SPlitting aces in a negative count, hitting sixes versus dealers 2
Thread Rating:
You might as well go to a John Patrick seminar !
Start with the basics. Then you will be looking for a pack of matches !
Quote: buzzpaffI assume Barnes and Nobles still sells " Beat The dealer " and "Playing Blackjack as a Business "
Start with the basics. Then you will be looking for a pack of matches !
They had both of them, I almost bought Playing Blackjack as a business but it didn't look advanced enough. Anyways about splitting the aces in a negative count. Is it a good idea to NOT split them and just hit?
Quote: MalcomDThey had both of them, I almost bought Playing Blackjack as a business but it didn't look advanced enough. Anyways about splitting the aces in a negative count. Is it a good idea to NOT split them and just hit?
There are high negative counts where you wouldn't split Aces verses certain dealer upcards. However, -1 is far away from the count that I needed to not split (I believe it was around -10) and that was just against a dealer 10.
Split your eights and aces. Read Wong: http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Blackjack-ebook/dp/B0058EAFM6/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1346864520&sr=8-9&keywords=Wong+blackjack
Quote: midwestgbI bought a Harvey book once. Horrific.
Split your eights. Read Wong: http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Blackjack-ebook/dp/B0058EAFM6/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1346864520&sr=8-9&keywords=Wong+blackjack
Just bought that one on my phone thanks. But back to splitting the aces, I was burned by this most recently when in a negative count, 2ce in a row I split the aces and got 3 and 4. Later that day I started to ponder whether or not always splitting the aces was a good idea, and all google searches and this forum search have said that always splitting the aces has to be done. Until yesterday this author said not too.
Quote: MalcomDJust bought that one on my phone thanks. But back to splitting the aces, I was burned by this most recently when in a negative count, 2ce in a row I split the aces and got 3 and 4. Later that day I started to ponder whether or not always splitting the aces was a good idea, and all google searches and this forum search have said that always splitting the aces has to be done. Until yesterday this author said not too.
Sounds like an unfortunate coincidence - you got burned 2 hands in a row by splitting aces in a negative count, and then you read this "author" who said you shouldn't split aces at -1 TC. Suddenly, it felt like you saw the light!
This is an unfortunate coincidence for you and the author is wrong. I promise I don't know these indices off the top of my head (especially since I don't use Hi-Lo), but whipping out my handy copy of Professional Blackjack (Wong) shows that the correct indices for hitting AA instead of splitting are shown below, for the given dealer up card:
7 -9
8 -8
9 -7
10 -8
A -4
Note that you would never NOT split against a dealer up card of 2-6. Those numbers are for a H17 game.
So yeah, I would follow the advice of the other posters in this thread: disregard anything in that book, and start reading a better one.
Quote: MalcomDSo I'm reading professional blackjack and he is using a metric of count per deck...is this the same as true count. Running count / number of decks remaining. Can anyone advise.
Yes, count per deck is another way of saying true count.
Quote: AcesAndEightsYes, count per deck is another way of saying true count.
Thanks so much, I suspected so but I wasn't 100% sure and needed to be 100% sure. Thanks!
If you sweat your minimum bets, you probably shouldn't be playing and counting at that level.
Also, return that R.Harvey book. Yikes.
Quote: 98ClubsAgreed, get comfortable with Basic Strategy, and then try a hi/lo count. When counting, you will leave the table when the count is negative. At the very worst, you will play a hand at say -2, due to the count being zero when dealing begins.
I'm pretty solid with basic strategy and getting good with hi/lo ,but I'm not going back to a Casino until i'm a bonafide expert. I downloaded this awesome free App called Real Blackjack by Genina that is pretty solid, it lets you select the deck amount, surrender rules, count type and shows the count to help you learn, insurance rules and has a basic strategy chart for 4-8 decks. I like professional blackjack just wish I had bought the hard copy and not the kindle edition definitely has more of a math explanation than any other book I have encountered so far still it has alot of noise like strategy for bj variants I'm unlikely to ever encounter.
Quote: 98ClubsAgreed, get comfortable with Basic Strategy, and then try a hi/lo count. When counting, you will leave the table when the count is negative. At the very worst, you will play a hand at say -2, due to the count being zero when dealing begins.
Translation + Walk before you Run + GREAT ADVICE
Quote: MalcomDI'm pretty solid with basic strategy and getting good with hi/lo ,but I'm not going back to a Casino until i'm a bonafide expert. I downloaded this awesome free App called Real Blackjack by Genina that is pretty solid, it lets you select the deck amount, surrender rules, count type and shows the count to help you learn, insurance rules and has a basic strategy chart for 4-8 decks. I like professional blackjack just wish I had bought the hard copy and not the kindle edition definitely has more of a math explanation than any other book I have encountered so far still it has alot of noise like strategy for bj variants I'm unlikely to ever encounter.
I actually use that same app to practice and can vouch for it. I mean it's not going to make you a pro or anything, but it's solid.
Quote: MalcomDI'm pretty solid with basic strategy and getting good with hi/lo ,but I'm not going back to a Casino until i'm a bonafide expert.
There is no true substitute for casino practice. I would play and count at low stakes, using a small spread (1-4?), to hone your counting and index play under heavy distraction.
Quote: dwheatleyThere is no true substitute for casino practice. I would play and count at low stakes, using a small spread (1-4?), to hone your counting and index play under heavy distraction.
This is absolutely true. The previous statement (about practicing until an expert) has virtually no hope of success. It's like saying, I'm going to the park and I'm going to run around the baseball diamond and toss a ball in the air until the Yankees are ready to sign me.
Take DW's advice, there's no substitute for the real thing. At first you should probably look for slow dealers with empty or nearly empty tables, and as you progress go to faster dealers with full tables.
And pray you don't get a dealer like me that likes to mess with fledgling counters. I agree with PaigowDan about most AP play, but when it comes to counters I say bring your A game, 'cause you'll have a hell of a time on my table. When I can tell someone is counting, and honestly it's not that hard to tell, I'll make sure to keep the chatter incessant with lots of references to numbers (the weather is great for this, as are sports scores) or distracting concepts (like what the cards would have been in a poker hand for example, or the way the CW's uniform fits). It's also fun to see if they've been keeping up through all this, so 3/4's of the way through the shoe, I'll just flat out ask, "So what's the true count now?" to which they usually go like a deer in the headlights, and I'll just make up some number to see what they'll do... "Hmmm, I've got it at +6." Good times.
Quote: MonkeyMonkeyThis is absolutely true. The previous statement (about practicing until an expert) has virtually no hope of success. It's like saying, I'm going to the park and I'm going to run around the baseball diamond and toss a ball in the air until the Yankees are ready to sign me.
Take DW's advice, there's no substitute for the real thing. At first you should probably look for slow dealers with empty or nearly empty tables, and as you progress go to faster dealers with full tables.
And pray you don't get a dealer like me that likes to mess with fledgling counters. I agree with PaigowDan about most AP play, but when it comes to counters I say bring your A game, 'cause you'll have a hell of a time on my table. When I can tell someone is counting, and honestly it's not that hard to tell, I'll make sure to keep the chatter incessant with lots of references to numbers (the weather is great for this, as are sports scores) or distracting concepts (like what the cards would have been in a poker hand for example, or the way the CW's uniform fits). It's also fun to see if they've been keeping up through all this, so 3/4's of the way through the shoe, I'll just flat out ask, "So what's the true count now?" to which they usually go like a deer in the headlights, and I'll just make up some number to see what they'll do... "Hmmm, I've got it at +6." Good times.
ha what a dick move. I would totally leave your table but as for practicing my girlfriend to distract me.
Put your boss money where your mouth is!
Oh wait you did say "fledglings"...
Ok. Never mind, but I still want to visit the Fiesta with my act, so I can tell Dan all about it.
