Blackjack

[WAYNE3298]

I didn't see anything in the rules that limit or prohibit discussingf it is a no no or has limits please let me know and I will drop the idea. I think it would be a fun discussion.

[STEVEusaPA]

What do you want to know? Should probably be in the Pro section.

[WAYNE3298]

Don't really want to know anything. Mainly curious as to how many good players are here. Most players are not good.

[BBeerme]

When I was pre-teen, I painted a crap table on the underside of a ping pong table. We were all excellent players. Never going more than 10 to 15 million bucks in the hole. But always recovered!

[WAYNE3298]

When solid odds can be calculated craps has the smallest vigorish of any casino game. There is a craps strategy that only gives the house an edge of 30 cents per $100 bet. It's hard to play because you bet for and against yourself at the same time. The dealers hate it.

[BBeerme]

Yeah, I used to love playing craps. When I was old enough, even played it in the casino. But that wasn't as much fun as playing at home as a kid.

[WAYNE3298]

You can always win at home. The biggest winners I saw at the casinos were drunk. Before anyone gets any big ideas the biggest losers I saw were also drunk and they out numbered the winners by a lot.
The biggest winner I saw got up at a game several thousand dollars before he got drunk. I don't know what game it was but they didn't want to through him out for being drunk but did quit serving him. He came to the blackjack table where I was playing and saw there were three hands open. He laid $500 on each hand on the first deal and won all three. He didn't know the first thing about blackjack but won a few thousand in about 20 minutes. He quit because the dealer had to have his chips replenished and he didn't want to wait. A while later I went to the bath room and when I passed the craps he was playing and had the dice. The dealer was telling him "sir you can't let you winnings ride because your bet exceeds the house limit". When I got back from the bath room he was still rolling. He had so many chips they quit giving him 100 dollar chips and gave him 5oo dollar chips. He must have rolled the dice winning big for about 20 minutes or longer. He got a big round of applause from the other players when he finally sevened out. He went to the cashier with so many 500 dollar chips his friend had to help him carry them. I never saw anything like that again but really enjoyed it. Everyone loved it because he wasn't cocky about it or bragging just picked up his chips and went home rich.

[STEVEusaPA]

I'm as good as I can get with blackjack. Basically if you know all the plays with your 2 cards, against the showing dealers card, plus you're counting the cards, and a side count of aces, the best you can do is play a long time and break even, with some luck you can win some money. I hardly ever lost, but I never really won much.
However, if you were actually to bet based on the count, changing your bet when the deck favored you, you would at best be kindly asked to leave, because it's so obvious. Even though counting is not illegal, the casino always has the right to refuse play from any customer.

The only way to actually make money consistently, and it still requires some luck, is to play with a team. One person makes minimal wager, sits there like a lump counting the whole time and signals when the deck is favorable to someone else, who walks over like a big gambler, drops a large bet, same bet, until the deck turns, then walks away, like he was reckless and lucky. And you only get a few shots of that before they figure that out. And in that case, they won't ask you 'nicely' to leave.

Craps I can play a long time making simple less risky bets, IF you get a hot shooter. But you have to play safe, build it up, and use house money. Playing reckless could rarely get you a big win, but more likely you lose big.

For roulette I have a simple system. Luckily they show past numbers, so if I notice a trend, with the same dealer, I'll pop in and play a few spins. More if I'm winning and using house money.

All in all I look at is as getting smart enough to have fun and not lose any money, or not much. Every once in a while I used to makes some.

[Adlerberts-Protege]

Blackjack can easily be won, and I am living proof. Yes it involves counting. Yes it involves at least having a couple friends helping. And, yes, they will know.

I am flagged at 2 different casinos here in the area.

[WAYNE3298]

Agree Steve card counting is the only way. Over the years I netted money but not a lot. I toyed with craps and roulette but aside from calculating odds at craps and probabilities at roulette didn't do much with either. I quit playing blackjack because I got to where I couldn't handle the other players. It didn't matter to me how they played but players that could barely count to 21 thought they were experts and not knowing the count thought they should advise me how to play. That becomes a problem because they are all to often alerting everyone including the house you are not playing basic strategy. A big part of winning is not standing out.

[BNME8EZ]

I haven't gambled for years. When I was in high school and college we use to get together and play Poker, Black Jack, etc. It always amazed me if we were playing for fun, chip, pretzels, etc I won, but make it for money, even penny ante and I would loose every time. Thus no gambling!

[behappy]

Consider myself simi-professional, if I was professional I would win every time.

I play craps, did try Black Jack but you are too heavily watched.
And like said, the other players would piss you off.
The key to it all is odds and luck.
Here some casinos have progressive tables, and you can really hit good at them.

[WAYNE3298]

No matter how good you are at blackjack you can't win every time but you can win the vast majority of the time. On days when things don't go your way if you stay long enough that will change. You are correct even playing the $5 table they figured out I was a card counter but it did take a while. They didn't mind because my winning although not a lot brought players to the table. I rarely bet more than $25.

[BBeerme]

I think in the Nevada casinos, they use five decks of cards all shuffled together. Can you still count the cards with five decks?

No matter how good you are at blackjack you can't win every time but you can win the vast majority of the time. On days when things don't go your way if you stay long enough that will change. You are correct even playing the $5 table they figured out I was a card counter but it did take a while. They didn't mind because my winning although not a lot brought players to the table. I rarely bet more than $25.

[WAYNE3298]

Yes BBeerme. Here they use 2 and 6 decks. The two deck is good if there is not more than you and another player and if the yellow stop card is placed about a fourth of the way from the end. Placing the yellow card mid deck nullifies your count. They did that to me so I quit playing the two deck game. The experts say one or two decks give the player the best odds of winning but in my opinion the experts that say that have never played. Card clumping on the six deck allows you to play with more players at the table because when the 10 count cards come out there are usually more of them and you have longer to take advantage.

[behappy]

Yes BBeerme. Here they use 2 and 6 decks. The two deck is good if there is not more than you and another player and if the yellow stop card is placed about a fourth of the way from the end. Placing the yellow card mid deck nullifies your count. They did that to me so I quit playing the two deck game. The experts say one or two decks give the player the best odds of winning but in my opinion the experts that say that have never played. Card clumping on the six deck allows you to play with more players at the table because when the 10 count cards come out there are usually more of them and you have longer to take advantage.

2 deck game is a $25 table here and they use a shuffle master....

[beenthere]

Don't really want to know anything. Mainly curious as to how many good players are here. Most players are not good.

Most players think they are good. lol

[BBeerme]

I know I'm not good, LOL.

[WAYNE3298]

Casino's that use continuous shuffle machines totally nullify the card count. My bank roll was good for tables of up to $10. Shuffle machines are OK but not the continuous shuffle type.
You can be good BBeerme but it takes a lot of work, self control and patience. The casinos are kind enough to give you basic strategy cards. That minimizes your losses but doesn't give consistent wins.
I played several years and only played with one guy that was really good. All the other card counters lost most of the time because they ignored the trend of the table and didn't have the self discipline to wait for the right opportunity.

[Fender60]

I know I'm not good, LOL.

LOL, me either so I don't gamble. I am the kind of person that has been to Vegas or on a cruise ship and never gambled a single dime. Just not my thing, that and I know that they didn't build those huge casinos because people win all the time.