GOING TO AC NEXT WEEK. IS COUNTING VIABLE FOR ME?

edit: Title should read "GOING to AC next week" :P

Hi everyone,

So I am currently in a predicament. I'm in the middle of deciding what to play next weekend in Atlantic City, Blackjack or 9/6 JoB, and figured that you guys would be the people to ask for advice from.

I will be going with a bankroll of $500. BJ rules for lower min tables seem to be: 8 deck,H17, no surrender, DAS. I believe these games work out to a ROR of around 99.4%.

I'm familiar with the Red7 count (an unbalanced count for anyone who may be unfamiliar), and have practiced enough where I'm able to count with some degree of accuracy in a casino environment- I'm not perfect yet.

I'm going to try to get on the 1 $5 table in the city offered at Borgota and see how it goes. Other than that, it seems likely that I'll be stuck trying my luck at $10 tables.

I guess my question is this: Given my bankroll, my non-perfect counting skills, and the playing conditions, is counting even viable in my situation? My fear is that what happens when the count goes south at Borg? That table is always mobbed with people, which would make hopping on and off a huge pain in the neck. $10 tables would leave me with only 50 betting units.

Is it likely that I'd be better off playing 9/6 JoB? I'd love to hear everyones opinions!

with limited bankroll, you won't be able to spread right

play 9/6 JOB

I don't know the rules but wild wild west has $5 tables.

Are you doing anything else in AC while there? $500 may not last long if it is all about gambling.

BJ pays 6/5 at WWW on their $5 tables :(

And nah, I'm going with a bunch of friends for only 1 night.

Invest in a pack of smokes. When the count goes south, pull them out and state your intention to take a smoke break. Leave a chip to keep your spot. Next time the count goes south, announce you need use the restroom. Repeat the two as needed, but don't use them too often. A slightly negative shoe at minimum bet on a $5 or $10 table isn't very costly.

You not getting many, if any comps either way. I say do what makes you happy assuming you can afford to lose the cash. Either way, have fun.

$500 on a $5 table will go a long way, even if you spread 1-3,or 1-4. I wouldn't go higher even if you think you are doing everything right.

Ahh decisions, decisions. Limiting my spread doesn't seem like a horrible option.

Backcount and Wong into the 8 deck; preferably 2 hands if possible. Save yourself money. Then Wong out. Rinse and repeat. I play the Red7 as well!

Hey Kong,

First thing, counting is definitely a viable option... There's going to be a lot more to your decision, but I'll start with some blackjack math.

If you spread $10-$30 at the 10 tables, where you bet $30 in ANY TC +2 or higher count, that will effectively erase the house edge. It makes you like 30 cents per hour, but I'm assuming you'll lose a bit more than that due to your admitted non-perfect counting/play. So overall, you might lose $1/hour... unless you practice practice practice =).

Now, when you compare this to JoB... Let's say you're playing .25 denomination, and play an "average" 600 hands per hour. At $1.25 per bet (single line) this means your EV is: EV = TotalWagered*HouseEdge = (NumHands*AvgBet)*HouseEdge = (600*1.25)*(-.0046) = -$3.45.

This means you'll be expecting to lose $3.45 per hour playing JoB, where as (allowing for some smaller mistakes) in blackjack you'd only lose about $1 per hour. This makes blackjack a 3.5x better decision =).

Now, you won't get much comps either way, but you WILL get comps... and with comps, you'd more than likely be playing a +EV game with blackjack! You AP you =P.

In the end though, I think there are more things to consider. If you're not a full blown AP and you want to have fun on your trip, then what you WANT to do should weigh in a bit more! If you WANT to play JoB, then play JoB. If you WANT to do what will lose less then here's the numbers for you to decide =).

Theres no mid-shoe entry allowed, at the lower limits at least :(

Ah thanks so much for your opinion Romes. I may have been swayed to try my luck at the tables rather than the machines :)

Can't it be both? Play for a while at tables and take your remaining and play vp.

Quote: lankykong1589

Theres no mid-shoe entry allowed, at the lower limits at least :(

At the Tropicana you can enter whenever at the lower levels. 25$ n higher there's no mid shoe entry

I really like playing blackjack in Resorts. One side of the pit is H17, but the down-beach (west) side is S17. And when they are not too busy, one or two $10 minimum S17 tables are there. And you may wong in.

Whoa, this is news to me. Thanks for the info guys!

What's the minimum on the s17 tables at resorts?

Quote: Toobs

What's the minimum on the s17 tables at resorts?

At the busiest times on the weekends, they are all $25, but during slower times one or two tables are $10 minimum. They are usually a mix of $10, $15, and $25 minimums.

500$ br in atlantic city? this is suicide you might live to see a high count but may be down to your last 50$? you could wong but um tables ALWAYS seem to get full when count reaches at high point, i recommend dont gamble w/ that roll its a waste of time and energy save up or it bank it

to beat those ac games 6-8deckers with no sur you need atleast 6k$ or 10k$ is better and still a 35% chance of goin belly up like some big tunas have done w/
a larger roll

yea i agree job or bank it

Quote: lankykong1589

BJ pays 6/5 at WWW on their $5 tables :(

And nah, I'm going with a bunch of friends for only 1 night.

Hi LK,
Your $500 bankroll is there to support one night's entertainment. It will be all at risk, but for, say, 4 hours of BJ it should keep you going at minimum bet levels. It'll give you an opportunity to practice your counting, which will give a sense of mischief to your game. You'll also be likely to encounter a few hands that just keep doubling or splitting. Enjoy the excitement: Have fun: Laugh and cheer the winning hands and playfully sob over the losing ones: Gasp at the bits of outrageous good or bad luck. Make your own bit of theatre.

But enjoy it to the max!
There's roughly a 50% chance you'll double your bankroll before losing it, so it COULD be better than free entertainment. Don't expect your counting, however good, to have much effect on the outcome, because at best it will give a tiny edge. Do try to wong out at badly negative shoes. I don't know if those places let you sit out a hand or two, but what I do in the UK is have a drink handy and occasionally 'miss a hand to take a swig of my drink and get my head together'

Enjoy the variance.

After writing my reply, I see that this is probably after the event. If so, how did it go for you? Was it fun? What did you play? Did you win, or lose much?

Oncedear, the trip got pushed back until this Saturday but I will absolutely keep ya posted. Thanks for your write-up, I'm looking forward to having a blast!

Quote: lankykong1589

Oncedear, the trip got pushed back until this Saturday but I will absolutely keep ya posted. Thanks for your write-up, I'm looking forward to having a blast!

How did it go? fun?
We love trip reports here.

Quote: OnceDear

How did it go? fun?
We love trip reports here.

Yes, I'm quite curious myself =).