@@RackwitzG It does, but most Casinos don't let the players play the whole shoe. They have a yellow piece of rubber called a cut card typically placed about 3/4 into the 8 deck shoe toward the back. Once the cut card hits, the deck is then set for a reshuffle. Casinos do this to help deter advantage players.
I just had two shoes with +15 and +24 running counts with less than four and three decks remaining, but I got 14 15 and 16 hands every time. My god, last night I had dream shoes but the WORST hands and lost nearly every time lol
I never play multiple hands. Big bets AND many hands, that's just asking for heat. Kind of like splitting 10s. It gets unwanted attention. Sure, I know you should split 10s against a 6 if the tc reaches past 4, but I still don't do it, because that really gets attention, and besides, it drastically increases the standard deviation of the outcome for a minimal improvement of mean.
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The casino I play at requires 2x the minimum bet for 2 hands, and 5x the minimum bet for 3 hands. So at a $5 table, I'm either playing 2 hands of $10, or 3 hands of $25. What would be the requirements for the 4th-7th spots?
Just want to say thanks for all the videos. I've been slowly building my bankroll. Up to 10k now only able to play about twice a week since the beginning of the year. I'll keep grinding smaller stakes. Winning is winning in my book! Thanks again! Keep up all the work.
@@edge6726 I'd say, don't worry about it. Because, if it looks like your basically, trying, but also, struggling, to card count you're probably off count. But also, even if your not off count, the dealer would just assume it's something you're trying and not good at and wouldn't really worry about it. (Plus, even with perfect card count and strategy you're still gonna lose hands anyway). I'd say they only really bug out at higher stacks tables.
I just ran a few simulations with 50,000 to 100,000 hands. The importance of applying a correct betting spread cannot be underestimated in terms of risk and EV. For instance, if you take a 1-4 bet spread in single deck games with 1U-2U-3U-4U for counts at 1-2-3-4 (and higher) and switch to a 1U-2U-3U-5U can make a huge difference regarding your risk of ruin.
It's fun to practice at home and see it work out in front of your eyes. Many hours of practice is required to be able to execute it in a casino. But, you don't need to rush it. It's worth the effort and time to perfect the skills.
@@CountryKyle007 not as easy as you think. But can for sure be learned by almost everyone who is proficient at mental math. Even then you could practice the mental math and still learn.
The first bet of a playing session has a disportionate effect on what the pit boss puts down as your average bet. My first bet is most often made at 0 count. A lot of times a casinos own promo offers can give a player the edge. A higher average bet gets better promo offers and the first bet of the session can be used to determine your average bet so I tend to bet more out the gate then adjust the bet on hand 2 based on the cards.
I learned bet spread the hard way. When I first started advantaged play, there were a few times I had leave the shoe at a true 2 or higher I messed up and bet too many units The worst feeling, is waiting all night for a positive true count, and losing your all betting units too early. I remember u saying ‘divide by 6’. That stayed with me
I was just going to say a similar thing. I thought oh wow I have a great positive hand I’m going to bet a ton and I didn’t consider/understand the concept of “risk of ruin” and I found out what that meant right away lol.
I've got everything down pretty well, my only issue is figuring out my bet spread. Its insightful that you said to increase your bet around a true 1, as typically I have been waiting until a true 3. up until now I have been following True count - 1 = bet this many units.
How do you bet when you know that in the following round you will reach the cut card? Do you bet according to your count or just one unit or something in between?
@Blackjackapprenticeship When do you like to play 2 hands at a time? According to Wong, it's best to play one hand when alone, and two hands when you have an advantage and other players are at the table. Do you follow this or do you have any other suggestions? I have seen many of your videos and you often talk of playing 2 spots.
what intrigues me about playing backjack is that the game is pretty fair, just using strategy it’s posssible to rarely lose . this got me thinking that there are times the count is high where non counters wouldn’t know , so what if they happen to put out a big bet with a high count? is it possible to play a winning game, without counting
Newbie here🤚🏼 I been in that position at the Sahara casino days before they were going to shut it down completely. and let me explain, I had a great time!! Mainly because we turned that table into a party table..😂 everyone on that table was just chopping it up, having great conversations, the drinks were coming in non stop and we were winning.. was up quite a bit but ended up breaking even. I guess you can call it “complementary night”..lol.. that’s until the elevator fell 3 floors while heading up to the rooms..😂😂 shit was scary. Had to take the stairs upto the 26 floor.. 🏃
Whenever we talk about " the math" in blackjack, we are talking about how if we played for millions of hands, we can expect a positive return. For example if we take one hand, 11 vs 10. We want to consider all of the different outcomes/possibilities when selecting our play. We chose to double down every time because that is the play that will make the most money on average. Card counters generally expect to win an average of 52/100 hands. But there's no guarantee when this happens. The law of large numbers says the math will work out given there's a big enough sample size. To quote Colin: "card counting is a marathon, not a sprint"
Wish someone could run a simulation. If we are betting more when we have the advatage then why not bump up the +1 true count bet? Is there a point where it would be more profitable to flat bet all advantages starting with +1 for the same amount as your max bet or say just above the mid point of your max bet? Its likely to draw attention but it may also look like you are more of a gambler since you will be betting more more often and only betting the same amount reguardless of the advantage. I understand risk of ruin comes in to play here so you would need to take that in to consideration. Maybe a hybrid between a bet spread and a flat bet amt with an advantage? I am thinking it might just camouflage a counters play a little better. I am interested in your thoughts.
I used your house edge calculator and saw that based on the rules at my local casino, the house has a 0.75% advantage from the start. Is this a game thats even worth looking at? What would you say is the maximum initial house edge that can be tolerated? Thanks
@@Blackjackapprenticeship lol that's what I thought. Well I guess that settles the question "can I count cards at my local casino" hahaha I would either have to do some travelling or pursue poker lol thanks for the reply, I appreciate it!
Hi sir, can you explain about the strategy to play pontoon 21 in malaysia genting casino? In Malaysia casino all use CSM, any strategy for this? Minimum bet 50 , maximum bet 1000 for each pontoon table, multiple stack for every bet. Any suggestions for this type game? Thank you
I'm only 2 trips in at my local place, and so far I've built my bankroll up from $1k to $3k (not including bonuses such as UTH winnings). I've been successful playing 2 spots on the standard 3:2/S17/DOA (double on any first 2 cards) tables...but my bet spread didn't vary as much as it could have, which leaves me to wonder if I could have boosted my profits even more? Just small stakes ($5 min/$500 max)...and my bet spread was 1-10. Was I correct to stick with what was working, or did I lose out on additional profits by not increasing my spread on true counts of +1, +1.5 and higher?
@@lewisreynolds5283 ($5 min/$500 max) Pretty sure this was the table he was playing at. Not the dollar amunt of the spread. He said his bet spread was 1-10. If he is playing the min bet with an unfavorable count then that means top bet is $50.00 . He also mentioned playing two spots. He might be on a table where you double the min bet on two spots this would equate to up to two hands of $25.00 and that still counts as a 1-10 bet spread if going from 1 spot to two with a favorable count.
@@Blackjackapprenticeship Thank you for the response. I meant at TC+3 I should be betting 6 units, or $90. However I feel like betting 100 is easier to avoid mispays. How do you feel about this? I can’t find an answer online
You're calculating based on the discard tray minus the starting amount. If you're in a 6 deck game with 2 decks in the discard tray you know there are 4 left in the shoe. If you are at a +16 divided by 4, you have a true +4.
Has to be running, one deck has only 20 low cards and on 4+ deck game it's extremely unlikely to get a true of 22 i really would question the shuffle that dealer did 😂
I'm under the impression right now that I should only increase the number of betting units I have by 1 everytime the TC increases by the same rate. Is that good or bad for my EV?
Yeah, if you’re doing a 1-10 spread, your max bet should be out there at a TC 6 (according to what Colin just said). Then stagger accordingly. For me it’s TC 1 = 1 unit, 2 = 3 units 4= 5 units, 5 = 7 units, 6 = 10 units.
Is there a rule at casinos where you can’t switch tables when the count is negative? Like why don’t you just leave the table if the count is super negative and go find a table that is just starting a new deck?
You can get up anytime you want but it will generate more heat if you're jumping tables and only playing positive counts. Though if you don't care and just want to play until a backoff this strategy is great
For myself, It depends on the casino's rules. Your initial stake should allow you to make at least 200 minimum wagers. This allows you to ride the count if you are not back counting and to be able to absorb bad hands. So, if your casino has $5 minimum tables, you should have at least $1,000 minimum in your stake; $10 table have a stake of $2,000; $25 table have a stake of $5,000; etc....
I was playing the other day and lost $3000 due to variance.. the count was about +20 with a true count of about 5. I started to increase my bets because the count continued to increase, but i kept hitting 15-16, which i knew i would bust out on because the count was so high.. which i did. sadly, it wasn't a great night, but its expected. As long as the overall ev plays out ill be fine.
@@chaeairsoft even with card counting inevitable losses still happen even with it in your favor you just need to bet high every time it’s in your favor to win the long run but this card counter shouldve left the table long before the thousands lost
@@Vagorim wrong, the player wasnt properly counting cards....no card counter would hit on a 15/16 wiht a true count of 5....that guy is a gambler not an AP, hes the kind of person the casino LOVES, watches a few videos on the Hi/Lo basic method and think +1 or -1 is ALL THEY NEED to count cards effectively, lol so wrong.
I have a friend who is playing blackjack, but whenever he gets into a situation where he has to split 8s or 3s and then ends up with another 8 or 3 and has to split for the second time, we are not sure if he has the bankroll to keep doubling down. Can you please let me know when you should say NO to the second split? He has been in this situation twice now and in one hand lost $1,200 when his bankroll was only $500 to start where he got 3 8s in a row. Then he lost $800 on one hand in the same situation when he was up $1,800 when he got 3 3s in a row. He played basic strategy and lost, but I think he should have made the decision to split the second time based on his bankroll. Please help. Thanks.
If you don't have the bankroll to split 3 times and double down everything, you shouldn't be playing the hand at that bet size. Refusing to play basic strategy reduces EV; if you want to also reduce Risk of Ruin, bet smaller.
Rule of thumb is to divide by 6, you need to make sure you can split and double to maximize EV, or lower your bet spread if youre unable to split/double at least 6 times
I started with a 4000$ bank roll and I’ve already lost half of it with in 32 hours of casino time im down to 2000 and I don’t if I’m doing something wrong perfect basic strategy never make mistakes with running count good true count conversion I’m not sure if it’s my bet spread I use 1-10 spread max 100$ I’ve never had a a tc of +7 or higher minimum bet 10$ and I bet 10$ more for every number the true count goes up idk if I should be putting out my max at a tc of +6
I have a local poker hall I can do 1-100 with no risk of back offs. having a tough time deciding what setup to use to properly use that large of a spread range
What kind of spread do you need to beat a game using a play-all strategy where you don’t Wong out in negative counts? Typical 6-deck game on Vegas strip.
1-12 is a starting rule of thumb for 6 decks. That spread should get you about a 1% edge overall, provided you play and bet correctly, without wonging out. You should run sims or read up on what happens to your advantage if you wong out, though. It’s magical.
So question. I am 19 years old and a college student. I go to college on the Texas border. It’s about a 8 minute drive from campus to Winstar where I can play at 18. My question is as a college student I have about $500 I have saved up just in hopes of going to the tables and making a little profit. My question is the minimum for the table is $5 and I won’t have a ton of money to make high bets so say I make minimum bets at $5 and then raise my bet to $10 or $15 will this work or is my spread not big enough?
You will be playing In Oklahoma and impossible to win with the hand tax they have unless the tax becomes negligible compared to your bet spread... maybe backcounting would be ok as well
I just started my blackjack career about 2 weeks ago but have been getting killed. I lost my entire financial aid. Half my bank account has been obliterated and I'm only 35 hours in.
@@Blackjackapprenticeship Yes, CVCX showed a risk of ruin of about 17.1% when I first started and probably a little higher considering human error. All the good games I have either been backed off from or can't get to so I decided to take a shot at that game because the store is super tolerant. Didn't go so well.
In an ideal world you would not put any money out in those situations but you can only get away with it for so long (pretend to get a phone call, take a bathroom break, a terrible coughing fit etc etc) In the end you have to play through a negative shoe with minimum bets or they tell you to let someone else play.
I usually play Single-Deck at a $3 or $5 table. I play the minimum, and when the count goes up, I switch to 2 hands and bet according to my bet spread. I don't have it perfected yet, but I'm starting to see results. With a negative or zero count, I don't "wong in" (and bet more, or on multiple hands) until it goes up, usually at least to 2.
I've been practicing for a few months now, and I usually roll in with $400 minimum and play 8 deck tables at $15 per bet. You can still count and gain the advantage on an 8 deck shoe, it just doesn't go as fast as a 6 deck high limit table.
So if my Bankroll is a bit above $100 does it even make sense to play min and at a really good true count just double my bettings? I know I won't make a fortune this way but it still should increase my chances?
Bro you cant do shit with $100 if I were you Id put it all on 1 inside number on live casino roulette and if you hit 36:1 odds against meaning that in 1 out of 37 parallel universes you will hit your number. Seriously go hard or go home dont spend hours upon hours trying to squeeze out a few dollars your killing yourself slowly wasting your time. You play it on outsides too or bacarat but you commit with every bet you make if you feel like a streak is coming then play the 2nd one if you Dont wait be patient (10 minutes) then bet when you feel it. same goes if u decide to play blackjack. Whatever u do You must remenber one thing, Bet it all on the hand that you decide to play say you bet $100 and win and double up to $200, you either play another hand for $200 on a spot or you dont play at all. WHATever you do, if you win the 1st one do not bet $100 again on the 2nd bet you place. Slap yourself out of those mental blocks and constraints. Theres no coulda woulda shoulda after you place your bet. Act with 100% faith. So prove to yourself that you believe in yourself and bet 200 on the next bet after you win the first when you bet $100. After you win your second bet and your at $400 place that bet all in whenever you feel you are and locked in. after you win that bet you place go get a soda have a cig and when you get back put that 800 bet all in, btw these instructions are for the following games: either on an outside bet for roulette Bacarat Or a blackjack hand This isnt for inside betting on roulette Because that bet is a gungho bet. Anyways place that $800 one when the timing is right amd boom you hit $1600. now play 2 hands of blackjack $800 each whenever you feel that the timing is right and boom you’ll break evin or win So if u break even rinse and repeat, if you win on both thaj congratulations you have a decent roll to begin your cardcounting blackjack career so cash that out and call it a day spend 200 on yourself buy yourself something nice and make that $3k go long, With 1 unit= $5 But create a bigger betting spread so like 10 units.There is no shame in having a larger betting unit spread -its like taking calculated shots not how we had to start with a $100 running it up with a pure gamble. The reason why we did that is $100 is not worth it your better off going for long shots to make incredible gains because $200-300-400-.... up to $1900 is not enough. $2000 is wifty wafty. Its about whet you feel how much you want to play with but dont waste your time with a bankroll less than 2k. 3k isnt even that great but it still provides a feeling of comfort. $100 Bankroll is a waste of your life. Get a job youl earn more by allocating that time to a job than you would be trying to run it up. Thats why with a $100 you don’t waste any time because you are losing time you couldve been making risk free money. Best of luck amigo, Just bet $100 on res for roulette you will win your first I see it in my head the moment u get to the live roulette table put $100 on red . Im not joking you feel as though you would winnfrom placing a bet on RED
I know there probably isn't much mathematical probability to back it up, but I have been playing with progressive betting and to pretty well as long as I stick to my rules. Have you ever come up with a way to combine your approach with the concept of progressive betting, which is really about optimizing your wins if you catch a run?
I was a table games dealer and supervisor in Vegas. If you're telling people to massively increase their bets when you have a plus count, I can't speak for every supervisor because most of them are dumb, but I definitely would have caught that and shut you down.Yes increase your bets when you have a plus count, but don't get greedy.I know you guys know a lot more than I do, I'm just speaking from 25 years of Vegas gaming experience. But I was one of the best so you can probably get away with it with a bunch of idiots that really don't care, they just want to get caught on camera looking like they care. You're telling people to increase their bets at a true one? Well okay I suppose you're know what you're saying? That doesn't seem like a life changing plus to me. I don't see how you guys get away with this shit? I say again the things you're talking about in this video I would catch extremely quickly and you would be done. But now that we have Indian gaming all over the country and most of the Native Americans don't have a clue about what they're doing, you could probably get away with it. You know I've been thinking about setting up a counting team for years, card counting is so incredibly easy that I can count a 6 deck shoe down while I'm dealing the game. Anyone can do it.oh by the way when you're playing around on your blackjack table could you please show the center pip on all the cards as you lay them out? You're driving me freaking crazy. When I'm watching a game from a distance I can't see the numbers on the cards, I count the pips. You should always show the center pip of every card.I know that you're not a dealer and you don't realize these things, but you're driving me freaking crazy.
It is illegal for a casino to not cash you out, if they demand ID you only have to show it after a certain amount because it could be money laundering and stuff, which is usually 10k in the US. If they dont let you cash the chips you can call the game directors (dont remember the specific name but same thing lol) or even the police and they will help you cash out, and on top of that they might get a fine.
Errr... from 50$ to 7x1000$? With all due respect, is this still even an option by now? I cannot think of any casino in LV which wouldn't have the dealer and pit boss in conniptions at such a stunt. This wouldn't result in a mere "checks play" to the pit, it would almost certainly induce seizures to anyone looking... This should lead to harsh backoffs within minutes... are you counting on being able to play 3-4 rounds before getting the boot? Hit and run?
What are you talkin about my friend? Just use the counting system that he's teaching. I have a lot of experience and I will tell you the things he is saying are true. Just remember that the running count and the true count are different. A true count is the running count divided by the number of decks remaining. Don't be intimidated, it seems hard at first but it's really simple.
there are some benefits to unbalanced systems such as if you're dealing with an opaque discard tray. However, you could always just move on to a different game. Hi-Lo is the most common system, which makes it easier to work with other APs who are most likely using Hi-Lo and the community is larger which provides you with a larger knowledge base. If you want to use an unbalanced system, just make sure that it has been simulated and proven to work. I think I remember reading an article on wizardofodds which showed the resulting edge from various systems per each set of game rules, and some unbalanced systems out performed Hi-Lo for certain rules.
Guys.. let me break it to you.. There is no such thing as Blackjack Card Counting.. even 2 deck or 6 deck.. casinos aren't stupid.. why on this earth would they want you to come and make profits out of them.. Its all sham.. I have played blackjack for almost a decade.. With Card counting you can hardly breakeven at best but never win... Yes Truth be told..
Did you know Nevada supreme Court says card counting not cheating and not illegal ? Say on RU-vid video. Guy was kicked out won I court. Have you been to court for card counting ?
Card counting is not illegal, and it is not 'cheating.' However, the casinos are private property and they can kick you out if they don't like your style of play.
Michael Wright It is also not against the law to refuse service, as long as the reason for refusing service has nothing to do with race, gender or ethnicity. So, you would lose that case.
@@GaryLuKOTH Refuse what service ? How would card counting guy not win case. Casinos overpower people power Trip. State does nothing. Don't you think casinos breaking the law ?
@@cooler1854 Just like a bar has the right not to serve anyone they don't want in there the Casino has the right not to deal games to anyone they deem 'undesirable'.
Yeah, this is designed to be an intro/overview video. I didn't create the thumbnail, and I think it's a little misleading. I'll see if we can change the thumbnail. Like I said at the beginning, it's really in overview of how to think about bet spreads as a card counter.
So yes you can win with all of BJA material. However, if you think your job of sitting in a casino for thousands of hours is ridiculous. It's as evil as it gets. Live in evil you become evil. No better way to distroy your happiness then sitting in the presence of evil. Colin, stop this crazy rant.
YOU TALK FAR TOO MUCH......people like you trying to teach BLACKJACK....always fail to factor in......the way the cards are shuffled and are sitting in the shoe ready to be dealt......and no matter what you bet...if the cards don't get dealt a favorable way for you...you will always lose.......EG If playing high stakes POKER if you continue to only get 2,,3,4 Cards you will almost NEVER WIN...THE FALL OF THE CARDS always determine if you win or lose
If you play one to three times only. But if you're perfect even in all 4 arenas of the game, then you'll win in the long run. This is not stock shorting. This is long haul, 10,000+ hands mathematics. It's only gambling if you intend on only 2 hours.