I am a gambling beast

[Nimblerot]

Originally Posted by goodle [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Say what you guys want. I am up to 18k now from my 5k starting.

As a former blackjack dealer of five years, this is how I read that statement:

"You guys don't know shit! You and your numbers and maths, LOOK AT MY MONEY! I have MORE of it than I started with, so CLEARLY this game is 100% awesome and I'm going to be rich as long as I keep playing! I AM SMARTER THAN YOU HAHAHAHAHA"

30-45 minutes pass...

"Unbelievable. This game is bullshit, this is rigged and you're an asshole. Why couldn't you just let me win man? What the fuck, this is stupid, you got like 7 21's in a row. Fuck this, I have better places to spend my unemployment."

[WizardEQ]

Originally Posted by Nimblerot [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

As a former blackjack dealer of five years, this is how I read that statement:

Can you tell when someone is counting cards?

Most BJ dealers are very cool and give players advice on basic strategy alone, like standing on a 12 count when dealer shows a 2 or 3, but hitting when dealer shows a 6 because dealer is more likely to bust.

If you play perfect basic strategy with 6 decks, you can cancel out the house's advantage. This strategy is based on Monte Carlo simulations, which means all the variables are feed into a computer, millions of simulations are run on every possible combination, and certain rules become evident. If you play by all these rules (which include when to double down, split your pairs) then you can play til your heart's content, neither gaining or losing in the long run. Only until you vary your bets based on the amount of favorable vs. non-favorable cards left in the deck can you actually gain in the long run. Notice I say in the long run. Any fool can split 6's and see a dealer bust on a 10 once. If you do that all the time, you will LOSE big time.

If you count cards and are proficient at it, you can raise your odds to 7%. That may not seems like a lot, but over time and compounded it can raise eyebrows at any casino I've ever played at.

[nalkin]

Originally Posted by WizardEQ [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

If you play perfect basic strategy with 6 decks, you can cancel out the house's advantage. This strategy is based on Monte Carlo simulations, which means all the variables are feed into a computer, millions of simulations are run on every possible combination, and certain rules become evident. If you play by all these rules (which include when to double down, split your pairs) then you can play til your heart's content, neither gaining or losing in the long run. Only until you vary your bets based on the amount of favorable vs. non-favorable cards left in the deck can you actually gain in the long run. Notice I say in the long run. Any fool can split 6's and see a dealer bust on a 10 once. If you do that all the time, you will LOSE big time.

If you count cards and are proficient at it, you can raise your odds to 7%. That may not seems like a lot, but over time and compounded it can raise eyebrows at any casino I've ever played at.

That is not true. Basic strategy doesn't put you above house odds. It gives the house like a 0.5% advantage. If you card count with normal popular strategies you gain around a 1% advantage over the house.

I haven't really gambled but I went to a casino once and the dealers were incredibly ignorant about blackjack actually. This wasn't vegas so perhaps thats why, but they were giving advice like "You don't know my face down card, so you should assume its a 10 value card", which is something you should never assume.

[WizardEQ]

Originally Posted by nalkin [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

That is not true. Basic strategy doesn't put you above house odds.

Read my post again; I never say ABOVE house odds, I just say cancels the odds. With a single deck, it's practically zero. With 6-8 it is around 0.5% as you said. This is of course all theoretically. It is much harder to actually play at a large casino, with all the distractions, drinks, girls, and bling.

If you count cards and adjust not only your betting but your bidding according to the count, you can definitely overpower the house significantly (7% is IMO conservative). It's all about consistency, following your own set rules (like leaving a table after losing a certain amount of hands). I believe in math and theory but you can also develop a sixth sense about the dealer, the attitude of the pit boss, and your surroundings, when to continue, when to run.

[Nimblerot]

Originally Posted by WizardEQ [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Can you tell when someone is counting cards?

Most BJ dealers are very cool and give players advice on basic strategy alone, like hitting on a 12 count when dealer shows a 2, but not when dealer shows a 5 or 6 because dealer is more likely to bust.

While the casino I worked at was fairly large (one of the largest Indian casinos in the country), most of the tables had CSMs which make counting cards not possible. On the games that we did have 6 deck regular blackjack, I feel like it would be pretty easy to identify a card counter for me. Some dealers would be oblivious though, for sure. The hard part about being a dealer is dealing with assholes, not actually dealing the game, so there are some pretty dumb dealers.

I haven't really gambled but I went to a casino once and the dealers were incredibly ignorant about blackjack actually. This wasn't vegas so perhaps thats why, but they were giving advice like "You don't know my face down card, so you should assume its a 10 value card", which is something you should never assume.

You tell new players this as a rule of thumb so that they don't do stupid shit like stay on 14 against a dealer's 7. It's very hard to explain how to properly play blackjack without overwhelming them in the brief period they are usually at the table. If an exception to the rule comes up while playing, you explain it then. Also, the phrase should be "play as if the dealer's down card is a 10", not "assume the dealer's down card is a 10".

There are definitely dealers that give out wrong advice, but they're usually pretty easy to identify. They're either new or dumb. But dealers live off tips (usually are paid minimum wage but make at least 2-3x that in tips, way more in Vegas), so they will help you out in any way they can.

[WizardEQ]

Originally Posted by Nimblerot [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

But dealers live off tips (usually are paid minimum wage but make at least 2-3x that in tips, way more in Vegas), so they will help you out in any way they can.

Dealers aren't rich and tipping them accordingly makes for a great playing atmosphere. I always wanted to punch that guy in the head who was streaking at $1000 mins and throwing the dealer $5s. I always do 10% every third or forth win. I figure I'm still going to be up in the long run and I don't really do it as a profession, just to have fun and walk away a winner.