So I read this blog...

[Copenhagen Hustler]

Hello everybody.

I'm a blackjack player in the making, and I'm currently trying to gain as much useful information as possible. After reading a danish book about blackjack (where I actually found several inaccurate statements), I logged onto here and read for 9 hours straight, until my eyes turned all red. I ordered 'Blackbelt in Blackjack' and 'Knock-Out Blackjack' last week, and I will hopefully get them within a couple of days! - I can barely wait.

Enough about me, time for some questions!

I read (Dead link: http://jarrettsblog.com/?p=1436) _this blog_ but I'm not really sure if it's legit. The interviewee talks about the house having an 4% edge, and states that CSM's probably improves that be another .5% (which the Wizard of Odds proved to be false) - He does say that he's no math geek, but it just can't be true that he's playing $100 grand a couple of times a month, and thinks the house got an 4% edge - that's why i need some validation of his statements.

So apparently this guy is part of an well known Las Vegas blackjack team, playing for a lot of money once or twice a month. I know there are several card counting techniques, but hes team uses Hi/Lo - would you keep using the Hi/Lo counting system (which is the first system most people learn) if your playing up to $200 grand a month? I'd expect that people playing for that kind of money, would be using a more advanced counting system.

He also states that it takes 4-6 weeks to learn how to count cards, and after 6 months when you got it 100% they give you some cash and your ready to take on the casinos. Is that even realistic? I've read several times that it takes years to get ready for the casinos, but even if they practice extremely intense, 6 months seems crazy.

Apparently his team are making $60 grand a year on average playing blackjack, from Friday to Monday 2 times a month - is that possible, even with a massive bankroll? Of course it's possible, everything is - it just seems almost too good to be true.

That brings me to my next question, disguises! Do you really do that? Fake glasses and wigs? Aliases?

Now for some more practical questions.

It seems like cool cash is the way to go, and he's talking about strapping stacks of c-notes to your body - but why not just put them on your credit card and withdrawn what you need, when you need it? Is it because you (in the US) pay taxes on your winnings? Is it because your bank demands to see a receipt on your winnings to make sure your not laundering money, which will force you to reveal your identity to the casinos?

Talking about identity, how much do you do to keep it secret? Should you avoid registration and comps at all cost, in order to keep your identity secret, or can you freely let them have your real name? I guess your identity is not a problem until you get barred - am I right?

Okay guys, last question - so far at least!

I'm not really sure if there really is a answer to this question, but how many casinos does one need in order to avoid too much heat from one place? Would jumping between 3 casinos be enough to stay out of trouble, or would it take 10? (theoretically)


Oops, this ended up being a rather long post - I hope thats alright will you all.


//Copenhagen Hustler - First post by the way ^_^

 

[jaygruden]

Hello everybody.

I'm a blackjack player in the making, and I'm currently trying to gain as much useful information as possible. After reading a danish book about blackjack (where I actually found several inaccurate statements), I logged onto here and read for 9 hours straight, until my eyes turned all red. I ordered 'Blackbelt in Blackjack' and 'Knock-Out Blackjack' last week, and I will hopefully get them within a couple of days! - I can barely wait.

Welcome!

I read (Dead link: http://jarrettsblog.com/?p=1436) _this blog_ but I'm not really sure if it's legit.

I read about 85% of the blog and from what I've read, I'd say it sounds legit.

The interviewee talks about the house having an 4% edge, and states that CSM's probably improves that be another .5% (which the Wizard of Odds proved to be false) - He does say that he's no math geek, but it just can't be true that he's playing $100 grand a couple of times a month, and thinks the house got an 4% edge - that's why i need some validation of his statements.

He does not say that the house has a 4% edge. He says that casino will win roughly 52% of hands on average and the player will win 48% of hands. This does not equate to a 4% edge......I'm assuming you got this number by subtracting 52-48? The house edge is figured differently depending on rules of the game. By counting the player will get an advantage at different points in the deck/shoe. The key is betting more when you know that you have the advantage:cool2:

So apparently this guy is part of an well known Las Vegas blackjack team, playing for a lot of money once or twice a month. I know there are several card counting techniques, but hes team uses Hi/Lo - would you keep using the Hi/Lo counting system (which is the first system most people learn) if your playing up to $200 grand a month? I'd expect that people playing for that kind of money, would be using a more advanced counting system.

There is nothing wrong with Hi/Lo. It is the same count that the MIT team used and they cleaned up during their reign. There are a lot of advantages to using simpler counts. Many on this board use level 1 counts with great success.

He also states that it takes 4-6 weeks to learn how to count cards, and after 6 months when you got it 100% they give you some cash and your ready to take on the casinos. Is that even realistic?

Yes...very.

I've read several times that it takes years to get ready for the casinos, but even if they practice extremely intense, 6 months seems crazy.

I disagree. I played perfect BS for years before learning to count. I spent several weeks practicing counting and then took it into casinos. In hindsight, I should have practiced for another several weeks before going live because I made quite a few mistakes in the first few weeks. Also, got some early heat because it was likely obvious I was counting bc it took too much concentration for me to look natural and blend in. I think It all depends how many hours of practice time you put in (not weeks, months, years). You want to become proficient using the count and making proper index plays before you walk into live play. I think that can be done in about 20-80 hours of practice depending on the complexity of the count you are using.

Apparently his team are making $60 grand a year on average playing blackjack, from Friday to Monday 2 times a month - is that possible, even with a massive bankroll? Of course it's possible, everything is - it just seems almost too good to be true.

Yes, very possible with a big enough bank roll and playing right games proficiently.

That brings me to my next question, disguises! Do you really do that? Fake glasses and wigs? Aliases?

I don't but if you are that big of a player and playing on a big team that is hitting places for thousands then yes you do.:eyepatch:

It seems like cool cash is the way to go, and he's talking about strapping stacks of c-notes to your body - but why not just put them on your credit card and withdrawn what you need, when you need it? Is it because you (in the US) pay taxes on your winnings? Is it because your bank demands to see a receipt on your winnings to make sure your not laundering money, which will force you to reveal your identity to the casinos?

You mean besides the 3%+ cash withdrawal fee & 29% interest rate the credit card charges you?:laugh::flame: Also, teams are trying not to be ID'd. That's tough to do if you are plopping your credit card down everywhere you go. I used to make MAC w/d's at the casino but don't anymore. I wouldn't put it past any casino to go into that ATM computer to try to ID someone that they didn't want playing (legal or not).

Talking about identity, how much do you do to keep it secret? Should you avoid registration and comps at all cost, in order to keep your identity secret, or can you freely let them have your real name? I guess your identity is not a problem until you get barred - am I right?

AP's have different opinions about this and some include comps in figuring their EV, but personally I don't want them to know who I am. I feel safer if they don't know me other than "the guy in the black shirt sitting at 3rd base". I think it's easier getting back in if/when I get BO'd.:devil:

I'm not really sure if there really is a answer to this question, but how many casinos does one need in order to avoid too much heat from one place? Would jumping between 3 casinos be enough to stay out of trouble, or would it take 10? (theoretically)

It depends on how much you play. If a part time player, others on the board suggested no more than 100-150 hours in one store per year. If you are only playing 200 hours per year, you could safely spread that among 3 stores without much heat; if you are playing short sessions with a good act and good camo. If full time player you will likely need many more than 10 stores. You will need to travel a lot to spread your play among different states/cities/stores and possibly countries.

Excuse the botched quotes....still haven't gotten the hang of breaking post into multiple quotes.:grin:

 

[KenSmith]

Excuse the botched quotes....still haven't gotten the hang of breaking post into multiple quotes.:grin:

No worries. I cleaned 'em up. You almost had it.
End each opening quote tag with a close bracket instead of the = sign and you're all set.
(The initial quote has an equal sign to show who posted it, which is where the confusion arose.)

So it looks like this:

[quote]Here is the quote.[/quote]

 

[jaygruden]

No worries. I cleaned 'em up. You almost had it.
End each opening quote tag with a close bracket instead of the = sign and you're all set.
(The initial quote has an equal sign to show who posted it, which is where the confusion arose.)

So it looks like this:

Thanks Ken.

 

[Copenhagen Hustler]

Hey! Thanks for your answers!

I get your point about cool cash vs credit cards (altho we don't have the same fees here) but having cash strapped to your body would make me feel pretty paranoid

Unfortunately we're a little short on casinos here (i think we got 4 in the entire country) - which is like a kick in the face, I guess i gotta give Sweden and Germany a try.


When I'm done with my 2 soon to come books, I plan on buying Blackjack Attack and CV - anything else I should get?

 

[KenSmith]

He does not say that the house has a 4% edge. He says that most games give the house a 52% advantage over the player. That's a 2% HE not 4%.

Just to clear up this, an even money game where the house wins 52% and the player wins 48% would be a 4% house edge.

Blackjack is more complicated though, and any time somebody tries to use win/loss percentages to talk about house edge, it leads to trouble. What about pushes, doubles, splits, and blackjacks? All part of the expected value, and none of those map well onto a W/L percentage alone.

Having pointed that out, I suspect that the interviewee's answer in that case may have been edited by the interviewer. I think I know who the anon subject is, and have reasons to believe he is legit.

 

[jaygruden]

You're right Ken. I caught that mistake too and went back and edited before I saw your post. I tried, but wasn't fast enough to avoid you catching it. Thanks.

 

[Copenhagen Hustler]

I got another question now that I've got the chance to ask!

I've read several threads in here where people got counts on hands played pr hour and win/loss ratio - Are those numbers live numbers or simply CV numbers?

If they are live numbers, how on earth do you remember all those counts at the same time? Do you have people help you keep track?

 

[HsiaoDi]

I got another question now that I've got the chance to ask!

I've read several threads in here where people got counts on hands played pr hour and win/loss ratio - Are those numbers live numbers or simply CV numbers?

If they are live numbers, how on earth do you remember all those counts at the same time? Do you have people help you keep track?

Just very good estimate... If you play heads up, 100/hr...

 

[Daggers]

very good interview IMO. gives insight into real team play

 

[duanedibley]

He does not say that the house has a 4% edge. He says that casino will win roughly 52% of hands on average and the player will win 48% of hands. This does not equate to a 4% edge

This is correct. And the reason it doesn't equate to a 4% edge is because you get paid slightly more on average for the hands you win (e.g. Blackjacks).

 

[Craps Master]

Hey, that's a pretty cool site. Lots of interesting interviews.

 

[tthree]

Hello everybody.


So apparently this guy is part of an well known Las Vegas blackjack team, playing for a lot of money once or twice a month. I know there are several card counting techniques, but hes team uses Hi/Lo - would you keep using the Hi/Lo counting system (which is the first system most people learn) if your playing up to $200 grand a month? I'd expect that people playing for that kind of money, would be using a more advanced counting system.

He also states that it takes 4-6 weeks to learn how to count cards, and after 6 months when you got it 100% they give you some cash and your ready to take on the casinos. Is that even realistic? I've read several times that it takes years to get ready for the casinos, but even if they practice extremely intense, 6 months seems crazy.

I take the opposite view. If you have a small BR you need the most advanced count you can handle. Every last bit of advantage might be the difference between going bust and making it to the next level. Once you have that huge BR putting in time at good games with a lesser system allows your BR to compensate for the larger swings and lower expectations.

I constantly study to get better. The process never ends. There are side counts . Behavior of various TCs with an imbalance of low to middle cards or equal number of low and middle cards. How various ace densities affect play. Etc.

 

[BJinNJ]

When I'm done with my 2 soon to come books, I plan on buying Blackjack Attack and CV - anything else I should get?

If you choose to learn Hi/Lo, get Professional Blackjack by S. Wong. ('94 rev.)
That's the most comprehensive Hi/Lo book.

BJinNJ

 

[Copenhagen Hustler]

Regarding comps - and remember im asking out of ignorance.

Wouldn't collecting comps force you to give them your ID card, or sign up in some kind of 'club'? It seems hard to both stay super secret and collect comps... altho i've read multiple times that AP'ers play rated and for comps