Opinion on "even money" and max bet BJ.

[BoSox]

sigh. Here is Zee in a nutshell. He bets a TC 4. He loses both hands. More smalls came out than large. Now he is now in a position of power. He is afraid of losing now more than ever. So he can't bet more because he already wasted his max. So he bets less, minimum, or even walks away. Now he writes in to the forum and you guys blister the poor bastard telling him he needs to be more aggressive sooner.

ZeeBabar, is the only one who knows how he will react in the middle of the battle. He has been told to many times to mention, of the right way to bet his hands based on the count. Now you are saying he is raising his bets not only to early, but he will be discouraged and back off or quit if he looses a two hand max bet, even if more small cards fell and raised the count. The man has been drilled and knows better on what to do, now if he does not follow the correct way of playing, NO ONE will be able to help him, not even someone who believes that he and, as well as others should be raising their bets latter in a even higher positive true count.

[DSchles]

Don. As a consumer I'm very concerned when you keep saying his products are virtually useless.

Quite possibly the stupidest comment you've ever made on this or any other site. Won't dignify it with a further response.

Don

[ZeeBabar]

Okay. So Zee is another puzzle. He says he is only a recreational player. Rarely do I see a recreational player sitting at a $25 min bet bet table. Those folks are serious as a heart attack. Why would a recreational player keep coming up with all these questions? I mean you see them come and go every couple of weeks or so. But Zee has been at it for years. Is he even a real person? As much as I hate flying, curiousity may find me boarding a plane to Mississippi one of these days. Plus he loves to play the role of an uninformed idiot. But has made posts that indicate the opposite. Zee, why are you doing this? What are you thinking?

I really don't get it. I have no secrets. I did not prepare to play before I played. I started to play, rated, only knowing BS and not very well at that. I learned money management, game selection, optimal betting and such along the way. One benefit of this process was that I established myself as an addicted ploppy, got room comps and they stopped scrutinizing me. I got better and keep playing.

What questions on s are you referring to? My OP was simply an admission of what I did (take insurance/even money on a max bet BJ). I admitted that it was technically a poor decision and why I did it. Yes, I post things I do, sometimes to assess from you guys what a real pro would have done or reacted to in some situations.

I call myself a recreational player because BJ ones not pay my bills, it is a way of spending time and everything else is a bonus. I started playing more as I cut back on work and will likely retire from work entirely by the end of next month.

[DSchles]

Don S see post 267. The problem is TC, T3, and Zee are moving targets. Don S is consistent. Probably the best resource in America for a game of cards played by people. However, the game is ever changing because it's very existance is dictated by people.

You cannot control what your opponent may or may not be thinking. All you can do is control your game. CV Data and Verite are the most amazing tools I've ever seen to allow the determined motivated player to WIN. Actually, beyond what I could've imagined.

Speaking only to pitch. Setting your bet spreads to gain the best possible 10% is a no harm no foul alternative . If you find an area where can get away with more, then you can always go back to CV Data and adjust your game. But if you go in with an aggressive aproach and get banned. Game Over. One thing is for certain. Your EV will never gain again at that casino. Plus you've given them the option to spread your name to other casinos. So this aggressive approach put your opponent in control of you.

Moses, for someone who claims to be familiar with my book and body of work, you surely have some gaps in your knowledge of same. I have been criticized over the years for advocating conservative bet spreads, not jumping bets, using camouflage, etc. I suggest very strongly that you reread carefully pages 3-6 of BJA3, and then perhaps you can stop acting like you're the only one who considers it important to get away with what you're doing, for the sake of longevity.

I have played this game at levels you can only dream of, all over the world. So, don't you think it a bit silly to be explaining to me the importance of getting away with your play?

Don

[ZenMaster_Flash]

As I said ... "The vast majority", and where they do
exist there may be a perfectly playable shoe game.

[ZenMaster_Flash]

"What in the world happened to you in Ms?"

My best guess is that I was recognized from ...

[ZenMaster_Flash]

"MJ Golf says only shoes are offered in Oklahoma."

This is NOT even remotely factual.
It is a completely fictitious statement.
I played at three casinos in OK in 2016.
I never played even a single shoe game.
Some had good rules. Others did not.

[ZenMaster_Flash]

"So had you not been, was this an area where you felt you could drop the hammer in DD?"

Excusing your use of a sophomoric and pedestrian analogy, the local Tunica situation is as follows:
Most of the casinos in Tunica will sweat "light green" action. They preferentially control the depth
of penetration via the placement of the cut card ~ starting at 50%. Where I was "flat bet" (after
betting $50 at a $25 DD game) they consistently use a notch for 75% pen'. Can you comprehend
the meaningful difference? When there is NO cut card they can also shuffle at will, but with a cut
card, they can place said cut card as shallow or as deep as they wish. The one property that adheres to
a consistently deep cut via a notch will be TRUSTING their rabid surveillance to ferret out any potential
latent predations by the likes of us and our virulent allies.

[Ryemo]

Classic Zee thread. Asks a question that he should already know the answer to (or has probably already asked before), and now the thread is inching closer to post #300. I'm assuming the thread has been derailed off topic (once again), but I'm not entirely sure because I have no plans of reading all 29 pages of this topic.

Zee, you made the wrong call. Plain and simple. Your TC was 0 (nowhere close to the index), yet you still chose to take even money. Now, some will debate that it might be appropriate to take insurance and/or even money when the index is close and you're holding strong hands, to reduce variance. I don't think that's a bad option, especially for those who are on a limited bankroll. But keep in mind, while that is considered a risk averse play, it's still -EV.

Zee... in this particular situation, you weren't close, so I would have declined the even money and just hoped for the best. But this situation is clearly personal preference. Some people have a higher tolerance for risk than others. But I've said this many times... I think your game is pretty weak already as it is, Zee. So the more EV you continue to give up, you'll be lucky to play a break even game, let alone a winning one.

The question (AND answer) on this thread seems pretty straight forward, so here's my question: why are we approaching post #300??

[ZenMaster_Flash]

"Why would I fly to Mississippi for that crap?"

Can you show this heavily intoxicated septuagenerian where he so much as implied

that the casinos in Northern MS are a worthwhile choice of venues for you? I trust

that you know I mean it literally and seriously. I dislike the area very much, and have

only spent about 12 days there on three Junket excursions, (airfare, full rfb) over the years.

" ... you must play the same amount of hands that you start with throughout the deck."

You are displaying a lack of understanding. In casinos where there is "no mid-shoe entry"

that results in a situation where you cannot ADD a hand during the course of a game BUT

you can decrease it. This limitation is VERY rare, almost unheard of, in the East.

[DSchles]

"The question (AND answer) on this thread seems pretty straight forward, so here's my question: why are we approaching post #300??"

For the same reason a dog licks his balls: because he can!

We are approaching 300 because every thread on this forum is a candidate to end, sooner or later, in a discussion about what someone had for breakfast. Unspeakable inability of virtually everyone to stay on topic. Hopeless, incessant rambling. Never seen a group more enamored of listening to themselves talk.

Don

[Joe Mama]

"The question (AND answer) on this thread seems pretty straight forward, so here's my question: why are we approaching post #300??"

For the same reason a dog licks his balls: because he can!

We are approaching 300 because every thread on this forum is a candidate to end, sooner or later, in a discussion about what someone had for breakfast. Unspeakable inability of virtually everyone to stay on topic. Hopeless, incessant rambling. Never seen a group more enamored of listening to themselves talk.

Don

I think it would be more amazing if we stayed on topic for 300 posts. It's kind of like the parlor game where a story is whispered from one person to the next and gets a big guffaw when comparing original story to the last person's version. It"s what the human mind does.

[ZenMaster_Flash]

"Zee said this was the case on DD in Ms"

R O T F L M A O.......Consider the Source! .......Zee gets an F for spewing claptrap.