)

 

[johndoe]

Others have suggested very good books. Revere's is hopelessly outdated.

An excellent free book is available here, and you can read it right away:

http://www.qfit.com/book/

Read it through a couple of times, and make sure you really understand it before you put your money on the line.

 

[daddybo]

Wonging

No I don't know what wronging is?

Wonging is the technique used to play only shoes with a positive count. You Backcount the shoe until you have a good positive count then you jump in and place your bets. When the count goes negative, you go to another table. It is named after Stanford Wong. Not sure if you will be able to do that at the $15 tables because of the crowds.. Better to play at less crowded times.

With your bank roll, it really is what you should be doing.

 

[JulieCA]

Seems like you guys all know each other.

Went on my first counting trip last night to atlantic city and played at trump mahal. There were no $5 tables, so I played $10 table and raised up to $15, $20, $25 and finally $30. Played for about three hours and won $100, so I guess Revere was right and kewljayson was wrong and you can still win with a small spreading amount. I was ahead almost $200 but quit after a bad spell that gave some back. One thing I didn't get was Ihad a 18 and the dealer had a Ace and 6 which should have been 17 and he should stay acording to my book, but he took another card which was a 2 for 19. Isn't the dealer suppossed to stay on 17?

I'm just beginning to learn/practice counting. Since I started playing BJ, I've progressed from being a ploppy to being a basic strategy player. The first time I ventured out solo to play, I won 200 units in 2 days of play at various 6D shoe games but won the most at a DD H17 table. I had no idea what effect the different games had on house edge - all I knew was I was winning money and having a good time doing it.

Following your logic, I would conclude that basic strategy will win you money, no counting necessary, and my bank would have grown steadily. For that conclusion to be valid, however, I'd have to have stopped playing blackjack after that trip.

Math is a pure science and blackjack is a mathematical game. Don't try to second-guess it or think you know more about the numbers than the experts and their computers.

Appropriate behavior in a forum is to treat it like someone else's party that you've been invited to/invited yourself to. The first best thing is to read the old discussions and get to know the people. Probably the #1 netiquette faux pas made by board newcomers is to ask for advice - then tell everyone else how wrong they are. (Is there such a thing as a forum ploppy?)

My guess? Time will prove you wrong and you'll either come back here, humbled and willing to listen - or just disappear.

There are some really great folks here with a lot of experience playing blackjack all over the world. Shut up and listen.

 

[SystemsTrader]

WTF. what is with you guys. No one here likes to help? are you all afraid that the more people that learn countig and the casinos will stop playing blackjack, so you don't want to help. What happened to the people here being knowledgeable and helpful like that other guy said?

Ok Billy here's some help. Please stop playing immediately. First you need to educate yourself on this game before you jump behind the wheel. It's like driving a car you don't need to know the rules of the road but eventually it will lead to disaster. This is an amazing board with a wealth of talent from professional players to well respected authors all post here. You can learn a ton.

First off with your current plan you are playing with it is a losing game. I just simmed your 1-3 spread for the AC game you played. If you continue to play that way you will lose $1.45/hr for a 100% risk of ruin over the long run. (That's assuming you even play correctly) You are grossly undercapitalized to play your system. I would recommend getting a job at McDonalds if you want to make money at blackjack and I'm not saying this to be insulting. You should really have at least 10k to attack the AC games. Revere's book is not targeted for the 8D games. Blackjack is a grind and your bankroll will go on a wicked roller coaster ride.

Start with some of the book suggestions others have given you already in this post. Purchase a sim program like CVCX and it will tell you what you can really make at this game. You will probably quit entirely if you ran a sim in CVCX as it is a real eye opener. It really does take money to make money at this game. It's hard enough just to beat your expenses if your bankroll is small. Read the FAQ section on this board it will answer many simple question you might have. Go to http://www.qfit.com and read "Modern Blackjack" its a free e-book and is an amazing source of info. There is also a beginner chat on Tuesday nights on this board hosted by one of the moderators "ICNT", you can ask any questions no matter how simple.

Finally the members here while you might have found to be harsh towards you really have your best interest at heart and are trying to help you. We've all been at your place at one point. Everyone starts out as a beginner and must break through the novice learning curve. If you keep at it and use a less abrasive approach you will find everyone here to be quite helpful and nice. Just watch out for that "Sage Frog" guy

 

[psyduck]

Hey Billy boy,

You are the first rude and arrogant poster I saw here and I hope you are the last too!

Why don't you call Mr. Revere to get all the answers?

 

[kewljason]

Congrats on ur first successful trip Billy.

Now a couple things and I'm not being critical, just trying to help.

The game you are refering to is a dealer hit soft 17 game. This is a relatively new rule (sometime in the last 10 years) so it wouldn't have been mentioned in your book. Also there wouldn't be much info on 8 deck games, automatic and continuous shufflers and no mid shoe entry. Thats why you need to read some more up to date books.

Start with this. Modern Blackjack available online for free. http://qfit.com/book/ Excellent resourse that explains everything you need to know. The Felt count described in the book is the same count as the Revere Point Count which you have already learned from your book. Since you have already learned this count you can stick with it as it is a pretty good count for the AC game. The Author of Modern Blackjack posts on this site, if you need to ask questions, but read and reread the book first. Most answers are in there. He also sell simulation software that if you are really serious about counting you should consider purchasing down the road. Visit his site Qfit.com

Second, you may want to invest in the following books. Blackjack attack 3rd edition. Alot of information in there about shoe games. Can be a bit technical at times but read it and re-read it and things will make sense. The author does not post on this site but does post at http://advantageplayer.com (another blackjack site that you should visit) Check your spelling before posting a question to him. lol He's a fanatic about grammer.

third, Another book, professional blackjack would also be of great help to you. That author posts on Bj21.com (which is his site)

There are many other books that would be helpful to you but start with these. Also read all the information on this site and the other two that I listed. Not just the recent posts, but all the back posts and archived posts. Many of the questions that you have will be answered somewhere along the way.

And finally, join in on the discussions here and feel free to ask questions, but make an attemp to find the answers first. Good luck and welcome.

 

[psyduck]

Seems like you guys all know each other.

We all graduated from the same BJ class. Mr. Revere was our classmate.

 

[Automatic Monkey]

Others have suggested very good books. Revere's is hopelessly outdated.

An excellent free book is available here, and you can read it right away:

http://www.qfit.com/book/

Read it through a couple of times, and make sure you really understand it before you put your money on the line.

Excellent ideas. Revere's work is still well-suited for pitch games, and 1-3 is plenty of spread for a good SD game. One interesting characteristic of the Revere Plus-Minus is that the system tags have a high correlation to winning the hand outright, instead of maximizing advantage. So if you are running some kind of a racket where winning the hand is more important than how much you win it's a good thing to know

The QFIT book is really interesting! I like the story of his first AP trip, bumming around Downtown, playing a slot machine to replenish his bankroll, talking about counting, etc. An excellent lesson- shows no matter how smart you are there's no substitute for experience.

 

[kewljason]

additional info for BillytheBJkid

Billy, I almost forgot, (ok, not almost, I did forget) AutomaticMonkey has a count, The Ben Franklin count, which also uses the Revere Point Count Tags, which you may find useful. http://www.blackjackinfo.com/Ben-Franklin-Count.pdf

 

[JulieCA]

The QFIT book is really interesting! I like the story of his first AP trip, bumming around Downtown, playing a slot machine to replenish his bankroll, talking about counting, etc. An excellent lesson- shows no matter how smart you are there's no substitute for experience.

The concept that you just jump a plane and go to Vegas (or anywhere) with no plan blows my mind. Who lives like that??

 

[Automatic Monkey]

The concept that you just jump a plane and go to Vegas (or anywhere) with no plan blows my mind. Who lives like that??

Back in the 80's flying on a plane was like taking a bus.

 

[kewljason]

The concept that you just jump a plane and go to Vegas (or anywhere) with no plan blows my mind. Who lives like that??

Apparently Norm does. Or did. :laugh: I think it's a more common event that you think, and was probably even a bigger commonplace back then. I love reading the stories in Norm's book and other books that I have read about old vegas in the 70's. Being born in the 80's, I missed all that and am just fasinated by it. Sounds like such a hoot.