john c: 8 deck games

[john c]

In Don's BJA p 21, 22 he says its a waste of time to "play all" on an 8 deck game, does anyone else feel this way, The only game in town is 8 deck 75% pen,doa, das, rsa once,no surrender, Also can anyone help a back counter with a betting strategy for this game, thanks

[john c]

[Contrail]

> In Don's BJA p 21, 22 he says its a waste of
> time to "play all" on an 8 deck
> game, does anyone else feel this way, The
> only game in town is 8 deck 75% pen,doa,
> das, rsa once,no surrender, Also can anyone
> help a back counter with a betting strategy
> for this game, thanks

Tables 11.26 and 11.27 on page 298 in BJA (2nd) should put the comments on p. 21 and 22 in context, particularly when compared to some of the other tables in that chapter. So yes, imo, play-all for the 8 decks is not advisable. I'll leave the question of your betting strategy to those more familiar with your specific system than I am.

[Magician]

> In Don's BJA p 21, 22 he says its a waste of
> time to "play all" on an 8 deck
> game, does anyone else feel this way, The
> only game in town is 8 deck 75% pen,doa,
> das, rsa once,no surrender, Also can anyone
> help a back counter with a betting strategy
> for this game, thanks

In order to come up with a betting strategy, we'd need to know your bankroll, risk tolerance, spread and back-counting strategy.

For example with $10K you might try $50@-4, $100@+2, $150@+5, $200@+11 (a 1-4 spread) for a win rate of $25 per 100 hands and a 10% ROR.

Balanced counts (like Hi-Lo) are usually preferable to unbalanced counts (like KO) for back-counting because they are better at detecting advantage early on and because you can start counting mid-shoe.

[Mr. Ed]

> In Don's BJA p 21, 22 he says its a waste of
> time to "play all" on an 8 deck
> game, does anyone else feel this way, The
> only game in town is 8 deck 75% pen,doa,
> das, rsa once,no surrender, Also can anyone
> help a back counter with a betting strategy
> for this game, thanks

I don't recommend "play all" to any one for any game. Every human being has to go to the bathroom eventually - if you find yourself in a bad negative count, just "excuse yourself" until the next shuffle.