UrsasMar: First ever trip report

[UrsasMar]

A long one.

So my time had finally come. This weekend, 6/28 - 7/01, I was in Las Vegas for the first time since learning about card counting and to count.

I was staying at a strip casino. It had an ok 6-deck game, DAS, DOA, RSA, LS, S17, and 75%, so I decided that my first foray into counting would be here. I started my evening by doing the usual, looking for a $5 game, that was close to the end, or at the end of the shoe, and had, at least to my untrained eye, good penetration. I found a table and joined in. Got $100 in nickels and quarters, and started my play. I decided before I sat down that I would flat bet, but still keep the count. I wanted to make sure that I could actually keep the count in the real world. So, with a newly shuffled deck, and me at first base, I started to count, or I should say fail to count. I wasn't expecting miracles, I knew I would have problems, but just not being able to do it was not a problem I was expecting to cope with. The dealer was just to fast, and on top of that, he was loud and boisterous. No matter what method I tried to shut him out, I couldn't. But 2 things rescued me, and it is for these 2 things that I will always be grateful. First, shift change. This brought a nice dealer that dealt slowly, and called out each hand. So I knew what I had without looking. The second boon was a ploppy. This ploppy had a physical handicap, which made his play very slow. So now I had a nice slow game, with a dealer who called out all the hands. It was a godsend. We soon had a new shoe, and I had renewed faith in counting. With the pace of the game, I had no problems counting the game. I had dropped $150 to the previous dealer, but with the new dealer I could count, and actually start varying my bets to capitalize on the nice high counts.

I started my grind, working my way back into black. It was slow going at first. I didn't fully realize how long it takes for a 6-deck show to get high enough in a count for me to start playing with my bets. It usually ended up that I would get through 2 or 3 decks before the count was good enough for me to start raising it, but in each shoe, it always got there. For the first 2 shoes though, it never got that high. I was a using a 1-10 spread and I never got a bet out for more then $20 on those first 2 shoes, but I was winning money. And then I had a magical third shoe. The first hand was a sign that it was going to be a good one. 6 people at the table, and not one card over a 9 showed up. Of course the dealer pulled the "miraculous" 5 card 21, but that was good news to me, it just meant my count was getting higher. By the end of the first deck of cards I was betting between $20 and $30 a hand. I was pulling off some wins, and, to my amazement, I had 3 insurance calls go my way. It was amazing to me since being the basic strategy player I was before, it was something I never did. So the deck continued to stay positive, but never really got that much higher, until the end of the shoe. In a shoe where the count was always around +1, we had an unbelievable hand. All low cards. All of them. I managed to win the hand, but I was more excited about the count then the win, the count had soared sky high. I could place my max bet. My $50 bet was out there. I know this isn't that much for most people, but for me, I had never bet more then $10 on a hand before in my life, so it was pretty exciting. So, with a sky-high count I was dealt an 8,3. It was surprising at first, I mean, with a count that high I was expecting a pat hand, and then it got more exciting when I realized that it was 11. I got to double down with the knowledge that I was more likely then not going to get a face card. It was a great moment. All that time practicing had paid off. Here I was with a huge count, my 8,3 against the dealer 10, and the knowledge that the double down was the right play, that I was going to make 21, it was amazing. So, I dropped down another $50, drew the 10, won the hand, walked away with a $50 profit, and the knowledge that my life as a counter had begun. But I knew it was only the beginning. I still needed to test myself.

The next day, back in my hotel casino, I sat down at with the first dealer from the night before, the fast, loud one. I decided that if it killed me, I was going to count this guy down. The first couple of shoes were rough. I know that I messed up somewhere, but I couldn't give up. I was at a full table, flat betting and doing my damnedest to keep the count. And then the third shoe started, and something clicked. I was able to count this guy. I don't know what it was that happened, but I started to be able to count this guy. I started my bet spreading and I beat him. I walked away a $70 winner, and got comped to the buffet, something else I had never received.

I spent the next day and a half waking the strip, checking out games, jumping in on the ones that had good rules and penetration. I avoided 1 deck, 2 deck and 8 deck games. The 1 and 2 decks didn't get my attention because I am still a red chipper, and I couldn't afford those games. And the 8 decks all had horrible rules and penetration. So I stuck to the trusty 6-deck shoe and my fun. I ended up in the red for the trip, but only by about $20, and if I add in that comp I got, a $22 value, I guess I just broke even. Now its back to practicing, because I have another trip planned in a few weeks, and I want to stay sharp. So to everyone else out there, lurking on this board, learning how to count, don't get discouraged. Counting is possible, and it does work. But, all the practicing in the world won't prepare you for what its really like in the casino's, so get out there to your nearest casino and work your magic, because its fun calling for insurance, then having the dealer look at you surprised and puzzled all at once, ask you if you are sure, and having made the right call, its a great experience.

[bond trader]

Sounds like your first experience was a pretty good one, and you have the right attitude about you. You didn't mention the spread you were using, but there is one comment you made I thought should be addressed:

> I avoided 1 deck, 2 deck and 8 deck games. The
> 1 and 2 decks didn't get my attention
> because I am still a red chipper, and I
> couldn't afford those games.

Pitch games (especially single deck) require a smaller spread to get the same hourly EV. Often times even using a typical shoe spread on a SD game will get you in some hot water, so a smaller spread is needed for longevity reasons. If you can afford to play a shoe game, you can afford to play pitch. Many pitch games exist downtown at the $5 minimum bet level (along with some $3 min tables). Enjoyable report, and good cards to you.

BT