New To BlackJack Betting with Basic Alone

[ZeeBabar]

Fact is, the wealthier you are, the easier it is to play BJ and the poorer you are, the more dangerous it is to your mental and physical well being. If you are a wealthy guy, you can lose $5 max bets of $100 at a $10 min. Table and $2000 in a session and it does not affect you, If you have another job that pays the bills and a $10k Bankroll, a session like that will cause a great deal of pain, lead to balking at placing larger bets and second thoughts of whether counting cards works. If you don't have a Bankroll, take $300 to a local casino, you will lose it, draw more from an ATM and go home having lost far more than you can afford.

So, the first question is whether you can afford to consider BJ as a career, and second, whether you have the Bankroll to even play the $10 tables and the the RD is to learn about what sorts of negative swings can you expect and the means to survive it.

[Freightman]

Fact is, the wealthier you are, the easier it is to play BJ and the poorer you are, the more dangerous it is to your mental and physical well being. If you are a wealthy guy, you can lose $5 max bets of $100 at a $10 min. Table and $2000 in a session and it does not affect you, If you have another job that pays the bills and a $10k Bankroll, a session like that will cause a great deal of pain, lead to balking at placing larger bets and second thoughts of whether counting cards works. If you don't have a Bankroll, take $300 to a local casino, you will lose it, draw more from an ATM and go home having lost far more than you can afford.

So, the first question is whether you can afford to consider BJ as a career, and second, whether you have the Bankroll to even play the $10 tables and the the RD is to learn about what sorts of negative swings can you expect and the means to survive it.

y

There are people who actually read reference books, and gain knowledge from them. From there, they garner skill sets as well as understandings of the math involved. Granted, this is not necessarily a skill set learned by all, but that's life.

[BJPloppy]

If you have another job that pays the bills and a $10k Bankroll, a session like that will cause a great deal of pain, lead to balking at placing larger bets and second thoughts of whether counting cards works.

Zee,

I believe this is the first time I have ever responded to one of your posts. It is obvious that you believe your failings are universal. I get that there are many people that are not emotionally built to handle variance. You are obviously one of them. You are like the people who used to tell me not to work at 100% commission because there was no certainty in it. I always knew the certainty was at the end of any sufficiently long period of time; I would make much more than them. I do not tell others they should be able to handle this. Some of you can't, but it is insulting to me that you think having less money would lead me to balk at placing a larger bet when that is what is called for. If you would just phrase things so new players know your concerns are something to consider, or be wary of...it would not be so offensive to the rest of us. Just please don't tell me what my reaction will be to a situation, based upon your previous actions. No, I am not new, but I have never faced the emotional issues you seem to dread. Not ever.

[Joe Mama]

That's why your truth and my truth may or may not be the same. That's why there is vanilla and chocolate ice cream. I can tell you how I feel during negative variance, but cannot tell you how you will feel or react. However, I can tell you that if you play enough sessions you will experience it.

[bsngraduate32]

In response firstly to BoSox, I was writing a lengthy response earlier and phone died on me. Of course lol. But thanks for the great info on the book order and the entirety of your informative posting.. Now to rebuttal, I suppose.
Yes I do absolutely read reference books. I taught pathohys-pharmacology so books such as those are my strongest allies. As far as the bankroll. I'd stumbled upon the game and was crash course taught by a crazy old man guru and was winning well and overall found the game incredibly thrilling. And that would be one main reason my being here and asking these questions. Because basic strategy wasn't enough. I was losing a lot. I wasn't familiar at all with the entire world of blackjack. Do I expect to win all the money I lost back? Nope. Did I shiver when losing ? Yes. Did I try getting it back before? Yes. But that's when the idiocy of naivety shook me to think. Basic strategy isn't enough, because you simply cannot solidly bet. No matter if random or progression. Eventually. You'll lose it again. So money yes absolutely matters. But for me. It is the overall challenge of analysis and eventual interpretation. In order to win, in cash? Awesome, but highly unlikely to be paid off anytime soon. . It is far more in principal of accepting and trudging through challenges.. And it matters in a way that if I'm going to find a game I enjoy and fit into it relatively naturally; id rather be enjoying myself attempt to increase my chances to win (no matter how small the percentage), than simply throw money at the table to eventually, and unequivocally lose. And if this posting above was out of genuine warning to heed and not simply naysaying, then I'll simply say. Been there already. Already done the above. My resolve is fine. Now it's time to go straight to the awesome people here who've thus far given me amazing expert advice. Listen. And learn. Win.

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[bsngraduate32]

So.. Now understanding a bit more of the conceptual framework of variance. I can say. Yep. Been there. When it was not simply standardly or just small steps variances had played in deviation from...expected..payout.. it was a lot more likened to cataclysmic and irritatingly, astronomically unreasonable implausibilities of the dealer streaks. Like. Of course with every 10 showing you have another 10. Of course you can take 6 cards and easily count up to 21. . . Those fails, I get. This is what I have learned as, "endurance." And/or. Leave for a while. Because my focus needs to be productive. Not that that negativity would change unless some other poor fool took its bait. Anyway Neg variations on my particular spot are the dealer hitting soft 17 and the 6 deck shoe. I dont believe there are any push tie dealer win rules. One thing interesting was the dealer busted with maybe some 8s or some particular sequence of 8s and that white elephant happening gave me my lost bet in refund. lol. Anyway. The double/split rule around here seems to be if you see a split. split it. if it doubles double it. and split it again if need be. ive had 4 splits before with a double somewhere in there and won on all of them. But. it also adds the house edge if youre not careful. So player mistakes and side bets also add to neg variance. I dont do side bets. "Dealer bust" is ours. Why you tryin to pay them faster? Dealer wont bust as much as you think youre benefiting.

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[ZeeBabar]

Zee,

I believe this is the first time I have ever responded to one of your posts. It is obvious that you believe your failings are universal. I get that there are many people that are not emotionally built to handle variance. You are obviously one of them. You are like the people who used to tell me not to work at 100% commission because there was no certainty in it. I always knew the certainty was at the end of any sufficiently long period of time; I would make much more than them. I do not tell others they should be able to handle this. Some of you can't, but it is insulting to me that you think having less money would lead me to balk at placing a larger bet when that is what is called for. If you would just phrase things so new players know your concerns are something to consider, or be wary of...it would not be so offensive to the rest of us. Just please don't tell me what my reaction will be to a situation, based upon your previous actions. No, I am not new, but I have never faced the emotional issues you seem to dread. Not ever.

I was not addressing you. I was pointing out things to consider if you are new and contemplating a career or playing AP BJ. It's like I would advise anyone thinking to get to play pro-ball. You are an exception. There are far more failures than successes. Considering alternatives is a good idea.

[bsngraduate32]

I was not addressing you. I was pointing out things to consider if you are new and contemplating a career or playing AP BJ. It's like I would advise anyone thinking to get to play pro-ball. You are an exception. There are far more failures than successes. Considering alternatives is a good idea.

Thank you for clarifying.

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[bsngraduate32]

Enough would be about 3, if you are lucky?

Zee and BP. Okay no sports analogies regarding variance. Zee, you don't "think about" playing pro-ball. If you have enough talent and desire you will be chosen.

Three what high cards. I can't seem to ever even out on a dammed 14 or 15. Always dammed Bust. Now what I also need is a bit of some law of attraction.

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[BoSox]

So, the first question is whether you can afford to consider BJ as a career, and second, whether you have the Bankroll to even play the $10 tables and the the RD is to learn about what sorts of negative swings can you expect and the means to survive it.

ZeeBabar, in all the years "Zee, you are no longer considered a rookie" you been playing blackjack I do not believe you have taken the money management aspect of the game seriously at all. One year you doubled your bank to something like $40 k and you go out an spend about half of the years win on a used car, fine that is your business, but at the same time you also raise your six deck table stakes and spreads, and do not figure out you are not much better off than when you started the previous year. You then experience some inevitable negative variance and cry about it on the board saying things like, maybe I am not cut out for this game, should I change systems, etc, etc. Frankly I find it amazing that you are still in the game plugging away.

[ZeeBabar]

Enough would be about 3, if you are lucky?

Zee and BP. Okay no sports analogies regarding variance. Zee, you don't "think about" playing pro-ball. If you have enough talent and desire you will be chosen.

For some, long before, a decision is made to pursue Medicine or some other field, forget the athletic scholarship.

[ZeeBabar]

ZeeBabar, in all the years "Zee, you are no longer considered a rookie" you been playing blackjack I do not believe you have taken the money management aspect of the game seriously at all. One year you doubled your bank to something like $40 k and you go out an spend about half of the years win on a used car, fine that is your business, but at the same time you also raise your six deck table stakes and spreads, and do not figure out you are not much better off than when you started the previous year. You then experience some inevitable negative variance and cry about it on the board saying things like, maybe I am not cut out for this game, should I change systems, etc, etc. Frankly I find it amazing that you are still in the game plugging away.

Bosox, to refresh, I started out with $15k in a shoebox. First year, I won $19k, second year I was even (no money), 9 months into the third year, I was down $6k again, quit, moved to TN where there were no casinos within 3 hours drive, no DD within 4 hours. Took 2 months off, went into lessons and contemplating what I was doing wrong (nostly poor game selection and less than optimal betting), then re-started taking trips in October 2016. Over the past 10 months, my BR has grown (now $49.2k) and I am winning more consistently. My lease is about to expire and I have gained sufficient confidence to buy a condo in a city with 15+ casinos within 5 hours, 3-4 within 45 minutes.

It was a matter of getting control of myself, playing good games (number of spots, penn etc.), betting more optimally (I used to underbet) and learning from this forum, archives and thinking more about the game.

Having said all that, I still consider myself between a noobie and an intermediate. There is much to learn about playing 6 decks, getting comfortable spreading more than 1-8 (I play DD because the spread of 1-6 is easier to handle for me).

[PhillyNewbie]

Wonderful thanks for that info. So how do you guys do it if you enter a game that in session. Surely everyone doesn't wait until the end of a shoe. Looking all suspicious lol Anyway has anyone had success with the KO system ? It seems easier but less accurate although you automatically start with -20 at 6 decks. Just curious.

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I use true-counted KO (which you will see referred to here as TKO). One thing Ive learned is to adjust your initial running count (IRC) to 0. Makes it MUCH easier!! And you can always play "ploppy dumb" in a casino, saying things like "I'll just wait for the next shoe, dont wanna mess up the cards for you guys". If you have a friend, spouse, whatever that can accompany you to the casino, backcounting is feasible too. You simply stand at the table "explaining" how BJ works to your "friend who's never been in a casino" while backcounting the table. When / if the shoe turns positive, and if there's a seat available, just say "I'll show you" or "So let's try it out!", anything like that, and sit down.