tuscl

Blackjack players... I have "Q" for you.

Sunday, January 4, 2009 12:02 PM
Have any of you ever tried counting cards to gain an advantage over the house? There is that hi-low system. Also, what about using that basic strategy chart?

22 comments

  • Clubber
    •
    15 years ago
    I've not played a lot in recent years, but the game and odds haven't changed. For me, I always make the dealer beat me. Do I win a lot, no. Do I always win, mostly. I never sat down at a black jack table and left with less money. Broke even a few times, however. Played mostly in the Islands.
  • BobbyI
    •
    15 years ago
    ^^^ More proof, as if any were need, that clubber is a complete idiot.
  • CarolinaWanderer
    •
    15 years ago
    If you want to have a chance at blackjack you MUST play the basic strategy perfectly. If you don't do that, any system fails. There are only two reasons to learn to count cards; either to try to play professionally; or because you enjoy the mental exercise. It has become very difficult to make a living playing blackjack because the casinos have changed the game and the odds by limiting double down and splitting opportunities, increasing the number of decks from 4 to 8 and other changes. If you want to play learn the basic strategy and practice on the computer before risking real money. I once played a lot of blackjack and made a reasonable profit, more than enough to cover trip expenses, but the opportunities are too small to justify the mental effort it takes to be a sucessful counter now.
  • Clubber
    •
    15 years ago
    TUSCAL_Brother, As you stated,you were "...a former blackjack (21) dealer and Surveillance Supervisor...", so maybe you can back me up on this. MANY players LOSE even before the dealer plays. Of course this is correct AND obvious, but some may not be intelligent enough to grasp this. Now when the dealer plays and say has to hit a 16 and say a 6 or higher pops up, he loses, of course. So no matter what the dealer does, the previous loser STILL loses, and therefore gave up a sure win. Certainly not a smart play.
  • BobbyI
    •
    15 years ago
    Let's get specific here, Clubber. Suppose that you have 15 (a seven and an eight) and the dealer has a 10 showing, what's your play: hit or stand? (To the others, yes I know the correct play, but just want to see what Clubber thinks.)
  • giveitayank
    •
    15 years ago
    CarolinaWanderer... It's not necessarily true about having to play basic strategy perfectly. Let me paint a scenerio. Let's say you're counting and the count is minus 10. There's only one deck left in the shoe. You're dealt a 14 and the dealers' up card is a four. The basic strategy chart says to stand. You'd be better off hitting because the deck is loaded with cards 7 and lower. If you don't hit, the odds are that dealer won't bust and thus, beat your 14 hand.
  • Clubber
    •
    15 years ago
    Only once will I respond, dipshit, and once only, since your limited mental prowess seems a major handicap to you. I stated in plain typed English what my play would be. See, I play for fun, not to win money. Only an idiot would gamble to make money. So what is your favorite game? END OF CONVERSATION!
  • BobbyI
    •
    15 years ago
    Pretty hostile, aren't you clubber? I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. But it looks liked you really are stupid enough to think that the correct play on 15 (7+8) vs dealer 10 is to stand. As yank alludes to, there are certain card counting situation in which the correct play is stand, but the vast majority of the time it is a hit. As demonstrated in this thread, as in the thread on the economic collapse, and as when you lost political debates to the previous holder of the title of dumbest poster on TUSCL (MisterGay), you have shown, once again, that you really are a complete idiot. As for "playing for fun" as opposed to make money, how about trying to lose less by playing correctly? Why is that contradictory with fun? Oh wait, I know the answer. It's because you are a complete idiot.
  • pop
    •
    15 years ago
    Actually if the true count were -10 I would not be playing. The true count is what you need to use because it is the running count divided by the number of decks remaining in the shoe. That way 4, 6 or 8 decks makes no difference. Counting is pretty simple. It just takes a little practice. It also takes some of the fun out of gambling, but winning is always fun.
  • Clubber
    •
    15 years ago
    TUSCL_Brother, Of course I understand your points and likely you are correct, but there again, as I stated, I play for fun. Figuring ways to help me, counting cards, even simple "rules", are more then I am willing to invest. I have not followed my rules on occasion and hit big, and also lost big on those hands. I play for hours and have always found, using my rules, I break even or win a bit, and most important to me, I have fun! Free drinks and sometimes food, you know!
  • CarolinaWanderer
    •
    15 years ago
    Personally, I gave up blackjack about 7 years ago except for an occasional visit to the Fremont to play double deck. 8 deck shoes and rules that made the house advantage too great chased me away. I now play video poker, but only advantage games. I can have a .5% or higher edge on the house and the comps are much better than most blackhack players get. I have not paid for a room or meal in Vegas in the last 7 years and occasionally get reimbursed for airfare.
  • Clubber
    •
    15 years ago
    TUSCL_Brother, "LAP & GAME on!!!", gives me an idea. A $1 "slot" machine in a SC. A small pot winner, a HJ, next winner a CBJ, then a BBBJ, BBBJCIM, and a big winner FS!
  • giveitayank
    •
    15 years ago
    Clubber... You know, having a strip club/casino sounds like it would be a lot of fun.
  • shadowcat
    •
    15 years ago
    Strip poker, anyone?
  • ozymandias
    •
    15 years ago
    The best way to make money off gambling is to develop a "system" for beating the house... and then sell the system online. That, or BE the house. Just don't be the actual gambler ;) O.
  • Golfer3166
    •
    15 years ago
    The standard blackjack shue has 7 decks in it. The old MIT card counting strategy used a team, basically a couple to count, assigning a positive, negative or neutral number to each card. It is boring and takes a lot of time to do but it does work. Trying to count alone is almost impossible unless you play at a casino that has single deck blackjack.
  • shadowcat
    •
    15 years ago
    I thankfully am not a gambler. The last time I visited a casino was with my son in Tunica MS. about 6 years ago. He was bragging about his system for playing "21". He lost his ass. I just played the one arm bandits and drank for free. I left $200 richer. Luck. After words we went to the now closed Platinum Plus. I had to loan him money. I would rather gamble on a dancer new to me.
  • Philip A. Stein
    •
    15 years ago
    Side bar: There's a theorem in math call ed the Law of Large Numbers. It basically says that the more you do a random event, the more the outcomes tends toward the expected value. For instance, flip a coin and count heads and tails. The expected outcome is half heads, half tails. Flip it 10 times, 7 heads 3trails; 100 times 57 heads, 43 tails; an million times, ok you get the idea. Here's my theorem, the Small Numbers Bill ("I know I'll be a law some day, At least I hope and pray that I will, but today I am still just a bill"). Look at the coin example. One flip and the outcome is going to be 0 or 1 head. The expected value is .5, both outcomes are as far away from the expected value as possible. Simply stated, play one hand of BJ and bet it all.
  • BobbyI
    •
    15 years ago
    Phillip: " It basically says that the more you do a random event, the more the outcomes tends toward the expected value." To be pedantic: it's going to tend away from the expected value in terms of absolute value. (1,000,000 coins tosses is expected to have a greater numbers of heads above or below 500,000 than 100 is expected to have a number of heads above or below 50.) Percentage-wise it will tended toward the expected percentage.
  • Philip A. Stein
    •
    15 years ago
    Ok Bobby, I could have stated it better. How's this: As the sample size is increased to infinity, the probability that the difference between sample mean and the expected value will be less than any positive number will tend to 1. And even that isn't completely correct!
  • Clubber
    •
    15 years ago
    Interesting point. I posted a message to no one in particular, other then to "dipshit", and someone reply, so I guess that is an admission of what he is!
  • BobbyI
    •
    15 years ago
    Looks like Clubber (the Dumbest Poster on TUSCL(TM)) has been taking logic lessons from the previous Dumbest Poster on TUSCL (TM) (i.e. MisterGay). Here's an analogy showing why Clubber's logic is so bad: Clubber: Every prime number is odd! (idiotic statement) BobbyI: Two is a prime number do you really think it is odd? (points out the idiocy, but tries to give clubber a way out) Clubber: dipshit, I told you in plain English that *every* prime number is odd. Two is a prime number, so I've clearly stated whether I think it is odd or even. Can't you read? (rejects the way out and buries himself deeper. Thinks talking tough will hide his idiocy) BobbyI: Sorry, I thought you had merely meant every prime number except two, but it looks like you truly are an idiot. (slam dunks the idiot) Clubber: Haha! I addressed "dipshit" what makes you think I was even talking about you? Guess you are one. (pitiful attempt to save face) IDIOT CLUBBER LOSES AGAIN! (Man, this is even easier than picking on MisterGay was)
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