Negative Counts

Is it very important to be able to drop your bet during times of a negative count?
Let's say I am playing with a base bet of $20 and the table minimum is $10. If the count becomes negative, I can drop my bet to $10.

On the other hand, let's say that I am playing with a base bet of $25 and the table minimum is $25. I would then not be able to drop my bet in negative count situations.
Should I avoid conditions where I cannot drop my bet when the count becomes negative? Does it make much of a difference one way or the other? Thanks a lot in advance.

...dropping your bet from $25 to $0.

But, in direct answer to your question: Yes, it is very important.

If you are going to use a play all approach, you minimum wager placed during these negative counts should be as small as possible. Smaller than your unit. If you are using a unit as your minimum wager, you will need quite a big spread to over come all those negative hands. I personally play a wong out style, minimizing the number of negative count hands that I play, so I have to agree with OldCoot, the best minimum wager during negative counts is zero.

and the table min is $10 then your base bet is 2x too big unless by base bet you mean what you'd bet when you first gain an advantage. If you're normal bets are in red chips you should not ever bet more than table minimum when you don't have an advantage.

Thanks a lot. Let me make sure I understand you. When I am at a $10 minimum table- Are you indicating that I should not start out with a $20 bet and then decrease it to $10 or increase it to $30, $40, or perhaps $50 depending on the count? Are you saying that I should have as my initial bet $10 and then increase it when I have a positive count? With the scenario, I would not be able to decrease my bet in negative situations. I would be playing at a one-deck table, with its frequent count changes, and would not be able to get by dropping out of the game when there's a negative count and then coming back in when there's a positive count. Thanks again.

Your action is too low for scrutiny and the house has the advantage off the top. If your top bet is the red to very low green level and you use any cover, considering the poor nature of games at that level, you are almost guaranteeing that your will never grow your bankroll. Why worry about dropping your bet to $10 in negative counts...if you bet $10 at the shuffle you're already there. Bet $10 at the shuffle, $20 at +1, $40 at +2 and $60 at +3. If your bankroll is smaller you may want to use a less steep bet ramp (Like $20 at +1, $30 at +2, $40 at +3, $50 at +4, and $60 at +5). As your bankroll grows increase your top bet to $90 and then begin betting it gradually sooner until you have enough money to move from $10 games to $25 games.

Generally if the bet spread is between 5-60 with the once is awhile $150 for max bets, would the $150 draw much "heat". Again, to reiterate, the $150 bets would be very seldom.

hell yes if you stick around. On double deck it depends on the place and how often you do it, on shoes not at all.

I believe Sandy is asking if it is necessary to always have a lower wager option. This is why he starts at $10. It gives him a place to go on a negative count. Ultimately, you have all answered his question.

Sandy, occassionally, you can leave for the bathroom or other reason and return. But, if you play-all and get down to table minimum after betting higher, you've done all you can do. Just play the min and ramp up as you go. You do not HAVE to be able to lower your bet from the min although it is helpful to bet $0/wong out.

Occassionally starting out with a higher bet off the top will not add much negative EV, although it could be expensive in the short run. If your BR can handle a big bet off the top occassionally, you may do it. It sounds like you should mainly start at minimum and work up. See the other answers for ramp.

Wong, in Professional Blackjack, basis win rate on ramping $25 to $100 with $10 on negative counts. That could imply the player needs to start higher and have a lower bet available. Just bet min off the top in most cases.