Is blackjack worth it if you're a casual player with a small bankroll?

So, I'm thinking maybe there's people who can chime in on this.

Former pretty serious amateur gambler. Got serious about blackjack when I was 22 and the most I have probably won in trip is $3000, which also roughly represents the most I've lost. Basic strategy is like riding a bike to me, and I had a basic count down for a while. I've gone on gambling binges for days and there was a time when I probably had the desire to go Atlantic City every weekend of the year. Lifetime, with blackjack, horse racing, sports betting, I'm down pretty big. Not a monstrous amount but well into the 5 figures.

I'm somewhat past that. I now end up in a casino maybe 2 to 4 times in a year. Either passing by (you can't NOT pass by a casino these days), or a trip to Vegas every few years.

So, I'm playing with a total nightly budget of $150-200 or if I go to Vegas for a few days, maybe $500 total trip budget for gambling alone. Of course, I want to fuel the old flames and play some blackjack, and I just get hammered. $15 dollars usually. Sometimes, three shoes, and I'm at my loss limit and done for the night. There are a couple of nights I have won in the past few years, but usually I'm out of the game quickly.

Is it even worth it to play blackjack when you're a casual gambler? Back in the day, I'd usually have at least $1000 backing me playing $25. At least $500 on the table to start the night.

This really goes for all table games but I just know blackjack best. I'm thinking my paltry bankroll confines me to penny slots or one of those people who hops from table to table after losing 3 hands/spins/rolls in a row. Lol.

Quote: jobaba

So, I'm thinking maybe there's people who can chime in on this....

Is it even worth it to play blackjack when you're a casual gambler? Back in the day, I'd usually have at least $1000 backing me playing $25. At least $500 on the table to start the night.

This really goes for all table games but I just know blackjack best. I'm thinking my paltry bankroll confines me to penny slots or one of those people who hops from table to table after losing 3 hands/spins/rolls in a row. Lol.

Hi Jobaba,
Is it worth it financially, even if you can count... Probably not. Read the threads by Stabworld and Zenking to see the roller coaster of even a skilled card counter.

Is it worth it for amusement. Well, I lean towards the 'yes' on that one. I can sit at a min table and play 5, 10, 15, 20 per hand from my buy in of a couple of hundred and I can have an hour's amusement... or not. Walking to the cage having doubled a 200 buy in and played an hour and had a couple of free drinks and a bit of a laugh... or losing the 200 and still having the fun, is good value entertainment in my world.
I see no appeal whatsoever in slots. But that's just me. YMMV.

When the fun stops. Stop.

OD

If you gamble for recreation then your best bet is to find a game with as low house edge as possible and stick to playing only that. The house edge doesn't make a big difference during one night but it will have a surprisingly devastating effect over a long period of time. Even only 0.5% house edge in Blackjack can accummulate to large amounts of money over many sessions.

In my town there is only one casino but they offer a blackjack game with negligible house edge if you follow basic strategy (it's CSM so you can't count). I am aware that I cannot beat the game in the long run but I don't have to pay anything for the recreation of playing it either (in terms of house edge), so the amusement is free.

I concur with OD. I am what many on this board refer to with disdain as a ploppy. I love craps and BJ. I know that in the long run I have zero chance of winning. In the short run I may or may not win, but I swill vast sums of booze and have countless hours of good times with friends. So, if you view it as amusement funds, then yes it is worth it.

Another yes vote here.

It's never been about the amount of my bet for me when I play recreationally. It's just a way to keep score. I like carnival games better than BJ most nights, but BJ does have a nice low edge. If it's in your entertainment budget and you find it fun, (I do), then get your money's worth out of the drinks, bonhomie, and the possibility they will pay for your fun.

Betting $15 a hand with a $150 bankroll is suicidal.
Let's say you are in a typical lose,win,lose pattern and after an hour you are down $30. You split Aces and draw two bad cards. Suddenly,you are down 40% of your bankroll. Next hand you split 8s and draw a three. You double down and draw an Ace. Next 8, you draw a 2 a d double down. Dealer pulls a four card 21. Now you HAVE to win your next decision or its time to walk.
Of course your long term results will suffer because you don't have proper BR to survive the inevitable downturn.
I've seen many hands that began with a one unit bet turn into four hands, many of which are now two units.
Even flat betting, you need more than a ten unit BR.

Quote: billryan

Betting $15 a hand with a $150 bankroll is suicidal.
Let's say you are in a typical lose,win,lose pattern and after an hour you are down $30. You split Aces and draw two bad cards. Suddenly,you are down 40% of your bankroll. Next hand you split 8s and draw a three. You double down and draw an Ace. Next 8, you draw a 2 a d double down. Dealer pulls a four card 21. Now you HAVE to win your next decision or its time to walk.
Of course your long term results will suffer because you don't have proper BR to survive the inevitable downturn.
I've seen many hands that began with a one unit bet turn into four hands, many of which are now two units.
Even flat betting, you need more than a ten unit BR.

Mostly agree. Buying in for $150 on a $5 is far more doable if you are playing mostlt $5 a hand.

I've had a few sessions where playing arbirarily 5 or 10 or 15 a hand starting at 100 to 150 has led to the sort of sh1t or bust double after spit scenario. That one round of the game can make for a very swift and exciting turn of events.

Of course, never play without an extra stash to cover those last minute double and split opportunities. That is suicidal.

If it's entertainment and by and large least cost then BJ is one of the best games to play. Assume you level bet the minimum and play best strategy, and perhaps adjusted for the count, the game can at times get fairly boring. However the company can be enjoyable if everyone is playing sensible.

Personally I wouldrather play a carnival game with a higher House Edge but runs slower (i.e. the cost/hour is similar) as it's more fun; also usually you know the maximum bet you might encounter beforehand.

I would try to find some way to ride a winning streak to get a balance of 1000 times the table minimum and then start over betting the table minimum. It may take being up 150 hands to get 1000 units ahead. You could also lose 1000 hands in a row after that and be back to nothing. I'm guessing there's a graph somewhere that says if you lose a thousand hands, just tread water for 8000 hands, and then you'll win 1000 hands back and be back to even. So prepare for that upswing!
I just find the computer black jack at the casinos never let me win more than 4 hands ahead, they have a built-in losing streak when they see me ahead by the smallest amount. Machines get tighter and tighter all the time.

There was a time I could play 50 cent / $1 BJ machines and I'd start off with $10 (40 credits) and double my bet after being 3 hands ahead until I got to $20 (80 credits). I was beating those for a month before they got tightened down so damn much. I could play 1000 hands before lunch with those.

Quote: jobaba

So, I'm thinking maybe there's people who can chime in on this.

Former pretty serious amateur gambler. Got serious about blackjack when I was 22 and the most I have probably won in trip is $3000, which also roughly represents the most I've lost. Basic strategy is like riding a bike to me, and I had a basic count down for a while. I've gone on gambling binges for days and there was a time when I probably had the desire to go Atlantic City every weekend of the year. Lifetime, with blackjack, horse racing, sports betting, I'm down pretty big. Not a monstrous amount but well into the 5 figures.

I'm somewhat past that. I now end up in a casino maybe 2 to 4 times in a year. Either passing by (you can't NOT pass by a casino these days), or a trip to Vegas every few years.

So, I'm playing with a total nightly budget of $150-200 or if I go to Vegas for a few days, maybe $500 total trip budget for gambling alone. Of course, I want to fuel the old flames and play some blackjack, and I just get hammered. $15 dollars usually. Sometimes, three shoes, and I'm at my loss limit and done for the night. There are a couple of nights I have won in the past few years, but usually I'm out of the game quickly.

Is it even worth it to play blackjack when you're a casual gambler? Back in the day, I'd usually have at least $1000 backing me playing $25. At least $500 on the table to start the night.

This really goes for all table games but I just know blackjack best. I'm thinking my paltry bankroll confines me to penny slots or one of those people who hops from table to table after losing 3 hands/spins/rolls in a row. Lol.

$150, $200, $500, etc is not enough for a trip bankroll if you actually plan on playing a winning game on a $15 or $25 and put any dedcent amount of hours in, unless you plan on strictly backcounting but even then you could easily get wiped out and not have any more money to finish the shoe if the count jumps early and youre max betting all shoe long and losing all your doubles, splits, and insurance wagers. Even when you said you had $1000 back in the day for the $25 tables, thats nothing unless youre strictly backcounting, which I doubt you do.

You have been improperly financed for each blackjack trip, which shows in your career negative earnings and Im sure there have been many times you had to walk away while the count was in your favor. This is also assuming you're even a proficient counter.

OP, do you intend on counting or just playing for fun w/o counting? If you plan on counting, perhaps you could back-count and wong-in to shoes. Use the entire $500 trip bankroll (or better yet, make it $1k), then play $25/bet when you wong in. Maybe that'll be fun enough for you AND let your money last longer -- because you're playing fewer hands AND you're playing at a small advantage.

I HATE BLACKJACK!

You can play 100% basic strategy and still lose.

Learn how to play Pai Gow Poker instead.

It is a much slower paced game. Nearly 60% of the hands result in a push. Don't bother playing any side bets. That's just a faster way to lose your bankroll.

I think most of the highlights people have said in the thread already:

1) Blackjack has a very low house edge compared to other games.
2) Blackjack has pretty low variance compared to other games as well.
3) It depends on what you want out of things... if you're gambling for fun, blackjack is one of your best choices, especially if you enjoy the game itself.
4) If you want to make money, you're way underfunded, like by a lot... depending the rules, penetration, and side bets, you'll probably make somewhere around $0-$15/hour... but this would depend a lot on you getting much more funded and having a bet spread of like $15-$150 (as you can see why you'd need a lot more in your pocket).

Feel free to read up a bit more and maybe pick up a thing or two or read how card counting is viable/profitable for a larger player, and scale that down a bit for yourself to help you decide at your level:

https://wizardofvegas.com/articles/A-to-Z-Counting-Cards-in-Blackjack/
https://wizardofvegas.com/articles/A-to-Z-Counting-Cards-In-Blackjack-2/
https://wizardofvegas.com/articles/A-to-Z-Counting-Cards-in-Blackjack-3/

My opinion is if you're having fun then it's totally worth it. Sounds like you've got your "addiction" well under control, so just look at it as an entertainment expense. And make sure you get a player's card for maximum benefits.

Figure out your expected loss/profit per hour, if your fun/workload is worth the expected loss/profit, then yes. If not, then no. JUst figure out what it's costing/gaining you and decide if that's worth the time/fun.

Quote: TigerWu

My opinion is if you're having fun then it's totally worth it. Sounds like you've got your "addiction" well under control, so just look at it as an entertainment expense. And make sure you get a player's card for maximum benefits.

The excuse of 'im just having fun' is the gateway to inevitably becoming a degenerate. Thats how it always begins more often than not. Theres so many other ways to have 'fun'. My advice to the OP is to either become a very disciplined player and learn to beat the game or simply just get out of the casino and find some real hobbies.

Quote: billryan

Betting $15 a hand with a $150 bankroll is suicidal.
Let's say you are in a typical lose,win,lose pattern and after an hour you are down $30. You split Aces and draw two bad cards. Suddenly,you are down 40% of your bankroll. Next hand you split 8s and draw a three. You double down and draw an Ace. Next 8, you draw a 2 a d double down. Dealer pulls a four card 21. Now you HAVE to win your next decision or its time to walk.
Of course your long term results will suffer because you don't have proper BR to survive the inevitable downturn.
I've seen many hands that began with a one unit bet turn into four hands, many of which are now two units.
Even flat betting, you need more than a ten unit BR.

That's the way it's been going. Of course, I can't abandon basic strategy. With a ~$200 bankroll I find 4 out of 5 times, I'm out of the game in like 30 to 60 minutes. The 5th time I'll probably walk away with $400 profit.

Quote: ZenKinG

The excuse of 'im just having fun' is the gateway to inevitably becoming a degenerate. Thats how it always begins more often than not. Theres so many other ways to have 'fun'. My advice to the OP is to either become a very disciplined player and learn to beat the game or simply just get out of the casino and find some real hobbies.

I'd have to relapse back into being a degenerate for that to happen. Been there, done that.

In a way, you're right though. It's difficult for somebody who to split $300 hands to sit penny slots with your girlfriend for 2 hours for the reward of maybe winning maybe $60. I could not do it without getting drunk.

Quote: jobaba

I'd have to relapse back into being a degenerate for that to happen. Been there, done that.

In a way, you're right though. It's difficult for somebody who to split $300 hands to sit penny slots with your girlfriend for 2 hours for the reward of maybe winning maybe $60. I could not do it without getting drunk.

Learn to think that doing anything for two hours with your girlfriend is the absolute best use of your time, be it penny slots or Sunday church services. Blessed are the bliss.

Quote: ZenKinG

The excuse of 'im just having fun' is the gateway to inevitably becoming a degenerate. Thats how it always begins more often than not. Theres so many other ways to have 'fun'. My advice to the OP is to either become a very disciplined player and learn to beat the game or simply just get out of the casino and find some real hobbies.

That is a defeatist view. It is not that hard -- just requires discipline -- to have a gambling budget and stick to it. You could play nothing but penny slots with an 87% return and if your budget is $75 a month and you stick to it, fine.

Quote: billryan

Learn to think that doing anything for two hours with your girlfriend is the absolute best use of your time, be it penny slots or Sunday church services. Blessed are the bliss.

What about clothes shopping?

Quote: KevinAA

That is a defeatist view. It is not that hard -- just requires discipline -- to have a gambling budget and stick to it. You could play nothing but penny slots with an 87% return and if your budget is $75 a month and you stick to it, fine.

And how many 'stick to it'. Ill wait.