They Just Don't Get It 

The fact of the matter is if card counting couldn't make decent money, casinos wouldn't stop people doing it.

My friends took me to a casino to play black jack for the first time. I lost 40 bucks cause obviously i didnt know what i was doing, but my friend is a blackjack dealer so she was sitting next to me explaining the rules and at point the dealer at our table said "10 is the most common card value in the deck so its safe to assume my lower card is always a 10. I responded with "oh so if you're smart enough u can keep track of how many 10s have already been played and try to figure out what cards are left." And everyone just looked at me like i had just said Voldemort or something and my friend says "no, thats counting cards." I just think its funny that they want you to play the game but ignore the obvious strategy. Like i had never played blackjack before. I dont know anything about card counting, and here was a table full of people looking at me like i was a criminal for saying something that just made sense to me

About the losing money part of card counting, I think Captain John-Luc Picard says it best "it is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose, it is not weakness, that is life"

13000 hours to make a million? That's still almost $80 an hour. That sounds good. Lmao

Gotta love how matter-of-fact you are about everything without ever getting even a little bit close to getting tense or dramatic or upset. That alone makes you and the rest of the BJA team the most respectable group in the BJ card-counting scene in my opinion.

The first point reminds me of something Alan Watts said, something to the effect of "using your mind in a contest of brute force to win will seem like cheating to people who are less intelligent."

I've been watching your videos for about a week now, and the really cool thing is that I've always wanted to have a go at card counting, but never knew how to do it. After finding you, I thought "cool, maybe I can finally do this..." but then I realised, nope this is too hard and too boring and too slow... So I don't want to do it. But that's BRILLIANT because you have helped me scratch an itch without me having to actually scratch it!

colin is a real gem. we are lucky to have someone with such integrity

I wanted to hate on that video so bad but decided it was a waste of my time. I'm so glad you ripped into them 😂🔥

The part that was most wrong is that you have to do it full time. IMO, card counting, or any other form of advantage gambling, works quite well as a side job, with the advantage that you have the income from your regular job to get you through the bad spells. It takes a big bankroll to do it full time, as that bankroll has to cover living expenses as well as gambling losses when you run bad.

11:12 …. You might be thinking "Well, that's a lot of blackjack." "It is a lot of blackjack!"

The way I see it, for a card counter to thrive, there must be dozens of ploppies. We NEED people preaching the flow of the cards. We NEED gamblers explaining to the pit boss how their new negative progression system is going to win them their money back. We NEED people yelling "tip yo deala, tip yo deala" every time they win a hand. And we sure need videos like Cheddar's. We ain't gonna fix their lives, but I'll gladly take some money back from the bad guys. Love your videos and information you put out for all to see. I'd be lying if I said I didn't learn much from your youtube channel alone. Keep up the great work Colin!

You come off as a very genuine guy! Just bought your book , hopefully the beginning of my blackjack career

I love how he keeps laughing at how ridiculous it is...my exact reaction xD Great vid!

7:14 Man, what a gut-punch. That cut right to my soul

Great job Colin!

The ending is really ludicrous. She wrongly posits that the best strategy in blackjack is not good enough and shouldn't be attempted, but instead of reasoning that we shouldn't gamble she ends with the conclusion that we should rather eliminate any strategy whatsoever and still play at the casino. What?! I'm at a loss for words. At any rate, if you beat the house you'll have a bigger tip for the dealer. It's win-win for them. Ugh. I refuse to believe that cheddar wasn't sponsored by a casino.

I am a blackjack dealer. I learned to count a long time ago and wanting to go to the casino up the street. but am worried im going to get databased and potentially lose my job.

You mean I might get backed off it I appear with a shirt with "keep calm and double down" written on it? lol

This made me laugh. Love your content, info, and tips! Thank you for contributing your knowledge to those interested in learning this skill.

an honour to see the inventor of the phase its a marathon not a sprint in action.

Vulnerability in the BJ teams comes from the team members stealing the bank roll, as mentioned by Ken Uston in his books. Proper vetting of team members is critical for success.

So, I just stopped my work to watch this video hahaha. Ur the man, love the book, love being a BJA member, love ur videos man

honestly most people want to make quick money I learned to count cards before there was internet i studied every book I could find dealt probably a million hands to myself dealing 1 to 6 decks dealing my hand plus 6 more it took me almost 11/2 years to perfect my game these days you guys have every advantage you can do it way easier then I could.

hey! just binge watched a bunch of your videos. They're great! Was wondering when back counting, when is the right time to wong in? Can you start a running count/true count half way through a shoe? Or can you only get an accurate running count with a new shoe? Thanks

It only works if you work it smh never seen that video ... been busy generating ev :/

I really appreciate the honesty of this video. What us learners should get from this is, it takes money to make money and you will have loses, there is no guarantee win per night. I'm surprised he can keep going to back to the casino and betting in big fluctuations and not get pushed back.

The casino is exactly one step behind

Alot of people have used that phrase for various things. I realized that I didn't have the skills to be a card counter along time ago. I learned from a pro in the 70's who learned from a guy called "the Professor .

I don't know, I just watched the video and it seems to me that the overall point they made is true: Card counting is not a get rich quick scheme. Makes sense to me.

I wanted to see this reply! Awesome!!

Hey Coin, would it be possible for (tribal) casinos to use rigged decks ("accidentally" add more 5s, remove some 10s, etc)? Unrelated question: is card counting just as legally fine and physically safe at tribal casinos, as in the ones under the full U.S. jurisdiction?

In the Cheddar video, they were showing cards being dealt and values given to them, they gave -1 to small cards and +1 to face cards. That video HAD to be sponsored by some casinos.

The content of the Cheddar video is very in line with how casinos view patrons. Mindless cash registers whose only purpose there is to swell the house's coffers. Have a number of friends in gaming and the executive staff at most casinos operate like this. In their mind, players are supposed to lose because the house is offering them a game with a built in edge to them. Plus you are on their property, drinking their 'free' drinks, etc. so the gambling losses are thought of by the house as a 'time charge'. So when someone uses their brain to outsmart them at their own game consistently, they respond as you'd expect.

50 bucks an hour sounds pretty damn good to me. 😊

It's literally...... this simple: If card counting doesn't work, then why do the casinos back the players off? Case closed.

The coupon analogy isn't quite right, most coupons are paided back to the stores buy the manufacturer and the stores continue to make money. You hardly ever see coupon for the local store brands.

Card counting also can come out negative so be careful how much you bet.

This is the most polite troll response video I have ever seen

I’m just seeing this now, but I play a lot of video games and I am very high ranked in a lot of those games and there are a lot of times I get accused of hacking/cheating. I’m like no… I just know my positioning better than you. That doesn’t mean I’m cheating, that just makes me a smarter player. People just don’t want others to be better than them in competitive things like gaming and blackjack. Great content, as always!

Question Cheddar but if the house always wins then why Backoff? Why so many counter measures? True the house always wins against average players but the true AP can win sometimes. And with good bank roll control alot of sometimes adds up.

I’m fine with cheddar’s attitude, the more people that believe it, the fewer people that will try counting. As long as there are just a few of us we can remain relatively under the radar

Colin is thoroughly accurate, but Cheddar gets one thing sort of right: You're probably never going to be a professional card counter. It takes hard work, dedication, lots of travel, and a significant bankroll. If you have/can do those things, you've probably already got an education and have a cool job. So it's very few who make it work. For every 100 dudes (and the occasional girl) who think they know how to card count, or are trying to learn, probably only ONE will be successful. It's just a tough deal. And boring. And expensive. Then again, it is absolutely REAL. So go into it with a level head, and understand the reality. And if you're one of those unique individuals with the requisite qualities and determination, go for it.

Nice!! I remember seeing this and sent it to ryemos discord group to see the trashing they’d give it but you gave it a pretty sound ass kicking as well.. I wish it was the worst card counting content I could say I’ve seen on RU-vid but I watched an alcoholic claim to be a card counter and make basic strategy mistakes etc and ppl were eating that shit up sadly.. but 🤷‍♂️what are you gonna do. Thanks again for all the awesome content Colin! Congrats on the book! If I get a free day I’ll finally be able to finish it! Lol

I love it that they say this honestly. More for those of us who are willing to put in the work!

Colin if you ever get a chance read the comment section of her video. The entire card counting comunity had it’s best moments in that chat.

Casinos frown upon usage of brain.

What do you think of counting in pitch games? Most double deck games in my area are pitch games.

11:08 "Because he played 2000 hours a year [...] and you might be thinking 'that's a lot of blackjack' " Yea, but that's no different from clocking in a regular full-time job. 40 hours a week x 52 weeks is 2080 hours per year, which is just a regular salaried job. So that really just means Yoshi had to clock in what most of us normally do per year.

Even in real life situations outside of BJ and card counting, as time passes by, I wonder whether using our brains might really end up being considered illegal.

Hey Colin, I’m in college and have a 1.2k bankroll that is separate from my expense money. The only thing is the lower hand tables $50 a hand don’t have the shuffle machine and pay 3:2. What do you recommend? Thank you

I've always wondered why casinos don't eliminate card counting by always cutting the shoe in half (or more) so you can never get decent deck penetration. I recently realized the answer watching your videos. It's because successful card counting is so hard. Most people doing it are doing it correctly only 99% of the time. Those people are going to get cleaned out almost as fast as the compulsive gamblers. I have a feeling Cheddar is right that the casinos know within 10 minutes that you are a card counter. However, they don't know for quite a while that you are a good card counter. They are letting people like you keep playing because it's really hard to distinguish between a card counter who makes basic strategy mistakes 1% of the time (most of them) and therefore loses and one who will really take them to the cleaners. If anyone is reading a comment on such an old video, I'd be curious what you think.

Calculate odds of each game, each hand, stand behind the table for long long time for positive EV. Keep track of approx number of hands played. Adjusting with people ire, as come in and go out in between. All these take a lot of self deciplene and too much patience. Whole day goes away. If you have another job, tracking 100 hours even very very difficult, specially waiting for positive ev.

Every job becomes boring.... thank you!!! There has to be a generational gap in understanding that. It’s absurd people expect infinite novelty and excitement. It has to be the reason there are so few world class professionals in any given field..... because it gets boring one thousandth of the way there!!! And that’s the vast chasm separating amateurs from champions

in order to make big money, your going to need to travel , at some point you will be banned at your local games, and than you will have to take your show on the road, GAS , Hotels, Food, Wear and tear on your car, all that stuff has to be calculated,,, You need a good bankroll to make money , because once you have to travel 5k or 10k isnt going to get it done

That woman that makes the cheddar video is completely off base. She said that the casinos are always one step ahead of card counters. This is completely false. Many card counter can play for substantial periods of time without being detected. Her claim that the casinos will catch a card counter within 15 minutes is total nonsense. I am a card counter and I have only been backed off once. I don’t play professionally because I live far from a casino and have a small bankroll but I am a math genius. Her narrative that the players should tip the dealers is total bs. The casinos are the ones that generate obscene profits. It is the casinos’ responsibility to pay their dealers reasonable wages. It is not up to the customers to help pay the dealers wages. Other players may frown upon the card counter that doesn’t tip, but tipping offers no benefit. The card counters are in business to utilize the tiny edge they have, not to make the dealers happy, Tipping the dealer offers no benefit. The dealer will not make incorrect payoffs or allow the players to cheat or reduce the size of the pack. We have been brainwashed by society to think that it is somehow our responsibility to help pay for dealers’ wages when they casinos are the ones with massive wealth. I refuse to buy into this nonsense. The woman on the cheddar video refers to card counters as cheaters. They are not cheating because they are simply using their minds to keep track of the cards, and their edge is razor thin. Being able to do simple math and using that information is in no way creating.

Dealers think casino security and surveillance are way more compitant than they actually are.

Do you increase your hands when the count is in your favor? If so how many added hands? If you don't increase the quantity of hands the dealer has the same likelihood to get the same cards, yes?

Counting only gives the slightest of edges. Card counters lose many thousands even when playing at advantage. Dealers also make thev20s and BJ and when you hit on the hard 12-16 against dealer 10 and you bust

I like math, and understanding in simple terms how card counting works and that the house has only 0,5% edge when played with a computer proven perfect technique makes it almost obvious for me that card counting will improve you chances of winning money likely over 0%.

Hey I hope this is read by @BlackJack Apprenticeship how much do the odds change when a casino is running a strategy to back off card counters when they are down during their visit? How many people*casinos do you need to get the Edge back to the player?

One thing I’ve never been able to truly figure out myself as a mid level counter I would say is when you get to the higher end of your bet spread is it better to spread it out among 2-3 hands or stack it all on one? I generally go from 5-50 and when at 40-50 i play two hands of 20-25 and have found that seems to work better than just one hand

I can attest what you said about the casino asking you to leave if you start winning too much, is true. I have been banned from playing blackjack by many casino's and a few have even kicked me out entirely. Casino's are built from losers and if you prove you're not a loser, you get kicked out, so again, you lose.

I think casino get it, they are trying to say, they are a place to spend money, not win money, and we all got the concept wrong. Anyway what I learnt from their video: 1. Don't count by yourself, when you keep going up and down is obvious, so they really suggesting to play in a group. The big player just play big all the time, less obvious. 2. Don't play too long, probably just win big for 1 hour, then quickly go, or switch the big player 🤔

My favorite go-to when discussing card counting is the Hangover, because it is a perfect sum up of how casinos would like you to perceive card counting. Also, before I even considered learning the technique, I had a conversation with my father (who is an idiot by the way) about table etiquette. He is a firm believer in the etiquette when he taught me how to play Blackjack, and was left in an incoherent argument loop when I told him that none of what he said made any sense. Who cares if players get mad at you and leave? Since when are you playing them? You ever stop to think that the only one who wants you to take that sacrificial hit for the next player is the house?

i think the point she is trying to make is very few people can do it , as humas we get tired, we make mistakes and mistakes change the odds and lower EV , every little mistake whether its messing up the count or making basic strategy errors or betting errors or not managing your bankroll correctly, swing the odds back in the casinos favor,, those odds are only in your favor if you play perfect,, add in backoffs threats jailtime burnout, most people cant handle dem swings and quit,,,,,very few APs are as good as they claim,,,,,

In the Netherlands we can’t count cards. Only 1 casino has blackjack and they put all cards into the shuffle machine each round

For every successful counter I bet you there is 100000 failed counters.

12:38 The eloquent rebuttal to Cheddar's claim is: "If the House always wins, then why do they tell big winners at their tables to stop?" Cheddar plays off a cliche here that describes a fundamental truth about casinos, but not the whole truth. The house odds are stacked against regular players because that's their whole business model. (and it is a very risky business) But card counters are not regular players, they're experts.

6:19 Colin, what is the mathematical calculation for determining how long the "long run" is to reach a profit goal and overcome the variance?

If it takes 400 hours to double your money, then it would take roughly 3987 hours to turn $1000 into $1,000,000.

Even with the lack of scaling they neglect to mention you stand to make a million in about 6 years if you did 40 hours a week, that would make you in the top 5% of earners and not far off the top 1%.

The truth about card counting is that like everything, the people promoting the practice are going to convey very different messages than those who want to discourage it for any reason (casino-sponsored, bitter about their own failed card counting endeavors, etc). Cheddar has its own bias towards it, and this should be taken into consideration, but so does this guy. He wants people purchasing (expensive) memberships to his website, and so, he's going to portray it in a positive light. The reality is that full-time card counting is like just about every field in life. Some are going to make it to the top (the 7 figure counters), others will do well but not reach the upper echelon (the 6 figure counters), many will be able to have moderate success (the 5 figure counters) and may make a living but won't get rich. And then, many others will either not make very much or even lose money in the long run despite hours of training. Think of it like professional football. There are the Tom Bradys of the world, the successful, but somewhat unheralded starters, the serviceable journeymen, and finally, the hundreds of guys occupying the roster bubbles, practice squads, etc. These players may hang around signing minimum deals and bouncing from team to team for a few years, but most get tossed in the bushes and have exited the sport by their 25th birthdays in pursuit of something else. This dude is at the top, knows a few others at the top, and then I'm sure he knows countless at the B level. He's honest about the things you need (training, bankroll, resolve, etc), but there's a reason why he's not sharing personal anecdotes about the guys he surely knows of who've gotten themselves into financial trouble by quitting their day jobs and/or pissing away a bankroll in pursuit of a card counting career. Hearing these stories might dissuade people from signing up for a Blackjack Apprenticeship membership. Notice how he shreds the "cheating the system" claim in the description Cheddar provided of their video, but doesn't dispute the "nearly impossible to make millions" claim?

Hi Colin I am one of your fan and actually , i do card counting for several years , because i believe on that and it works for me. and definitely , i am using your tips and point as well to improve my skill, my only question and concern is that, why the people like you (that are master in card counting) still trying make money through training and teaching the card counting skills? as i know ,you are almost making $300 to $400 per hours by playing Blackjack, am i right? why you should waste your time on creating these videos and looking for student?

#4 Marathon not a sprint, is a saying used forever in so many industries.

Know the rules . . . play strategically . . . don't get greedy. Perhaps this could become a favored past time. Make it 'your all, and everything' . . . you're setting yourself up, for a FALL ! 😬😎🇺🇸

I haven't heard anything from "inside the edge" since the original trailer came out. Did it finally get released?

Mike Postle says hi!

Do you have an accountant who does your taxes? How do you keep track and report your income?

What is the best amount of decks/Least for card counting in your opinion?

How does card counting work when the dealer hits a soft 17 and surrender is not available? It's an unwinnable game if not card counting.

Damm I saw that video a while ago. I was gonna comment about it and ask if you gonna response to that video. But I was too busy practicing card counting that i forgot to mention to you about it. Glad that you responsed to that video haha.

I was at the casino the other day and I got up 5 grand and they asked me to leave. How are you able to build this bankroll while staying under the radar

I’m new to this. Can someone explain to me if the true count is like +4 or +5, then the odds the I will get high value cards are high. But won’t the dealer get the same odds. If the count is really high, and I bet much larger, there’s a good chance I can get blackjack or two 10’s (20). But the dealer can get a blackjack as well when count is high.

Making money is boring ....I wish I was at that point in life where making money is boring

"The house always wins" yes. And thats why when you do something that will cost them money, they throw you out. When you get caught counting cards, they throw you out. If this didn't loose them money, they would let you keep doing it. In fact, they would probably love you, because nothing makes a place more money than someone who THINKS they know what they're doing, but they don't. But the very fact they try to catch card counters shows that they loose on this.

You know, it's really true that the house always wins... when it comes to slots.

Wondering if someone can answer a quick question. But first, I am fascinated by the subject, but I'm afraid an impossibility for me. Getting older, I lack the short term memory and concentration to keep track of a count. Also, my local casino has gone to the continuous shuffle machine. And I mean cards go in after every hand. So here's my question. I get it that by keeping count, you have an idea what cards remain in the deck. Do you only have the advantage when the remaining deck is rich in high cards? Or can you get an advantage knowing when it is rich in low cards? How many shuffles do you have to go through before you get a deck unbalanced in your favor? I can imagine playing for hours and going through numerous shuffles before a deck becomes significantly unbalanced that you can "pounce". Am I right?

Cheddar appropriately named. Such cheese.

Someone should ask her why do back offs exist at all, or does she deny those are real?

i do agree with you because i learned about card counting and every time i went to las vegas and played for the entire week i was there, i was never down but always up. sometimes well above expectation and sometimes below expectation. after a full week of playing 2-3 hours in the morning.....2-3 hours in the afternoon and a few hours at night......for 7 days...i was always up.

Cheddar scared me thx bro you made me feel like my training is worth it

The phill ivy case seems to be in the grey area they settled out of court. So there still is no president. I think it’s the last time they will let a high roller pick the deck.

This is truly incredible 👍🏾

2000 hours a year sounds like a lot but if you treat it like your full time job then you would be playing 8 hours day, which is 40 hours a week. There are 52 weeks a year which means 40 x 52 is 2080 hours. I would venture a guess that most new advantage players will still be reliant on a typical 8 to 5 because of benefits and the like. So you likely can't start out doing this but if you are successful at growing your bankroll then it is technically feasible.

So do successful card counters that do it as their career have to travel a lot?

just a random question, what were your SAT math scores and grades in math class?

I still can't work out why high cards are better for the player than the casino? You still get dealt your fair share of those cards with the advantage being the casino can tie.

Counting cards isn’t hard at all. It’s the strategy that changes based on said counts that is the tough part to learn. Because you have the basic strategy, and the strategies change based if count is high or low. And even then, you can play perfectly and still lose. It doesn’t guarantee you to win. It just gives you a better chance. Basically taking the house odds, and putting them in your favor Also, working in teams is NOT allowed. If they find you doing that, they most def will kick you out

If your edge is 55% over 45% you will win in the long run, period. Even 51 against 49 :P End of discussion ;)