ah, so Flash tells everyone to ignore me but he has folks who ignore him too. I now know of three who do.Originally Posted by Bodarc
If this is your required procedure to maintain a count, then you are not prepared for the casino and certainly not ready to bet anyone's money. More appropriate advice is to practice with Casino Verite or manual or other systems, but practice until you have the procedure mastered.
You can not be "almost" prepared.
Luck is nothing more than probability taken personally!
Hi Stealth,
I don't do that anymore; I don't need to. When I first started I was easily distracted in the casino. It was something I leaned on while I was learning.
Now, even if I have to stop and think about an index, I can immediately recall the count. It's like walking and chewing gum at the same time...
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
You may or may not be right about Flash. But clearly, everything Zee says is nonsense. One thing I know about Flash is that he doesn't bother to pick apart and analyze what was said and prove it wrong; his statements are often conclusory and brief. I wouldn't call that condescending; I'd call it concise. Concise might be boring, and thus tiresome...but, well sorry Flash. If you want to make a point about Flash, why not choose a post where his overall conclusion was arguably wrong.
Last edited by Boz; 04-30-2016 at 11:45 PM.
If I'm gonna stick with the Hi-Lo what book would you recommend getting?
And another loaded rookie question but in general am I good with just using the Hi-Lo using Basic Strategy once I'm comfortable getting the running/true count or do I really need to memorize the varying basic strategy charts for the true count before going in?
i learned indexes as I went. Originally, I read the Wong books and started creasing my bet (though not optimally) and then learned the I-18 and stared using them but I was either under betting or over betting most of the time. Also, I did not understand ROR or money management. With CVCX, I got more optimal betting.
i would recommend low stakes and playing in the casino as you learn. The advantage at the local casino is that they will dismiss you as a serious counter, label you as ploppy and when you get better, they will not bother you.
I still don't know why everyone thinks books are so helpful to newbiles. I eventually read Griffin's main book after I had counted awhile, and it offered me no new insights. Are you trying to increase your edge or understand the academic theory of blackjack? I don't remember reading a book about how to play baseball before playing in Little League...instead I practiced. But after I got into it, I did start to find baseball more interesting, and learned more about it. Unsurprisingly, reading about baseball mechanics never had a noticeable effect on my athletic ability. When I began, I used Schlesinger's indexes. I used Qfit's blackjack EOR thing that checks the strength of your count; I used that a lot. I read posts on blackjack info, mostly regarding esoteric indices. I'd suggest if you buy a book, you get it to learn a full set of indices. Not to do research that won't apply to the game itself by changing the way you actually play. Knowing why 17 v. A is a reverse index by looking at a graph of the count...doesn't change it's index. I don't think information overload is helpful when trying to learn to beat the game. It can't hurt to read Norm's book, it's free. Griffin's book is easily pirated (not recommended).
Last edited by Boz; 05-04-2016 at 03:16 AM.
LOL ! Not true at all! Take it from me... I started playing rated at all my local stores and I also consider myself to be a pretty affable person. I became pretty friendly with many of the different dealers and pit bosses in the beginning, but none of that mattered anymore as my skill level improved. Now I have 2 or 3 stores in my rotations that ends in counter-measures every (or every other) session. Basically, I'm pretty much burnt out in those stores. Every once in a while, I can come in and play a shift that I normally don't play or change my appearance up, and I can get a few hours at the tables. But at this point, I have to dodge so many different pit bosses, it's very difficult. And if the pit is unfamiliar with my face, then surveillance has no issue pointing me out.
But my style is fairly aggressive, so I guess YMMV.
There's a ton, pick your poison =P. Most of what you need to do at this point is to perfect your counting of the Hi/Low system... Which involves more practicing than reading. After you have BS 100%, counting perfect (with distractions/etc) then you can move on to indices, which you can start with the I18 & Fab4, but you should definitely learn more... I know about 40-45 pending if I do a quick refresher before I play =).
Playing wise: I would recommend being able to play through 5 shoes with VERY small/limited mistakes, and distractions (such as a gf dealing topless, music, conversation, and casino slot noises in the background). Then you're ready to play in a casino environment "playing wise."
Card Counter wise: You need to then read the books to understand bankroll management, Risk of Ruin (RoR), Kelly Betting, etc, etc. This way you not only know how to play, but you'll be able to put a plan together to not go broke.
I too would recommend buying CVCX if you want to take the game with some seriousness. When you play in a casino, before you sit at the table you should be able to know your EV/hour at the given table. You'll need all of that for logging your session information after to keep track of your EV +-SD's and make sure you're playing correctly =).
practice, practice, practice. it's helpful to try to have a conversation with someone while you count down a shoe and make betting / playing decisions based on the count because this will more accurately simulate the hectic environment of the casino. what you really need is a shoe and discard tray, so you can practice your deck estimation which is important for making your TC conversions.
the first thing though is to make sure you have mastered basic strategy. there is a great tool at blackjackinfo.com the basics strategy trainer that will inform you if you are making any basic strategy mistakes.
Last edited by Meistro123; 05-04-2016 at 04:00 PM.
Posting Permissions
-*-
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks