So far, I have been doing my daily training with basic strategy and light counting exercises for the past month or so. Very much a beginner still and do not plan on making my first official trip as an AP until I can do everything, BS, HI/LO, correct betting, estimation, cover, all at once and as easy as spelling my name. Realistically that is going to be a few months away which will also give me time to secure a playable bankroll.
Might be geared toward beginners but any AP's want to add their thoughts my ears are open and I thank you in advance.
This past weekend a group of friends decided that wine country was going to be the destination and I know of a casino in that area so I thought to myself, why not take a few hours and play BS, flat-bet, and get a little introduction to a real and live game while the others were nursing hangovers. I wasn't planning on winning or losing, just playing perfect basic strategy and getting a feel for the live play. At this point in time, my bankroll is now referred to as number of units. After all was said and done, I played for 4 hours with zero mistakes. I am 110% sure I played perfect. I learned a great deal during those 4 hours that I wasn't able to learn at home or on CV which I recently purchased. Here are a few things that I learned and hopefully can help some beginners out there.
1. If you can't read upside down then DO NOT sit directly to the left of the dealer. The indexes on the bottom card will be covered so you have to quickly read it upside down. If you have to "see your hand total" rather than "think" the total, I advise you to sit elsewhere at the table. This will link with #3 below when 5's, 6's, 9's are upside down and the left corner of the card(s) can't be seen.
2. Sitting to the left of the dealer usually means less time to think about what BS move you are going to make. Sitting middle to 3rd base gives you more time to think about your move. But if you need that much time then you shouldn't be at the tables yet. If you have BS nailed down it shouldn't matter but when I first sat down I was slightly caught off guard. 2 round later I was up to speed with no problems.
3. If you are practicing at home with playing cards, 6 decks, double decks, single decks, whatever, make sure they are JUMBO FACED and casino grade style like BEE no.77 or cancelled decks from casinos. I practice at home with standard poker index Bicycles and was used to them and so was my brain. When I sat down and received my first few hands, my brain went into a kind of "what the hell is this?" mode. I was introducing my brain to a new concept which was a basically a new way to actually read the cards. They are obviously the same values as standard index cards but my brain had to get used to them. Not to mention the 5's, 6's, 9's are very similar in looks. 8's also can be thrown into that group. CV has standard poker indexes which is fine, but I suggest picking up jumbo index cards so your brain will know what they are.
4. Your job is to play your hand with perfect BS and no exceptions. I was dealt -99- against a -9-. Obviously it's a split. Well, apparently I caused an uproar at the table with some seasoned "pro's" equipped with their players cards hanging from their wrists when I split my 9's. I guess I had no idea what I was doing and just playing like a loose canon. Then I was dealt a third 9 and split that. I hit 19 on the first 2 hands and then was dealt another 9 so I split for the 3rd time. This caused absolute chaos when a hit 20 on both hands after splitting. The players next to me busted out and blamed me and my splitting as the reason why their hands lost. The dealer ended up busting and as I was getting paid off for my 4 hands, I heard, and I quote "you need to get a book and learn how to play. You got lucky". At which point I said "aren't we GAMBLING?". The dealer chuckled and we were off to a new round. Lesson is this: don't listen to gamblers or others at the table about your play or play in general. If you play your game at 110%, even if it's only BS before you add counting to your game, you are far better off than the rest of the gamblers at the table getting a "feeling a blackjack is coming so I'll bet 1/2 of my bankroll on it".
5. Some dealers do know basic strategy but at to what extend is a mystery. We cycled through 7 different dealers. Some gave correct advice to players and some gave terrible advice like "gut feeling" and "standing on 15 against any dealer card". Lesson? You bet. Play 110% BS and don't worry about anyone else or what the dealer says.
So in conclusion, I have to say that my first live experience was a constructive one and a good learning platform. I hope some of what I learned can be used by some beginners as some things to expect at the tables.
Chef
edit: I also have to add that It was incredibly easy to spot poorly-trained "counters" at the table. I'm talking about the guys who looked online for "how to count cards" and learned the HI/LO method 1/2 assed, two days before playing at the table, and all of a sudden think they are going to take 200$ and become Don Johnson in a day. They were loosing the most money out of everyone and were so dialed into the game that they rarely took their eyes off the cards dealt, looking at the table like a day-trader looks at his/her stock screens making trades.
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