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Thread: Newbie help betting system

  1. #14
    Senior Member Mr. White's Avatar
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    To the OP:

    *It's clear that you have only a casual interest, right now, in blackjack. That's fine. Some people have a casual interest in golf. Just as long as you know the casual interest will likely cost you money, in both cases.

    *That said, two weeks is not enough time to learn to count cards, proficiently.

    *That said, forget about counting cards on this trip. Your assessment is correct, going about it half-cocked is a bad idea. Even if you could gain some modicum of proficiency at it, the level of concentration that it will require of you (after two weeks of experience) is going to kill your enjoyment, and that's all you can hope to play for at this point. You may have enough time to get basic strategy (mostly) down. That is what you should be focusing your energies on, not perfecting a betting system.

    *Here's the best "betting system" you can hope for: play rated, and play as FEW hands as you can, while stretching those few hands for as LONG as you can, playing against the worst penetration that you can (in your case, the more they shuffle, the better. Look for dealers who cut a lot of the shoe behind the cut card). Save all those randomly placed streak bets for when and only when the pitboss is watching. Again, if you desire to occasionally increase your bet, doing it when the pitboss is watching is the only time to do so. From that, just try to hustle as many freebies as you can, and always be friendly and polite.

    Never play 6:5 games. Should not be a problem for what you're planning to bet.

    Other than that -- have fun, drink free cocktails, socialize, and maybe get some comps. Just know that at no point will your fun ever be at an "advantage" this trip.
    "I did it for me..... I liked it. I was good at it...and I was...really...I was alive..."

  2. #15


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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. White View Post
    To the OP:

    *It's clear that you have only a casual interest, right now, in blackjack. That's fine. Some people have a casual interest in golf. Just as long as you know the casual interest will likely cost you money, in both cases.

    *That said, two weeks is not enough time to learn to count cards, proficiently.

    *That said, forget about counting cards on this trip. Your assessment is correct, going about it half-cocked is a bad idea. Even if you could gain some modicum of proficiency at it, the level of concentration that it will require of you (after two weeks of experience) is going to kill your enjoyment, and that's all you can hope to play for at this point. You may have enough time to get basic strategy (mostly) down. That is what you should be focusing your energies on, not perfecting a betting system.

    *Here's the best "betting system" you can hope for: play rated, and play as FEW hands as you can, while stretching those few hands for as LONG as you can, playing against the worst penetration that you can (in your case, the more they shuffle, the better. Look for dealers who cut a lot of the shoe behind the cut card). Save all those randomly placed streak bets for when and only when the pit boss is watching. Again, if you desire to occasionally increase your bet, doing it when the pitboss is watching is the only time to do so. From that, just try to hustle as many freebies as you can, and always be friendly and polite.

    Never play 6:5 games. Should not be a problem for what you're planning to bet.

    Other than that -- have fun, drink free cocktails, socialize, and maybe get some comps. Just know that at no point will your fun ever be at an "advantage" this trip.

    +1

    Kudos on Mr. White's excellent post!
    .
    To NFL newbies: Please perform your own analysis. Confirm any stats presented. Draw your own conclusions.

    Handicapping is EXTREMELY hard! All statistical evidence (and game insights) may indicate strongly a specific outcome, winner, or continuing trend; but a turn-over, a missed field goal, an erroneous call, a key injury, etc. can easily change the outcome, the margins, and/or the totals. Division rivalry games and games with playoff implications are highly unpredictable.

    .

  3. #16


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    bien fait Mr White !

  4. #17


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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. White View Post
    To the OP:

    *It's clear that you have only a casual interest, right now, in blackjack. That's fine. Some people have a casual interest in golf. Just as long as you know the casual interest will likely cost you money, in both cases.

    *That said, two weeks is not enough time to learn to count cards, proficiently.

    *That said, forget about counting cards on this trip. Your assessment is correct, going about it half-cocked is a bad idea. Even if you could gain some modicum of proficiency at it, the level of concentration that it will require of you (after two weeks of experience) is going to kill your enjoyment, and that's all you can hope to play for at this point. You may have enough time to get basic strategy (mostly) down. That is what you should be focusing your energies on, not perfecting a betting system.

    *Here's the best "betting system" you can hope for: play rated, and play as FEW hands as you can, while stretching those few hands for as LONG as you can, playing against the worst penetration that you can (in your case, the more they shuffle, the better. Look for dealers who cut a lot of the shoe behind the cut card). Save all those randomly placed streak bets for when and only when the pitboss is watching. Again, if you desire to occasionally increase your bet, doing it when the pitboss is watching is the only time to do so. From that, just try to hustle as many freebies as you can, and always be friendly and polite.

    Never play 6:5 games. Should not be a problem for what you're planning to bet.

    Other than that -- have fun, drink free cocktails, socialize, and maybe get some comps. Just know that at no point will your fun ever be at an "advantage" this trip.
    Yes, well said. You may also want to read 'Comp City' by Max Rubin to get some ideas on how to maximize comps for now. That might be a fun route for you this time around. Be aggressive with trying to obtain comps and fooling the system.

    I would not recommend counting at all, or mentioning it at the casino.

  5. #18
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    We shared a limo to the Reno airport at the casino's direction with a couple people that were discussing counting. They retroactively voided comps for the trip. It cost the BP (who got all the comps) like $10K. The BP slept through the conversation and all I said was I didn't think it worked except maybe for deciding plays. The 2 in the limo went on and on about it. The limo driver reported it to the casino. I think we were set up. No way to be certain though. The game way back then was a DD game dealt face up.

  6. #19


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    You had a BP for a DD game?
    "Everyone wants to be rich, but nobody wants to work for it." -Ryan Howard [The Office]

  7. #20
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    Nor in the traditional sense. He wasn't called in. It was his job to get the comps. We focused on more than just blackjack.

  8. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by cashlyga View Post
    Also, what are your thought on attempting to count when you aren't proficient or confident in counting? How can you really practice counting in a realistic environment without it costing you or being able to do it often enough to become good at it as I live hours from any casino.
    Since I started out solo (and still am) I practiced counting at casino charity events at local catholic churches and elementary/high schools. Don't feel bad as you're more than likely going to lose money (they usually play "dealer wins all ties" which is brutal... but if you feel bad donate winnings back). The play is cheap (most limits are $1-10) and there is no EITS watching you. Heck, the dealers and people in the pit are usually parents of students and have no idea what counting is and don't care if you even count out loud. This is where I turned counting in my bedroom with decks of cards into counting at a table with chips, beer, and annoying drunk patrons. Cheap and effective practice if you're a solo player.

    FYI, the best season for this is either early in the school year or during lent (both are usually big fundraising times for the upcoming semester). Catholics love to drink and gamble, especially for a good cause!
    Vaya con Dios...

  9. #22


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    Going to Vegas in a couple of weeks doesn't allow for using a card counting system: it takes longer than that to implement. So the less you bet during the entire trip, the better.
    It's quite baffling to me also; but, if you bet 25 and win that, you aren't playing with house money: that's part of the tricky thinking. That extra 25 in your hand had a price to it, that you paid to hold it; as if it's not exactly yours. But learning to count can be such a wonderful and enjoyable activity: might as well start now.
    You're going to love Vegas; well, I hope so.

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