counting cards
anyone do it? I learned a few counts (hilo and zen) and have tried them in vegas a couple of times. I haven't been caught anywhere yet but I only do 25 for my min bet and a spread of 1x-6x which isnt that much.. My hourly is supposed to be only around 35 at this level, but I've been pretty lucky and have averaged about 75 dollars per hour, for a total profit of around 3k over the two trips.
I'm wondering how large of a spread you can do without getting caught. Also, say I wanted to up my min to 50 but keep the same spread of up to 6x - would this make it easier for them to catch me, or is it only the spread that matters and not the min bet?
Does it matter if you get caught? I heard it wasn't illegal, just frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane.
at the higher limits, they recycle the decks too much to make it meaningful. The trap is you are allowed to do it at lower limits and work your way up to higher limits, when the house regains it's edge and you're back to bust.
If you do it for fun and to show your friends a cool party trick/ get them talking about you to random people. In the same way as online poker scales exponentially with ability, the croupier you get will be significantly better at even slightly higher stakes, and will know the statistics behind card counting. I don't wish to be a downer or anything, your posts have helped me out enormously, but I would hate to say, yea go for big buck tables and they change decks every 4 deals.
$75/hour in 2 trips for 3k? Card counting for 40 hours on holiday? Sounds fun :D
I think I remember reading that the expected annual earnings of a card counter were ~$100,000 if you worked the standard 8 hour day. Of course, this assumes you have the needed capital and do not get blacklisted at every casino in Vegas. Not bad money, but not worth sitting in a casino 8 hours a day imo.
Not to sound like a 21 recycling, but partners do work much better then individuals when it comes to counting cards. Some pairs call in a 2nd person when the table is hot, others work 2 at the same table one causes distractions so that the dealers doesnt suspect the counter of counting.
I don't know that I can provide much insight because I don't count cards, however, my buddy does...or says he does. I think he is much like you, he doesn't walk away rich but can usually come away up a few hundred, cover his trip costs and plays enough that the casinos offer him free rooms, etc.
He actually just got back from Vegas last week and was telling me about it. I guess they use 5 or 6 decks to make it harder and most of them actually recycle the cards while you are playing, so it's not like they go through the whole stack of 6 decks before reshuffling...but counting the cards can obviously tip the scales in your favor...or at least more so than the normal odds.
I think it would be nice to make some real money by moving to much larger tables but at the end of the day, if you enjoy it and can cover the cost of the trip and walk away with a few thousand, you are winning and I would hesitate to change that.
Regards
Black Jack & counting cards (Originally Posted: 11/22/2010)
Are there any books on this topic you would recommend? Thank you
Check "Knock Out Blackjack"
Don't be surprised if you get your ass kicked by giant Mob types if you try this though....
If you are looking for something a little more invigorating, check out Blackjack For Blood.
For more advanced strategies and math, The Theory of Blackjack is a great choice.
Watch "21"
Beat the Dealer is the classic. The MIT guys also have a web business to train you as well and tech card counting.
don't watch 21. Just tried to make a bunch of MIT nerds look cool. Ed Thorpe did this ~50 years ago. Also made every nerd out there say something like "I'm going to figure out how to count cards and go to Vegas." Sorry buddy, I'd work on talking to chicks first. Check out "Beat the Dealer" for pretty much the first book on blackjack.
Most casino tables use a 6-deck shoe...Good luck trying to learn how to count 6 decks worth of cards...
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