Heavy's Axis Power Craps Forum

anyone got any tips on blackjack, now that i've taken a break from craps (Like Michael Jordan took a break to play baseball ).

6 deck, hit S 17, BJ plays 3/2 here in ohio/michigan area

Stand on 16's a wise idea? streaky game it seems, any tips besides learn basic strategy or learn to count.

i want some intuitive ideas.

thanks

Darren

UNHH!!You might pay attention to card flow. There is a notable tendency for ten counts to congregate. If you have stiff and the last card in front of you was a TC you can expect a TC.
Dealers hole card is bracketed by third base's last card and first hit card-this may give an indication of what the hole card is. I find that an educated guess can be better than hard fast guide lines.

dmoney33 wrote: Stand on 16's a wise idea? streaky game it seems, any tips besides learn basic strategy or learn to count.

My english teach used to say that if you knew the rules it was ok to break them (meaning she could do whatever she wanted, but if we tried it our grades would suffer). Betting on streaks or against streaks or whatever is a lot of fun in any game, but the more you deviate how you play your hand from basic strategy the more money you'll be giving up to the house. You might get lucky for a night or two, but it won't take long for those decisions to catch up with you.

There are a few decisions in blackjack that are pretty close: 12 vs dealer's 4, 16 vs dealer's 10, 13 vs a dealer's 2, play your intuition on these if you're in the mood. But players give up a lot of money to the house by not knowing or ignoring the basics.

UNHH!!The flaw in the Basic strategy was pointed out more than 30 years ago by John Patrick:roll:
UNHH!!The gamblers and the math boyz all say that splitting aces is 7-6 in your favor. As JP pointed out it is actually 6-7 in favor of the house. This offset goes all the way down to the dealers 6 up card. They made the mistake of counting the 17 and 18 as winners vs the dealer. NOW there is a second part of the flaw- the BS is based on gaining a STANDING hand, which often DOES NOT WIN.
UNHH!!If braves examine this closely, they will see that they are often DD and SP "TO L O S E !"

"anyone got any tips on blackjack, now that i've taken a break from craps (Like Michael Jordan took a break to play baseball )."

If the dealer is getting a lot of hands like a 9 showing and a 7 underneath, or other 15 and 16 hands where both cards are cards that force you to hit, such as 7,8 or 8,8. switch tables or quit for the day.

There isn't much difference between hitting or standing on 16 if you aren't counting. Just try to do the same thing every time instead of switching back and forth.

UNHH!!BC not buy that see earlier smoke

thanks guys, its pretty rough, the other day the dealer had a 10 showing like 5-6 hands in a row!!!

its pretty damn rigged in my opinion. the shuffle machines dont shuffle shit.... the only strategy that may work is playing "no bust" blackjack, but even then with the ridiculous number of dealer 9's and 10's showing, recently, its been terrible.

they are slowly ruining the game. had to say it. i never will hit on 12 again. 13-15 yes. 16 maybe.

i appreciate your guys's feedback and would like to dwell more into the intuitive side as well as picking a right table, good dealer. considering the math can no longer become overcome, i feel the fuzzier areas of picking the right table conditions really matter --- I'll start off:

1. I prefer female, perky dealers to male dealers always, and to those with "low energy"
2. I watch the table for a few hands before entering, not to count, but to "feel it out"
3. I still need to learn to bet high when hot, and bet low when cold instead of "eating like a bird, and shitting like a moose" -- can anyone help me with that?

thank you all!

lastly, why not just stand on every hand with 2 cards aka not draw at all? let the damnn dealer bust, stop trying to get close to 21. thats what give the casino the edge anyways right?

20/52 cards are 10, J, Q, K Ace, so 46% chance you will pull one of these and maybe bust past standing on 12--- except for ace.

has anyone tried this? besides mathematics given to us by the Wizard and casino brainwashing, this can work can it not?

dmoney - sounds like the game is freaking you out and perhaps you should just stop playing it completely?

To say it is rigged is just nonsense. If you believe it is rigged then don't play......or sit out a hand to mix up those "rigged" cards.

Have a few sessions where you never hit on 12. The net result will be you just lose your money even quicker.

Be positive London, I need feedback on the intuitive process please.

Not past experiences dictating what fodder you give me.

Thanks Mate

Always sit at 3rd base - you can be a lot more intuitive there.

Always sit at 3rd base

Never hit on 16

Double down on 11 regardless of dealer card

Never bust blackjack?

UNHH!!BC agrees with 3rd base unless you are relying on counting alone. In that case 1st base so there is no change in the count in face down games.

I love playing craps, but I've made more money playing blackjack. Go figure

Bushido wrote:Another good Blackjack site...

http://www.blackjacktheforum.com/forum.php

LOL they hate me over there because I don't count cards and use a limited Martingale and Basic Strategy.

They say that I'll never make money, and yet I look at my bank account and think otherwise. LOL

koreancowboy wrote:
LOL they hate me over there because I don't count cards and use a limited Martingale and Basic Strategy.

They say that I'll never make money, and yet I look at my bank account and think otherwise. LOL

I too use a limited martingale blended with an East Coast press and basic strategy and have had much success.



Nothing screams "I'm counting cards" louder than straying from basic strategy when they know you are a skilled player.

Just back from Reno. Shooting has deteriorated due to no practice and an out of rhythm feel. Have taken to penny slots, nickel vp and BJ pitch games to while away the time after work.
The BJ (double deck) is not found too much in Illinois, if at all. For me, pitch games are the way BJ should be. Feeling the cards, scrapping the felt, tucking the cards. Yeah. Had the best session last night. $150 buy in on a $5 game. Couple of good decks and color coming in $510. Yes. Hit $300 on a penny slot and went to sleep smiling despite dumping a $100 at the craps table.

More BJ will be scheduled for return trips.

Golfer

Thanks for bringing this thread back to life Golfer. Good to hear you had some wins during your trip to Reno.

wudged wrote:Kidding aside, I know exactly what you're talking about. I prefer to play black jack the same way as craps - alone.

heavy wrote:I'm with you, Wudged. I'll bypass a $5 or $10 game that's packed in favor of an empty $25 table.

One time I was playing a table using basic strategy and was up $1500 on a $25 game and some guy started cussing and swearing at me because I would win along with everyone at the table except this guy who kept busting out. He blamed me for the bad cards. WTF? I ignored him. I too, prefer empty tables.

$nakeeye$ wrote:The ONLY way to beat the game BJ is to count the cards -

A simple plus/minus count will suffice -

You NEED to know when the advantage swings towards the player so you can bet more $ and your splits and double downs will be more productive -

A hand shuffle game is better than a shuffle machine that uses 2 different ' packs ' one red the other blue -

Avoid at ALL costs continuous shuffle machines - they are used mostly on cruise ships -

You never know where you are in the deck -

Also, with hand shuffling - the dealer created clumps of little and big cards - the bias - is more readily maintained throught-out the shuffle -

Avoid playing multiple deck games until the dealer has hand shuffled at least 6 times - that ensures that the pack is thoroughly mixed and a bias is created in the pack -

You will lose more hands than you will win -

But you can beat the game if you can ' track' or count the cards and vary your bet when the favor swings to the player and not the house !

The game is easy to beat - getting away with it - that's another story !

$...eE..$

One of the issues I have with Blackjack is that I am naturally introverted and I prefer to be quiet and not very social. I like to listen more than talk. I play to win, not for the entertainment. I am afraid that the pit will always assume I am a counter and 86 me from the property, hence I don't play the game very often. It could be I've heard too many stories and watched too many Hollywood movies on the subject and I am just paranoid.

The stories always indicate the pit looks for the introverted guy in glasses with a slide rule in his pocket.

I hear the edge an AP may get is not very significant and then you hear the stories about disguises, fake id's etc. Seems like too much work for me when weighing the pros and cons.

Am I just misinformed and making the wrong conclusions on AP play?

Bankerdude: You have nothing to worry about. I have only received heat for my blackjack play once in my life and that was solely due to a pit critter who was flirting with a girl on the other side of the pit and had no clue how I had gotten to a $2500.00 bet when I was betting $50.00 the last time he looked.

I bet from table minimum up to table max at TR casinos and have never received any heat.

As long as you don't do anything obvious, like using a notepad or chips to keep track of the count you will be fine. Just keep in mind that you can still lose a lot, even with positive counts, as you rarely get more than a 52% chance of winning and most of the time it is more like 50% or less. The blackjacks and double downs are often the difference between a losing trip and a winning trip ....................

They look for people who are watching the cards closely, people moving their lips, people who seem to be concentrating too hard, or skipping their bets from high to low. If they suspect that you are counting, they will count along with you and see if you bet with the count. It takes at least a half hour or so to get a handle on your play. If you always bet more when you should they know you are counting, but they don't know how good you are. If you make the correct strategy adjustments according to the count, then they know you are a threat. A lot of places will let you bet with the count with impunity as long as you are not too greedy (By that I mean you don't spread your bet too much), but when you start making strategy adjustments (like hitting your 12 against the dealers 4,5,or 6 at the right time), they get protective of their game.

Once they identify you as an expert, most bosses are nice enough about it. They will approach you accompanied by a couple of security guards and ask you to step away from the table. They will say something like, "Hey Mr. X, I'm Joe Shmoe with Casino Management. We've been watching your play for a while and sorry, but you're just too good of a player for us. We're going to ask you not to play BJ any more, but you are welcome to play any of our other games, now can I get you a comp from the buffet or coffeehouse?" This is called being Backed Off.

And then its over. Go eat your free meal and leave. Don't worry about hiding your face- they've already gotten your picture from several different angles, and they're probably watching you while you are eating that comp. So what? Those brutal back room beatings that they show in the movies are rare in todays casino, and they definitely don't happen the first time they ask you to stop playing. I've gotten backed off more times than I can remember, and I've never been threatened. I've never been barred from a casino either, just backed off.

As long as you are nice, they generally are too. Yeah, I've had the rude pitboss slap my chips out of the betting circle and say, "We don't want your action- color your chips and get out now!" But those guys are rare. There are so many places to play, that you really don't have to go back, at least not on that shift. Stay away for a few years, and don't play under the same name when you return. It's all good.