How Long and How Much

Given that I play the Wizard's Simple Blackjack Strategy strictly, I bet the minimum $25 every time, how much bankroll should I show up with to play for 2 hours?

I'm fairly new to Blackjack, and the world of gambling in general. I've begun playing at my favorite casino the Encore, however most of their tables start with $25. (I'm there because their pool is awesome, the food is tasty, and the clubs are hopping!) I've stuck to the video blackjack machines, because: 1) I won't embarrass everyone with my noob-ness and 2) I'm not sure how long I can last on a $25 table. (I don't think it would be very fun to show up with $200 and only play 8 hands).

I'm adopting the Wizard's Simple Blackjack Strategy, because I'm an analyst and believe the math more than "advice". I understand the odds are around 50% if the game is played correctly. This means that technically I could rest assured that -- even with $50 -- I could play for a while. However, winning and losing streaks come in waves - the lengths of which are unknown.

So, is there a Bankroll/HoursOfPlay ratio? -- operating under the assumption that I'm there to enjoy the atmosphere and drinks -- not to walk away with $1M necessarily.

Thanks in advance for the vote and advice!!!

It depends on the pace of play, of course.
I generally expect to comfortably get 2 hours of live play with a starting buy in of about 15 times my flat bet ammount, most times.
Occasionally I'll get my bankroll slaughtered or leave early.
Finger in the air estimate, I'd say that with a two hour limit to my sitting, roughly 1/3 of sessions I bust out that budget, 1/4 of sessions I double it and the rest of the time I leave with something in between. I do tend to bet low in a bricks and mortar casino, because I'm there expecting to lose time and money and enjoy some good food and amusing company.

I forgot to add. It's pretty common to reach a hand where you double and split several times and will have a lot of your bankroll in play at the same time. Those are 5h1t or bust hands and have great entertainment value if they go well or if they go badly $:o) Not so much fun when they go badly, but all part of the buzz of the game.

I flat bet $25... I vote 30-40 units.

1 SD = sqrt(1.32*160) = ~15 units. Shoot for 2-3 standard deviations with the knowledge that an extraordinary hand (split and double a couple of times) will take you outside of normal distribution.

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https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/4/

Probability of Loss Table: 200 hands (I said 160) with a bankroll of 32 units gives you a 2.5% chance at ending your session above 0 units. Again, take into account this is normal distribution so you might want to be prepared to buy in again if you experience a particularly bad swing of variance. Additionally, the 2.5% figure does not take into account the fact that you might dip below 0 units and end up in the positive.

Just take 40 units if you want to survive the majority of sessions for two hours (this follows personal experience too).

@OnceDear Thanks! That's good insight!

@ahiromu There's the numbers!! Thanks! I guess my gut feeling (you can tell from my voting table) was a bit low - actually real low. It's good to see the distribution and take it from there. So, sticking with the video machines isn't all that bad when you look at those tables. (you still get the free drinks :D)

Quote: SandyBeaches

Given that I play the Wizard's Simple Blackjack Strategy strictly, I bet the minimum $25 every time, how much bankroll should I show up with to play for 2 hours?

I'm fairly new to Blackjack, and the world of gambling in general. I've begun playing at my favorite casino the Encore, however most of their tables start with $25. (I'm there because their pool is awesome, the food is tasty, and the clubs are hopping!) I've stuck to the video blackjack machines, because: 1) I won't embarrass everyone with my noob-ness and 2) I'm not sure how long I can last on a $25 table. (I don't think it would be very fun to show up with $200 and only play 8 hands).

I'm adopting the Wizard's Simple Blackjack Strategy, because I'm an analyst and believe the math more than "advice". I understand the odds are around 50% if the game is played correctly. This means that technically I could rest assured that -- even with $50 -- I could play for a while. However, winning and losing streaks come in waves - the lengths of which are unknown.

So, is there a Bankroll/HoursOfPlay ratio? -- operating under the assumption that I'm there to enjoy the atmosphere and drinks -- not to walk away with $1M necessarily.

Thanks in advance for the vote and advice!!!

You are playing a losing blackjack game. That doesn't mean you will lose every time but it's an overall losing game. How about doing some things to lose less?

Learn the proper basic strategy for the game or games that you will be playing. You'll be surprised at how easy it is. In the meantime print out the strategy right from this site. Take it to the table with you and never make another mistake. That will lower the edge against you slightly from the simplified strategy.

Play full tables. You do not want to play 200 hands per hour as the only player at the table when you can play 50 hands per hour at a full table. Instead of exposing $5,000 per hour you'll be exposing $1,250. That's a big difference in my broad example but you get the idea. The good news is that you may very well get the same comps. To lower that $1,250 even more take a "phone call" or a restroom break every hour. That's another 10 hands or $250 an hour bringing you down to a more manageable $1,000 per hour.

Over time, with perfect basic strategy, you will lose whatever the house edge is. If that Wynn game has an edge of 0.5% that is what you'll lose. In that case it would be 50 cents for every hundred dollars wagered or $5 an hour.

There is no reason to be embarrassed at the table especially if you bring the strategy printout with you. Players will actually respect you for it and it will be a conversation starter. Most casinos allow it as long as you don't dramatically slow the game. Some may not want it on the table so just keep it at the ready in your shirt pocket.

Good practice is to get an app for your phone that you can configure your rules and will flag you when you make mistakes. I started with the simple wizard strategy and then gradually picked up the entire basic strategy. Me personally i find myself actually visualizing the chart in my heard to rememeber the right plays.

For example when i get the soft hands i always picture the "stairs" in the chart and i can easily remember the doubles that way. You should be able to find similar methods to help you remember the strategy.

@1BB So simplified is - well, really simplified and I'm missing out on some wins. We'll do. And I like the full table idea - I guess I gotta start somewhere, right? (Big breath and belly up, yeah?) Thanks a lot!

@brettecantwell Also some great advice. I'm playing a Steam game called "Four Kings Casino and Slots" - no strategy helpers, but it does give me a lot of hands to play. I'll pick up the phone app too. Thanks again guys!

Quote: SandyBeaches

So, sticking with the video machines isn't all that bad when you look at those tables. (you still get the free drinks :D)

.. Depends on the "video machine".

(My gut feeling was $750, btw, for 2 hours of $25 flat betting.)


If you do find yourself at a mostly empty table (and you want the game to go slower), try talking with the dealer, and not taking down or placing your bet immediately after it's settled. Saw a guy do this one night at my table (that I was trying to play fast, so he was annoying me), and he was very effectively slowing things down.