Most casinos on the main strip are 6:5 and used automatic card shufflers. This is directly due to the internet and videos like this. The casinos are trying to restore their odds from the 70s and 80s.
Lol, I'm probably never going to bother learning to count cards but you manage to present everything in such an engaging way that I still end up watching each time a vid pops up in my notifications.
I don’t really have an interest in card counting either lol, but I listen to BJA while I’m playing blackjack at the diamond casino in GTAV. As well as that, I saved the BJA basic strategy chart so I could win at least a little bit more
@@kinghowels4469 ???????? Dont quite know what you are getting at here Might you actually be implying that one can win at these games by staying only a short time and always "quitting while ahead"? The idea is actually hilariously preposterous. (Though very much believed). It is impossible to change the house edge on your action by running out of the casino on cue.
@@ronalddump4061you can? Like what are you on a about it’s a game of luck I’ve won 100 dollars just playing basic strategy in 30 mins at a 10 minimum and walked away anything is possible in gambling when it’s mostly luck
I get annoyed on youtube often because everyone thinks they are a great speaker and teacher but fall very short of that. I liked this video, clear speaker and stayed on topic. Brief but informative.
Whenever I hit a hard 12 (not a pair of 6's, though, since I split those) against a dealer's 2 or 3 I try to watch other players' reactions to see which ones think I'm an idiot.
This guy is 💯% correct . I lost five hands in a row one time and figured ,, there's no way I can loose the next one , it's a pattern , so I put the last five wages I lost as the bet , stood on a hard 15 against a ten since the last couple shoots were steady low cards since I didn't count , I just observed and lost when the dealer turned 13, hit and turned a 6 making it 19 😑 .. so I was guilty of three of these mistakes ,, Imperfect basic strategy, pattern theory , and compulsive waging
You're a better player for admitting it. Ignorance is a choice made not knowing any better whereas stupidity which is the majority is learning or knowing better and continuing to do so.
And I'm a regular player, but don't claim to be an expert. Remember, even the most skilled counters play based on likelihood. In your case, sure there was a likelihood you would draw and bust. BUT the likelihood of winning with a 15 against a 10 was even less likely.
I've found that if I'm on a losing streak it doesn't change, I've done that same thing and lost 10 in a row multiple times, so now I have a 4 loss rule, if I lose 4 times in a row, than I walk away, and go to a different table or leave!
First memorize basic strategy. Then learn to count cards. Then, memorize the playing deviations. Then, learn the Kelly criterion betting strategy. Then, Practice, Practice, Practice. Now you’re ready to go to a Casino. Good luck.
@@smhollanshead You could graduate MIT with a 4.0 average and be lucky to count card in the HUGE decks they have now. This isn't the ''good old days'' anymore. The best advice I have ever been given in blackjack is this: You are NOT trying to get as close to 21 (as possible) without going over. You are trying to beat the dealer. Period. You would be surprised how many people do NOT know this.
"Trust the Math" is great advice. I have studied probability for years and Math doesn't care about patterns or luck. BJ players that don't respect the Math are just donating money!
@@notallowed337 yes mate u should always assume because if the dealer is showing 10 there is not nearly the same chanche of Them going Bust as if they were showing a 6 therefore you should hit on 14 if dealer shows 10 but not if He shows 6.
I first learned the game when my parents would make trips to Vegas back in the sixties and I would play in their practice sessions. So I've been playing for a little over 55 years. One of the reasons its important to count is its about putting value and determining a shoe. If you insist on making a bad shoe work for you, your chip stack will evaporate. Its all about the shoe.
The thing to keep in mind is that gambling is an expectation of loss. Card counting can give players the edge, but it takes practice and discipline. If you are playing blackjack, know your expectations
Reason 4 and 3 are so common these days. People are just too afraid to lose money so they just completely abandon basic playing strategy. Like not doubling when they have an advantage or not hitting when they should. They think that by avoiding doing those it can help them lose less money. But reality is that they are throwing away their $ even more.
Dude that’s the most painful part of being a dealer. People stay on 13 - 16 all day. Another player criticized me for always hitting 16 (against 7 - A). I had to explain that, statistically, staying on sixteen is almost always a losing hand. Sixteens suck, but you have to take your chances and play right. The House always does. That’s the thing for us Blackjack players too: the casuals might make off with some wacky bad plays for a weekend, but we’re in this for the long haul. And longitudinally, correct basic playing will even out with the house. Advanced play (deviating from basic strategy when the odds are right) is where blackjack enables profit. The problem is just like the RU-vidr says though. If your system isn’t verifiable through math, deviating from basics will cost the player (upping bets, letting the bet ride, hitting hard hands against low cards and vice versa...). And training is huge. Like, playing every single day. Memorizing basic strategy until it’s reflexive. Learning to side count aces and pay attention to the ratio of high:low cards played out. These are distinguishing marks of a skilled player.
@@francoputin5785 This is a nice bonus to sitting at 1st base. By the time the dust settles and the hand is over, the rest of the table already forgot what you did and is too lazy to try and figure out "what if..."
Pro tip: if you're going to Vegas or your local casino a couple of times a year, you're not gambling you're paying to be entertained. In other words, don't expect to win focus on having a good time and stay within your limit. If you take your wife out for dinner and a few drinks how much do you expect to spend? Look at the casino the same way, like the man said, "are you not entertained?" If you had a good time you won. If you happen to win a few bucks, then you were definitely entertained. True gambling is about the grind with massive swings few people can handle it, I know I can't.
Regarding the side bets, there are some tables where I gamble that pay you on getting 19-20 hands or matching face cards that pay even higher. When the count is high you have good odds of making those hands so it is worth it to play at certain times.
I used to live in NYC and didn't own a car. Hence, frequently took the bus to Atlantic City. One day on the bus going back home, a dude sitting next to me in shitty clothes claimed to be a card counter. He claimed that he used to be a team member of Kenny Uston. He also bragged that he could win any amount whenever he wanted. Although I was going home a winner, I pretended naivete and wished someone could teach me how to play blackjack. He offered to teach me for $500 and by the time we reached Manhattan, his price had dropped to $50. Once off the bus, I shamed him to stop hustling people for pittance. I still remember his face.
I was once at Barnes & Nobles gaming section. College kid also looking at the gaming books says "I count cards" I believed him and simply asked which count he used. He replied" Uh, well, I have a photographic memory". So I'm like "Right"!
The most success ive had at BJ is when a pretty Thai girl came by the table and offered to go out to my pickup and have a BJ. That time, BJ only lost me 100 dollars. Btw, the guy on the bus was lying. No counter ever wins "whenever he wants". He wins, loses, wins, wins, loses........ and over time sees that he wins more than he loses. If you play basic strat, the same thing happens, only over time, you notice you are losing money. I have kept extensive records over many years. I find that in average 5 hr sessions I win about 60 to 65% of the sessions.
re: the introduction - Las Vegas casinos now only earn 45% (33% for strip properties) of their revenue from gambling (on average). 30 years ago it was 75-80%. Hotel guests spend more money on food, drinks, shopping and rooms than gaming. Of course the casinos reacted the wrong way by making the odds worse and increasing table limits when they could drive more traffic to their tables by doing the opposite, but in their macro economic world gamblers are less profitable than young people clubbing at their properties.
I’m new into blackjack and have only really played online 3 or 4 times with small amounts. I downloaded the basic strategy chart to see how I fair and I can see the logic behind it. I studied statistics as a prerequisite for my finance degree back in college and it all boils down to probability. Even without actively counting cards - if you just observe the table - you can win well in the short run. The key is choosing which rounds to play and which ones to sit out. Because in the long run if you play each hand that is dealt you will be at a deficit
Thanks, Colin. Everytime I see people playing those side bets it makes me think of when keno was big in Vegas. 20% house edge. Then a good friend swears by the side bets and I just sigh like Snoopy in the Charlie Brown clips. People don't want to play correctly because it takes patience. We are not a patient creation.
I get the side bets are sucker bets and casino advantages but why then is the max so much lower than the table max. If it’s so advantaged then the casino should make it higher than the table max
@@t32475 Sometimes casinos make "mistakes" in the form of side bets that have a player edge under ridiculously improbable circumstances that can be card counted. Low maximum ensures "counters" only paying attention to the side bet can't get too much out of it without being bled by rent.
I once rough calculated how much a small/average sized casino makes extra with 6:5 instead of 3:2. I figured $1,000/day or $365,000 per year as a minimum. Not bad for changing one rule.
Wow, 6 tp 5 started in Las Vegas as an experiment to see if people turned away from the game with those blackjack odds. Turns out most of the tourists didn't notice a thing and then 6 to 5 spread like wildfire through many Vegas casinos.
That’s can’t be a good thing surely? Card counters will actively avoid tables that don’t have a blackjack 3:2 payout due to the advantage lost, and you’re wasting those winnings on side bets?
Great video and very educational. One minor point. Casinos were once built on gambling losses as you say. But for the last twenty years or so they are profitable not on gambling but instead on everything else associated with money spent as a destination for tourists. Shows, lodging, food, and myriad other forms of entertainment. Not gambling.
Yeah, I was thinking how could these places still rely on gambling revenue when they are charging you $300 a night to stay, $250 for dinner, $25 for each drink, $1000 for a cabana at the pool, and have shows that cost $150 for decent seats.
I've often sucked at Blackjack, the first few times I've played it, but I learned, as I moved forward. I often have those days where the cards were just not right for me, but this past week, I managed to come out way ahead and win $250, based off of how I kept track at how much I was winning. There will be some day that I'll thank these Blackjack Apprenticeship guys for what they have taught me about the game of Blackjack and how to play wisely, too.
I'm so torn because I like the side bets. Especially the push bet that pays 10 to 1 or the buster blackjack. I've had some good days playing them but I do understand the logic of not playing them
I've hit the buster blackjack for 5 grand betting 20 bucks. I was in $ 2,500.00 though. I took 100 off my card and said I'll try one last time. Had 40 bucks left so betted 20 and 20 and hit 8 card dealer bust. Cashed out and left. Tipped dealer 500.00.
In all my endeavours in casinos, I'm easily ahead playing blackjack versus any other game (but hold'em is coming around). I don't know why I continue to play slots but sheesh they're exciting. I really oughta focus on blackjack.
One thing also, don't play with scared money and bring enough where you can weather a slew of hands that didn't go your way and the math starts to rectify itself. You can follow the rules he outlined above and still lose 7,8,9 straight hands. Bring enough so that when the doubling presents itself...you're still in the game.
Thank you for the comment on PATTERNS. I can't stand it when gamblers at my table have expectations of MY play, that they suggested affect THEIR outcome. They don't seem to understand the concept of randomness, nor do they seem to understand that there is no team effort. I'm going to take a hit if it's appropriate, even if it costs the next person the card they wanted. It was a random event.
The object is to beat the dealer. I’ve sat at tables and there IS a team effort and it seemed beneficial. This was before I learned about basic strategy. I wonder what my reaction will be when I return with a bit of knowledge
Yeah but other than all of the other popular patterns or betting systems the ploppies will always come up with something they think is better. I had this guy tell me that he played a 1-5 negative martingale system where he waits for the dealer to win 4 times in a row before jumping in. They just keep adding stupid stuff onto the strategies to avoid having to put in the time to learn how to actually beat the game. So if I showed this video to one of them, they would just make the excuse that their specific strategy isn't included.
Biases like these are prevalent in a lot of forms of gambling, including and namely, the stock market. One can always find a reason to stick with a pick or dump a stock, usually based on our own conjured up biases
@@whyfoldnow9372 I agree with you in terms of creating your own bias to stick with a decision (good or bad). However, I think it's a bit of a stretch to suggest investing in stocks is "gambling." Having an understanding of a an economy, industry, company and valuing it based on future economic benefits (cash flow) that it will produce is very different than playing a casino game with a built in house edge. Sure, there are some companies folks should not be investing in because they clearly don't have a long-term sustainable advantage, which can come down to the investors lack of understanding of what he/she is investing in. However, if you simply look at stock index funds over last 100 years, you will see that if you bought and held your money, it would be worth a ton today. Keep in mind, buying a stock represents ownership in a company, which entitles you to a claim of assets and profit, which is very different than going to the casino and "gambling ."
Side bets depends on the casino. I always do well when match or winning on 20 ( 2 face cards or equal 20 with an ace, higher pay on suited or 2 Queen of hearts ) went to Vegas few weeks ago and they didn’t have those side bets.
Colin, that is very good advice. Your videos are SPOT ON. And you are too kind to the viewers who think that they might be able to count cards in blackjack; the truth is, only one of 100 players can count cards and make it win.
@@pranksterguy1 Good question, Prank....truth is, I was just estimating the odds. After trying several times to learn and use card counting without success, I decided that the odds against me were 100 to 1.
You can also recognize dealers that suck too. Who insist you should be betting the lucky ladies side bet since you've just got three 20's in a row, or have gotten a bunch of straights or flushes that would pay on that 21+3 bet. Or passionately assert to you that your soft 18 is a winning hand and you should always stand. I've also heard those same dealers talk about how they're in debt to that same casino, that they work in, for their irresponsible slot playing. Not one who should be giving advice on how to play. I've also have had honest dealers tell me to stay away from the side bets, because that is where the house makes their money, at the tables. I like dealers who want me to win.
I had a dealer point out that I was a pretty good player. She then said "I noticed you don't play the Royal Match. You know it's a sucker bet don't you?" I nodded yes.
traitor True. Certain dealers hate for you to win. Once I was playing in Atlantic City. I got 3 blackjacks in a row. On the 3rd blackjack, the dealer exclaimed 'SHIT'. I could have shouted at him and could have made a scene but restrained myself.
No blackjack dealer wants you to lose, unless your a stiff as we call them. In other words you don't tip, all dealers work for tips because the casino pays them way below minimum wage....
Colin, your videos are great and packed with tons of valuable information and insights into the game...keep up the great work! On a side note I've noticed you keep mentioning you have 15 years of experience and you reporting this goes back close to 5 years at this point...shouldn't you start staying you have 20 years of experience?? haha Getting old happens to all of us my man...embrace it!!
What you didnt mention is that 1)Trends dominate in blackjack and gambling in general. 2) when card counting the dealer has just as good a chance of getting a good hand as you !..when the count is high.Player just has a better chance of getting a picture card so does the dealer! I’m trained by john patrick professional gambler
Simple trick to card counting. Get a bunch of smaller denomination chips. Put them in 2 piles as the game move along. One pile is for the high cards, one pile is for the low cards. That way you don't have to memorize the count.
Excellent video ! This should be mandatory learning for all casino dealers and supervisors ! As well as some of your other videos regarding card counting, etc.
casinos will never learn. black jack is black jack and they cannot control anything. if a player is good he will go home in profit. and this will never change.
My father played for decades without a losing year and I've been playing progressive blackjack for 25 years & never had a losing year either. It's no fluke, it's because I mastered the game and grind away at percentages with perfect money management that slightly turns the long term odds in my favor if playing straight old school blackjack. I'm disciplined at the tables and away from them. I have a sense of the game that has become second nature. I'm not a systems gambler, I don't believe in luck, and card counting is pretty much a thing of the past. I'm not a schmuck and I'm not selling anything either. I don't have to.
I bought 100 in chips at Bellagio blackjack when I was in Vegas a few years back. Bet 25, lost. Bet 25, lost, bet 25, doubled on an 11, won. Bet 25, won. Walked out up 25. Threw 5 bucks on 5 numbers at the roulette table..hit for 175, walked away. Played craps for 4 days, would be up 65, and would walk. Up 85, walked, up 130, walked...did that 3 or 4 times more times. Was up around 750 after 5 days. Checked out of the Flamingo, had about an hr to waste before going to the airport...in 45 minutes I had lost 300 back. Went home up around 450 for the 5 days but I felt like an idiot.
7:00 Stacks of 1 dollar bills with a 100 dollar bill on top of each. You can actually see the 1 dollar bill under one of the stacks. Plus, the bills are worn, like 1 dollar bills would be.
This past weekend was my first time at a casino which I always wanted to go and see how it was , I did play a couple hands and lost a couple hundred which I was ok with loosing but what really got me was the environment I was in , I’m mostly a loner and rarely try new things out so when I do I get pretty nervous feel clumsy definitely a fun experience and for now I’ll build a bigger bankroll and research a little more about what the table games are about since that was my biggest flaw so many different games for blackjack 😵💫 all I wanted or was looking for was a regular blackjack game with some sort of side bet but there’s a couple I’ve never heard of blackjack poker and Asian blackjack and so on so yes definitely keeping out an eye for more friendly new beginners table and making sure the minimum bet is as high will see how this goes in the future but definitely still going to practice and getting more familiar with the casinos il though I’m staying away from the tables till I have a little more confidence and don’t get so nervous haha
My favorite number #5 is when someone wants to join or add a hand, and the person that's winning always gets mad because that's going to affect their "run". 🤣
What advice would you give to someone who's new to card counting, played perfectly, but still lost on their first real game. Or, how can a newbie recognize the difference between bad luck, and bad playing?
Perfect card counting or perfect basic strategy? How new are you to card counting? How can you confirm to me that you are a winning player? What's your bet spread? How long did you play? Table rules? Losses are always possible.
I am no expert but my First advice is to do a basic course in Statistics and Probability. This will give you insight on Probability and EV. So If we play basic strategy the EV is around -0,50-1%, so lets say you play 280 hands (around 4hrs), even though you are playing a -ve game, there is a 41% chance you come out +ve. Similarly if you flip the probability and play a game with +EV, there will be a 41% chance you loose in one session. Second: Learn some programming and run simulations of your strategy. If that is not possible, purchase a copy of BJ Simulators to run your strategy and back test the same before testing in the casino. Ps: I am right now writing a java Program to back test my strategy.
Even at a +2% edge it is still 98% luck. In other words if it were a perfectly even game and the casino had no house advantage out of a 100 sessions you would win 50 times and the casino would win 50 times. With your +2% EV you are *hoping* to win 52 times vs the casino's 48 times. The math of the game is brutal, if you do not have the bankroll and emotional fortitude to ride out those 48 loses the casino will chew you up and spit you out.
Lots of people that have no clue are playing blackjack. It's easy, you just have to be able to add to 21. Just saw someone take a hit with 2 8's against dealer 10. Didn't split. 👎 Another guy asked the dealer what to do against dealer 6 and he had soft 15!😂😂😂
If you dont card count you are going to suck anyway. You will lose in over 50% of your sessions. And if you DO count cards, averaging 5 hr sessions, you are going to "suck" in roughly 35% of your sessions
Even Perfectly counting cards not only helps if we are going through bad shoes with lots of bad hands while dealer often showing 20-21 either hard/soft total. It happens now&then really heart-breaking situations.
In addition to RU-vid you need BJ gaming simulation software that corrects you if you make a strategy error. Most are adjustable for different table rules. Some decent ones are actually free. I learned basic strategy and simple card counting from RU-vid. I break even at the tables and get plenty of comps. If I had the time to learn and practice advanced counting becoming an advantage player would be attainable via YT. I find it superior (and less expensive) than books and personal trainers.
The problem with card counting is IF the Casino sees a pattern of raised bets they will back you off. They also don't deal the decks down far enough anymore.
I've been going to the casino since I've been old enough to go. Love playing blackjack. A few years ago I decided I was going to learn to beat the house and learn how to count. Spent hours watching videos and practicing at home. I started counting when I went to the casino and after maybe a dozen trips found I wasn't having fun anymore. I was going to the casino for entertainment, to socialize with the other players, the dealer, and to have fun. But you have to be laser focused when you count in order to make sure your count is right. If you have the wrong count, it's worse than just "gambling" and not counting at all. I was winning when I was counting but it wasn't about winning for me, it was about having fun. If you want to count, by all means, count. If you're there to make money, no one is begrudging you that. So don't begrudge how other players play. If you're good enough to know how to count then you also know that anything anyone else does at the table has zero effect on you at all. So if someone wants to "change up the cards" it literally has no effect on your game. So I stopped counting. It was actually harder to stop than it was to learn. It's not a skill you just learn. It almost ruined the game for me. I ended up taking a break from blackjack for like a year because of counting. And then even then, those first few times it was almost impossible to turn that switch off in my brain.
I stopped playing table black jack a couple years ago I play virtual blackjack with $25-$50 won $28 last time at labourge got to go swimming for a bit and had a couple tasty drinks played money wheel and virtual blackjack in las Vegas last year
Most of my winnings from blackjack are from the side bets. One time a guy sitting next to me and my friend criticized us for playing side bets, calling us "suckers." Shortly after he was dealt two queen of hearts.
One time, when the count was high, I started playing 2 hands. A player sitting to my left complained, saying "we were both doing well playing 1 hand. Why did you switch it up?" He even offered me to switch seats with him, if I insist on playing 2 hands. Clearly, this guy doesn't understand the math of the game.
@@flippatheshippa It works on paper, with an infinite bankroll and no table limits! ...although with an infinite bankroll, what are you even doing in a casino in the first place? xD
I've noticed a lot of table coolers lately and it's not hard to spot them if they are buddy buddy with the dealers or pit boss and they jump in the action for 1 hand then leave then jump in again. I love calling them out and seeing their reaction and suddenly they disappear. 🤣😂🤣
There are no such things as coolers, who the casino sends in to play one hand or two. Just like they don’t change the dealers when someone is winning. They change dealers on a regular rotation. As for people coming and sitting down for one hand, or “cooling” the table, nobody has control over whether another player joining will help or hurt the table. Another one of those false player beliefs
HA! I suck at math. Always have, always will. Therefore, I don't play Blackjack. Would like to but my one time at a table, decades ago, I lost a bit. Got the message and left the table.
The only reason I lose sometimes is I don't recognize a win, and walk out a loser because of it. Let's say I walk in with 300 bucks, and make 60 bucks, I stay rather than walkaway with the small win, and then lose a lot or all I brought because I didn't have the discipline to leave when I should have done so. The last thirty or so visits to the casino this year I won every time, the loss days being wins of 60-130 bucks, but didn't walk away with those wins because stayed too long and the edge caught up.
Same with me. I’ll walk in and hit for $2500 in half an hour. Obvious move is to walk away, but you think that THIS is going to be the big night, and you end up broke 2 hours later
I only been to one casino that offered the buster bet AFTER the hands are dealt.. Harrah's 50 miles Northeast of Stockton Cali....a couple times I turned 5 bucks into $500 on the buster bet...Good times.. yessir 👍
Your absolutely right about that. This is not a sustainable game as far as winning goes. No matter what you do or how you play ultimately you will lose all your money. Ive done and seen it all in this game. Its a terrible way to try to make a living. Counting does not gurantee winning and youll lose much more trying to keep the freakin count. Make one big bet when you think you have the advantage and you lose. Now try to come back from that without losing any more than that. Stupid investment for dreamers.
@@stephenvanboening2232 dont think you understand what colin is saying. 2 things , brain and bankroll. Shdnt risk big bets if you are underfund and bet accordingly to the size of your bankroll. thats the basic of money management as an AP.
Also serious question do these videos apply to Spanish 21as well? I play blackjack 75% of the time but will also play Spanish if the table isn’t too crowded
@@Blackjackapprenticeship - Well, you would be cool if you would take Chris Mitchell of 'Change Your Life Vlog' up on his challenge and beat him out of a thousand dollars.
Okay so how do I learn perfect basic strategy and counting? How many hours to I have to practice, how much money do you need to start with? Should I buy my own decks and practice? I have a ton of questions.
In my opinion if a dealer is hot as in making their hands instead of busting, that its a bad table to sit at, I dont know why and maybe there is no mathematically logical reason. But it does seem to go in streaks. For whatever reason. A dealer can go on hot and cold streaks
"Big dumb casinos"? I'd hardly call them dumb. They're the smart ones :) That's why they can build those huge beautiful elaborate buildings. They depend on dumb *players*.
Something like that typically, if you just play basic strategy. But what are you even there for if you're just playing basic strategy. If you're there to play a losing game, you might as well be feeding your money 5 cents at a time into cheap slot machines instead of 5 dollars at a time into blackjack hands.
5:16, agreed, and I always hit when basic strategy says to. However, what about when there is a really high true count? In that case, don't we have a greater chance of busting? We know there are more 10 cards right?
This is really clear, and good that it is math-centered, but not fully accurate in one important sense. Nobody is going to go to a casino for a weekend, or a week, and play the amount of blackjack hands it would take a computer simulation to play to arrive at the odds and percentages that you and ACG RU-vid guys mention. The regular player you're addressing is going to play a few hundreds hands a night, maybe a 2,000 in a long day. Even if they were to double or triple that amount it doesn't get us to the point where we would be mirroring simulation percentage data. So there's a good reason why players flinch and deviate from strategy and play no-bust hybrid stuff. Because it occasionally works over time period x, and when it does the reward is money, which reinforces their belief in it and weakens your simulation-based clarion call. Denying this simple fact quite frankly makes your advice, while mathematically sound, infrequently correct in real-world scenarios. You have to admit that, or at least state it, otherwise the rest rings hollow. In short, if I play basic strategy for one trip through a 6-deck shoe, I've done nothing. And I have not recreated your odds and percentages.
Why do you guys change the thumbnail of these videos every 2 days??? To trick me into thinking you've released a new video??? Quit playin with my heart like that!!! I salivate a little every time you upload a new vid lol
Haha, sorry! My RU-vid guy creates 2 thumbnails, then A/B tests to find out which one RU-vid likes better. I'm putting out a video every 2 weeks nowadays, with the occasional bonus video thrown in there.
I agree or 100% with everything you said and till you got to the part about progressive betting...... I teach a 50% press with every win..... With returning down to the base bet with every loss......... Explain to me about the hard count...... Because while I totally understand when you can expect high value cards to come out what's to stop the dealer from getting the high cards instead of you? I think perfect basic strategy along with proper double Downs and splits..... Paired with progressive betting gives you an edge.
The value of the high cards is 1) in the higher prevalence of busting hands (since the dealer is compelled to hit to 17+ while the player is not), and 2) in the higher prevalence of blackjacks. Dealer gets a BJ, you lose your bet, but if you get the BJ, you win your bet and a half, making them 50% more valuable to the player A progressive betting system that doesn't factor in the true count is doomed to fail because you will end up not pressing your bet high enough in high counts, and you would be raising your bet during low counts. The only valid betting system is one that takes the count into consideration and absolutely nothing else
No here's the key. You need to do the HARD kind of remembering. The EASY kind of remembering is the one where you remember things that already happened. You just need to practice remembering the future instead. But then you don't need to play blackjack, you might as well play roulette, win the bets that pay 35 to 1 instead of just 1 to 1 (approximately).
These are definitely true but the main reason im bad at blackjack is im always drunk when playing it lol. I wouldnt play it otherwise because i know that house always wins.
The human brain is an amazing thing. Our ability to find patterns or trends where there are none is truly incredible. When the iPod was first invented apple had to rewrite the algorithm for the “shuffle” feature because people complained it wasn’t random enough when in reality it was true randomness. So to fix the problem apple created a new algorithm that picked songs on certain criteria like if an artist was just played they won’t be played again for a certain amount of songs thus no longer being truly random and then everyone was happy that apple finally made the shuffle feature “feel” more random.
First time I ever played a side bet I hit for lucky ladies. Queen of hearts. I don't remember the odds something like 300 to 1 or something. Never really payed off after that lol
I agree we have the advantage with hard 11 or 10, I just hate to double down and see a 2, 3, 5, etc. I wish we could continue to hit after a double down. It would take a lot of the worry out of it.
Play Spanish 21. You can redouble, sometimes up to 4 times. Can get expensive if you double soft hands and keep getting Aces, twos, and threes, though. Saw a guy take a $20 bet and re-double it 4x up to $160. Ended up pushing, so it was a bit anticlimactic
I love what this man does I started to learn basic strategy and to count cards when I was 13 I'm 17 now and I'm not allowed to play blackjack with any of my friends and family now cause of how much I've taken from them lmao this is honestly an amazing game and I truly advise you learn it is a great skill to have and it can bring joy to life if you stick with it
what is your opinion on standing on hard 16 vs a dealer 7? Isn't there greater chance the house will hit this? There are 8 out of 13 down cards they could have.
What's the real advantage of a card counter? What's the real sure win situation besides getting blackjack? What's a sure loss situation for dealers? This is in addition to applying basic game strategy. How do we spot our weak rounds or dealers weak round? Pls. Share your experience.
I’m all about pattern recognition! Not stupid hunches, license plate numbers, mailbox numbers haha you should contact me! I’m really good at pick 3/4 lottery and reduce the numbers to a manageable amount and I’m putting together a black Jack version and could use your input. Plus I’m going to Vegas in June for the first time…so that should be fun.
How should you tip while playing blackjack, if at all? If you’re playing at a low dollar amount $5 and then the true count is high and you’re about to goto $100 and the dealer yells checks play... what should you take from this? * I am not a card counter- just play basic strategy. These are questions I have from watching your videos. Thanks for any answers! Love the videos, thanks again from Illinois!
My personal rule from my time as a dealer and AP is that if you make a profit, tip 5% of it. So if you end up winning $100, toss a fiver to the dealer. This scales down if you end up hitting some ridiculous jackpot bonus like a royal flush on Four-Card Poker where 5% is something like $3k. In circumstances like that, something around 0.5-1% is fine. Also, going from a $5 to a $100 bet is the fastest way to get the dealer to shuffle and the floor supervisor breathing down your neck, so I wouldn't recommend it
They are simply letting management know that $100 bet is now in play. Supervisors keep a strict count on $100 and above chips, so unless you are playing them every hand, they must announce it, when paying out as well
@@tmtmtlsmlhaving the casino sending ina new dealer, or shuffling up a new shoe simply because somebody increases their bet, or for any reason, is simply false. Dealers are on strict break schedules, unless a specific dealer is needed elsewhere because they are one of the few dealers that deal a specific game. They don’t randomly switch dealers. And they never randomly shuffle cards. They wait until the end of the shoe.
I remember being at the tables one day, when this one dude would not hit any 16(no surrender allowed and 16 are not two 8s) vs dealer up card of 7,8,9,10,A. As I always say, hey its your money dude, however in the long run you are losing more. His reply to me was that he had done the "math" and that the player will bust out on 16 more than not.....i said wow that's great "math" because indeed you are correct Pythagoras(sorry i am a bit sarcastic), however did you also do the math on how many times the dealer will have a made hand and/or make a hand against your hard 16? I then said its not that you will not bust more, its that you will lose less to the casino by hitting your hard 16(non 8s) vs 7,8,9,10,A dealer up card if surrender is not allowed, he would not accept that, crazy! But hey as I stated, it was his money, and not mine, thank goodness!
@@davidyouse7133 Well, he kept going back to the well about 2 times while I was seated for just under an hour, if my memory serves, and I left with a small profit, nothing to write home about. I wanted to ask him when his book on "Never Hit 16" might come out, I figured even for a sarcastic ass as myself, that would have been in bad form.
I stay on 16 or 15 if my instinct says so. And i won about 70% on bust card. Blackjack is a mystery so don't think you know more than other people. I hit on 16 or 15 too if my instinct says so. I believe in myself. I just won 800 with 1000 bankroll. I played blackjack at Grand Victoria casino in Elgin
@@luciusshinichi9046 Glad you have had some good luck and would never speak badly of anyone for they way they play as long as they do not state ignorant claims to which they do not understand the math of BJ as I spoke about in my initial post. What I speak of are thousands and thousands of hands of BJ, I am only providing the reality of the math of BJ strategy, there will be variance throughout play, I have played when a count was so high you would bet the farm on every hand, yet lost every big bet hand, that's just bad variance, I have had the count so negative that by the numbers, I should have lost $$$, yet did not, that's good variance. I have sat down and won 12 hands in a row and made $300 in 5 minutes with $15-$45 bets, crazy stuff, in the end if you play a lot and I mean a lot, not hitting your 15 or 16 vs dealer up card of 7.8.9.10.A when there is no surrender allowed and your 16 is not two 8s, then you will lose more than if hitting. Note I did not say WIN more, I said over time you will LOSE less by hitting your 15 or 16 against those dealer up cards mentioned. To give you an example of the math, in a multi-deck game the EV(expected value) of hitting your hard 15 vs dealer 10 is -0.504428 and standing is -0.540430, so you can see it is almost equal however hitting is only slightly better than holding and so the variance you have in the short run can make your "gut" feel, seem like the "right" move and when you win, you may consider this as proof of your thinking when in fact it is not a true reality, at least in terms of the math of BJ for the long term. For a recreational player as I am as well, I would never say to not go with your gut feel and if you are "lucky" and you are having fun, by all means play as you want, however I am only providing the reality of the math of the game and no voodoo science.
I have been playing this game for almost 40 years and the three things that I have noticed that have changed the most is 1 the cowardice of players who never hit 15 and 16. 2 the number of complete idiots who stand on soft 15 and 16 because they don’t want to take the dealers bust card. Third thing The increased whining by players and their belief that they are entitled to win in a casino
Colin, I know your history as well as Shackelfords and the man known as incorrectly as Wong, and you have my admiration along with them. I have been taking lessons from DarkStar and he is currently reading your book, so I am not correcting you but you don't deal with deviations here and people may get the idea counting cards and basic strategy will do it when you have to apply the true count to decide the derivations and make sure you game doesn't suck.
My question is, why would they let guys like you in the casino and let you play a game that they know you’ve mastered and essentially let you take money from them? Are you not also contributing to their profits?
Why was the “dealer” bending his cards to check for blackjack when he had a mirror peeper?? Lol. I made a few videos on the rule of 9 for when to double down.
