Hello guys, I'm new to this forum and also new to the whole Blackjack Counting system, Been practicing for just a while now and getting the hang of things, not enough to play at a casino yet (Still trying to memorize Basic Strategy). I just wanted to ask a question to you all and wanted to ask,
When did you guys know when you were ready to play at the casinos?
Also if you guys can share any tips about hitting the casinos for a beginner like me, that would be awesome
Thanks
I suggest you go to Qfit . com and buy Casino Verite as it is the gold standard of training and testing software for card counters. The system will provide feed back and tracking to answer your questions about when are you ready to go the the casino.
Basic Strategy is a mandantory foundation.
Develop your skills and re-ask your questions when you are ready.
Last edited by Stealth; 07-17-2018 at 10:40 PM.
Luck is nothing more than probability taken personally!
Each person is different, each personality is different. Some advise never to enter a casino unless you have all the stuff (counting, bet ramp, BR etc.) you need to play. In my case, I could not follow that advice or put in place that much time without knowing if I would even like a casino, like the grind of making money.
I started going to casinos with just BS memorized and a vague idea that you increase your bet when the count is positive and either sit out or bet minimum when count is negative. I considered the losses as simply paying tuition. I kept playing while reading archives and forums, a couple of books (Stanford Wong, Don. S). I made a lot of mistakes but despite that I stayed even at the end of the first year. I learned a lot though and the second year I won $19k.
One way I learned was to put my mistakes or my doubts on this forum and the BJ21 forum. When you do this, you get ridiculed a lot (mostly from the full time pros who use the forum to get their hostilities out) but there were enough good advice and corrections that I learned a lot. Too many just lurk, being intimidated by the nastiness from some. Sometimes, I double checked the advice by asking the same question on another forum or on the same forum and it enraged the long time resident pros but I learned from that too. For example, for a time a couple of pros on this forum were constantly ridiculing the HiLO count (that I use) and I was starting to consider changing to another count but when I posted on another forum, there were a few pros who told me of their continued success using the HiLO and I stayed with it.
I would suggest going to the casino as you learn. One, you find out if you can handle the casino environment. Two, you learn a lot about yourself when under pressure and how you handle it. Three, your mistakes (bound to happen when you are still learning) establish you in your local casino as a gambler or an addict and not a card counter and this can go a long way. My small loses in my first year at one casino has paid me dividends now for almost 4 years.
The thing is that you try not to let the initial wins get you complacent and you keep reading and studying. There are always finer points to learn.
Stealth espouses Casino Verite. Good advice for most. Zee espouses, after his pro bashing mantra, an also reasonable approach, implying low spread, seasoning under actual conditions approach. His last paragraph also has merit, an approach which he should well consider for himself.
Agreed! Buy Casino Verite Blackjack (CVBJ) at qfit.com. Buy a book from a well respected author. There's lots of 'em including the Free Book in the tab "BJ Resources". Practice for months.Originally Posted by Freightman
When you're certain you have an advantage over the casinos. We're talking about a casino game. The games are designed so the house always wins. I went broke thinking I knew what I was doing, but didn't even know the first thing (basic strategy). New concepts will start to click as you study & learn, but this is very time-consuming... We're talking a very slim 50.5% to 49.5% advantage over the casino -- it doesn't guarantee success. You could still lose it all b/c you don't have enough money (bankroll) to outlast a run of bad luck (variance). I would advise you not to risk your money until you have practiced so much that you feel you can't practice anymore & want to test out what you've been practicing up on in a real world environment.
I don’t think he should step foot into a casino until he knows BS 100%, can keep a running count and convert to a TC, and understands a few deviations.
I can accept going to a casino to practice in a “live” environment. Maybe 3-4 trips. Although if you’re winning, it could have unintended consequences. If you’re losing, you could become discouraged.
The fact that you’re still figuring out BS tells me you still have work to do.
CVCX to develop optimum betting ramp based on your casino parameters... CVBJ to practice drills and game... CVData to fine tune strategies.
I agree that these are the minimum requirements to begin live casino bets... but then should be soon followed by Sweet 16 / Fab 4 (if surrender is allowed) application.
Last edited by SteinMeister; 07-18-2018 at 09:40 PM.
Nothing wrong flat betting low stakes once you learn basic strategy imo... but make sure you know it without having to think at all.. should be second nature.
Then, say you're making $5 bets, you're just giving away 2-3 cents a hand to see what the casino is like and have some fun. Wouldn't actually count and start varying bets though until you're much more confident and proficient in running count, converting to true count, and know at least the most advantageous indexes, such as insurance.
Even then, start low stakes til you really begin to learn the game. Don't rush it
IMO....
Have basic strategy down cold. You should be able to fill out a BS chart without having to think about it. When given a hand matchup, you should know almost instantly what to do. Same applies for illustrious 18.
You should be able to count through a deck of cards in under 30 seconds easily without a mistake.
Get CVBJ and CVCX. Practice practice practice.
Go to the casino and practice playing and just being in the casino environment. Transition from practicing on the computer to playing in real life. It's okay to go to the casino while not being perfect, the purpose is to get used to playing at a real table, not to make money (right now). Either flat bet, or use a small spread, like betting 1 unit per TC.
Keep practicing on software and in real life. Eventually you'll be perfect on the software and still probably making some mistakes in real life. Later, you'll be making few mistakes in real life. You'll know when you're ready. But, again, I wouldn't dive right into it -- transition.
"Everyone wants to be rich, but nobody wants to work for it." -Ryan Howard [The Office]
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