Just got back from Las Vegas

My first serious attempt to count in a casino.

I found a 25$ game at the Mirage.
It was 2 decks, dealer hits soft 17.
DAS 3/2 BJ.

It seems they have a guide that they put the cut card in so that the cut can be uniform across all dealers and It looked like they cut off either a 1/2 a deck or slightly more or less.

Cards are dealt face up and I found that counting using KO was easy.

I took insurance as +3, and used the top 14 index plays at +2.

My bet ramp was: <-1 = 1 unit : +2 = 2 units : +3 = 3 to 4 units and anything over +4 I bet 5 units and just let wins ride.

40 minute sessions and I would finish the shoe if positive.

> Also on occasion when the count went negative I would sit out by pulling out my phone, looking for my wife talking to the drink lady...
and then hop back in.

Here are the session results:

Session Buyin W/L Units

1 12 W +3
2 12 W +4
3 12 L -12
4 8 W +6.8
5 8 W +10
6 8 W +4
7 4 L -4

Observations of a rookie counter:

The count did not go positive enough for me to vary my bet as much as I wish. When it did go positive it went very positive (like +10).

My best hands seemed to be the two right before the shuffle.

KO is stupid easy to count. I could talk, be loud, act more stupid than I actually am and keep the count. I only lost it once or twice because this pit boss seemed to want to talk to me allot. He acted like we were buddies. Told me about his wife, his job ect.

The session where I went -12 was totally stupid on my part.
This lady was dealing the game and she hit several BJ a shoe, pulled a few 5 card 21s.. when the count was high she got all the high cards. It was surreal.

I did spot another AP. I sat down played a shoe and noticed he was ramping on the + counts in black so I left him alone and went to eat the buffet.

I am concerned about the lack of positive counts I encountered.

I could handle a level two count with 6 months of solid practice I believe but I do not know if it is worth the effort.

Also I think the game was about -.40 but I am not sure of what my advantage was.. so any input, corrections or advice will be taken with gratitude.

There was a 10$ game early in the morning at the Tropicana with the same rules on the center isle. If they let you spread 1-5 I think this game can be beaten. Is that right?

That is all I remember.

The session where I went -12 was totally stupid on my part.
This lady was dealing the game and she hit several BJ a shoe, pulled a few 5 card 21s.. when the count was high she got all the high cards. It was surreal.

What did you do that was stupid?

My thinking was that she was so "on" that I could not beat her.

If a dealer is beating you constantly even though you should have the advantage should you leave or keep playing.

Another note..

The relief dealer came in and dealt a shoe an I won every hand in that shoe but one and kept winning like felt was normal.

Then the original dealer came back after however long and cleaned me out.

She beat me for more than 12 units because after the relief lady I was up a bit.

Congrats..I've played at that table many times. Most on this forum would probably tell you that it's one of the biggest counter traps in LV, so you need to be extremely careful - use camo, and keep the max bet relatively low, unless you're playing hit and run.

One other thing - the indexes you're quoting like +2 for the top 14 index plays is hard to understand. In KO, the index plays (e.g., I18) kick in at the "pivot point", which is +4. So, not sure what's up, but trust you have it together...

Thank you.

I bought the KO book and then read and used the information here:

https://www.qfit.com/rekostrategy.htm

Do you think this is valid information to use?

Should I try to learn a more complicated count?

Didn't realize you were referring to REKO, which puts all index plays at +2. REKO is fine - it will get the money if you apply it properly.

As for learning a more complicated count, that's a very tough question. There's always a trade-off between ease of use/low error rate of a simple system vs. higher betting and playing efficiency of a more complicated system. This is a personal question that I would challenge you to learn about and reach your own conclusion. Plenty of info on the alternatives on this site and throughout the web.

If The Mirage still has S17 tables for DD, you can cut the house edge edge to .19 by playing S17 versus .40 for H17. The minimum would be $50 during the day and $100 during busy times. Might be more than you're comfortable with since you're just starting out.

Level 2 counts aren't as "complicated" as a lot of people make them out to be. Once you're used to seeing patterns and combinations of cards, it all becomes second nature and similar to a level 1 count.

If you plan on using a balanced level 2 count, the hardest transition for you may be estimating the number of decks (or half or quarter decks) remaining and then converting to the true count.

It's easy to estimate remaining quarter decks for DD games. The real challenge is correct deck estimation to the nearest full deck or half deck in six deck games.

When playing at $5, $10, or $15 minimums for double deck, make sure you stick to an "acceptable" maximum bet and spread, which varies from casinos and shifts. Otherwise, you won't be welcome to play anymore.

I played the DD S17 table at the Mirage earlier this month and they had it at $25 minimum all day and night. Must have been a slow time. Problem was that the pit boss was the nastiest sort that I ever came across, so I moved to the H17 table just to get out from underneath the black cloud...