First seat the best?

I was sitting on first base last time i played, and i was able to see the card in front of the cut card about half the time while the dealer was placing the cards into the shoe and i was also able to see the burnt card at the begining of the shoe and when a new dealer would come (except for the one dealer i had who would slide the burnt card into the discard tray without lifting it an inch). Anyways, that's valueable information to me that i would not have gotten if i had been sitting in any other position. Also, the guy on third base had a 16 against a dealer 10, and he was debating if he should hit, so the dealer was taking out a card, and i was able to see the ace that he would have been dealt, but he decided to stand on his 16 and the dealer had 20. Anyways, i knew my next card was going to be an ace so i increased my bet (ended up losing it but i didn't increase it as much as i should have i'm sure) but i was able to gain valueable information because of my seating position. Although i lose some advantage on the close plays when the count is borderline, i think i make it up in the cards that i am able to peek at. What is everyone's opinion on sitting on first base? Thanks for any input.

Impala

...it sounds like first base was the place to be. Being able to spot the dealer's next card, downcard or other cards sometimes depends on whether or not the game is a shoe game or pitch game, if the dealer is right or left handed and even the size of the table. Smaller tables where the shoe is basically in the way of the first base player and awkwardly placed for the dealer can result in the things you described. Poorly placed discard trays can also help, but usually from the third base side. If you are spooking cards, it pays to watch the dealer and how he or she does the motions before you sit down. Once you are seated and you find that another spot might give you a better point of view, then change seats if you get the chance.

But what do I know? According to one poster here, I don't know about this stuff.

How much should I bet if I known for sure that I'll get an ACE for my first card?...Seriously. 5 times my Max or session bankroll.

Thank You

Knowing that you have an ace coming means that you're looking at an EV of just over 50% of your bet. I would tend to favor betting heavy then hitting the door soon thereafter. Perhaps act like you're bored and ready to leave and shove all of your chips into the betting circle (of course, have back up paper in case you have to split or double!). It's something a lot of people do so it probably won't appear all that abnormal.