Blackjack beginner question

Hello all, I'm relatively a newbee to the blackjack world and had a few questions i wanted to throw out there. First I've read 4 books on blackjack trying to establish some sort of understanding on how this game works and how to capitalize from it. Now that i have basic strategy(BS)stored in my brain, is it worth just playing BS alone at a good game and not counting at all?? I have the high/low system down somewhat proficient. From my understanding it's roughly 50/50 playing BS alone? From what I've gathered 90% of BJ players do not know BS, so I'm one step up right their. How do you know when your ready to test the waters and how much bankroll is a minimum to begin. Are their any BJ clubs so to speak that get together and practice this sort of stuff?? (That maybe an off the wall question) Any help or advice would be appreciated.........thanks for great posts on this site.

Which books have you read? Many are good, some not so good.

What is your objective? Basic strategy by itself pretty much means you are going to lose just a little (in comparison of your overall betting) in the long run. You said you want to "capitalize from it". Losing is not capitalizing. Leo Sayer "didn't seek entertainment, just poultry and game". You can be entertained and get comps from playing basic strategy, but you're not going to make money.

Knowing HiLo "somewhat proficient" won't get it. It's a tried and true system, but you have to be disciplined to be effective.

Clubs? Join Greenchip here, and participate. But don a thick skin and be patient.

Speaking of "don", your spelling is good, but learn the differences between "their", "there", and "they're", along with "your" and "you're", or face his wrath.

Good luck from the duck.

You can come close to breaking even with basic strategy blackjack if you factor in the comps you can get. But you will not make actual money because in the long run you cannot overcome the house advantage with basic strategy play. If you count cards and bet properly, you can make money and get comps as well.

There is a lot more to it than that, but those are the basic facts. If you want to learn more, I'd suggest that you join Green Chip.

Try reading Playing Blackjack As A Business By Lawrence Revere. Then study it. It's got all your answers.

I stand corrected, I'm not claiming to be the sharpest tool in the shed. It sounds like to excel in the game of BJ joining greenchip is where it's at, im going to take that into serous consideration, along with practicing counting cards. The books I've read are as follows, "Play Blackjack Like The Pro's", "Blackjack Secrets", "Beat the Dealer" and last but not least "Bringing Down The House......lol

Kevin Blackwood is okay, but he's not one of the greats. Wong's book is the best one you've read so far. This is Wong's site, by the way. Thorp's book was the great book that started it all, but it's outdated. Mezrich's book isn't about teaching you.

Get Bootlegger's book, "200 Proof Blackjack", and read some more Wong and some Arnold Snyder.

I would strongly suggest that you get Bootlegger's 200 Proof Blackjack. It is specifically designed for new players who want to get more out of their game. You can order it from the catalog on this website.

arnold snyder is in my opinion far and away the best author out there. wongs books are so in depth, although not a bad thing, that they are hard to read for the beginner. snyder fuses good information and the ease of reading a book as a beginner flawlessly.

I think his most clever and pleasurable read is "Blackjack Wisdom".

I'd recommend blackjackinfo.com , it's another good open (and free) message board with lots of knowledgeable people.

I second the vote for Snyder - Blackbelt in Blackjack is an excellent book, though in my opinion it's a bit optimistic in the first three chapters (that is, the experience he's had is a bit romanticized) for the begining for the beginning player; that said, it gets down to business (and realism) thereafter, so it's well worth the money. The red seven count is really interesting, and I suspect it was much more so in 1983 when he published it -- that had to take balls, and I respect him for that (this is in no way a recommendation of the red seven system for serious play, just a statement in and of itself).

I also second the vote for proper spelling and grammar. Beyond the proper situations for "there," "their," and "they're," learn the proper use of the possessive and various contractions (using the apostrophe) vs. plurals (NOT using the apostrophe). "I've got thirty black chip's" is not correct. "I've got thirty black chips" is correct.

:)

Finally I don't want to give the impression that I'm a hugely successful player either. I am a player that has learned a great deal of the math and practiced a great deal of the counting, but who (due to his "real" job) hasn't the motivation to find the profitable games anymore, and prefers to stay at his comp'd suites at the Borgata and read his Kindle for a long weekend per month, eat good food, and relax.

That said, I wish the absolute best to players starting out, and I think it's only by educating the younger players on advantage play that we might eventually convince the casinos, when they think they can use electronic measures like chip-counting tables and shoes, to back off to the games we enjoy today -- just like we did successfully when they started doing 50% penetration and we convinced them to stop. The power is in our hands, we just have to be united.

All the best!
-bb

The Bishop has put out plenty of information throughout the years and I have been very successful by applying much of it with some twists but many of the best BJ books are out of print. Right Stanford? Right James? Right Allen?