Victor Francis: Some Basic betting Questions

[Victor Francis]

I'm planning a trip to Las Vegas in a few weeks and in training ( CVBJ drills and play daily ). I am looking for $5 to $10 play. A few questions:

Should I be practicing 6 deck or 8 deck? I know in AC I can get 6 deck games but I'm not sure about Las Vegas.

I assume for low limit I should plan on the dealer hitting Soft 17. Is this correct?

My betting is as follows: TC=1 then bet 2 units, TC=2 then bet 4 units, TC=3 then bet 8 units, TC-=5 then bet 4 units. Sensible and profitable?

Do I need to cover my betting changes? I was planning on never decreasing after a loss and parlaying wins. Am I being overly cautious at my level?

Should I move my lips when I count? ... just kidding

I know these are a lot of questions but any help is appreciated.

[Parker]

> I'm planning a trip to Las Vegas in a few
> weeks and in training ( CVBJ drills and play
> daily ). I am looking for $5 to $10 play. A
> few questions:

> Should I be practicing 6 deck or 8 deck? I
> know in AC I can get 6 deck games but I'm
> not sure about Las Vegas.

There are plenty of low-min 6D games in LV, as long as you don't insist on playing Bellagio on Saturday night.

> I assume for low limit I should plan on the
> dealer hitting Soft 17. Is this correct?

Yes. There are still a handful of low-min S17 shoes, but there are a lot more H17. And if you find a S17 game, you don't give up much by using the wrong strategy.

> My betting is as follows: TC=1 then bet 2
> units, TC=2 then bet 4 units, TC=3 then bet
> 8 units, TC-=5 then bet 4 units. Sensible
> and profitable?

There's obviously a typo here. Assuming that you meant 12 or 14 units at a TC of +5 or above, it sounds good, although I haven't run any sims to verify this.

> Do I need to cover my betting changes? I was
> planning on never decreasing after a loss
> and parlaying wins. Am I being overly
> cautious at my level?

Way too cautious, unless you're planning on making these trips on a weekly basis. At this level, playing shoes, the only cover you need is to avoid "camping out" for several hours at one place.

[Sonny]

> I am looking for $5 to $10 play. A
> few questions: Should I be practicing
> 6 deck or 8 deck?

For low stakes you could find some decent 1 and 2 deck games. The TC calculations are easier and the bankroll requirements can be smaller (unless you are a serious Wonger).

> I assume for low limit I should plan on the
> dealer hitting Soft 17. Is this correct?

Parker pretty much covered this, but there is something I'd like to add. Several casinos will have both H17 and S17 tables so make sure you look at the felt before you sit down. You may find a S17 table in the next pit.

> Do I need to cover my betting changes? I was
> planning on never decreasing after a loss
> and parlaying wins. Am I being overly
> cautious at my level?

Don't worry about cover. The strip casinos won't even notice you. Just play your heart out andwalk away from as many bad counts as you can.

> Should I move my lips when I count?

Only if you're blowing kisses to the waitresses!

-Sonny-

[Koolipto]

> There are plenty of low-min 6D games in LV,
> as long as you don't insist on playing
> Bellagio on Saturday night.

The following are all listed in the most recent CBJN as having S17, DAS, LS, RSA with minimums of $5 or $10: Caesars, Mandalay, Luxor, Monte Carlo.

I noticed that Mandalay previously had a $25 min, whereas the MGM minimum has increased from $10 to $25 in the most recent update. This could be a transposition. I played at MGM in October during all shifts (midweek) and could always find a $10 table.

None of the table conditions subscription services are perfect as conditions change frequently and, I assume, depend on the shift that they were visited. But I have subscribed to Trackjack and downloaded those exact conditions into Casino Verite for practice prior to a trip. Perhaps, this is no better preparation than inputing the above variables into Casino Verite, but it is very "comforting" to play against the target casino, prior to going.

Good Luck

[Victor Francis]

Thanks for the tips.

I'll post a report when I get back.