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35 members have voted
Let's say you go travel to Las Vegas for several days and you have an average bet of X. How many betting units do you normally bring with you?
Personally, my average bet is between $300 to $500 a hand, and I like to bring about 100 units with me (or have a line of credit for that much) during my four day long trips to Las Vegas. There have been times where I have felt that I should of brought more, but I have never been taken down to the felt (yet).
I was curious as to what others bring with them on their trips.
-B
Quote: gambler
Personally, my average bet is between $300 to $500 a hand, and I like to bring about 100 units with me
Thats $50,000. How do you get that much cash thru the airport without being detained for 5 hours?
Never needed to do it myself for gambling, but I suspect a cashier's check would work just fine.Quote: EvenBobThats $50,000. How do you get that much cash thru the airport without being detained for 5 hours?
Quote: DocNever needed to do it myself for gambling, but I suspect a cashier's check would work just fine.
It takes days to cash a cashiers check now, too many phonies floating around. My bank (Chase) refused to cash a cashiers check for $500 from my brother in law because of all the counterfeit checks and money orders out there now. One for 50K would take a week to clear.
For the original question: I typically take 25-50 units PER DAY. So I voted 150-199.
I think if you are using reputable banks on both ends, the validity of a cashier's check can be established very quickly. If you have a $5 million check from the People's Bank of Nigeria, then there could be some difficulty.Quote: EvenBobIt takes days to cash a cashiers check now, too many phonies floating around. My bank (Chase) refused to cash a cashiers check for $500 from my brother in law because of all the counterfeit checks and money orders out there now. One for 50K would take a week to clear.
Casino credit (as mentioned) is also an option if you want to be that open with the casino about all your personal funds. Wire transfers are another effective method. As I have posted before, I believe that carrying huge amounts of cash is something best left to the folks at Brinks and Wells Fargo.
Will you follow Basic Strategy?
Consult chart at Easy.Vegas (which is at 90 percent avoidance of Gambler's Ruin)
Then adjust for:
...Tips to CW and Dealers.
...Dealer Errors
...Player Errors (likely to increase over "time" (ie, alcohol consumption).
Quote: gamblerSeveral of my friends have recently asked me how much money they should bring with them to gamble with when they go to Las Vegas, assuming they want to gamble for long periods of time. So my question to the forum is as follows:
Let's say you go travel to Las Vegas for several days and you have an average bet of X. How many betting units do you normally bring with you?
Personally, my average bet is between $300 to $500 a hand, and I like to bring about 100 units with me (or have a line of credit for that much) during my four day long trips to Las Vegas. There have been times where I have felt that I should of brought more, but I have never been taken down to the felt (yet).
I was curious as to what others bring with them on their trips.
There would be as many answers to this as there are personal trip goals. If you want to be in action the entire trip no matter what, then divide your stake into daily, or "session", bankrolls, and resolve to take a given day's/session's money out of action for good once the day is over. This also gives you a way to avoid getting blasted down to nothing.
100 units is actually a fairly small stake in terms of lasting for several days. We've all had -40, -50, -100 unit days. I don't play at anywhere near your level, but I generally bring 400 units with me (so, $2000 for $5/hand BJ) and have several times lost 3/4 or more of my bankroll. So my experience is that 400 units can be barely enough to stay in action. (Of course, my bets ranged from $5 to $30 according to the count.)
I try to play low HA games, like the pass and come (with odds) in craps or blackjack.
Quote: mkl654321100 units is actually a fairly small stake in terms of lasting for several days. We've all had -40, -50, -100 unit days. I don't play at anywhere near your level, but I generally bring 400 units with me (so, $2000 for $5/hand BJ) and have several times lost 3/4 or more of my bankroll. So my experience is that 400 units can be barely enough to stay in action. (Of course, my bets ranged from $5 to $30 according to the count.)
Yes, for me a "unit" is based upon my average bet, and I tend to be flat betting or betting with low variance. I am not an advantage BJ player, nor do I intend to become one.
Quote: DJTeddyBearHe DID say he has a credit line...
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He said OR: "and I like to bring about 100 units with me (or have a line of credit for that much)"
Quote: FleaStiffWhat game will you play?
Actually, what games will your friends play? If they will follow you, then your example is fine. If they will play other high house edge games, at similar stakes, they will need much more. Conversely, if they will play for smaller stakes, they will not need as much.
I'm small time. My experience has been that my average bet is in the $25-$75 range playing craps ($5 PL +$20 odds and maybe one or two Come bets with odds). I have found that about $1k a day bankrolls extended play (8+ hrs), allowing some flexibility for the rough spots.
The nice thing about your level of action, is that you have the flexibility to step down your bet size during the rough patches. Unfortunately, for me, I have nowhere lower to go.
Quote: EvenBobHe said OR: "and I like to bring about 100 units with me (or have a line of credit for that much)"
I don't know what Gambler does, but I keep a couple bank accounts just for this purpose (currently, Chase and Wells Fargo, in addition to my primary account at US Bank). I just look at what banks have local branches where I'm going, move money into the appropriate account, call and make sure the branch will have funds to facilitate a withdrawal (hardly a problem at my level), and withdraw when I arrive.
As much as I like gambling, I really dont like carrying cash. So this is a good way to have access to funds without having to have it all in cash.
For any other low variance games (Pai Gow, 3CP, Bacc.), I would bring at least 10 units per session. You will bust out sometimes, but you will find that will often last you for a long time.
To get a 5% risk of ruin, with a more flexible 6-unit stop-loss (ensuring you won't miss that rare big win hand), over a 200-hand session with perfect play, you need a bankroll of 35-40 bets depending on the rules and basic or perfect strategy. Using less than basic strategy or not following it to the letter increases the risk.
I put my soft stop-loss points at 20/30/40 units, because I don't want to lose the advantage if the deck suddenly gets hot, which accounting for bet variance would translate into about 20 average bets.
I may have been a bit to risky in my estimates. Thanks for clarifying. Where did you get your figures for ROR?Quote: P9020 units is way low for blackjack. You have to put hard stop-loss at 4 bets, which is 20% for you, not 1, since you need 4 units for a common high bets (split+DAS or resplit to 4), or even 6-8 with the rare maximum bets, doubles after resplit. And with only 16.5-17 bets to play through, you can only play about 50 hands for 5% risk of ruin. In a more likely 120-hand session, your risk of ruin is 20%, growing up to 30% over 200 hands, which is not too long for a session either.
To get a 5% risk of ruin, with a more flexible 6-unit stop-loss (ensuring you won't miss that rare big win hand), over a 200-hand session with perfect play, you need a bankroll of 35-40 bets depending on the rules and basic or perfect strategy. Using less than basic strategy or not following it to the letter increases the risk.
I put my soft stop-loss points at 20/30/40 units, because I don't want to lose the advantage if the deck suddenly gets hot, which accounting for bet variance would translate into about 20 average bets.
1. I budget myself a certain amount for the trip and under no circumstances go over.
2. I budget myself a certain amount for each day - with carry over from the days before - and under no circumstances go over. For example, if I allocate 10,000 each day, I have 10K for the first day, a new 10K plus any carry over for the second day, a new 10K for the third day plus any carry over from the first two days. This way I always have money to begin each day.
3. I would rather have money to gamble at night, so will bet lower in the morning or afternoon if I am gambling then. Since I allocated the 10K for the day, if it is after dinner, I am less concerned about ruin and may bet $500 / hand.
Good. Yet risk of ruin is still the right measure to consider. Risk of ruin is a phrase wherein the "ruin" does not refer to your personal finances but your bankroll. As I understand the risk of ruin calculations its basically a way to determine that you give yourself a fair shake when confronting that dreaded "variance" factor. It merely assures that whatever capital you risk gets a fair shake in case Lady Luck fails to smile favorably upon you. Define for yourself an "average" day of games and bets and the risk of ruin totals should see you get a good run for your money. (Though do remember, tips, errors, etc.).Quote: PaiGowFanI'm not bringing my last dollar to the casino. I'm bringing what I'm willing to lose.
If your first day is profitable that may be all that you need and you might be able to continue without even risking further inroads into your bankroll. The main thing is that you have enough to survive a frequently encountered trend wherein the house keeps winning.
Quote: PaiGowFan
I've got to look closer, I thought it was Dan
Quote: FleaStiffWhat game will you play?
Will you follow Basic Strategy?
Consult chart at Easy.Vegas (which is at 90 percent avoidance of Gambler's Ruin)
Then adjust for:
...Tips to CW and Dealers.
...Dealer Errors
...Player Errors (likely to increase over "time" (ie, alcohol consumption).
Is this what you are talking about?
However, keep in mind that the 20-bet suggested bankroll is extremely likely to be blown in a day. Here are Wizard's calculations: https://wizardofodds.com/blackjack/appendix12.html
As you can see, if you say bet 2 units half the time, your risk of ruin jumps twice. What's more, you need 4-8 reserve units to cover doubles and splits. All things considered, I wouldn't approach the table with less than 40 bets (actually, I quit at 40 bets unless the deck is hot). If not counting, 50 is enough for a session.
A week of intermittent play can be treated as one long session, and you need about 150 bets to cover it with bet increases and reserve accounted for. But having more never hurts, unless you are a compulsive gambler who always blows it all away.
I do know I rarely stick to a strick table limit though. Sometimes I'll play 50 minimum, and others I'll go to O'sheas and play 5 minimum.
Quote: wonderwarthogI always think it's interesting that few people talk in terms of winning. I'm a small player and usually budget about $500 a day, sometimes $1,000. My aim is to double my money or lose it. If I lose $500 in ten minutes, that's it for the day. If I win $500 in six hours, I'm done. I admit that I've gone past double shooting craps if I got on a roll, but with my bankroll, I'm usually only good for one or two craps sessions in a three day stay.
The reason for that is that most people don't gamble to win--they gamble to have fun. And if you're on a short bankroll, the major question might be, how do I get the most fun for my money? If, on the other hand, making money was your primary concern, you should find the best bet available and bet your entire bankroll.
When you think about it, "double your money" is pretty meaningless, since you haven't really doubled your money unless that $500 was all the money you had in the world.
Quote: odiousgambitIs this what you are talking about?
Yes. Thanks.
Its a very bare bones chart but it shows just what units are required to stay in the game with a 90 percent chance of avoiding being ruined by having your bankroll wiped out thru normal variance.
A good many of those play rates appear to be rounded off figures that may need to be updated, but I doubt the net effect of such errors is all that great. Some of the play rates should be adjusted based upon the casino: A Strip craps game generally goes faster than a Downtown one and supposedly Boulder Strip will be the slowest of all.
Whoa! Great screenname.Quote: wonderwarthogI always think it's interesting that few people talk in terms of winning. I'm a small player and usually budget about $500 a day, sometimes $1,000. My aim is to double my money or lose it. If I lose $500 in ten minutes, that's it for the day. If I win $500 in six hours, I'm done. I admit that I've gone past double shooting craps if I got on a roll, but with my bankroll, I'm usually only good for one or two craps sessions in a three day stay.
Quote: P90Risk of ruin statistics are important whichever way you play and with whatever purpose.
The real question is what is your objective. If your goal is to survive - that is, not run out of money, then risk of ruin is what you need to think about. I would like to play and put a certain amount in play each day. That's what is fun for me. If I bring $10,000 and set my bet size so that I will to 99% confidence survive, then I am likely to be +/- $3000 at the end of the day. It is unlikely I will come close to putting $10,000 in play. That is, it is unlikely I will end the day +/- $10,000. For me, the bet size, if I want to prevent ruin, is too small. Of course, the risk I'm taking is that I bust out. In fact, It could happen early in the afternoon/evening and I'm done for the night.
Keep in mind, I do not want to be done for the trip, so I make sure to budget for each day.
Quote: PaiGowFanThe real question is what is your objective. If your goal is to survive - that is, not run out of money, then risk of ruin is what you need to think about. I would like to play and put a certain amount in play each day. That's what is fun for me. If I bring $10,000 and set my bet size so that I will to 99% confidence survive, then I am likely to be +/- $3000 at the end of the day. It is unlikely I will come close to putting $10,000 in play. That is, it is unlikely I will end the day +/- $10,000. For me, the bet size, if I want to prevent ruin, is too small.
Yes. But you see, risk of ruin statistics don't only apply to 1% risk. (Confidence is a somewhat different metric in statistics; it applies to how sure you are that the risk of ruin is 1%).
You can set the risk of ruin as high as 50% - this means that 50% of the time, you'll lose your entire bankroll. Of course, you could just make one $10k bet for that - but, presumably, you don't, am I right? This means you still want to play for a certain time. And if you use the preferred daily number of trials and calculate with a high risk of ruin, you'll determine the optimal bet size to lose big half the time and win the other half, yet ensure a reasonable play time.
Though the exact RoR for the calculation won't be 50%, more like 40%, to account for partial bankroll loss. For 100 hands of Blackjack, that will be a $1,100 average bet.
- Length of play, and how flexible you are with this value. If one day playing for 4 hours and one playing 8 hours is fine, this gives you a lot more flexbility in your bet size.
- Static or Dynamic bet size. RoR is not static. 3 hours after starting a lot of things have changed. If you are willing to change your bet amount 3 hours in again it gives more flexibility.
RoR for 1 hour on a table can be very different than RoR for a daily limit or even a trip limit. I normally play on $25 tables, but sometimes on $50 tables. I know for a fact that I can't gamble for as long as I want to on $50 tables, but I'm perfectly willing to do that because if I lose I have no issue going and playing a $10 table for a while. I may want a 1% RoR for the day, but I have no issues taking a 50% chance on one table for an hour when I know I can bring my daily RoR back down to 1% by going to smaller limits later on if I do lose.