blackjack is it worth a shot?

[knifeandfork]

hi all never played serious blackjack just wondering if it is still possible to beat the game with casinos learning more ways to "catch" counters. also looking for reccomended reading material. i think DS has a book or MM but dare i ask are they the "best" book(s) on the market? thanks

[cardcounter0]

Yes, it is still beatable if you know what to look for. You could view it as something profitable to do while waiting for a seat in the poker room.

Places to start would be the Gamemaster's on-line site "Poker School". Also google "KO BLACKJACK", there is a web site for the KO Count, which is a good starting count.

The most popular counting system is HiLo, and the bible for it is "Professional Blackjack" by Stanford Wong.

[scalf]

/images/graemlins/grin.gif if ya wanta gamble in a casino...learn a simple +/- count with basic strategy and fire away at even odds..or perhaps better than ev..

but long term; it's as much fun as mowing a lawn..gets tedious, frustrating..as stanford wong sez "it's very rare that you are at your all-time high bankroll" therefore, you will feel you are going down, even when a long-term winner..

gl

/images/graemlins/smile.gif /images/graemlins/heart.gif

[Iceman]

[ QUOTE ]
hi all never played serious blackjack just wondering if it is still possible to beat the game with casinos learning more ways to "catch" counters. also looking for reccomended reading material. i think DS has a book or MM but dare i ask are they the "best" book(s) on the market? thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Is it possible to beat the game? Yes.

Is it easy to beat the game for any significant amount of money? No. The variance is huge, casinos give lots of heat to even relatively small counters, and your advantage is usually small under even the best conditions. And good game conditions are harder and harder to find - shuffling machines are becoming more common, and 6-8 deck shoes with no midshoe entry above the table minimum are the rule in many places.

If you gamble for profit, you're probably better off playing poker unless you have a huge bankroll and access to very soft blackjack games.

If you like to play blackjack, and you play often, then you might invest the time at learning to get good at it. But don't expect a goldmine.

[xxx]

If you get read the riot act, aren't you barred from the whole casino (including the poker room)? Seems like a big risk for a +EV player.

[lmcclean]

really? well then you should move to edmonton
we have a casion here that comps a semi pro black jack player I know (he hasnet paid for a meal or a drink in 6 months). They also use only 4 deck shoes, no machines and couldn't care less if you enter mid shoe. I've spent hours with him moveing table to table back counting and jumping into favorable shoes, with nothing more than a 'how ya guys doin tonight' from the pit bosses.
Guess were just lucky here

[charlie_t_jr]

As far as I know, yes you would be. But, unless your top bet is over $100, the chances you would actually be barred are small. You might be "backed-off". In other words, you'd be told no more BJ, or asked to leave, but not read the trespass act.

If your playing to break up the monotony of the poker table, just keep your BJ sessions short(hour or less), and you should be ok.

BJ is a great way(and the only way)* to play +ev in the casino, outside the poker room.

*excluding some unusual promotion or other unusual conditions, or maybe a full pay video poker machine.