Learn To Count??

Hello everyone...


I am primarily a poker player but sometimes I tinker around with blackjack. I know basic strategy, and I usually play $5 or $10 (like I said...only tinkering :-) 8-deck shoe games. I've been toying with the idea of learning a counting technique, because I figure why not play with an advantage even if I'm not exactly a devoted blackjack player?


Anyway, I've done some reading and I get the impression that you shouldn't bother learning to count unless you are going to have a separate bankroll and you are willing to bet large amounts (especially in multi-deck games)....


So, what do you think?? Waste of time or worthwhile???


Thanks a lot for any responses!!!


----Jag

If you're limited to 8 deck shoes, don't bother. You'll need use a ridiculously large bet spread to gain an advantage. For that reason, your bankroll needs to be immense. The charts in the back of Don Schlesinger's "Blackjack Attack" have all information you need for various deck numbers, rules, and penetrations. Some games are just not worth it.

As a blackjack player myself, I can tell you that you SHOULD learn to count if you find such a prospect even remotely interesting. If you like the game of blackjack and you are capable of card counting, there really is no reason not to learn. Card counting makes the game more enjoyable, in my opinion, and there are some relatively simple systems which should not take a good poker player much time to learn. If you only spread $5 to $10 in eight deck shoes, you will never get an edge, regardless of the count you use (unless you stick to back counting and even then it will be very hard with such a low spread) but you can definitely improve your game and have more fun at the tables.


For a casual or recreational blackjack player who is considering breaking into the world of counting, I recommend Arnold Snyder's Red Seven count as presented in 'Blackbelt in Blackjack'. As far as I know, there is no simpler count out there and, as a bonus, that happens to be one of the very best books on blackjack out there today. You're not going to break the bank at the casinos spreading $5 to $10 using the Red Seven, but it will only serve to improve your game and make your blackjack sessions more rewarding overall.

n/t

Hello Jag,


In my opinion you shouldn't bother learning how to count. Although mathematically blackjack can be beaten , real life is a very different story. I can easily count cards and can beat blackjack at home using comuter (even with sick deck shoe), however never been able to win in casinos consistently. Why? The answer is obvious. There is incredible amount of cheating...at least in Vancouver Canada. I've been to Vegas and the playing conditions are much worse there. Also, I played blackjack in Montreal and it is easy to say the game is gaffed. By the way, I'm not a paranoid conspiracy theorist. Please read "How to Detect Crooked Gambling : Marked Cards and Loaded Dice", Frank Garcia or How to Detect Casino Cheating at Blackjack -- a real eye opener by Howard Schwartz. So stick with poker and don't waste your time on blackjack.

I don't think there is cheating in Vancouver. Myself and others have played sucessfully for thousands of hours with positive results. (until we got 86ed) Could it be that you are not making all the correct plays for a late surrender, H17 game? What type of count are you using? How well do you know your numbers?

Hello Philip,


First of all i hope you mean Vancouver Canada. If yes I have no doubt you could succesfully count up to a year ago. I have friends who got barred a year ago because they were two successful. Second of all, the only casino that allowed late surrender is closed now. Finally, I'm sure there is nothing wrong with my technique because when I use computer sofware I never lose money.