When do you play your max bet?

At what TC do you play your max bet?

True 2 in HiLo.


Solo players generally get their max out around true 3 or true 4.

Quote: Wanderer

At what TC do you play your max bet?

The earlier, the more variance and swings you'll see. I have my max bet out at TC +4, or TC +5 on a shorter trip bankroll sometimes.

When the Sacred Flow of the Cards indicates a hard 11 or a Blackjack.
It is only then that the Force Awakens.

Quote: Romes

The earlier, the more variance and swings you'll see. I have my max bet out at TC +4, or TC +5 on a shorter trip bankroll sometimes.

That's pretty much what I do. I only play DD, so I know any time I have a RC of +2 I have at least a +1 TC. When I get to a RC of +5, I pay closer attention to the number of cards remaining and play my max bet if it's roughly a deck left for a TC of +5.

Most professional players that I know, max bet around the TC +4 or +5 range. At that point you should have somewhere between a 1.5% to 2% advantage, depending on exact rules. A quote from Kevin Blackwood that always stuck with me was to wager your top wager of 1% of your bankroll when you have a 2% advantage.

Personally, I max bet at TC +4 for most games that I play, DD and 6 deck. The exception to this for me is if I am playing a very mediocre 6 deck game, say 6 decks 1.5 decks cut off. With such a game, I usually max bet a little earlier at TC +3. This helps compensate for the less frequent higher true counts in such a mediocre penetration game and reduces the drop in win rate for playing such a borderline game.

But there is a price to pay for max betting earlier. Higher variance for one. This is less a concern for me as I now play to a pretty strong bankroll and very minimal RoR. The second negative to max betting earlier has to do with heat. Max betting earlier will mean you are showing your max bet and full spread more often. If you are playing a place that you frequent a lot or playing a style where you like to sit and play for longer periods of time, you actually are hurting yourself by showing too much info. With my own hit and run style and exiting shoe games at the first shuffle after showing max bet and full spread, this is not really an issue for me.

Just thought I would share a couple thoughts you might want to consider when making the decision of when to max bet.

Great info kewlj! And I havent been around here much lately, but CONGRATS! on your wedding.

First hand, last hand, most every hand in between. Just being honest. See what happens when I do that. Get laughed at. GRRRR

It's +4 for me but like most rules of thumb this one is meant to be broken. My max bet is not written in stone nor is +4. These decisions are not made until I evaluate the game and the playing conditions.