How many hours a week does someone practice and studying
How many hours a week does someone practices that includes playing CVBJ or other software, and studying includes reading books and internet
This isn't easy to answer as, for me at least, it varied quite a lot and was dependent on when you measured relative to my BJ playing life. When I started, way back around 1978, I spent probably 20 hrs a week for a number of weeks but then playing/live practising in the casino took over. I then played live in a casino around 2/3 hrs a day about 5 days a week for about 4 years. I was banned in most locals casinos over that time and so my playing pretty much fell away to just a few hours a week. Now, because there are limited tables with reasonable conditions available I probably play less than 2 hrs a week...I've never had a losing year btw....in 41 years
Last edited by ummagumma; 02-06-2019 at 11:00 PM.
Like ummagumma said or alluded to, it depends on how far along the road you are. If you're just starting out, then you're probably going to be spending a LOT of time practicing, learning, reading, etc. At least for me, there was a sense of "How do I know if I'm doing this right? Am I learning the right things and am I applying the math to it properly?" Once/if you become pro or full-time, then there's going to be a lot less practice, reading, research, etc. simply because you already know most or close to all of what you need to know.
I really don't remember how much I spent practicing and whatnot during my peak of playing BJ, but I probably averaged about 15-20 minutes a day on CVBJ, would recite indices in my head a few times a day (like if I'm at a stoplight or doing some mundane task), I also had a deck of cards in my car that I'd count down once or twice before going into a casino to get my brain "ready", and on the drive to the casino, I'd just count from 0 to 20 to -20 back to 0 by 1's, then again by 2's, then the odd 2's, then by 3's, and finally by 4's. I used Zen count, where the biggest 2-card combination would be -4 or +4, btw. The times I didn't do this, I'd feel a bit sluggish at the beginning of the session (like my brain would just freeze and I couldn't add 2+3), but when I started doing just very elementary drills before a session, I'd be much quicker. I guess I'm going off on a tangent, but whatever.
"Everyone wants to be rich, but nobody wants to work for it." -Ryan Howard [The Office]
Personally I'm a bit(yeah right) over the top OCD but when I first started, and even now I take spells, I practiced counting at every opportunity. I followed advice I got from very astute (genius some) players here at bjtf and had a deck of cards in EVERY room, in every coat, in my car and ran down the deck as fast as possible at every free moment. I practiced up to 6 hours a day on CVBJ. I purchased an actual shoe, chips and played that way for a better feel for casino environs. I separated 1/2 deck amounts, 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, 2 etc and GLUED them together for deck estimation practice and would lay the cards all around the house so I became accustomed to seeing the different sizes. I STILL count down decks while I drive (worse than Texts!!) And my partner even counts decks sometimes now on our way to the city. I read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on Don's, Wong's, Norms, A.S., Griff, Uston. I recommend every waking moment you can spare. How proficient do you wish to be? How much do you value your money? WHY are you learning this? YOU will determine the level of dedication, excellence and success by your behavior. How serious about being an AP are you really?
I practice or read a lot. This game fascinates me, beyond what I'll ever need to know to play it well, if that makes sense. I've always liked card games, strategy games (chess, backgammon) and math, so this checks all the boxes.
I always count down a deck or two before I play, and I always do a "dry run" on CV games before I play, kind of like a warm up.
When I first started, I didn't understand the math although I excelled in it in college many years ago. So I paid one of my kids (now a math teacher himself) to read professional blackjack and explain it to me. I was surprised I was able to recall much of it after his refresher course. Even now, I'll phone a friend with questions about indices or variance that I'll never need in live play, just because.
(Don, the grammar error was intentional....)
I spend a lot of time on blackjack forums, but I don't really consider that practicing. However, sometimes you do pick up a new tidbit of good information. Once in a while I will practice counting and review BS charts for a few minutes. If I'm on a trip to a single deck destination then before the trip I will spend some time reviewing single deck basic strategy.
Often when I practice or play on CVBJ I play much different than I would in an actual casino just to see what happens so this is probably not serious practice.
Last edited by Midwest Player; 02-07-2019 at 04:10 PM.
Email: [email protected]
Posting Permissions
-*-
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by zbest1966
Bookmarks