sebastian: Need advice/input from all professionals-What's that 1 thing you'll pass on

[sebastian]

Hi,

Thank you so much for checking out this thread. I've just recently got into counting and I know almost everyone is ahead by eons. You guys are the inspiration for me to learn.

I have one request and I'm a real fan on receiving advice from pros, and I'm sure almost everyone on the board will benefit from this thread.

What is your advice, that one nugget of gold, you'll pass on to another pro or a young counter on the come up? It can be about anything, the game itself, the casino, the repetoire, etc. Anything.

Thank you in advance!

"You want to learn from experience, but you want to learn from other people's experience when you can."

[Norm Wattenberger]

is that there isn't just one thing you really need to know

Any one of the following will mess you up:

[*]Overbetting/inadequate understanding of risk[*]Poor game selection[*]Too low a spread[*]Inadequate practice[*]Inadequate discipline[/list]

> Hi,

> Thank you so much for checking out this thread. I've
> just recently got into counting and I know almost
> everyone is ahead by eons. You guys are the
> inspiration for me to learn.

> I have one request and I'm a real fan on receiving
> advice from pros, and I'm sure almost everyone on the
> board will benefit from this thread.

> What is your advice, that one nugget of gold, you'll
> pass on to another pro or a young counter on the come
> up? It can be about anything, the game itself, the
> casino, the repetoire, etc. Anything.

> Thank you in advance!

> "You want to learn from experience, but you want
> to learn from other people's experience when you
> can."

[jblaze]

Bankroll management, realistic expectations, and an unwavering belief in yourself. (Read: knowing you've got an edge even after hitting a 3SD loss).

> is that there isn't just one thing you really need to
> know

> Any one of the following will mess you up:

> Overbetting/inadequate understanding of risk
> Poor game selection
> Too low a spread
> Inadequate practice
> Inadequate discipline
>

[Brick]

...or gravy for that matter. But then again I dont consider myself a real pro.

[Enzo]

1) Hit the best games hard while you can; they usually don't last forever.

2) Network with the best people you can find. Information is critical to your success.

3) Try to learn another form of AP besides straight card counting; diversification is a good thing.

4) Remember that the more aggressive players will outperform the least aggressive players by a very significant margin. The guys consistently making most the most money are the guys playing a strong game without excessive cover, getting the most backoffs, 86ing, Etc. If you are playing high stakes and this is not happening quite a bit, you are likely fooling yourself about what your edge really is.

5) Become an expert in generating cash from Casino marketting programs. At the higher bet levels it is am important source of income. When international players visit Vegas and leave complaining the games are not as good as the better rules games they are used to outside the U.S., it is clear to me that either they:

a) do not really understand how to milk the system in casinos across America.

b) are not playing at a high enough level to trigger the most valuable offers.

or

c) leave before they can benefit from the ongoing offers.

6) Be prepared to travel. Play the best game or two in a number of different markets. If you are good and successful in your home market you will want to travel to
other markets to stay in action.

7) Find some way to get to the higher bet levels. The games are usually better, coms are better, conditions less crowded. Hourly win rates are much higher.

Enzo

Hi,

> Thank you so much for checking out this thread. I've
> just recently got into counting and I know almost
> everyone is ahead by eons. You guys are the
> inspiration for me to learn.

> I have one request and I'm a real fan on receiving
> advice from pros, and I'm sure almost everyone on the
> board will benefit from this thread.

> What is your advice, that one nugget of gold, you'll
> pass on to another pro or a young counter on the come
> up? It can be about anything, the game itself, the
> casino, the repetoire, etc. Anything.

> Thank you in advance!

> "You want to learn from experience, but you want
> to learn from other people's experience when you
> can."

[David Spence]

Just one word: plastics.

> Hi,

> Thank you so much for checking out this thread. I've
> just recently got into counting and I know almost
> everyone is ahead by eons. You guys are the
> inspiration for me to learn.

> I have one request and I'm a real fan on receiving
> advice from pros, and I'm sure almost everyone on the
> board will benefit from this thread.

> What is your advice, that one nugget of gold, you'll
> pass on to another pro or a young counter on the come
> up? It can be about anything, the game itself, the
> casino, the repetoire, etc. Anything.

> Thank you in advance!

> "You want to learn from experience, but you want
> to learn from other people's experience when you
> can."

[OldCootFromVA]

Here, in order of importance, are the 3 ingredients of success:

1) "Luck";

2) Money Management; and

3) Skill.

[PunkEye]

> Hi,

> Thank you so much for checking out this thread. I've
> just recently got into counting and I know almost
> everyone is ahead by eons. You guys are the
> inspiration for me to learn.

> I have one request and I'm a real fan on receiving
> advice from pros, and I'm sure almost everyone on the
> board will benefit from this thread.

> What is your advice, that one nugget of gold, you'll
> pass on to another pro or a young counter on the come
> up? It can be about anything, the game itself, the
> casino, the repetoire, etc. Anything.

> Thank you in advance!

> "You want to learn from experience, but you want
> to learn from other people's experience when you
> can."

Realize the game is 90% variance and 35% skill

[hawk]

One very important rule that is mostly overlooked in to not play underfinanced. Not having a proper bankroll to be able to survive the wild swings of the game can be devastating.

Also Wonging is a very powerful weapon. A lot of counters don?t like to do it but it is a must.

Good luck
H

[PunkEye]

> One very important rule that is mostly overlooked in
> to not play underfinanced. Not having a proper
> bankroll to be able to survive the wild swings of the
> game can be devastating.

> Also Wonging is a very powerful weapon. A lot of
> counters don?t like to do it but it is a must.

AKA solo wonging. Play the minimum on 3 spots to expend the bad cards but shoot your max bet on one hole when the count jumps up. Another very effective tactic.

[hawk]

> AKA solo wonging. Play the minimum on 3 spots to
> expend the bad cards but shoot your max bet on one
> hole when the count jumps up. Another very effective
> tactic.

I agree that playing 3 spots for minimum bets and changing to 1 spot max bet would be VERY profitable. You need to be very careful doing it because the move just screams out ?card counter?.

What I do sometimes is to play multiple hands for min. and when the count goes high just increase to 75% of max bet on each spot. If you need to close a spot just say you want to fix the deck by closing one spot and change the order of the cards.
(Ploppies says that all the time)

[Dean]

From what I've heard, the best advice is "You can beat the game, but it is more important to beat the casinos". What that means is that you can have all of the strategies memorized, but if you can't disguise or "cover" your play, you will never win.

Also, keep in mind that BJ is not the only "beatable" casino game. Video poker, poker, and sports betting are also beatable. If you get barred for counting at blackjack, you may want to consider those games.

I hope this helps, replies appreciated.

> What is your advice, that one nugget of gold, you'll
> pass on to another pro or a young counter on the come
> up? It can be about anything, the game itself, the
> casino, the repetoire, etc. Anything.

> Thank you in advance!

> "You want to learn from experience, but you want
> to learn from other people's experience when you
> can."

[OldCootFromVA]

Your question got me to thinking; so here, in order of importance, are the FOUR ingredients of success:

1. DISCIPLINE

2. "Luck" (i.e., variance)

3. Money Management

4. Skill