Questions Before I go to be a Serious Player

I want to Be a FULL-TIME AP now. I know Some about Counting and betting,ec, however, before i go to be a serious player, I'd like to know more informantion and konwledage about winnning on the BJ talbe.

after I lost 2K last night, I read Professional Blackjack again.

Q1: Is Optimal Bet Size is the Best way for us? How many People totally Follow it?

Q2�� In shoe game , Does Seat 1 to seat 6 matter? On first base, Sometimes i can see the LAST card of the SHOE.

Q3: I have seen this more than once, on 8 decks shoe game. Running Count like 20, 2 decks left. everybody under 17 and stay because Against a Small Up-card. Dealers pull 3 more small cards and get 17,18 to Kill everyone. Is it NormaL>?

Will need more help in the futrue,thanks.

> Q1: Is Optimal Bet Size is the Best way for us? How many People
> totally Follow it?

When you say "optimal bet size" do you mean the Kelly Critereon? Most players play a fraction of Kelly but playing full Kelly is fine, especially if you can cut back to half of your stakes if you lose half of your bankroll. The overall risk of ruin drops significantly.

Every player must decide on his own level of risk. The "optimal bet size" is whatever fraction of Kelly you feel comfortable with.

> Q2: In shoe game, Does Seat 1 to seat 6 matter? On first base,
> Sometimes i can see the LAST card of the SHOE.

You just answered your own question! =)

The real question is, how do you use the knowledge of that last card to your advantage? If you just ignore it then you are making a huge mistake. There are several ways to gain an advantage in that situation. If you don't know how then you are probably not ready for a full time blackjack career.

Simply knowing how to count cards is not NEARLY enough. You need to know how to be able to find great (not good, GREAT!) games. If you can't find them, you need to know how to create them. Once you have them, you need to figure out your optimal bet ramp and departure points for that particular game. You will need to know what types of cover will be needed for that particular game and casino. You will need to know what other advantages you are getting (seeing the last card of the shoe, hole card, ace sequencing, some form of shuffle tracking, side bets, etc.). If you are serious about making this your only source of income, counting cards will not be enough to beat the casinos on a regular basis.

> Q3: I have seen this more than once, on 8 decks shoe game.

I hope you're not planning on playing full time at an 8-deck game, are you?!

> Running Count like 20, 2 decks left. everybody under 17 and stay
> because Against a Small Up-card. Dealers pull 3 more small cards
> and get 17,18 to Kill everyone. Is it NormaL?

It is completely normal. If you haven't seen that happen 1,000 times then you have not played enough.

> Will need more help in the futrue,thanks.

I know that you are anxious to win the money, but you really don't seem ready to make blackjack playing your full time income. You still have some very basic questions to ask and a lot of studying to do before you are prepared. The need to ask questions is often the trait of a newbie. A skilled player already understands the nuances of the game and knows how to answer his own questions, or at least knows where to find the answers.

We are more than happy to help you and answer all of your questions and we wish you the best, but you still have a long way to go and a lot to learn. Luckily, you are in the right place to learn everything you need to know.

-Sonny-

Please do not attempt to rely on advantage play for your sole income until you spend significantly more time learning, practicing and playing.

You should utilize available statistical tools (BJRM, CVCX, etc) to identify the best game available and also to determine the optimal bet size and play approach for that game. When calculating your bet spread, PLEASE don't forget to include all expenses as a reduction of your EV. By expenses, I mean travel, food, drinks, and especially any tips.

A true advantage player is always on the lookout for a positive EV opportunity. They know intuitively when they have spotted such an opportunity and then know how to gain the knowledge to maximize their EV. For example, do you know how to consistently cut exactly 52 cards from the end of a shoe? Did you immediately understand why this might be advantageous for YOU, or did you have to think about it?

The advantage player that I most respect once told me that he was offended when casinos gave him the standard "you can play any game except blackjack". He felt like telling them that he could beat any game they offered. The key is that under the right set of circumstances, any game in a casino can net a positive EV. The trick is being able to find the right situations.

PLEASE don't forget to include all expenses as a reduction of your EV. By expenses, I mean travel, food, drinks, and especially any tips.

the casion is only 15 minutes from my house. I bring a bottle of spingwater with me, so i am rarely tip the waitress. I never pay for food in casino, use reward POINTS only. 8 miles X 2( around trip) cost me 1 gallon gas. i use the reward points to buy Gas Card in casino. so, i dont have much expenses.

after i cut down some expense, do I have a better position?

but the casion i play only has 8 decks game , and 6 decks in high roller but no-mid shoe entry.

Learn More is my subject now�� However, i want to win some money because i play everyday. Just stay home to learn more(till enough) then go play or keep playing and learning?

For a low level advantage player, minimizing expenses is a must. You mention that you lost quite a bit in one session, so you may have a decent bankroll. However, cutting expenses to the absolute minimum is still essential. It sounds like your expenses are minimal, which is good. Make sure that you do not over tip. Tip only if you expect to receive positive EV through increased pen, enhanced longevity, etc. Obtain and use some good simulation software to help you formulate an overall game plan, which will include play style (wonging, play-all, team play, etc) and bet ramp.

You will likely find that your local 8 deck game is not profitable enough to support full time play. This will require that you travel to other, better games.

A number of posters in this thread have advised you that you're not quite ready for full-time play, and I second that. In any case, you cannot make a living in one casino. Even if they cannot bar you, they will find ways to make it impossible for you to win if you start beating them on a regular basis in large enough amounts to earn a living.

Keep practicing, keep playing, and keep studying.

For example, I buy-in 500 dollars chips and I won 300 dollars. Now I have 800 dollar chips in my hand. I put 400 in my pocket and COLOR the rest 400 on the TABLE, the Floor SUpervisor would Record me LOST 100 in this Table.

therefore the Casino has my Losing record, but Never have my Winning Record. Can We do it to make living in One casino?

While hiding chips is a way to increase longevity, you can't do it every time you play. For example, suppose you sit down at the table and the count goes up early in the shoe. You put out your big bets and book a huge win on that shoe. The pit boss is standing there watching your winnings accumulate. You're not going to hide that win. In addition, it isn't the only thing they pay attention to. Please believe me when I say that no amount of camoflage can sustain you forever in one casino to the extent where you can play that casino exclusively and make a living doing it. In fact, in the game you describe, many forms of cover would be too expensive to use. The edge is so thin on that game that you simply cannot afford to use too much playing or betting cover.

One more thing. In order to make a living playing blackjack, you have to think well beyond $500 buy-ins. If you're not prepared to have days where you will lose several thousand dollars in one sitting, you can't make a living regardless of how many casinos you have to play in.

If you �making a living� playing BJ, you are likely going to be betting black chips (or higher). It is much harder to pocket black chips.

Bosses keep a pretty clear count of the number of blacks on the table. They know the count before you come, and they simply count the tray when you leave. If you playing head-on (or you�re the only person at the table playing black), then they know that all the missing blacks are in your pocket.

Finally, having a loosing record does not hurt your longevity, but it no guarantee of it. Many of my back-offs have come from stores where I had loosing records.

My personal opinion is that pocketing chips is very over-rated. I believe that to be a minority position, and many posters will disagree with this.

Is Optimal Bet Size is the Best way for us? How many People totally Follow it?

The reason it's called Optimal Bet Size is because it's Optimal. The big question is; do you know how to calc it?

In shoe game , Does Seat 1 to seat 6 matter? On first base, Sometimes i can see the LAST card of the SHOE.

Depends on what is important to you. You have the best chance of seeing cards before they are dealt while sitting a 1B. What's is really cool, is if you see in advance, the card you are going to receive. If it is a face card or an ace, mathematically you should bet max bet. However, a small bankroll may be an issue that can restrict that. If you see any of the cards that are behind the cut card, you should certainly include them in your count. Your now just working with slightly better penetration. You can get better pen for playing decisions by playing on 3B. You will find a lot more scrutiny on 3B. In a 'face-down' game you will see more of your neighbors cards if you sit somewhere other than 1B or 3B. Otherwise, the count for betting purposes is the same for all positions. And there is no such thing as one spot being more "lucky" than another.

I have seen this more than once, on 8 decks shoe game. Running Count like 20, 2 decks left. everybody under 17 and stay because Against a Small Up-card. Dealers pull 3 more small cards and get 17,18 to Kill everyone. Is it Normal.

Yes, it is certainly within the realm or normality. However, it shouldn't happen too often with a TC of +10

I'm a lousy player, but I play lots of DD spreading $5-$40/$50, and I've lost a couple of thousand in a few hours, more than once. Doesn't take many times of playing $50 and getting ripped in a + count for the session bankroll to take a huge beating...

My point was, in the above game, my hourly win rate is maybe $20, which is not going to come anywhere near to sustaining a professional BJ player, yet I've lost that much in way less than a day, and way more than that in a single week. I've watched a pro or two I have known in the past drop multiple hands of $1000 each, which _really_ drains a B/R quickly...

I want to Be a FULL-TIME AP now. I know Some about Counting and betting,ec, however, before i go to be a serious player, I'd like to know more informantion and konwledage about winnning on the BJ talbe.

after I lost 2K last night, I read Professional Blackjack again.

Q1: Is Optimal Bet Size is the Best way for us? How many People totally Follow it?

How much of your BR does this 2K represent? Optimal (Kelly) Betting is discussed in PB on pages 203 - 205. I don't know what your BR is, but you might be overbetting it.

Q2�� In shoe game , Does Seat 1 to seat 6 matter? On first base, Sometimes i can see the LAST card of the SHOE.

Third base is always best for gleaning information, but first base can be useful if you have a flashing dealer. All in all, I tend to think that position at a table can be (although not always) highy over-rated.

Q3: I have seen this more than once, on 8 decks shoe game. Running Count like 20, 2 decks left. everybody under 17 and stay because Against a Small Up-card. Dealers pull 3 more small cards and get 17,18 to Kill everyone. Is it NormaL>?

You will find this happening in any game at times, but I will say that an 8 deck game has a lot of variance, so it is entirely possible to "get killed" in a high count on 8d. You can ask any AP about this - it happens, trust me. I've been in a game that the TC was sky high, and my hand was a hard 20 vs dealer 6 face up, with my max bet on the felt. Dealer flips the hole card to reveal a 5, and guess what the next card he gets is going to be? Damn, how I hate it when that happens.

:-(

I have some questions for you:

* Do you have BS down cold? Can you recite the indices off the top of your head without even thinking about it? If you don't, then you have no business sitting down at a blackjack table.

* Do you have the I18 down cold, as well? If not, the same advice applies.

*Can you easily convert from RC to TC, and be correct?

There are a lot more questions that I could ask of you, but these are just for openers. From reading your post, it sounds to me like you are not ready yet, and I certainly don't mean that remark unkindly. Reading PB (and you need to read all the other great books, too) will help you, but when it comes down to it, you will need to practice at home until know what to do in actual play without even thinking about it - your moves become automatic.

Your advantage at blackjack is a tiny one, but can be very advantageous to you if your play is correct. One of my first suggestions for you would be to join Green Chip. You will find a wealth of information on that page from some of the most knowlegeable APs in the business. I cannot begin to tell you how valuable it has been for me, and the price is only about $50.00 per year. I would also suggest that you invest in a copy of Casino Verite, as well. It is a must for anyone who is serious about blackjack.

Good luck to you in the future.

Regards,
drumz1