Spread & ramp

If I understand bet spread correctly, in 6 & 8 deck shoes, spread is critical and the more the better. Is it technically correct that you should bet your max wager ANY time you have ANY advantage? Thus, ramping up and down is more for cover and reducing variance? I guess kelly betting would also dictate this. But, if you could get away with it, won't you earn more by betting as much as possible at any advantage, as long as it's at/below your max bet? I've always been a bit nervous putting more than say 3 units out with only a +2 TC. I'm afraid I'm overbetting. I thought one should bet the number of units accordng to the true count, i.e. bet the true in red/green etc.. The bottom line is that keeping such exact track of betting units per count is a distraction. I want to know if I'm safe with a couple extra units out, as long as I have an advantage. This will allow me to keep a more accurate count and keep up more of an act. Thank you.

A pure betting spread would have you betting the proper Kelly amount at each point in the count which would be based on the amount of your advantage (or disadvantage, which would be zero) at that particular point. That amount would be determined by your bankroll. But we can't bet pure Kelly, so betting ramps are devised to loosely reflect Kelly. An optimal betting ramp can vary wildly from one game to another. In nearly all cases, you should have your maximum bet out at the equivalent of a hi-lo +4 true count. In a six-deck game, you should be at 4 units or more at +2 in most games. If you simply match your total number of units with the TC, odds are you will be underbetting by a significant amount in a six-deck game.

It is not usually optimal to make your max bet any time you have an advantage, although strangely enough, the worse the game is in terms of rules and penetration, the more money you should be betting in lower counts. My book gives optimal and near optimal betting ramps for most of the games that can be found in the U.S. It is called Bootlegger's 200 Proof Blackjack and can be purchased from this site.

at the gambler's book store in Vegas? Going out there the week after next and plan on visiting the book store while I am there...

"at the gambler's book store in Vegas? Going out there the week after next and plan on visiting the book store while I am there..."

SSR,
While you're in Vegas, why not support this site and pick it up at SW's office located at:
Pi Yee Press
4855 W. Nevso Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89103

Phone: (702) 579-7711

Stanford, here I come. :)

I'm staying at the MGM. Can anyone give me directions to get to the bookstore?

1: Start out going WEST on LAS VEGAS BLVD S toward E TROPICANA AVE / NV-593 W. <0.1 miles

2: Turn RIGHT onto E TROPICANA AVE / NV-593 W. Continue to follow NV-593 W. 2.1 miles

3: Turn RIGHT onto S DECATUR BLVD. 0.8 miles

4: Turn RIGHT onto W NEVSO DR. <0.1 miles

5: End at 4855 W Nevso Dr
Las Vegas, NV 89103-3787, US

Total Est. Time: 5 minutes Total Est. Distance: 3.07 miles

"1: Start out going WEST on LAS VEGAS BLVD S toward E TROPICANA AVE / NV-593 W. <0.1 miles"

I know you got this from a Web site, like MapQuest, but just out of curiosity, except for crossing the street, from the east side to the west side of the Strip, how do you go WEST on Las Vegas Blvd South, toward Tropicana Avenue?? Sure as heck seems to me that, the last time I looked, the Strip ran north-south, no?

What am I missing?

Don

Don,

Beats the hell out of me....S Las Vegas Blvd does run north to south, so you're not missing anything. I might add that you have a keen eye for detail to even notice it. I simply typed in the two addresses into MapQuest and then copied and pasted the search result. MapQuest must mean that you have to go west to cross the street I guess.

Card.

You just have to take Mapquest with a grain of salt. If you asked it for directions on how to use the potty, you'd be standing on your head...

Just had a guy come by my house to pick up a boat. Directions had him in the wrong sub-division. Fortunately he had my phone number and a cell phone.

It's amazing how one piece of info can reduce one's stress level. Looking forward to less worry at my next 21 session.