LuckyStiff: First Post

[LuckyStiff]

Greetings Advantage Players!

I've been reading this board for about a month, and I must say that the quantity of quality advice offered here is staggering. Its wonderful to see that some of the most prestigious names in the game, not only take time to give something back, but seem to take pleasure in doing so. Please know that it is appreciated.

I'm in the process of re-learning the game of blackjack. About six years ago I purchased a book and cd-rom by John Patrick. I've seen enough postings on this board to realize this was a mistake, but this is how I learned. I often wonder how much money I lost out on by never doubling into a 10.

Upon the advice of Mr. Schlesingers posting about a month ago concerning what books to start with, I purchased KO Blackjack, and also purchased the KO software. I've been diligently practicing daily, and have read the book a couple times. I have much time and my hands, and have dedicated 8-10 hours a day to the game. I'm considering other books and other software, and will purchase them from this site, as my way of supporting it.

One of my biggest worries about going whole hog into this game is my geographical location. Being based in Jersey leaves Atlantic City as my primary place of gaming. Overcoming the shoes here must be a daunting task. Are all the serious players in Vegas? The lack of an east coast forum on this board makes me wonder.

Another concern I have about Atlantic city is the casino's right to take measures against counters. I worry that the casinos will take these measures whether there is a counter at a table or not. I'm basically paranoid that the casinos will take every advantage they can to overcome all players, including counters.

To sum it all up, am I spitting into the wind playing here on the east coast?

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Any comments would be appreciated. And a special Thank-You to Mr. Parker for hosting this wonderful forum.

LuckyStiff

[Bert Nommel]

There are plenty of good games in Mississippi.

Bert

[Parker]

Welcome to Advantageplayer.com and the Parker Pages.

We have sort of a twisted view of geography here. It is not that there is no east coast forum; we consider the east coast to be part of the "Heartland."

Part of the reason that there are not a lot of posts regarding the east coast is that the casinos are heavily regulated. Unlike Las Vegas, where casinos are free to tinker around with the rules and playing conditions (and do so on a near-daily basis), conditions in AC tend to stay pretty much the same.

Conditions in AC are less than ideal, but not hopeless. There is one regular poster on Don's Domain that plays AC exclusively.

Besides, just because you are on the east coast does not limit you to AC. Foxwoods/Mohegan Sun aren't too far away.

You are near some major airline hubs, so you might consider weekend getaways to the southern casinos, or even Las Vegas, for that matter. Go to the airlines websites and subscribe to their e-newsletters, so you will be able to take advantage of fare sales.

Finally, as long as the economy is weak and states are struggling with budget deficits, they will continue to look at casinos as a source of tax revenue, and new casinos will continue to open.

[RP]

> Another concern I have about Atlantic city
> is the casino's right to take measures
> against counters. I worry that the casinos
> will take these measures whether there is a
> counter at a table or not. I'm basically
> paranoid that the casinos will take every
> advantage they can to overcome all players,
> including counters.

The most common countermeasure that casinos invoke against counters in shoe games is that of half-shoeing (i.e., reducing penetration to 50%). You shouldn't have to worry about casinos doing this unless they suspect somebody at the table is counting. The reason is that half-shoeing is actually beneficial to the 99+% of players who are playing with negative expectations (including basic strategy players); this is so because half-shoeing results in much more downtime (shuffling), causing the vast majority of players to lose less than they would have if they had played for the same amount of time with better penetration. Simply stated, half-shoeing costs the casino money. In fact, it costs them money even when there is an advantage player at the table, provided there are more disadvantage players there; however, many people in casino management fail to realize this point.

[jimmy]

> There are plenty of good games in
> Mississippi.

> Bert

Bert, are you serious or kidding? Reading your profile, I would think the opposite. Just curious.

[LuckyStiff]

Thank-you for the welcome Mr. Parker. And also for the travel advice. I guess the reason I hoped to play in AC is for convenience. It's only an hour drive, and I figure that once I gain some experience counting, the more hours I can log playing, the better. Another unfortunate thing about AC is table minimums seem very high. I see several people posting that they are red chippers, and red chip games in AC are difficult at best to find.

I do know one thing for sure. I'm definitely getting antsy to get to a real casino. I've been spending so much time practicing, that I'm kind of looking forward to my "season opener" so to speak.

I noticed your post on the blackjack main board concerning upcoming software reviews. Will the KO software be included? I've been using it as a learning tool in conjunction with the book. I had a problem with it on the first download, and after notifying the people that I bought it from, they gave me a different link to d/l a zipped version from. It works a better, but I think there are some issues using it with windows xp that need to be resolved. Also, I wish they would offer a cd rom. Anyways, I guess I shouldn't babble on about software here, as its probably more appropriate in the software forum. Thanks again.

[LuckyStiff]

Thanks for the information about 1/2 shoeing RP. I didn't consider the down time loss for the house, but that certainly makes sense.

I guess I have just a very paranoid personality when it comes to casinos. For years I was convinced that most dealers had the ability to stack the face cards to the rear of the shoe where they would never come into play. Those kind of measures are what terrifies me most about advantage play.

[Bert Nommel]

Good games are hard to find in abundance. A few years ago I played two 6 deck games with one pass shuffles and DD games with consistent 75% pen and a SD game with S17, DD9, DAS and pen as far as the dealer could go without running out of cards.

My standards have changed. Now I consider a good DD game in Mississippi to have 60% pen; if I find better it is a temporary bit of good luck. I consider a good 6D game to have S17, DOA, LS, DAS and 80% pen. The good 6 deck games now out number the good DD games by a wide margin.

The standard DD game at Gulf Coast has 50% penetration. But you can usually, most weekends find 60 - 70% if your a discriminating shopper.

I have retired from serious BJ becuse of the deterioration of the game. But I still play the occassional weekend for fun and I spread big on the 6 Deck game. I always play the lowest limit table I can find and spread as much as 1:40. I have a friend (HiLo player) that played $5 six deck game and bet the positive true counts in black. That is +1 = $100, +2 = $200 etc. You would be suprised how this is sometimes tolerated.

Bert