Tips for starting a team

Any tips on finding team members for a new blackjack team? Starting BR of $10k each combined 50-100k. Preferably, finding others that want to agressively compound and live on comps until the BR is bigger instead of continually paying bonuses and never growing it.

So are you asking for tips, or for teammates? =P If you're asking for teammates I think you should clarify a few things (for others). You're looking for established counters to bring at least $10k to a team bankroll? I wouldn't say aggressively compound and live on comps... No "team" could "live" on comps for long enough to hit a long run and guarantee bankroll growth. You're looking for people who want to do this part time in association with their regular job, other AP plays, etc. So someone who can afford to take $10k out of their own bankroll to invest in a team project more/less (at least that's what it looks like to me).

Next, as for tips... Well, I can tell you how I built my team:

1) No other AP's... Friends and Family.

- Trust is the number one thing in a team. You absolutely will not be able to function or make money very long if you don't have absolute trust. I can teach anyone to count cards, so at that point why would I want, or need, another AP? Why not teach someone I trust 100% how to do it and just have them all be spotters for me?

2) You need to outline now how the bankroll will grow, when payouts will be made, and how much everyone will get.

- Example: 5 teammates all put in $10k for a $50k bankroll. When the bankroll reaches $100k, for every $10k after that you'll disburse $2k to each of the team members. This is assuming everyone takes a fair cut and you don't have any "management" that gets a higher cut, or investors that need to get a slice. If you're going to start a team from scratch I'd recommend you put up the "majority" of the bankroll, and then you get a much larger cut, which will also be for your managerial skills such as training, knowledge, and of course your larger investment. There's no one set way to run a team financially. You need to find out what works for your team. All that I can say is everyone should be awarded an amount equal to the risk they're taking, at a minimum (my opinion).

3) Lost funds.

- If someone loses money, who's responsible? If someone gets robbed, who's responsible? If you think someone is cheating (or say they passed a check out prior then fail a later one) what happens? Personally I believe the managers should be able to "suspend" or place a player on "inactive" status which takes them out of potential bankroll disbursements. This will keep players sharp, passing checkouts, and motivated to stay active for their cut. This also comes back to trust, in trusting the management won't screw over any players and just place them on inactive to F them out of their cut.

There's a ton more, but those were just the first 3 off the top of my head.

Not ready for starting a team yet, not asking for team members. To prevent theft, we'll all get concealed weapons permits. I'll be playing full time until I'm ready (only taking Tuesdays off, I've never won on a Tuesday; so I make that my day off.) In theory, I could keep solo until I can finance a whole team myself, but I think if not lifelong friends them putting their own money in is good for trust, just like me putting my money in.

Not everyone in the world should be allowed to play with guns.
But they are.
I suggest you get a really big gun, and become really good with it.


And carry a very small gun, in case you wind up in a position where you have to drop the big one.
And of course, you need to be very efficient with a small gun too ;-)

Quote: billionaireben

Not ready for starting a team yet, not asking for team members. To prevent theft, we'll all get concealed weapons permits. I'll be playing full time until I'm ready (only taking Tuesdays off, I've never won on a Tuesday; so I make that my day off.) In theory, I could keep solo until I can finance a whole team myself, but I think if not lifelong friends them putting their own money in is good for trust, just like me putting my money in.

What do you do if you find a person who's a friend of yours, becomes a phenomenal counter/player, but doesn't like guns and doesn't want to get/carry one?

There are infinitely many things that could go wrong with a team, and in my experience you just can't plan for them all. Some of them you have to learn on the fly when they happen, often eating the cost of them the first time so you can put a procedure in place for if they occur again.

How long have you been playing? What count do you use? How many hours have you put in to counting? What level are you playing at ($10-$150, $25-$400, $100-$600, etc)?

I wouldn't take on a team member who gambled recreationally. I know some AP's do....but I don't get it, I'd be worried about degenerate tendencies spilling over. To me it's a core phychological flaw, in the context of advantage play.

Most casinos have signs posted not allowing firearms on premises so concealed carry going to have limited applicability

Before going live, I'd take a five day trip together to a remote spot and live in close quarters. If you folks are all talking after that, look into playing together.

Quote: billryan

Before going live, I'd take a five day trip together to a remote spot and live in close quarters. If you folks are all talking after that, look into playing together.

+1

Getting lots of good tips here.

One of the dangers of having members that play on their own is they might discovered and inadvertently expose your whole team.

IMO - You don't just up and create a team. It is built over time. If there are others you network with or play with, start there -- play with them more often, and (as you should always be doing), be on the lookout for people to network with. Would probably start off as taking weekend trips, where you each pool X amount together for play on a weekend type trip, chop it up at the end, then go your own way until the next planned trip.

I think it would be difficult to play on a BJ team as a main source of income (being card counting)

Quote: billionaireben

I'll be playing full time until I'm ready (only taking Tuesdays off, I've never won on a Tuesday; so I make that my day off.)

FAIL.

BIG red flag IMO, superstitions have no business in AP.

Quote: RS

IMO - You don't just up and create a team. It is built over time. If there are others you network with or play with, start there -- play with them more often, and (as you should always be doing), be on the lookout for people to network with. Would probably start off as taking weekend trips, where you each pool X amount together for play on a weekend type trip, chop it up at the end, then go your own way until the next planned trip.

I think it would be difficult to play on a BJ team as a main source of income (being card counting)

Or Craigslist.