new to forum and blackjack, looking for study advice

[wannabeap1]

thank you to anyone who chooses to respond and help out a new player in their journey.

im mostly looking for direction, what the best study info is?
what order to learn in? ect. i can count hi low but have not mastered basic strategy and have really only been training to count
as fast as possible, with as many distractions as possible. i am slowly getting confident in my hi/low counting. now looking for direction.

what material is worth purchasing?
what software is the best?

is BJA worth the membership? ect

any help is appreciated. i am a long time poker player who owns a small buisness,

i have never played blackjack in a casino and dont intend to until i feel confident that i have a sound game.

thank you,

[Gramazeka]

Help for you-

https://www.blackjackinfo.com/commun...uestions.9666/

[JohnGalt007]

thank you to anyone who chooses to respond and help out a new player in their journey.

im mostly looking for direction, what the best study info is?
what order to learn in? ect. i can count hi low but have not mastered basic strategy and have really only been training to count
as fast as possible, with as many distractions as possible. i am slowly getting confident in my hi/low counting. now looking for direction.

what material is worth purchasing?
what software is the best?

is BJA worth the membership? ect

any help is appreciated. i am a long time poker player who owns a small buisness,

i have never played blackjack in a casino and dont intend to until i feel confident that i have a sound game.

thank you,

Welcome to the community!

First of all, you'll need a strong background in mathematics. Given that you're a long-time poker player who owns a small business, you're almost certainly overqualified and have more than sufficient mathematical knowledge to play blackjack with an advantage, i.e. arithmetic, algebra, elementary probability. However, in order to dive deep into the intricacies of the game and truly understand what it is you're doing and why you're doing it, so you can figure out how to do it better as you gain experience, you'll need a solid grasp of probability theory, statistics, and related mathematical prerequisites like linear algebra and basic calculus. I'm a mathematician, so of course I'm biased in this regard, but personally I'm of the school of thought that the more you know, the more you can know, so as much math as possible will be ideal, or at the very least can't hurt. It is not, however, absolutely necessary to know more than arithmetic to count cards, but it is necessary to know at least the aforementioned subjects from high school and first semester of college so you can do more than just follow a recipe.
Recommended Books:
Khan Academy's units on probability theory and AP Statistics (online, easy/medium difficulty)
"Casino Math Skills: Essential Skills for the Gaming Industry" by the Canadian Gaming Centre of Excellence (easy difficulty)
"Practical Casino Math (2ed.)" by Robert C. Hannum and Anthony N. Cabot (medium difficulty)
"Casino Gambling for Dummies (2ed.)" by Kevin Blackwood (easy/medium difficulty)
Optional Books:
"The Theory of Gambling & Statistical Logic (2ed.)" by Richard Epstein (medium/hard difficulty)
"The Doctrine of Chances" by Stewart Ethier (medium/hard difficulty)
"Finding the Edge: Mathematical and Quantitative Analysis of Gambling" by Olaf Vencura, et al (medium/hard difficulty)
"Optimal Play: Mathematical Studies of Games and Gambling" by the Reno Institute for the Study of Gambling & Commercial Gaming (hard difficulty)

I would also recommend that you pick up a programming language so you can follow the logic, operate sim programs, stay up-to-date with your spreadsheets and records, etc. Your choice of language depends on your desired ease of implementation and the performance requirements of your laptop. I personally know R, C++, and Python, although for this purpose C++ or R is typically favored. Again, it's not strictly necessary that you know computer programming languages to be an effective advantage player, although it will definitely help your studies and progress in the long run if you do. At the very least, do learn to work with Excel spreadsheets so you can keep careful records.
Recommended Books:
"The Book of R: A First Course in Programming and Statistics" by Tilman M. Davies (easy/medium difficulty)
"C++ for Mathematicians" by Edward R. Scheinerman (easy/medium difficulty)
"Probability, Decisions, & Games: A Gentle Introduction Using R" by Abel Rodriguez and Bruno Mendes (medium difficulty)
Optional Books:
"Casino Calculus: Numerical Methods for Games of Chance" by Jim Peschke (medium difficulty)
"Monte Carlo Simulation: The Art of Random Process Characterization" by D. James Benton (medium difficulty)

Next, you'll need to learn the game and theory of blackjack. Gather up all you can on the mechanics of the game and the basic theory of card counting. This is where the meat of your studies will likely be, as you soak up the knowledge of the experts that came before you and acquire a clear layout of the battleground. It's during this time that you should master basic strategy for the ruleset of the game you're most likely going to be playing, as well as the Hi-Lo system of card counting. All of the books you read should emphasize that that part comes first before anything else. Make sure you have basic strategy absolutely down stone cold, can count down a full deck in 15-20 seconds with no mistakes, and can play and bet correctly without thinking.
Recommended Books:
"Basic Blackjack", "Professional Blackjack", "Blackjack Secrets" (in that order), all by Stanford Wong (easy/medium/hard difficulty, depending on topic)
"The Blackjack Zone - Lessons in Winning at Blackjack and Life" by Eliot Jacobson (easy/medium difficulty)
"The Theory of Blackjack (6ed.)" by Peter Griffin (medium/hard difficulty)
"Blackjack Attack (3ed.)" by Don Schlesinger (medium/hard difficulty)
"Blackbelt in Blackjack" by Arnold Snyder (medium/hard difficulty)
"Beat the Dealer" by Edward O. Thorp (medium/hard difficulty)
"The Twenty-First Century Card Counter" by Colin Jones (medium difficulty)
"Burning the Tables in Las Vegas" by Ian Andersen (medium difficulty)
"The Big Book of Blackjack" by Arnold Snyder (easy/medium difficulty)
Optional Books:
"Sklansky Talks Blackjack" by David Sklansky (easy difficulty)
"Blackjack Essays" by Mason Malmuth (easy/medium difficulty)
"Blackjack for Blood" by Bryce Carlson (medium difficulty)
"Million Dollar Blackjack" by Ken Uston (medium/hard difficulty)
"Advanced Tactics in Casino Advantage Play" by Abram Alexander (medium difficulty)
"Risk and Reward: The Science of Casino Blackjack (2ed.)" by N. Richard Werthamer (hard difficulty)
"Extra Stuff: Gambling Ramblings" by Peter Griffin (medium difficulty)
"Comp City: A Guide to Free Casino Vacations (2ed.)" by Max Rubin (medium difficulty)
"Radical Blackjack" by Arnold Snyder (medium/hard difficulty)

Next, learn the basics of counter-surveillance (pun intended) and how to pull off a successful cover. The metagame of advantage blackjack is to play into the fabled long run without getting caught. You'll need to know the law around your activities as well as how to navigate the waters of lurking pit critters who don't like you and want to make your life miserable for the crime of beating them intelligently and legally. Ideally, you'll know how surveillance operates so you can plan around their protocols and prolong your longevity at various casinos. Difficulty ratings are not applicable for these resources. If you're doing it right, it should all feel hard, like taking a sip of water through a firehose of information.
Recommended Books:
This article: http://www.thebeargrowls.com/?p=73
"Blackjack and the Law" by I. Nelson Rose and Robert A. Loeb
"The Law for Gamblers: A Legal Guide to the Casino Environment" by Bob Nersesian
"Beat the Players" by Bob Nersesian
"The Card Counter's Guide to Casino Surveillance" by Cellini
"Tax Help for Gamblers: Poker and Other Casino Games (4ed.)" by Jean Scott & Marissa Chien
"Behind the Black Dome: An Advantage Player's Guide to Casino Surveillance" by T. Dane
Optional Books:
"Casino Security & Gaming Surveillance" by Derk J. Boss and Alan W. Zajic
"Methods of Disguise" by Jon Sample
"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu

Finally, three side points:
(1) Read this article now: https://bj21.com/articles/blackjack/jobdescription
(2) I own a copy of Norm Wattenberger's CVData Simulator program from Qfit and a free demo copy of Casino Verite software from the same (https://www.qfit.com/downloads.htm). The former was worth every penny; I haven't decided yet if I'll spring for a full copy of the latter, but the demo copy is definitely still worth exploring.
(3) Always be curious. Read more, absorb more information, guard against superstition and all cognitive biases that will plague you and your psyche while you learn and gain experience. Ask questions, listen carefully, then ask questions again. Learn the boundaries of the box before you start thinking outside of it. Worship at the altar of expected value, but temper your offerings with the wisdom of volatility. And always split aces and eights!

Hope this helps!

[Intermediate]

Maybe to simplify and focus your learning, first learn how to play the hands according to Basic Strategy. I wouldn’t play in a casino until you’ve at least mastered Basic Strategy. Along with bet sizing, counting triggers deviations from Basic Strategy so Basic Strategy is fundamental to Blackjack Card Counting. You need to crawl before you walk.

A good book to start with is Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong. If you’re considering software, CVBJ has great practice software and along with CVCX is a great investment.

The main math skill you will need to count and bet/play according to the Hi-Lo True Count is to be able to add, subtract, and multiply (or divide) in your head while counting, playing the hands, and sizing your bets.

These things really just touch the surface, so good luck, and practice, practice, practice.

[Northbend]

I’m new to counting myself, so I’m not gonna comment on that subject. I have however, comp hustled for some time. I was thinking about the fact that you’re a poker player, and I would imagine that your observational skills really come in handy for that particular game. So my advice is to use your observational skills when you start playing blackjack. What I mean by this is to keep yourself open to other opportunities that come up. I’ve personally had all kinds of opportunities just drop themselves on my lap. Just to name a couple of many examples, I’ve played games where dealers will flash the hole card, will double pay blackjacks, let you hit and double on split aces when the the official rules prohibit this, and many other mistakes that are in your favor. All these opportunities can add up to some serious EV. Also, know that dealers will also make just as many mistakes that are not in your favor, so make sure to catch those. You might actually be aware of this stuff already, but I just wanted to contribute something and say welcome.

[Archvaldor]

First of all, you'll need a strong background in mathematics.

No you don't. A smart nine-year old can master a level 1 count in a day.

To the OP: to win money counting cards - a highly dubious goal in 2023, you need to find games with decent penetration and shove out money at high counts without going broke.
Resize your bets proportionately to your advantage and bankroll and try not to burn out your welcome if you have limited geographical access to casinos.

By all means waste your time on books and stuff: it is great to have a hobby. Just be aware the gains of that are very trivial beyond a basic level. There's an extremely high level of
replication of the same information in most counting books and what info there is can be found mostly online.

[Archvaldor]

I’ve personally had all kinds of opportunities just drop themselves on my lap. Just to name a couple of many examples, I’ve played games where dealers will flash the hole card, will double pay blackjacks, let you hit and double on split aces when the the official rules prohibit this, and many other mistakes that are in your favor. All these opportunities can add up to some serious EV.

Great when it happens. If you are really short you will see these opportunities everywhere. Medium-tall not so much.

Undergraduate types love fantasizing about this stuff but I have literally never seen any one come out with anything post-Uston that isn't incredibly vague regarding the frequency of procedural errors. Without that you don't know what your global ev is. For most people it just isn't viable because they don't find enough loaders/mis-pays whatever to justify the time invested.

[Hans Christiansen]

I highly recommend that you start reading the book Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One by Edward O. Thorp

[21forme]

I highly recommend that you start reading the book Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One by Edward O. Thorp

I disagree. Very outdated book for today's games. Good for historical interest only.

[dalmatian]

thank you to anyone who chooses to respond and help out a new player in their journey.

im mostly looking for direction, what the best study info is?
what order to learn in? ect. i can count hi low but have not mastered basic strategy and have really only been training to count
as fast as possible, with as many distractions as possible. i am slowly getting confident in my hi/low counting. now looking for direction.

what material is worth purchasing?
what software is the best?

is BJA worth the membership? ect

any help is appreciated. i am a long time poker player who owns a small buisness,

i have never played blackjack in a casino and dont intend to until i feel confident that i have a sound game.

thank you,

hi,

welcome.

my advice to you is to not join BJA. This is simply a scam in my opinion so Colin Jones can feed his 15 children organic cereal. Have you ever wondered why Colin Jones doesn't play blackjack anymore? Or why almost no blackjack AP does it for more than a few years? It's because you get burned out on the rough lifestyle (getting constantly backed off and having to travel all over the country) and also you name becomes so dirty in the databases and very effective fliers it becomes impossible to play.

COVID and post covid completely changed blackjack. The stuff Yoshi/smallcap/joe&semi-pro did like 7 years ago can't be done anymore. The casino's are simply too quick to backoff. when you factor in the casino heat and countermeasures you simply can't get enough time in to justify doing this over a regular 9-5. also, many games are gone and replaced with slots or 6:5. to find a decent 3:2 game you often need to play high limit (50-100$/hand) and theres nobody in there playing so they'll pick you off in a heartbeat.

if you wanna simply count cards as a hobby or at most a very part-time thing, then go for it. but dont do it thinking you'll be the next Yoshi.

I made this mistake. in the end you'll regret doing it. i promise you.

just my advice.

[Norm]

Please stop pushing misinformation on this forum.

[21forme]

Please stop pushing misinformation on this forum.

It's helpful to use the quote feature so we know to whom you are responding (especially when your post causes a page break). If you're not familiar with that feature, you may want to contact the guy that runs this forum.

[Norm]

Page break? What page break.