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This retard doesn't gamble.
I read Blackjack As A Business in the 80's but I was in Alaska. I did memorize basic strategy as I planned to hit Las Vegas at some point.
In the early 90's I was reading all gambling books and trying to decide which way to go. I chose poker over blackjack. Then about 4 years later I moved to machines but continued to play poker too.
I was all over the map on machines. Anything and everything that showed an advantage. One of the plays that came up was video blackjack. There were some consoles that were countable but they always got torched before I found out about them.
Then there was a WMS video blackjack game that had good rules plus early surrender. It came in at 100.4%. I lost that play when Chicago Sun Times gambling writer, John Growchowski snitched to WMS about the play.
Then later the IGT Game King full pay video blackjack. The payout screen listed it as 99.5%. But two things weren't listed on the rules screen. You could double after split. And split aces catching paint automatically payed 3/2 blackjack with the dealer not having the chance to tie. This brought the game up to 100%.
Both games were single deck, first hand off the top.
In those days the trick was playing on multiplier days where they had same day cashback. Like a casino might have a card worth .3333% cashback and have 3X points on certain days of the week.
Or they might have a drawing promotion where you got tickets based on the amount of action you ran. Some places had a $20 max bet on the video bj. I could easily do a thousand decisions an hour, or a 20K wager per hour.
You had to size up the promotion to see if you could get a good part of the drawing drum.
I gleaned Wizard of Odds single deck compositional strategy from his website and carried the strategy in a pocket notebook for years. I used it whenever I found a casino that had the Game King blackjack and a good promotion going on.
There were several different versions of the Game King blackjack but the good one was easy to identify by it's game rules screen. It had it's own unique rules screen different from all the others.
The one constant in gambling is that everything changes. The game slowly disappeared as houses got hip to what was going on.
I failed to mention that what made the video blackjack play so good was the low variance compared to video poker. Based on 600 HPH the variance of 9/6 jacks is 19, double bonus 45. Blackjack is like 3.
So when I found decent cashback like 1% it was payday everyday. And in some of those places I was running a 20K per hour wager. I had the game pulled right out from under me a few times.
Thank you mickey for a wonderful reply. Boy I would love to read a book of your travels and gambling history. THAT would be an "adventure" worth the read. I know you are very busy playing these days, but maybe sometime when you slow down a little you will consider such a project. :)
Revere's Playing Blackjack as a Business was also the book that got me started. I purchased a copy, with half the front cover missing at a book sale at the Phila Library in Spring of 2003. After devouring the book, I purchased 8 decks of cards (Atlantic City rules) and began practicing in my free time. PBJaaB was written for Revere's Hi-opt1 count. 3-6 counted as plus, 10 value as minus. Simimalr to hi-lo, except no 2 or ace in the count. Even as a complete novice, it did not make sense to me that the Ace, the most powerful card in terms of removal was not accounted for in the primary count without side counting them.
So I hit the bookstore and read a number of books at the store and purchased Wong's Professional Blackjack were the tags were similar except the ace was included in the high cards, offset by the 2's included with low cards. THAT made a lot more sense to me and is still the count I use today, although I did experiment with another revere level 2 count for about 6 months of actual play.
Anyway, great response and thank you.
Also very interesting about the BJ machines. Must have been a gold mine during that time. probably why when my brother and I found a "glitch" (I don't really think of it as that) last year, you didn't blink an eye. You had seen that kind of thing before with BJ machines.
And of course you had seen "that kind of thing" before...on the forums.
I have? Where? Show me where I would have read about that. In the 1990's when it sounds like those plays were out there, I was in Jr and Sr high school. Smurger, you people, and you have definitely become one of them are so screwed up, you totally ignore reality in an effort to hate on me.
You have misidentified the referent of "you had seen" (although in fact mickey has posted about VBJ here and elsewhere and I'm sure you have read it).
I was referring to the fact that you had read about ETG and video glitches such as Dealer Angels and a certain roulette glitch, at the very least, here and elsewhere when you told your story about the blackjack glitch.
As usual, YOU would be WRONG. I learned of Dealer Angel from Stanford Wong personally. It was in my first year or two living in Vegas. I lived at Koval/Flamingo and walked the strip most days. One evening I stopped in Westin casino which is on Flamingo between the strip and my home to get a burger at their little cafe that I liked. On the way out, I walked past a man playing Dealers angel that I recognized as Wong. I sat down and played, struck up casual conversation and he told me exactly how it worked.
I have never heard of any roulette glitch.
Dude, your obsession is just taking you down conspiracy theory loony tune paths. It all comes back to you and people like you think I spent 20 years on forums and reading and learning what I could so that I could fool 10 people on an obscure internet forum 20 years later.
JUST STOP and think how crazy that is and you sound saying it?
The fact is I spent years on forums learning all I could to become the advantage player that I have become.
As usual, one of the haters, smurger, had to ruin a good little discussion with mickey with his hate induced conspiracy theories about me.
What a forum! :mad:
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KJ - I'm curious
in an earlier post you indicated your max bets are between $800 and $1200 -
don't bets of that size increase the likelihood of attention being paid to you, heat from the pit and backoffs - ?
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No. These days, the rule I am working off is "don't be the largest bettor at the table".
So I am looking for a table that has at least 1, preferably 2 (often together) players betting $600-$800 ($1000 even better) range regularly. When I find that, I can spread to $800 and my max bet which I only bet 5-7% of the time, is roughly the same as their bets every round. The rest of the rounds I am well below them. THAT is what provides the cover.
And if I can find a table where someone is betting even larger, (like $1500-$2000 regularly), then I can spread up to $1200. Most of the time my max is $800 though. That is my ideal target because it stays below the key $1000 threshold. The conditions for a $1200 max bet level for me are mostly only found on a really busy big event type Saturday night.
And sometimes like tonight (Friday night into Saturday) if it is not as crowded as I would like and I can't find as many tables with someone betting what I need and want, I will knock my Max down to $600 or even $500. I can almost always find tables with someone betting that amount on a weekend night. That doesn't result in the kind of EV I am looking for, but better than nothing and adds up. And if I have to settle for that smaller amount, it probably isn't quite as crowded and possibly I can get a game that moves a little faster than a full table, which will make up for some of that lost EV. I can also make up lost EV by Max betting slightly earlier.
This strategy seems to be working because I am getting far fewer backoffs now that I used to. It is not really an apples-to-apples comparison since I also play a lot less volume than I used to. It is a trade off.....larger average Max bet, but less rounds.
okay, thanks
what is your minimum bet - ?
don't answer if you feel it could help them identify you
I'm just curious
also you posted "I am getting far fewer backoffs"
after you get backed off do you come back to that casino in a few months or are you totally done with it-?
and my guess is you're not playing rated - isn't that likely to increase their suspicion - ? - since betting at your level would earn you much in comps
again, it's obvious, but no need to answer if the answers would be too telling
it's all very interesting to me and probably to others - I've read just about every significant BJ book - and none that I recall provided as much detail as you do
it's all very beneficial to new and hopeful players
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Yeah, I am going to pass on answering the minimum bet question. I have answered it earlier this week, but given the information I just did about Max bets don't want to post it again right here. I don't need to tell casinos my exact spread. :D But my minimum bet is not my first bet made at zero count. I spread both ways for cover and appearance of a smaller spread, so I want to be able to drop down a notch when the count goes negative.
Besides cover, being able to spread down to minimum wager allows you to stay at the table a little bit longer. Like if my traditional exit point is -2 when playing minimum at zero and less, then I can go to -3 when spreading down to minimum wager in negative counts only. That helps when playing more crowded conditions where I can't jump around as easily.
After a backoff I think there has only been 1 this year unless I am forgetting one, but I have the same rule I have always had. I avoid that casino for a couple months and when I return I try to avoid the pit critter and dealer I was playing with during the backoff for another couple month. So the only difference now is that playing only weekend nights, I probably can't avoid the pit critter and dealer for the "extra couple months" so I end up avoiding the entire casino for about 4 months. Maybe 3 if the backoff was mild.
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I'll post this one more time since you were typing at the same time as I was editing my post and didn't get to it
"and my guess is you're not playing rated - isn't that likely to increase their suspicion - ? - since betting at your level would earn you much in comps
it's all very interesting to me and probably to others - I've read just about every significant BJ book - and none that I recall provided as much detail as you do
it's all very beneficial to new and hopeful players"
and it is much appreciated
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No I do not play rated. If you play rated, you can not count cards on the strip for any real money and survive for long despite what some fantasy reports claim. I know there are players that think playing unrated immediately draws additional attention. I just don't find that to be the case. maybe it is because of the weekend night thing and being crowded with a lot of people that aren't living in Vegas and playing regularly and rated.
try telling the trolls and haters here that what I post isn't from BJ books, but rather mostly from my own experiences. :D
I appreciate the comments. Despite all the trolling, even on this small forum, I always hope that sharing my experiences may help someone. Not necessarily one of the 10 regular members but someone reading occasionally that doesn't post much, or even someone that comes along later a reads something.
I really got to get to bed though if I want to be up for the Eagles game, which the way they have been playing.....:confused:
Dan Druff: The above should NOT be allowed. This is a legitimate thread on a legitimate gambling topic, my expertise in blackjack. People are free to weigh in and voice an option as to why I am not, but this sort of hijacking / trolling should not be allowed.
Also, notice this isn't even a real quote. Dude is quoting himself. That is like talking to yourself. :rolleyes:
I know you've lied about the shuffler and asked for proof of any part of the story. Couldn't even come up with the super sekrit forum where people sell gray market gambling machines. You never prove any of your outrageous claims. You can't even name the machine you hit that big fp score on.
OMG. First of all "sekrit". Dude I am a poor speller, but come on. Does that even look remotely correct to you? :rolleyes:
Secondly, I am not on trial and don't have to prove a damn thing to you.
And thirdly, Just like Mr Dietz, we just keep going round and round with the same shit. I know everyone else must be tired of this. So am I. I am not going to do it anymore. Not with this. Not with anything else.
Social media, and forums are part of that, just result in people pushing each other too far and driving each other crazy. next thing you know someone has gone off the deep end shooting people or driving a car into a group of people, which happened here in Vegas a couple nights ago. And if you think it isn't related, then why is the first thing the police and FBI do is check the persons social media and online presence for clues?
there are people you just can't be civil to. Dawg is one. Singer is one. I don't know what is going on with redietz. You are not one of these people yet.
If readers are to judge the integrity of members by what's written on this forum, then the statement above is not one that would be made by someone who is telling the truth.
You can say "I will try to prove", or "I cannot prove", but to refuse on the basis of "I am not on trial" is a cop-out...a totally bogus response.
Kew--PAY ATTENTION to that which has been said about you....and by people shown to be far more resourceful and intelligent than yourself.
That is the main reason mdawg's continuous re-postings have legendary meaning. You are a phony and a joke--and you know it. Lying by claiming the dumbest person on this forum "knows how things in LV work" is just more fodder for those who know how things in LV REALLY work.
You've never understood, like everyone else here has, that invoking agitated ramblings from the likes of halfasssmoke and the noodle-slurper, are nothing but expressions and products of extreme envy and hate for mdawg.
Wise up, punk.
What the fuck are you talking about? Where is it written that the purpose of a forum is to judge a persons "integrity", which by definition is being honest and having strong moral principles and moral uprightness. I don't give a shit what someone's moral principals or uprightness are.
This is a gambling forum (or was). I come here to share gambling experiences and hear others experiences. And I give everyone the benefit of doubt until they start talking bullshit, like winning with progressive wagering and "special plays" or that they win 10's of millions of dollars over years and the casino don't care and love them. Just be fucking grounded in reality.
Go away old man. How you can even show your face (post) here, the day after I reminded everyone of your antics by re-posting the RV picture is beyond me.
Nobody, not a single person is jealous of Mdawg, or you. Even if you both had the money you pretend to have, you have proven in undeniable terms, what miserable fucks you are in life. You are angry, bitter and miserable. And that just doesn't square with what you claim.....and everyone KNOWS it.
Honesty is a synonym for integrity.
A synonym is word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language.
When visitors (including registered members) read a post, they instinctually judge the veracity of what was written, and by extension the honesty, and yes integrity, of the author.
The purpose of a forum doesn't have to be written anywhere, the objective can be self-evident.
When will you get a clue?
Do you just react to these messages manically, and not think anything through?
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KJ -
on another forum there is lots of tears about all the 6/5 blackjack tables now in LV -
6/5 of course makes counting useless
some even claiming the counting thing is all but over
maybe they're exaggerating
what's your take on this -?
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Did the people crying about 6:5 just wake up from a coma? Blackjack has been fucked for counters in vegas since pre covid.
Not difficult. Kew will storm out of the box claiming he "has a method" that he and "other well-known LV BJ AP's have discussed and used successfully" as a counterattack to the evil anti-AP LV casinos. Then we'll get several rambling essays on how his annual "winning" isn't really in jeopardy, and how "knowledgeable AP's" have multiple resources to combat these BJ counter travesties.
Why, he's the LV "Man About Town"...don'tcha know!
Can you name the other forum? :D I would like to read the comments.
But my take is that there is some changes happening and it isn't for the better. I don't think counting is over. they have been saying that since beat the dealer in the 1960's. :D
When I moved to Vegas, late 2009 the threat was the CSM. They were gainly popularity and everyone thought that was the end of card counting. Back then I used to do a little report at the end of the year when I shared some of my results, including heat and backoffs, comparing if up or down from previous years and including BJ conditions in Vegas and how if anything changed.
CSM gained for a few years there, which meant less playable (countable games). But for the most part in was limited to red chip games on the strip ($15) and eventually made its way to some $25 games on the strip. That just didn't effect me much. Although I player $25 games, I avoided the strip at that time for other reasons.
6:5 as Druff and I discussed a few days ago started with Single deck here, but that was before my time. That expanded to 8 deck low limit games, mostly on the strip.
Now in recent years the CSM have actually declined. I don't know if it is too expensive to lease those machines making it not worth the cost, or players stopped playing them. (I think players are starting to grow leary of all the shuffle machines as stories have now made their way to the main news). So as they rolled back some CSM on like 8 deck games on the strip, they replaced them with 6:5. Both unplayable for the most part for a counter, but the 6:5 makes the house 3 times the money on ALL players.
So really nothing has changed except the lower limit games used to be unplayable because they were CSM and now are unpayable because they are 6:5. But again, mostly on the strip. Off strip there are still $25 and up games playable. on the strip plenty of $50 and up playable games. $50 games are the new $25 games. That is why I try to play even higher.
And you know what I think the reasoning for this change was? I am sure you have read how for a couple years now, Vegas tourism keeps declining month over month year to year. I think the genius business school morons (as opposed to real casino people that used to run things) said "Ok, revenuer is down, lets gouge the fewer remaining customers by making worse rules and conditions", when they should have done exactly the opposite.
That is why you have seen not only more 6:5, but triple zero roulette, shitty VP odds ect. These fools never learn. But no, I don't think it is the end of blackjack and countable games. The knowledge that blackjack can be beaten was one of the best things that ever happened for the casinos. For every person actually capable of beating it, knowledge bankroll, mental makeup, there are hundred that only think they can. So if they were to end playable blackjack, they would be shooting themselves in the foot, which I guess based on past behavior, they may very well do. :D
Again, I would like to read the comments so I can judge who is saying what. because a lot of players that don't live in Vegas, when they talk about Vegas blackjack are only talking about the Strip and downtown. Even some AP (not professional) type counters. By reading them, you would think that Vegas exists only on the strip and downtown.
Oh ok. I still read WoV on occasion. I wouldn't put too much stock in it unless it is a player that really knows and plays Vegas. Did AutoMonk say blackjack is dead in Vegas? :D I would be surprised if he did.
By the way....I hear there is a player over there that has won $870k in just the last 2 weeks. So I guess Vegas is alive and well. :D
This also reminds me of back when I joined BJ21 for the first time in probably 2008. the BJ21 membership was different than the forum I was on (norm's forum) in that there were many older "veteran" type players, that all were bitching about how BJ was dead. They were comparing to better games and rules in the 1990 when they played, but blackjack was most definitely not dead. You just had to learn to play it a little differently....quicker ramp, exiting some negative counts and shorter sessions rather than sit at one table for 4 hours like they used to do.
So Rob is sort of right with his snarky remarks. APs will adapt and find the way.
Of course what do I know. I only know what I read in books or so I have heard. :rolleyes:
Quote:
Originally Posted by MDawg
I spelled sekrit incorrectly to mock you and your secrets. Like a little kid might spell it .. or a not very bright person.
I didn't say you had to prove anything. I'm just pointing out how you prove nothing. Consistently.
You've given up on being civil to me in the past and I guess I've been reinstated as civilized. lol