hi, i am a total newbie and have no idea what bet spread is...
and what is wong count
and what is green chip
and what is deck penetration
and what is shoe?
thanks
oh yeah i play blackjack for fun using basic strategy only and so far i lost over $500 and i am hoping to win it back after buying a book on knockout blackjack
i play at a local casino that uses 6 decks
thanks!! any tips? thanks
oh yeah..and 1 more question
what is diff between level 1, level 2, and level 3 card counting systems..
and what is diff bw balanced and unbalanced
thanks..and is KO a good card counting method to win my $500 back..thanks
Your basic definition questions will be answered in the BJ glossary on this page. You seem to lack the basic knowledge of the game, I suggest ordering a few books, the catalog on this site is a good start.
"oh yeah i play blackjack for fun using basic strategy only and so far i lost over $500 and i am hoping to win it back after buying a book on knockout blackjack"
- Just for your info, if your minimum bet is $5 and you follow the knockout system perfectly, on average it will take you about 50 hours of blackjack to "win back" $500. It is a tough game requiring intense study and preparation, counting cards doesn't imply you will win right away. Good luck to you.
The reasons most people have for choosing KO vs. HiLo have very little to do with the the "power" of the system. I perfer HiLo, but there are a lot of KO counters here too. Mostly they choose it since they don't have to do True Count conversion.
KO will serve you well.
The answers to your other questions is in the glossary. Also check out the BJ school on this page.
I think it would be good for you to read a book. Most of your question will eb answered in detail there.
I would recommend �Knock-Out Blackjack� by Vacnura ad Fuchs. I think you can buy a copy of it here.
I do not suggest this book because I am advocating that you play KO. Rather, I think it is the best introduction to card-courting for beginners that I have seen. After reading it, you may decided to play KO, or more to High-Low
You mention that you have been playing BS? Where did you learn the Basic Strategy. I ask this, because a lot of non-counters think they are playing Basic Strategy, when they are playing 1% less than that.
i learned basic strategy from this website
... at least in the short time ahead.
Many new counters confused luck (or bad luck) with skills (or no skills). They play a few hundred hours at the table, won a few grand and think that this is due to their ability to cound cards. It's not, it's just pure luck.
You lost $500 and think because you play only BS and not being able to count cards, it's not true. A lot of other counters played and lost a lot more than you. Card counter will win you money, but only in the long run. The difference between counters (no matter how smart or how sharp) and BS players will only show up in the long run.
For me, a book that explained counting in very clear detail was Blackjack Bluebook II. I chose to go with its KISS Count because of its thorough layout and simple user format. Just one player's opinion.
Don't let other players at the table intimidate you, or tell you what to do. They will insist upon "helping" you. Until you learn counting, follow the BS, and don't be afraid when you get berated by ploppies (blackjack idiots). They will be all over you when you split 4/4 or 9/9 against 5 or double soft 18 against 6, then the dealer pulls 20 or something. They'll tell you it was a stupid thing to do even though they are VERY profitable moves.
Maybe I missed it, but nobody mentioned practice! Ofcourse you have to start with a book, but then you need 200+ hrs of practice --where you can test your skills... I'm a programmer (and a novice counter), so I wrote a program to deal me BJ from a shoe and keep a couple of counts running, but such practice programs can be found on the net... a program has the advantage of you being able to find out what the count *really* is, when you thought it was +spectacular... I win frequently in real casino play, but I still practice against my simulator frequently and when I'm not sharp and concentrating, I find about 1 shoe in 10 or 15 I can still be off by a handful of points! YIKES!! It keeps reminding me of the level of focus required by real play, regaurdless of my apparent casino demeanor.
Being a technical guy, I loved Mr. Wong's Professional Blackjack (HiLo system) -- my copy is always close, and full of postIt notes! Thanks Stanford! :) Thanks also Ian Anderson for opening my eyes to what can be done with this game if you have the right tools.
