low stakes rookie: Are there any beatable BJ games in town?

[low stakes rookie]

Is BJ officially dead?

[lolasdad]

I know it seems daunting doesn't it! If you're not worried about your longevity as a player, there are lots of games to beat. Longevity becomes the trick. I, myself, have had the most success taking the slow trickle approach. Instead of trying to win huge sums, I'll take a couple hundred bucks a session and not get greedy. In these giant casinos these days, most of these pit bosses wouldn't bend over to pick up $200 if it stuck to their shoe. They do start to notice, however, once you get a win stacked up of $1,000-$2,000. I'd rather take $200 off of 5 casinos than $1,000 off of one.

I've enjoyed the $15 min 6D S17 DA2 Late Surrender games at Mandalay Bay. Make sure your act is solid, though, and employ some of the less costly cover plays, they watch VERY carefully. S16 v. 10 is usually good -- after all, it's the right choice when the shoe is rich, but when they see you pull it early, they'll often roll their eyes and ignore you for the rest of the shoe. Not sure why, but the Asian female dealers at MB tend to be really stingy with pen.

Don't get too depressed -- they're out there!! I suggest joining Track Jack it's an indispensable resource for APs.

[low stakes rookie]

> I know it seems daunting doesn't it! If you're not
> worried about your longevity as a player, there are
> lots of games to beat. Longevity becomes the trick. I,
> myself, have had the most success taking the slow
> trickle approach. Instead of trying to win huge sums,
> I'll take a couple hundred bucks a session and not get
> greedy. In these giant casinos these days, most of
> these pit bosses wouldn't bend over to pick up $200 if
> it stuck to their shoe. They do start to notice,
> however, once you get a win stacked up of
> $1,000-$2,000. I'd rather take $200 off of 5 casinos
> than $1,000 off of one.

> I've enjoyed the $15 min 6D S17 DA2 Late Surrender
> games at Mandalay Bay. Make sure your act is solid,
> though, and employ some of the less costly cover
> plays, they watch VERY carefully. S16 v. 10 is usually
> good -- after all, it's the right choice when the shoe
> is rich, but when they see you pull it early, they'll
> often roll their eyes and ignore you for the rest of
> the shoe. Not sure why, but the Asian female dealers
> at MB tend to be really stingy with pen.

I recall Snyder advising people in his books to never misplay 16v.10. (Although this is one of the plays that pit bosses and the eye in the sky spot counters.)
btw, in "Turning", Ian Anderson tells of how he will split 3-3v.8 at times. Hmmm. Cover plays...interesting.

> Don't get too depressed -- they're out there!! I
> suggest joining Track Jack it's an indispensable
> resource for APs.

I will join in the near future. Anyway, is CBJN still available?

lsr

[lolasdad]

Yes, Snyder says never to misplay 16 v. 10 -- however, I've run the numbers with CV and for my game, expected loss from this misplay is only pennies an hour -- it comes out to about 67 cents an hour per $25 unit. Remember, however, I will only be misplaying the hands in low-count shoes when I have my minimum bet out. If the shoe becomes rich and I'm betting 4-6 units of $25, this "misplay" becomes the right index play, but it doesn't arouse suspicion because I've been standing consistently.

To overcome the cost of my misplay, I have to play an average of an extra one minute per session. With the longevity I've bought myself with 16 v. 10, this extra minute shouldn't be a problem!

Yes, CBJN is still available on Wong's site, BJ21.com.

[low stakes rookie]

> Yes, CBJN is still available on Wong's site, BJ21.com.

That's good. What about Gambler's Book Club?

[Ben Campbell]

> Hmmm. Cover
> plays...interesting.

EV is even more interesting. You should make sure you have it before considering something like cover.

Be careful whose advice you take. Mine, for example, may be terrible.

I would also be very skeptical of a poster who describes game conditions by identifying a table's min, rather than its max. The latter criterion is more relevant for players who might require cover.

Longevity is only useful in the future. The future is only relevant if your EV in the present is meaningful. The present value of future EV in a game that supposedly is dying -- can't be very high.

Get barred. Choose heat. It's usually a sign you're doing well.