ghost: bj today

[ghost]

Hello is anyone out there?? I have NOT been a member for over a year now. I rejoined to see if my perception of the current state of blackjack is true. In the last year or so ... playing bj is a waste of time, wish this wasn't true but it is ,for me. We all know that most of bj tables the conditions are set so we cant win. The games where it looks like we can win ,good rules, good pen...I never seem to win anyway AND the whole table loses. Sometimes I just walk arround to see if anyone is winning and rarely do i see player winning..NOW my bj world is small I dont know any advantage players and so I guess I am asking WHAT the heck is going on out there?
Put me up to speed. Any input will help. Are the cards being tamperd with or what T F is going on???

[Sun Runner]

> Hello is anyone out there??

Yes.

> In the last year or so ... playing bj is a waste of time.
> We all know that most of bj tables the conditions are set so we can't win.

I'd agree that conditions generally have been deteriorating, certainly in the lower limit games. I cruise through the high limit pits when allowed and definitely see better game conditions. Unfortunately I'm just crusin' through.

> The games where it looks like we can win .. I never seem to win AND the whole table loses.

That sounds like a little selective memory kicking in. I doubt you are being cheated, if the rules are getting worse the need to cheat you would seem to diminish anyway, right? And if the rules are still good, and your game is up to speed, I'd say you ran in to some negative flux. Ever done that before?

> Sometimes I just walk around to see if anyone is winning and rarely do i see player winning

Maybe you are watching them play bad games; maybe they have hit a bad run, it happens; maybe it's selective memory again.

If the game is good and you play your game and manage your BR properly, it's still beatable.

> Are the cards being tamperd with or what T F is going on???

I doubt it. Where do you normally play?

> NOW my bj world is small I dont know any advantage players

Small!? I know/have met in person only one other advantage player -a tournament BJ player at that.

>I guess I am asking WHAT the heck is going on out there?

I can only tell you what goes on in my neighborhood.

For any regular play at all, I have to play with the Native Americans on their land. Their games suck. Foremost, they charge a rake to play BJ and their table minimums are smallish. You think a .5% negative EV is bad off the top, try having to pay, in advance, every hand, about five percent to them before they deal a card. On top of that, usually a shuffling machine, or worse, a CSM. It's impossible. It's laughable.

But .. if you look around .. there is still opportunity. It's not straight counting but it's really good in rare spots. (Unfortunatly, with the advent/onslaught of the new to the area bigger dollar ritzy glitzy casinos, it's driving the small local opportunities away, so, I am feeling you pain some.)

I only say all that to say, that as things change (get worse) you just have to pay attention, watch, look, think, and try to find weakness' in the games you are presented with. Not all are playable and you have to keep on walking. Even with the crappy conditions I just related, some are very playable, but might not be by the casual observer.

And finally, in the interest of full-disclosure, with my personal BJ world being always some limited, and now more so as you point out, I play a lot more low limit poker than I used to.

But I still love BJ. Beating the guy across from you will never replace beating the house and making them like it!

I never go in a casino but what I don't check the BJ conditions first.

Good luck.

[ghost]

[ghost]

Thanks for the response SunRunner,,I guess I got spoiled when there were more opportunities and I had more TIME. I feel my skill is better than ever both art and counting wise However Iam playing more Poker also...low limit is profitable but boring. I did win a NL tourny at a major Strip casino a couple weeks ago. Took 1st out 65-70 so that was fun. That was only my 4th try and I won hahaha
BJ is still better when condition are right,,,,
good luck