What to do :c ?

swamper

Well-Known Member
#2
Sounds like you will have to do some traveling. I have two places near me but I can't ONLY play at those ya know. But just because you don't have a place near you doesn't mean you can't practice and study up real good before you do travel if that is what you decide to do.
 
#3
swamper said:
Sounds like you will have to do some traveling. I have two places near me but I can't ONLY play at those ya know. But just because you don't have a place near you doesn't mean you can't practice and study up real good before you do travel if that is what you decide to do.
Problem is this would mean I would have to travel outside of the country, possibly even outside of Europe, unless Monte Carlo has good rules at their casinos. But still under that situation I would have to win alot more to also cover travel expenses + living costs for that amount of time, is that a reasonable expectation ?

Also as far as practice goes, absolutely! I practice a lot already although I haven't got into counting yet, I think I'll start with the classic 'Professional Blackjack' and then just start practicing counting decks until I feel comfortable but I do believe some 'field practice' will be needed at some point as well.
 

swamper

Well-Known Member
#4
Now I am still new to AP but it would take a lot to win enough to make it worth your while to travel out of the country I would think. There must be some place closer no?
 
#5
swamper said:
Now I am still new to AP but it would take a lot to win enough to make it worth your while to travel out of the country I would think. There must be some place closer no?
More or less not, well I will have to research it but problem is in my country, laws are such that private casinos are disallowed, therefore there are only 3 national casinos operated by a government institution, considering that I am pretty sure all of these casinos operate with the same equipment/rulesets meaning I have pretty much no choice but to travel abroads to count..
 

Thunder

Well-Known Member
#7
Spacey said:
More or less not, well I will have to research it but problem is in my country, laws are such that private casinos are disallowed, therefore there are only 3 national casinos operated by a government institution, considering that I am pretty sure all of these casinos operate with the same equipment/rulesets meaning I have pretty much no choice but to travel abroads to count..

Spacey, looks like you'll have to find something else to occupy your time unless you are willing to part with your money.
 
#8
So more or less you're telling me there's no way I can AP succesfully under these conditions? Like if I would go to LV over a weekend that would cost me maybe roughly 800-900USD in total, it wouldn't be feasible that I could make that money + profit under that time?
 
#9
^^ welcome to the club. i share the same problem (CSM) as i'm from vienna, austria. i don't know where you live, but maybe you should check out the czech republic, slovakia or other eastern european countries, such as ukraine or moldova. they are pretty cheap for travelling. i'm going to visit the american chance casino in the czech republic this month, let's see what kind of game they offer.
 
#10
Hi, don't want to ruin any excitement for you, but if you're playing basic strategy with 0% (more or less?) mistakes and not counting, then you're not ready to go AP anyway.

I'd suggest practicing until you can confidently state "perfect basic strategy with NO mistakes" then practice counting, learn the indices for whatever shoe games you might be able to find (nope, you can't really apply counting to a CSM) or are willing to travel to.

Warning: Counting at home and in a casino are two very different experiences...

All that said, welcome, and good cards to you!
 
#11
steiner said:
^^ welcome to the club. i share the same problem (CSM) as i'm from vienna, austria. i don't know where you live, but maybe you should check out the czech republic, slovakia or other eastern european countries, such as ukraine or moldova. they are pretty cheap for travelling. i'm going to visit the american chance casino in the czech republic this month, let's see what kind of game they offer.
Let me know what you find out, another option would be I guess Monte Carlo since it's in Europe as well but I don't actually know if they use CSMs or not. Or Macau but I don't know if it's actually cheaper for me to play there than in LV.
 

aslan

Well-Known Member
#12
Thunder said:
Spacey, looks like you'll have to find something else to occupy your time unless you are willing to part with your money.
Yes. Reminds me of a surfer fanatic I once knew from Iowa. All dressed up and nowhere to go. :(:joker:
 
#13
Spacey said:
Let me know what you find out, another option would be I guess Monte Carlo since it's in Europe as well but I don't actually know if they use CSMs or not. Or Macau but I don't know if it's actually cheaper for me to play there than in LV.
i'll do that. i already know that they offer surrender, which improves the EV a bit.

Surrender

If you have already received your first two cards and the dealer does not have an ace, you may “surrender” or finish your game early. Half of your bet will be given to the bank. If you obtain a third card or the cards are split or doubled, you cannot surrender.
http://www.american-chance-casinos.com/index.php

now, it just depends on how they deal the game (shoe, CSM, ASM, penetration etc.?).

and btw, LV sure is cheaper than macau. all the local travelling agencies here offer some kind of special package.
 

Thunder

Well-Known Member
#14
Spacey said:
So more or less you're telling me there's no way I can AP succesfully under these conditions? Like if I would go to LV over a weekend that would cost me maybe roughly 800-900USD in total, it wouldn't be feasible that I could make that money + profit under that time?
Not in the vast majority of circumstances.

To go to Vegas, I believe it would cost you that much minimum for just the airfare, plus you have to factor in the cost of the hotels and transportation. Counting is only going to net you a .5-1.5% edge in all likelihood, so to have a 50-50 chance of making that much money in a weekend with a low risk of ruin, you're going to need probably at least a $20,000 trip bankroll. And that's assuming you actually do become proficient in counting in the CASINO. I emphasize casino because it's a much harder environment to count in then at home.
 
#15
^^ i've been in LV. the dealers there are incredibly fast whereas here in austria (and i assume in the rest of europe too) you can really chill, no stress at all.
 

aslan

Well-Known Member
#16
steiner said:
^^ i've been in LV. the dealers there are incredibly fast whereas here in austria (and i assume in the rest of europe too) you can really chill, no stress at all.
More dollars per hour! Only in America!
 
#17
Spacey said:
we only have one casino where I live and they have a CSM, so I can't count. What should I do? I still want to AP is there anything I can do?
YES. You can do COMP-COUNTING.
Add to that, hand interaction SCAVENGER BETTING.
You MIGHT also be able to do some ACE KEYCARDING (vote is still out on CSM Ace-tracking).

The combined weight of the above three exceeds the value of counting. zg
 

Thunder

Well-Known Member
#18
ZG is correct. Scavenger betting is one of my most +EV AP plays I utilize but.... not all people have the personality to do it or for that matter do it well enough to avoid heat. It requires good social skills and rapport with the rest of the table. Comp hustling while nice, isn't going to give you enough money most likely to over come the house edge you're facing. As ZG said, the jury is out on CSM ace keycarding
 
#20
^^ and how does that work exactly? let's say your neighbour has 3-3 vs dealer 7, bet is $10. he doesn't want to split for whatever reason he has (no risk, no clue over BS, no more money etc.). so you intervene and tell him that you want to split. so, do you give him another $10 (for the split) or do you buy his box? let's say he goes forward with you putting another $10 for the split, dealer busts, and both hands win - that means a $20 win. i guess he gets $10 and you $10?
 
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