I found the article and posted it as a separate thread. I thought it deserved it's own.
I'm "tirekicking" the idea of playing seriously on a team but the EV figures never added up in my mind enough to make it worth the while (especially with the swings of so much variance in the game)...but perhaps I'm missing the boat when it comes to EV from playing solo w/ a smallER bankroll to perhaps joining a team where the EV result(s) can substantially be much more because of a LARGER bankroll? Right? I'm just having trouble financially justifying putting in the time & effort into something like this professionally/seriously SOLO unless I had a huge enough bankroll. Then again, perhaps I'm missing something to it - which is partly why I'm considering team play and I'm extremely open to hearing everyone's thoughts/feedback on this topic.
Correct me if I'm wrong but with teamplay it can generally be more profitable simply because of the fact that the bankroll can be consolidated resulting in larger expected returns as opposed to single players playing solo with their "smaller" bankrolls. Yes? (not to mention potentially longer survival due to the amount of heat being spread out amongst multiple individuals vs. one person playing solo?)
No question that teaming with others can be more profitable, and I think everyone learns more. The hard part is finding people you trust in order to team up. Read The Blackjack Life. It's the story of 2 guys who found each other and formed a very successful 2-man team.
Wow, that's going back.
Here's a picture of the cover of John Reppert's book, published 1964, a total of 14 pages:
http://books.google.com/books/about/...d=hzyvHAAACAAJ
Lawrence Revere wrote (p. 168), "One of the most popular as well as one of the higher priced systems available is the Reppert system (also $100). ...The Reppert Blackjack System is especially abominable. ...This count is either inane or insane, depending on whether you're trying to analyze it or win with it." Of course, Revere also excoriated Hi-Opt I, and even high-low as published by Thorp, for that matter nearly all counts that he hadn't published himself.
Mickey I can understand where you are coming from. I have recently considered looking for a team also. My bankroll is not large enough to support where I want to go with blackjack and taking out a loan right now is not reasonable. I've been looking for a team in the Midwest but as I expected, having no contacts makes it extremely hard. I guess the biggest issue I have besides that is who to trust and if my team would be willing to put in the time and work to actually do big thigs! Anyway best of luck.
Vas Spanos is NOT a scam artist, just a jerk - I've met him. He is absolutely an accomplished blackjack player, but not the best, and NOT the master. Most of his Blackjack "profits" come from teaching, not playing. Want to win at blackjack? Read on - I'm not selling anything.Originally Posted by ZenMaster_Flash
Casinos have become much smarter. They now have table employees that are well versed in various BJ strategies. In addition, they often use computers to track play & bet decisions/patterns.
The only way to beat the game: Use a combination of successful systems (Sorry, not sharing my specifics). Make sure to make "mistakes" on purpose on occasion to throw not only the computers off, but the floor people as well. If the human element thinks you are a drunk idiot who doesn't even seem to be paying attention, they will override any advice their computers give them.
Guys: Spend a LOT of time checking out the waitresses, and always have a brown bottled beer with you if available (fill it with water everytime you go to the bathroom). To pull this off, you should be able to count down a deck PERFECTLY 9/10 times in 20 seconds (as fast as you can flip them). This is important because it allows you to quickly glance at the table to get the count. If you spend most of your time looking at everything BUT the cards, they will not suspect you of counting. Especially when some of your plays don't seem to match up with any strategy.
Girls, flirt with the guys, especially dealers/floors, and pits. Spend much more time looking at them than looking at the cards. Also, cleavage will help keep their eyes off of yours.
Never shuffle your chips or do anything that makes you look experienced. Ask for advice from other players once in a while. If they give you bad advice when you have a small bet up - take it!
Strategy variations are one of the most important aspects of counting.
Know when the true count tells you to vary from basic - this is essential. Make flash cards to become proficient.
Try to look different every time you visit a casino - and don't go to the same one too often! You want to postpone familiarity as long as possible! Their player tracking system is basic; for instance: White male, brown hair, glasses, blue blazer. Won $500, mostly basic strategy plays. The next day, the same guy is: White male, NYY baseball cap, drinks heavily, won $1600, splits tens, etc. Don't use your real name or get a "club card". It's always your first visit to that particular casino - so don't get to know anyone.
I actually wrote a detailed book about this a long time ago. The advice above was some of the most important information in my books and classes. I charged people a lot of money for the information you just received for FREE.
As some others have already mentioned on this forum - you really don't need to take a class. Just review different systems, learn everything you can on your own, and be diligent. Make your own rules, and stick to them! Also, become familiar with the theory of "Gamblers ruin".
Good luck! Wait, did I just say that? There is no such thing in blackjack!
Last edited by jamgam; 04-09-2013 at 09:45 AM. Reason: added a sentence
The whole reason for teamplay has to do with increasing the percentage of advantage, when done correctly (BP's). It is difficult to pull off, but the idea is to play more max bets, more often. You big bets never have to wait for a good shoe, because there is always one in play somewhere in the casino.
This I like. You are NOT going to fool a computer with a few deliberate, cheap playing and betting errors. All that's going to happen is that the computer will say that your betting correlation is 92% instead of 97%, or that your playing efficiency is 50% instead of 60%. Still plenty strong enough to get you the boot, unless you deviate from proper strategy so much that you're genuinely playing a very weak game. To me, the talk that I see on the boards about using some exotic count because it will call for different decisions than hi-lo, and thereby supposedly fool the casino, is pathetic.
Now, the question becomes, can you really get the pit, or the shift manager, or whoever is making the decision, to disregard the computer's advice? If you find such a casino, you're in the money. A place like that is worth a long search. But I would suggest that the casinos that will ignore computer analysis over a long period are few. Your goal should be to get them NOT TO RUN COMPUTER ANALYSIS ON YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE. For that purpose, yes, proper relations with the pit, and a few blatant errors seen by the Eye, may be valuable.
I spent a long time on the other side of the table before I began playing pro. When I left the business in the 90's, the up & coming technology was playing cheques that had small microchips in them. The bet size could be read by sensors underneath the felt, and the cameras above were able to recognize pip patterns, making playing analysis much simpler. Computers have come a long way since then. There are probably now some casinos that constantly analyze each and every table on the floor, making your acting talents more important than ever.
As far as intentional mistakes are concerned, the type that I use most often (with larger than minimum bets) are based on favorable negative counts. Thats correct - negative. If you tailor your system correctly, you can bet into neg's at an advantage, which fools EVERYBODY - even the computer. More on that, I will not say.
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