Mike C: Betting Question

[Mike C]

Hi all, I have a question about betting using the Hi-Opt I strategy. I've read The World's Greatest Blackjack Book by Humble and Cooper and have memorized the heck out of it. I have been practicing the Hi-Opt I count strategy daily and have it pretty much nailed. The only thing I'm having a hard time with is the betting. Since I'm close to Atlantic City, I have mostly the following options: 6/8 Decks, S17, DA2, DAS, OBO, No Surrender.

Here's the problem - unless I'm missing something in the book, Humble and Cooper only cover the Hi-Opt I and betting strategy for games of 1, 2 and 4 decks, with a minimum bet and betting unit of $5. I generally have access to table minimums of $15 - $25 (occasionally a $10 table is open, and very, very, very rarely a $5 table will pop up). Can anyone explain how the higher table limits and more decks should affect my Hi Opt I betting strategy? I've tried using the strategy in the book with limited success. All the books I've read so far seem to be stuck on 1, 2 and 4 deck strategy and $5 minimum bets/betting units. 6 and 8 deck variations seem to be little more than footnotes and higher table minimums are almost non-existent. Anyone know of any good books that cover the higher risk (in greater detail?) associated with these variations?

Also, is Hi Opt I the best strategy? If not, which one would you recommend and where can I find out more about it? Finally, should I start my count at 0 or another number based on the number of decks used?

Thanks for the help!

[Fuzzy Math]

For playing decisions, just use the four deck numbers for six decks and you should be fine. As for betting, due to the increase in the decks in play you'll need to increase your bet spread to maintain the same returns that you would expect in a four deck game.

To see what bet spread you'd need, try out this link: http://www.bjstats.com/bjre.asp

As for good books, check here: http://rge21.safeshopper.com/3/cat3.htm?662

From the descriptions provided you should be able to pick out books that suit your needs. Blackjack Attack provides perhaps the best treatment of risk of ruin, but you can probably find some helpful information online if you wish to wait for the release of the 3rd edition.

[Parker]

> Hi all, I have a question about betting
> using the Hi-Opt I strategy. I've read The
> World's Greatest Blackjack Book by Humble
> and Cooper and have memorized the heck out
> of it. I have been practicing the Hi-Opt I
> count strategy daily and have it pretty much
> nailed. The only thing I'm having a hard
> time with is the betting. Since I'm close to
> Atlantic City, I have mostly the following
> options: 6/8 Decks, S17, DA2, DAS, OBO, No
> Surrender.

> Here's the problem - unless I'm missing
> something in the book, Humble and Cooper
> only cover the Hi-Opt I and betting strategy
> for games of 1, 2 and 4 decks, with a
> minimum bet and betting unit of $5. I
> generally have access to table minimums of
> $15 - $25 (occasionally a $10 table is open,
> and very, very, very rarely a $5 table will
> pop up). Can anyone explain how the higher
> table limits and more decks should affect my
> Hi Opt I betting strategy? I've tried using
> the strategy in the book with limited
> success. All the books I've read so far seem
> to be stuck on 1, 2 and 4 deck strategy and
> $5 minimum bets/betting units. 6 and 8 deck
> variations seem to be little more than
> footnotes and higher table minimums are
> almost non-existent. Anyone know of any good
> books that cover the higher risk (in greater
> detail?) associated with these variations?

Sounds like you need some newer books. :-) The World's Greatest Blackjack Book is a classic, but is is a bit dated in many areas. However, as another poster mentioned, a 6D game is not a whole lot different from a 4D game. If you use the 4D numbers for 6D you will be in the ballpark, your EV will just be slightly less.

As for the higher table mins, you simply need to increase all your bets proportionately. Of course, this means you will need a bigger bankroll. An alternative is to wong out (leave the game) during negative counts.

Consider some newer books such as Don Schlesinger's Blackjack Attack which will tell you everything you need to know about bet spread, risk of ruin, wonging in and out, and much, much more.

> Also, is Hi Opt I the best strategy? If not,
> which one would you recommend and where can
> I find out more about it?

Depends. Are you using the ace side count, and are you comfortable with it? If your answers are yes and yes, then there is nothing wrong with this count. However, if you are not using the ace side count, or are having difficulty with it, you might consider switching to an ace-reckoned count such as Hi-lo or KO.

You can find out all about Hi-Lo in Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong. Another good reference is Blackjack in the Zone by Rick "Night Train" Blaine. KO is covered in Knockout Blackjack by Ken Fuchs and Olaf Vancura. All of these are available through our online catalog.

I personally believe that it is impossible to have too many blackjack books.

> Finally, should I
> start my count at 0 or another number based
> on the number of decks used?

Hi-Opt I is a balanced count, so you should always start your count at 0, regardless of the number of decks. Only unbalanced counts such as KO and UBZII can use an IRC (Initial Running Count) other than 0.

[Mike C]

Like you said, I don't believe you can have too many blackjack books either. I'm about to order the books you mentioned in your post.

I have one more question about heat. I was playing in Bally's at a $25 min. table in A.C. a few weeks ago. I was on a streak, so I upped my bet gradually to $150/hand and left it there. It was one of those rare amazing shoes where you just can't seem to do anything wrong, and every hand's a winner. After a while, I noticed there were 2 pit bosses standing around in the background staring at our table and taking notes in little notepads while a 3rd was talking to the players. They also changed dealers 6 times in two shoes. I don't know if all the dealer changes were attempts to change up the table by forcing burn-cards or what, but whatever it was, it didn't seem to affect anything. I've never gotten that kind of attention from a pit crew before, and was wondering if maybe I'm just being overly suspicious/paranoid... or do you think maybe I got somebody's attention?

[Parker]

> Like you said, I don't believe you can have
> too many blackjack books either. I'm about
> to order the books you mentioned in your
> post.

> I have one more question about heat. I was
> playing in Bally's at a $25 min. table in
> A.C. a few weeks ago. I was on a streak, so
> I upped my bet gradually to $150/hand and
> left it there. It was one of those rare
> amazing shoes where you just can't seem to
> do anything wrong, and every hand's a
> winner. After a while, I noticed there were
> 2 pit bosses standing around in the
> background staring at our table and taking
> notes in little notepads while a 3rd was
> talking to the players. They also changed
> dealers 6 times in two shoes. I don't know
> if all the dealer changes were attempts to
> change up the table by forcing burn-cards or
> what, but whatever it was, it didn't seem to
> affect anything. I've never gotten that kind
> of attention from a pit crew before, and was
> wondering if maybe I'm just being overly
> suspicious/paranoid... or do you think maybe
> I got somebody's attention?

I think you're being overly suspicious/paranoid. The two pit critters "taking notes in little notepads" were counting the chips in the dealer's tray. The third one was, well, talking to the players. Changing dealers so often is a little weird, but there are a number of possible explanations for it.

[Mike C]

> I think you're being overly
> suspicious/paranoid. The two pit critters
> "taking notes in little notepads"
> were counting the chips in the dealer's
> tray. The third one was, well, talking to
> the players. Changing dealers so often is a
> little weird, but there are a number of
> possible explanations for it.

Makes sense. I went back to AC last night, played the same casinos. Was able to range my bets from 1 to 10 units at the $25 tables and made a nice little profit. Some crazy "double-on-anything" girl at the end of one table provided nice cover since her wild plays drew the pit crew's full attention.