I started playing 6:5 single deck in earnest late last winter. At first it was just as a way to leave a six deck table that had gone deep in negative numbers. Instead of pretending to play slots or back count another shoe table i'd play heads up if a 6:5 game was available. I hate the seemingly endless back counting necessary to get an advantage at shoe games. Plus I'm a noticeable person in a casino. They call our types "Buzzards".
So I kept my eyes open for any completely empty 6:5 tables. That's the key: EMPTY. I won't join these games even if there is just one other player. Now I may stay in the game a while if one other player joins after me but not starting out.
Things I'm looking for:
Better than 50% penetration
Speedy dealer but not who appears too savvy and hip to counters.
A young dealer who doesn't appear to be a "Company" type.
With a 50% penetration I will win at this game but every once in a while I will find one who consistently goes past 66%. THAT'S my dealer. One guy almost deals the cards down to the last three or so while playing heads up.
Technique:
Generally spread 4 to 1 but with a few exceptions. At a $15.00 or $10.00 minimum deck I will bet $25.00 at most neutral counts and a hundred when it goes up. If the deck goes way low I may bet the minumum until the shuffle.
Occasionally I will ramp things up to a couple hundred bucks which would make for a rare rare 8 to 1 spread. Like when I push or win a hundred dollar bet and the count goes even higher.
This makes me look like a gambler: Parlaying my wins (or chasing losses!) and doubling up.
First bet usually is two spots at $25.00 each. All nickels if possible. Especially if the penetration is over 50%. Reasoning? Will use up cards quicker to get to the high count (if the deck does go high) and as a camouflage since pit critters are looking for those robot counters who constantly start low and raise their bets in direct proportion to the count. And by betting two spots I leave open the possibility of playing more spots later in the deck.
Sometimes the dealer will allow me to vary the spots. Others will not let me return to playing two spots after i switch to one. They treat this kinda like a "mid show entry" thing.
If the deck goes past the halfway point I may split a few tens against weak dealer upcards like 4, 5, or 6. Sometimes when playing two spots I may avoid hitting my first hand (if it's a soft against weak dealer upcard) and save it for the second spot if it's a ten or eleven doubling opportunity.
No sense wasting a ten on a soft 17 when there is a total of ten or eleven on the second spot.
Results:
No astronomical gains but a nice income. A typical hour spent this way will average me about three hundred dollars with comparatively little flux. The main problem of course is the unpredictability. I insist upon playing heads up only. When that third person comes in (or second player is playing two spots) I always leave. On a busy evening there will be few empty tables so forget about weekends or most evenings.
The best time to pull this off is weekdays. Either mornings after sun up or afternoons.
If there are no empty single deck tables i will just go back to the shoe games and backcount. Or go home. I really don't enjoy backcounting.
About the lower 21/natural payoffs: I haven't missed them that much. Sometimes it seems like most my naturals come on fluke bets: Minimum bets placed at low counts where the 3:2 wouldn't have paid that much extra anyway. Someone suggested I double my naturals but I haven't done this yet and probably won't. The main advantage here is the single player heads up advantage with a deck dealt at least halfway through. And when it goes past 66%? Well that's almost gravy.
By spreading usually 4 to 1 with rare 8 to 1 high count exceptions I haven't had any heat so far.
So most of my gains are due to knowing the schedule of the casino or keeping an inventory of when they have empty tables.
You won't get rich this way and you will leave a lot of tables due to excessive players joining in but it works. At least as a profitable hobby.
So I kept my eyes open for any completely empty 6:5 tables. That's the key: EMPTY. I won't join these games even if there is just one other player. Now I may stay in the game a while if one other player joins after me but not starting out.
Things I'm looking for:
Better than 50% penetration
Speedy dealer but not who appears too savvy and hip to counters.
A young dealer who doesn't appear to be a "Company" type.
With a 50% penetration I will win at this game but every once in a while I will find one who consistently goes past 66%. THAT'S my dealer. One guy almost deals the cards down to the last three or so while playing heads up.
Technique:
Generally spread 4 to 1 but with a few exceptions. At a $15.00 or $10.00 minimum deck I will bet $25.00 at most neutral counts and a hundred when it goes up. If the deck goes way low I may bet the minumum until the shuffle.
Occasionally I will ramp things up to a couple hundred bucks which would make for a rare rare 8 to 1 spread. Like when I push or win a hundred dollar bet and the count goes even higher.
This makes me look like a gambler: Parlaying my wins (or chasing losses!) and doubling up.
First bet usually is two spots at $25.00 each. All nickels if possible. Especially if the penetration is over 50%. Reasoning? Will use up cards quicker to get to the high count (if the deck does go high) and as a camouflage since pit critters are looking for those robot counters who constantly start low and raise their bets in direct proportion to the count. And by betting two spots I leave open the possibility of playing more spots later in the deck.
Sometimes the dealer will allow me to vary the spots. Others will not let me return to playing two spots after i switch to one. They treat this kinda like a "mid show entry" thing.
If the deck goes past the halfway point I may split a few tens against weak dealer upcards like 4, 5, or 6. Sometimes when playing two spots I may avoid hitting my first hand (if it's a soft against weak dealer upcard) and save it for the second spot if it's a ten or eleven doubling opportunity.
No sense wasting a ten on a soft 17 when there is a total of ten or eleven on the second spot.
Results:
No astronomical gains but a nice income. A typical hour spent this way will average me about three hundred dollars with comparatively little flux. The main problem of course is the unpredictability. I insist upon playing heads up only. When that third person comes in (or second player is playing two spots) I always leave. On a busy evening there will be few empty tables so forget about weekends or most evenings.
The best time to pull this off is weekdays. Either mornings after sun up or afternoons.
If there are no empty single deck tables i will just go back to the shoe games and backcount. Or go home. I really don't enjoy backcounting.
About the lower 21/natural payoffs: I haven't missed them that much. Sometimes it seems like most my naturals come on fluke bets: Minimum bets placed at low counts where the 3:2 wouldn't have paid that much extra anyway. Someone suggested I double my naturals but I haven't done this yet and probably won't. The main advantage here is the single player heads up advantage with a deck dealt at least halfway through. And when it goes past 66%? Well that's almost gravy.
By spreading usually 4 to 1 with rare 8 to 1 high count exceptions I haven't had any heat so far.
So most of my gains are due to knowing the schedule of the casino or keeping an inventory of when they have empty tables.
You won't get rich this way and you will leave a lot of tables due to excessive players joining in but it works. At least as a profitable hobby.
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