I need all of your advice, please.

20 years old here from Southeasatern massachusetts are. I have a fake id that matches me for 21 years old and a comp card. I have about $13,000 in the bank with no debt, this is no replaceable money this is my lifes savings, I have never brought more than 2-3k to foxwoods with me.

I went the other day with 2000 and left 6 hours later down $300 so catching losses and gambling is out of the question. I will go for a vacation and to try to hit hot tables TC 4,5+, I have enough comp points now for almost 2 nights hotel.

I have been in much frustration with the slow real estate market and me starting a new job.

I was thinking aabout taking all my blackjack books, my 8 card shoe with decks and discard tray and sleeping at foxwoods for a few days brininging 10k cash, what methods can i use to safeguard against a lost or a total ror, your advice is appreciated if i should do this and if i do how........ this will be done and i will bringg my laptop to the hotel to post my results thanks to you all all your comments negative and postive are greatly appreciated.

My first casino experience was July 28th 2005 I have gone about 15 times since. Up for all my sessions even after a $2500 loss I keep a journal.

First, subscribe to CBJN.

There are some fairly playable games in the Indian casinos in Minnesota, and the age is only 18; so you're legal there.

Once you turn 21, stay the hell away from the eastern casinos. IMHO, the best games are to be found in Mississippi. 2nd best are in Nevada, and don't limit yourself to just Vegas. Since you'll be starting with low stakes anyway and working to build, the low-stakes games in the smaller Nevada venues are exploitable as long as you stay with red action.

You have heard it all before. If you are not prepared to lose the money you are risking, then don't play.

Old Coot from VA is right, at Foxwoods you have no better than a 50/50 chance to win. There are better games elsewhere.

If you are determined to play and risk the 13k, break it up into 3k session bankrolls. Backcount a $25 table....BRIEFLY....for it is not difficult for the camera's to pick out someone backcounting. Spread 1-10, with $250 being your max bet. Your ROR is off the wall, but you're here to gamble.....right?

Good luck. Oh, by the way, stop by the Ledyard, CT Police Department and ask how many suicides they find in the parking lots, and rooms on a yearly basis. If the poor EV doesn't impress you, then that stat might.

If you post your e-mail address

"I was thinking aabout taking all my blackjack books, my 8 card shoe with decks and discard tray and sleeping at foxwoods for a few days brininging 10k cash, what methods can i use to safeguard against a lost or a total ror ..."

If you don't want to risk it, what you do is leave it at home. You don't bet that money. If it's not at risk, it's not part of your bankroll, period.

I hope you're not thinking of making a living at blackjack. You're 20 years old, and with 15 sessions, you barely got your little toe wet. Even if you were 30 or 40 and had no other options, I'd still advise you to forget it.

ETF

Scared money can't win. You will begin playing sub-optimally if you are afraid of losing money. Make a plan and stick to it. Fire away until you have played your planned number of hours or you have gone broke. If you can lose 5K without it affecting your play, bring 5K. If you can't handle a loss that size then bring less.

I would suggest that you no play until you are legally of age. There are a few casinos that allow 18 year olds to play; I don�t know if there are nay near you.

Using fake ID when are underage is a really dumb idea. You are at age where casino people will have legitimate questions about whether you are underage. They can and will ask you to produce ID, and they will scrutinize it. Most fake IDs will not hold up under close scrutiny.

Not only might you be arrested, but you could have your chips confiscated etc.

Prof, I agree with you. Unfortunately, I guarantee you that the youngster will continue to gamble illegally because he does not think he will get caught. By the way, my own kid used a fake ID & got caught. My kid's excuse was: "I got caught because I was bad luck." DUH!!! We are wasting our breathe when giving our good-intended advices to our smart-ass youngsters!

Left early am with 5000 played 8 deck shoe was down about 1000 won it all back. Went to $50 minimum table with $5000 cashed in for $1000 played $50-200 depending on count/cards, won $700 in a shoe left, i guess i dont have the balls yet and i know for sure i am deffinetly underbankrolled and underexperienced $700+ for the day and 100 + comp points, happy for now.

THANK YOU ALl!!

BTW Foxwoods has GREAT 6 deck game with all great rules and its 5/6 or 5.25/6 penetration!

With a 1-4 spread, I doubt you were playing a winning game... unless you were backcounting / sitting out negative decks.

congrats, don't let this early "success" lull you into a false sense of security.
-Shaggy

With your limited bankroll there are only two possibilities:
Either you play according to your bankroll with an expected hourly income of less than $10.In this case your living expenses will slowly but surely eat up your capital.
Or you overbet heavily in order to have a sufficient hourly expectation. In this case the risk of ruin would be close to a 100%.
I suggest a third possibility:Learn a decent profession and don't return to the tables until you're twenty-one.You can still try later when you have a good job as security.

Francis Salmon

Manchester NH to Reno round trip is only $274 + taxes and fees on Southwest Airlines. You may be able to find even better rates if you look around. Since you won't have comps, be assured that room rates during the week are extremely inexpensive. In winter, decent rooms can easily be found for less than $20 per night, and less than $40 per night on Friday and Saturday. After one trip, comped room offers will fill your mailbox.

The low cost of getting to and staying in Reno weighed against the higher hourly EV of the games you will find makes bigplayer's suggestion a good one.

As MathProf pointed out below, wait until you're 21. Nevada casinos will confiscate your winnings if your fake ID is discovered, and you may face criminal charges as well. It's not worth the hassle.

Isn't it better to go with 10k? With 5k he should only make around a thousand dollars after he pays for the flight not including his room?

There is another casino nearby with a 6 deck game with 2 decks cutoff but some dealers cutoff less and it is possible to talk a few dealers into better pen. I did it and it worked a few times. My problem is that I stay too long and play when I'm tired. That is when AP turns into gambling. The next time I go I will only stay a few hours and leave. I just picked up wongs book at Barnes and Nobles and will read it when I go home in about an hour. Even if it just reinforces whatever I know then it's still worth every penny.

Just as Francis stated. Remember, many talented counters quit because they are wiped out by first big losing streak. With spread this small, bankroll this small it will happen. If you are really hooked on this game do yourself a favor and bet 5-50 or 10-100, whatever you can find. If you don't, you'll lose it all, will chase it and lose some more. I know what I'm talking about it happened to me too. Seems like you're inpatient so you don't hop the tables. If this is the case, then wait for your BR to build somewhere to 15-20 K for green action. Besides, you need to put in lots of hours to gain experience. When is better time than now, when you are underbankrolled, underage rookie? These days, if I walk away a winner say 3k and know that I was just lucky I'm mad at myself. What satisfies me is not the money I win. It's the fact that I play strong winning game and stick to my plan, even if I win only 300 instead of 3000.

Too young, too worried about risk, games too mediocre.

Advice...

1. Wait until old enough to play
2. Save money like crazy until then
3. Read more books and learn all the nuances
4. When 21 if still limited funds, just fire away and either build bankroll to acceptable level for desired bet size OR bust out trying and get on with your life.

Blackjack is not a get rich quick scheme. It is a risky grind with a small edge that requires lots of exposure to unbelievable unforgiving flux. Without a MASSIVE bankroll and very good living habits, you are doomed. Without some promotion (2:1 BJ's, Internet Bonus Hustling, rich uncle leaving you $100,000, etc) your chances of turning 5K into a genuinely useful bankroll are virtually zero. It is impossible to make a living from a 5K bankroll...you've got to either turn it into 50K within a few months or your living expenses will eat you alive.

Remember, all risk of ruin formulas assume you're reinvesting 100% of your winnings back into your bankroll. Taking part of your earnings out for living expenses pretty much guarantees you of going bust unless your bankroll to bet ratio is absolutely massive (300 max bets or more).