Hi boys, need some advice

I am currently in eastern Washington state and I am relatively new to the AP world. I have been teaching myself from YouTube and books and I am at a point where I think I am ready, but I am nervous... REALlY nervous! Does anyone have any tips regarding the games in eastern wa and casinos that are a little more counter friendly? Also is it true that they can’t arrest me if they find out what I’m doing? I have a clean record and want to keep it that way... thanks in advance!

Just play! No way to get comfortable other than get in there and do it. You cannot get arrested for playing blackjack well in Washington. You may get asked to leave a casino and then you'll have a story to tell. "You've been banned from the blah blah blah casino? Why?" asks the 99% of blackjack players that play to lose instead of win. Be confident. Give it a try. And when you get kicked out, go to the next store.

I agree with Sidedish.

Look for a low stakes table with a slow dealer. Play for short sessions. Play for the experience. Whether you win or lose is not important. Analyze what you did right and where you can improve. As you gain experience, your speed and accuracy will improve, you will begin to win and increase your bankroll. Practice your charts, counting and betting strategy before each session. Making flash cards may be helpful. The practice drills in Revere's "Playing Blackjack As A Business" are excellent.  Practice, Practice, Practice. And when you are done practicing, practice some more.

Also, there are many books on counting and how to avoid getting barred. Check out The Las Vegas Advisor and Huntington Press. Some of the books will also be available at your local bookstore.

Above all: Never play with money you cannot afford to lose.

Start out flat betting or using a very small spread, such as 1 to 2 or 1 to 3.  The lower variance will help your nerves. Play through 1 shoe and take a break, preferably at a big negative count or just play through to the end if the count stays within -1TC.  It will take you about 15 minutes to play through a 6 deck shoe depending on side bets and number of other players at the table. Buy in small and let the dealer pick the colors or be ready to tell her what you want and so you aren't collecting a bunch of chips when you take your break (unless of course you get lucky and win a stack of reds, in which case you'll shove them out there at break time and ask for 'color'). The less you have to do on your first trip the better. 15 minutes makes it easier to be a refusal too. You truthfully will 'just be playing for a few minutes' (in case you feel compelled to offer an excuse....of course that makes you look like a weenie).

Go to a bar or restaurant and get something to drink. Relax and act like you are playing with your phone but actually think about the shoe you played. Did the high or low cards come out as you expected? Were your running and true counts right? Did you make any playing errors? Did the waitresses scantily clad outfits scare you?

Go back to a different table, out of view of the first dealer preferably, or even a different casino if close by and play another 15 minute shoe.  Debrief again and make notes of what to practice. I suggest you go when you have a big time window and play at multiple casinos if possible in 15 to 30 minute increments. Do this on 3 shifts. The end of grave, sometime during day and the beginning of evening. You can play 9 15-minute sessions against 9 different dealers in three different shops....perhaps.

As for them knowing what you are doing, unless you are doing it out loud, and telling them that you are counting and playing basic strategy, it's impossible for them to know. They cannot read minds. They can only assume and your stakes most likely won't generate attention. The worst that will happen is you'll choke in a back room and show them your real i.d., the second worst is a goon will drag you out and beat the shit out of you. If asked for i.d., just say 'I'll respectfully decline and be going now'. Do not go to a back room. Take your chips and walk out to the car and leave. Cash the chips another day.

In front of a mirror and on your way to the casino, practice saying 'thanks but I'm good' or 'no thank you' or 'oh, yeah, the name's uhhhh, JUBAKA... what's yours?....It's on the name tag she'll say....you'll say yeah but I thought those name tags were just fake names'. In 15 minutes they won't know what you're doing but you might blow your cover if you stumble as a refusal or telling somebody your name. Like in the movie, the girl yells 'what's my name bitch'!! What will your answer be? Give them your brother's name and no last name. Better yet, look at the 'strangers' (other players) and back at the dealer and say, I'll tell ya later or I don't like telling a bunch of people my name if I don't know them.

Don't forget to scope the places out. Walk through first to the bathroom and get your bearings. Figure out the pit set ups and your exit routes. Attack it like you'll be returning later to take the place over with a crew. Have the attitude that you're the hunter, not the prey.

I sincerely applaud the previous two posts instead of a lot of nonsense I find elsewhere

Snapper's post makes the most sense, although I disagree with his suggestion of going to the bar/restaurant and having a drink.  If you're going to have a drink, make it a soft drink.  You don't need your brain to be clouded with alcohol before you even sit down at the blackjack table - especially if you're a beginner.

Everything else he said was spot on.  Short sessions and low stakes will build your confidence and keep you under the radar.  Remember NOT to move your mouth with the count - this is a common mistake among beginning counters.  It's never a good idea to sit at a full table, but in your case it might be better to sit at a table that has one or two other players (my opinion, others may differ).

If you don't have Don's excellent book "Blackjack Attack, Third Edition",  get it.  Read it, re-read it, and RE-read it, until you get the basic info down cold and hard.  After that, you'll want to go back and study it further, it's a wealth of information for both beginners and pros.  There are other great books on the market that should be in a counter's library, such as Stanford Wong's "Professional Blackjack".  I suggest that you include them in yours.

When at the table and the cards are being dealt, use your peripheral vision to keep track of the cards - don't stare at them.  This becomes natural the more you do it.  If you lose the count (and you probably will, at least a few times), then revert to basic strategy until the next shoe.  Try to remember WHY you lost the count when you take a break (were you interrupted by the cocktail waitress, was the person next to you distracting, there are a lot of reasons that cause this to happen).  It will become easier as you progress and gain confidence and experience.

Regards (and best of luck),
drumz1 

I didn't say drink alcohol. I agree with Drumz1 on that. I just think if you go sit somewhere to mentally debrief, it looks more natural to have a snack or drink.

Losing the count will happen. You can revert to a zero RC, continue to play, and when you convert to a TC, include all cards in the denominator as though you never saw them.

Do not lose the count.  Get good plastic cards and sit outside.  At least once a shoe have a friend bombard you with a water balloon from the backside.  20 or 30 water balloons later you should stop losing the count.  And when a pb hits you with a water balloon you will be ready.

Those are Indian casinos. Legally they can't arrest you, but that doesn't mean they won't. You also can't sue them in civil court for abuse or injury, which is what the usual deterrent is. If you are just a counter there is usually no incentive to arrest or harm you either, as all they have to do is tell the dealer to stop dealing you cards to completely eliminate the threat. But casinos hire some nasty, dysfunctional, and downright stupid people and you will occasionally encounter security personnel who will harm you just to show off, or because they think then they will get to be a cop or something. This game is not for the faint-hearted and I'd be lying if I said there was no risk of this, but it is rarer than the stories make it out to be and if you are smart you will reduce your risk of harm.

Smart: do not have anything on you that you wouldn't want to be arrested with. No weed, no paraphernalia, no gun unless explicitly legal. Do not fight, do not run, consider walking right out the door without cashing your chips if things look ugly. Lock your phone with a good password and do not unlock it for any reason, have it backed up and be prepared to abandon it. 

Drink: I drink and treat the free booze as part of my pay. If it is normal for you to drink I consider doing so to be safe when playing. If you drink or smoke to alleviate the boredom of advantage play you will affect your health before you affect your play. Remember that drink can cause urgent need for the bathroom which can be a big problem in shoe games and the first time you have an Alan Shepard "Do it in the suit!" moment you will vow to never let it happen again. 

Play: Low stakes to start of course. Maybe you can start with counting but flat betting the minimum anyway just to get used to it, then work in a small spread, and then insurance and some index plays. After a few nights it should be natural and easy. 

Other players: You will have abuse heaped on you by other players at the table. Everyone has heard of abuse of counters by the casinos but only counters know about this so don't be alarmed. Like most addicts compulsive gamblers will blame everyone else for their problems, and every time you do a play the CG wouldn't have done and he loses the hand, it will be your fault, and you'll get anything from a friendly lecture, to dirty words, to outright dangerous and threatening behavior. Do not let any of it sway you of course, and how you respond to it depends on what works for you. Sometimes I ignore it, sometimes I engage in uneducated debate, and sometimes I convince him I'm a psychopath and he had better leave me alone. 

Get out there and play!