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Thread: Road Trip!

  1. #1
    Junior Member AnabelleT's Avatar
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    Road Trip!

    I'm planning a near month-long trip with a couple of girlfriends. We all play Blackjack and know basic strategy (I'm the only one who knows it perfectly, though they know it fairly well, I've been practicing with them).

    I know the Hi/Lo count though I make mistakes when playing live, I'm trying to get better at that. One of my friends only knows the Ace/Five Count from The Wizard of Odds site (not sure this count is actually any good) and the other doesn't know any counts at all (though we plan on training her on an easy count before the trip and get some practice in at the local casino).

    I would totally love to be able to plan our road trip around different casinos and see if we can pay for the entire trip with BlackJack winnings! Would be great if we could get our rooms for free at least and some meals. Our combined Blackjack "bankroll" for the trip would be about $4,000-$5,000. We're taking more money with us of course but we don't plan on gambling with it, just in case.

    Am I dreaming? Is this possible? It sounds like so much fun, I really would love to do it! I'm even considering blogging about it while traveling!

    Any suggestions from the more experienced out there?

  2. #2


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    A near month-long trip? Okay, my first suggestion and advice is to spread out both your gambling and spending bankrolls to make sure it lasts the entire trip.
    Next, since your trip is still in the planning process, I suggest fine tuning your counting and blackjack skills, as well as working with your girlfriends on them.

    Try out the Downtown Grand. It's relatively new. I lost $100 on blackjack under 30 minutes of play and they sent me free weekday room offers and $19 weekend rates. It's worth checking out in hopes of getting a similar offer.

    Remember: the key to getting comps is to ask for them. Use your gender to your advantage. Even though comps are technically based on play, floor personnel have discretion to give low-level comps, like food, to certain players if they choose. As long as you all are playing together for at least a half hour, you shouldn't have a problem getting free food as long as you ask.

    Spread your play out throughout as many casinos as you can and always play rated to get comps.

    Imagine if each casino you ladies played at sent all three of you offers. If you all don't mind sharing rooms, you could basically stay at one casino for 6-9 days if you use your offers back to back (most offers are 2-3 days). You book first 2-3 nights, your girlfriend books next 2-3 nights, and the other books last 2-3 nights. Now imagine if multiple casinos sent you all the same kind of offer. 6-9 days at one casino, 6-9 days at another, and so on.

    Combining offers like that with friends is very powerful, and you could basically live in Vegas for free for a month or two if the offers align.

    Whenever I plan my Vegas trips, I always book multiple hotels. Two or three nights at one, and two or three at another. Sometimes having to check in at different hotels on the same day if the promotion period for one casino doesn't last long.

    Get creative. It's definitely possible to vacation in Vegas for free, and it all depends on your play and how well you can talk to people. This initial trip might not be free in terms of the rooms, but use it as a tester trip to try to get comps for a future trip.

  3. #3


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    That sounds like fun and I wish that my circumstances would allow a road trip!

    I have to say though that I am concerned about your abilities when it comes to your goal of being able to pay for your whole trip with your winnings. The fact that you make mistakes testifies to your lack of practice. And don't forget that you need to be able to do it perfectly without looking like you're doing it. The fact that you are are female though is great cover. Girls typically don't count for whatever reason. This will help.
    Don't forget also that even if you count perfectly, anything can happen. Heck, the last time that I played, I had a super high count and played my max bet. There was one other player at the table. We both got 20s and the dealer was showing a 6. I was tempted to split for the heck of it (which I never do) but decided not to. The dealer turned over a 10 for a total of 16. Doesn't get much better than that right? She threw down a 5. Where did that 5 come from with a deck so rich in 10s and aces? Well, it was there and it came out at the worst time. A few shuffles later, I had a max bet out again and got beat with another 21 against the odds. It happens.
    The comps that you are likely to get will help, but being able to pay for the trip with winnings is a tall order. I hope it works out for you, but I wouldn't count on it (no pun intended).

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    AT,
    How well do you know the other girls? You don't want 30 days of cat fights.

    Being you are the most serious "player" of the bunch, I might suggest that you play unrated (future consideration) and let the other two girls earn the room comps, etc.

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    Quote Originally Posted by muffdiver View Post
    AT,
    How well do you know the other girls? You don't want 30 days of cat fights.

    Being you are the most serious "player" of the bunch, I might suggest that you play unrated (future consideration) and let the other two girls earn the room comps, etc.
    That's a great idea. You should consider that Anabelle.

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    Quote Originally Posted by AnabelleT View Post

    Am I dreaming? Is this possible? It sounds like so much fun, I really would love to do it! I'm even considering blogging about it while traveling!

    Some of the best times I've had playing BJ was with a huge group of people.. Best of cards !!

    But yes, although you only know hi/lo a bit, it is possible, although not likely, that you can and will come out ahead on your trip.

  7. #7
    Junior Member AnabelleT's Avatar
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    Thank you guys for the advice!

    I am the more "serious" player for sure, and I hadn't considered letting my friends get the comps and all that while I play unrated during our fun trip. Something to think about.

    At the local casino here I have a player's card. The casino might be watching my play, but no one has bugged me yet. Maybe because I lose my count so often playing live that they don't at all think I might be a "card counter". Also, my raises are fairly small when counting, nothing outrageous, so they probably don't care. It's ok, I need the practice and I DON'T want to be banned from my local casino, I really like playing there.

    Thanks again!

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    You and your friends might even meet up with a nice muffdiver!

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    I went on an eight month road trip last year and it was definitely an entertaining and memorable experience especially if you're traveling with company that you enjoy. Our expenses were about 3k/month mostly because of gas costs and having an RV. If I were to do it over again, I would have just stayed in hotels and got a more fuel efficient car since the price is basically the same.

    I wouldn't suggest playing rated simply because if you get backed off, it's likely that you'll be flyered to the surrounding casinos which means you'll end up having to leave the area. It may not be too much of a problem considering you're probably playing low stake, but just a precautionary. Some places are just sweaty even if you're a low stakes player.

    Are your friends team mates or are they going to be doing their own thing on their own money? The reason I ask is because the edge counting (assuming that's all your doing) is very small and easy to negate by mistakes. To actually be profitable, you should practice enough that you're next to prefect in the casino. If you want your friends to be part of your team, you're going to have to make sure their counting is up to par as well. If your friends are just there to gamble, have them play rated and gather the comps.

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    Ditto marriedputter!

    You are not proficient at the game yet. Don't expect to pay for your trip by playing blackjack. Success at blackjack, you will learn, is not as easy as it sounds. You are more likely to lose money at this point in your experience. At low stakes and with mistakes in your play, I wouldn't worry about anyone observing your game. Just have a fun time with your friends. It will be a good learning experience.

  11. #11
    Junior Member AnabelleT's Avatar
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    Thanks again for the comments.

    I plan on perfecting my Hi/Lo count live by the time we go on this trip (Summer). My Hi/Lo is fine when I'm at home, but most of the time I tend to lose the count when playing live. My basic strategy is flawless.

    Realistically my two friends won't have time to learn and get good at the Hi/Lo by then, so I was thinking of just making sure they're good at the Speed Count at least, and to be honest they both need to improve their basic strategy as well. I was thinking we would play as a team and we've talked about that, it all sounds like a lot of fun, but maybe it's better that I play for the money and they play for the comps as suggested here. I don't know, lots to think about, prepare, and plan.

  12. #12
    Senior Member Bodarc's Avatar
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    If you are not going on this trip until summer, there is no reason your friends can't know basic strategy and learn hi-lo or REKO by then. That is at least 3 to 4 months away.

    Read about REKO here: http://qfit.com/book/ModernBlackjackPage67.htm

    Here is how you can teach them between now and then:

    http://bj21.com/gamemaster/MainContent.html


    Each one of you buy a copy of CV Black Jack and you buy a copy of CVCX as well. You will save 3 times the cost of these programs on your trip.

    There is no reason why you three women shouldn't make some money on this trip if you're willing to read and practice. The three of you practicing and working together should be a blast and so should be your trip.
    Play within your bankroll, pick your games with care and learn everything you can about the game. The winning will come. It has to. It's in the cards. -- Bryce Carlson

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    Quote Originally Posted by tiny View Post
    I wouldn't suggest playing rated simply because if you get backed off, it's likely that you'll be flyered to the surrounding casinos which means you'll end up having to leave the area.
    If they are going to flyer you, you will get flyered rated or not. If you are rated the flyer will have the name you were playing under. If not it will have your picture and perhaps your name. There are lots of ways to get your name when you don't give it. Odds are if you get the tap they have a pretty good chance of knowing who you are before the tap and getting off the property without getting your identity compromised if they didn't have it already is not going to be easy unless they don't care.

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