7,8,9 clumps

Hello,

Thanks for reading my post. I am new to counting and my only experience is with computer and coffee table simulations.

I am learning the High/Low count with strategy changes from -3 to +7 and using "whole deck" for the TC calculation. My bet scheme is as follows. True count -1 = $10, 0 = $20, 1 = $30, 2 = $40,3 = $50,4 = $60. My plan is a starting bankroll of $5,000.

I have a few questions for the experienced counters out there. I want to be sure I'm learning correctly before investing money in the creation of a bankroll.

Q1. I chose -4 as a stopping point if a shoe is running bad. At -3 the house has approx a 2.5% advantage and I am betting only 1 unit. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Q2. I was practicing with two friends (3 players and the dealer)and the running count was +9 with 3 decks left. All 4 players got nothing but "0" value cards for the round. I bet as if the count was +4 on the next hand... my thinking was that all those "0" cards combined with all the "+ small" cards to get the running count to +9 meant the chances of 10 and A went up slightly.

I busted on the next hand but the player to my right got 21 and the player to my left and the dealer got 20. Was this coincidence or is there a strategy to watch for clumps of cards.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and good luck,

Gary

Hello,

Thanks for reading my post. I am new to counting and my only experience is with computer and coffee table simulations.

I am learning the High/Low count with strategy changes from -3 to +7 and using "whole deck" for the TC calculation. My bet scheme is as follows. True count -1 = $10, 0 = $20, 1 = $30, 2 = $40,3 = $50,4 = $60. My plan is a starting bankroll of $5,000.

I have a few questions for the experienced counters out there. I want to be sure I'm learning correctly before investing money in the creation of a bankroll.

Q1. I chose -4 as a stopping point if a shoe is running bad. At -3 the house has approx a 2.5% advantage and I am betting only 1 unit. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Your 1-6 spread is inadequate if you are going to leave at TC<=-4. Far better it would be to leave at TC<-1 with a spread of 1-8 to 1-12.

Q2. I was practicing with two friends (3 players and the dealer)and the running count was +9 with 3 decks left. All 4 players got nothing but "0" value cards for the round. I bet as if the count was +4 on the next hand... my thinking was that all those "0" cards combined with all the "+ small" cards to get the running count to +9 meant the chances of 10 and A went up slightly.

I busted on the next hand but the player to my right got 21 and the player to my left and the dealer got 20. Was this coincidence or is there a strategy to watch for clumps of cards.

First of all, never try to determine right or wrong from a single outcome.

As far as your question goes, true, the chances of 10 and A went up slightly, but so did the chances of small cards, which help the dealer. You are best off in keeping with the plan and not making up things as you go along.

You should get a copy of Blackjack Attack to learn what you need to know, especially playing against a shoe.

Unless it is way, way, way early in the shoe I would be long gone at -3. Exit at -1 and look for something better.

> I am learning the High/Low count with strategy changes from -3 to +7 and using "whole deck" for the TC calculation. My bet scheme is as follows. True count -1 = $10, 0 = $20, 1 = $30, 2 = $40,3 = $50,4 = $60. My plan is a starting bankroll of $5,000. <

You didn't mention how many decks are in your shoe, but it sounds like a 6-decker.

If you go to qfit.com, you can find a table which will show you the EV for each TC. You need to base your bets on that, and what you get will be MUCH different than what you're doing now.

One word of advice: A $10 table is not a $10 table. It is a $20 table where you have the advantage of betting only $10 on TCs of less than +1.

I went to qfit.com and got the stats for the above game, and came up with the following betting schedule:

TC - edge - bet
<+1 -n/a- $10
+1 0.399% $20
+2 0.887% $40
+3 1.422% $70
+4 1.962% $95
+5 2.667% $130
+6 3.275% $160
+7 3.889% $190
+8 4.595% $230
+9 4.926% $245

You will probably want to stop at the $160 level because (a) you seldom see TC above +6 anyway and (b) it could bring down unwanted heat.