blackjack

siegfriedandroy · #1 05-18-2005, 06:29 AM

anyone here any good at blackjack? Ive played for about 7 years (am just learning poker, though) and have pretty much mastered Uston APC with some success. so who wants to play on my team? jk- please dont flame! Seriously, though, are there many good players on this site? I used to frequent Wong's bj21 site, where there were several very knowledgeable players. Not sure at this point whether I should pursue bj or poker. I know and have shown that I can beat bj, but poker is so much more complicated. Seems hard to know for certain whether you can beat a particular game or not. Well, I guess for now I should just finish up law school! Peace

bholdr · #2 05-18-2005, 05:40 PM

BJ game structures and the casino's vigliance vis-a-vis counters thase days makes counting a marginal proposition at best. poker is the way to go.

playersare · #3 05-18-2005, 06:47 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I know and have shown that I can beat bj, but poker is so much more complicated. Seems hard to know for certain whether you can beat a particular game or not.

[/ QUOTE ]
if you can do an Uston count then Hold Em poker can't possibly be more difficult. HE and BJ are very similar in the sense there is a basic strategy based on the first two cards you are dealt. and just like a plus or minus count affects your playing conditions, so does table position and pot odds in poker. and reading players for borderline decisions is like figuring how much to spread at a particular casino to maximize return but at the same time not getting 86'd.

even if you don't make a lot of money in actual play starting out, the signup and reload bonuses available from online poker sites will supplement you until you are ready to move up. some players just stay at low limits, milk bonuses and enjoy a nice little lucrative hobby. others use the bonuses to build their bankroll and improve their game to a level where it can actually become their "job" to play poker. it only takes about 6 months to become a big time online poker player if you are focused enough (speaking of others, not myself tho).

siegfriedandroy · #4 05-19-2005, 12:08 AM

cool. thanks man. what do you consider a 'bigtime' online player!? I think I'll try to take your advice- build up my bonuses, etc., learn how to play, and if i can consistently beat the little games, then think about moving up.

**yeah, there is a lot of heat in bj, but there are still pros that make substantial income with a combination of counting, shuffle tracking, card steering, etc. and the desire to travel the world finding the best available games. Aside from the heat factor, bj is good b/c you KNOW you can beat the game if you are a good player. this is not necessarily true, if not rarely or ever true, for most people (even seasoned pros) in the upper echelons and highest levels of poker. But Im sure a good poker player can make a reasonable yearly income in poker, im just not sure exactly what that figure is for your 'average' pro.

S and R

joshman1204 · #5 05-19-2005, 10:21 AM

while the income is going to depend on the game and your skill at that game I have heard of people at 75/150 make 200k a year on a full time basis.

playersare · #6 05-19-2005, 10:51 AM

as an extreme generalization, a "pro" online player can probably multitable at 15/30 limits and earn 1BB/100 in actual play and then another 0.5BB/100 in bonuses and/or rakeback. 200 hands per hour is $90, so just under $200K a year full time.

even at a 'modest' $5/10 level (same 1BB in play profit and 1BB higher proportional rakeback) a player can potentially can gross over $80K.

and compared to B&M blackjack, online poker offers higher availability of good games, lower bankroll investment, no heat, and at-home convenience. I went from recreational BJ basic strategist to recreational (and more profitable) online poker player within just 3 months of discovering it. at the pro level I'm sure you would draw the same parallel.

joshman1204 · #7 05-19-2005, 02:24 PM

These numbers only apply to online which could be gone next year so I hate to refer to online "pro" numbers. In the real world of B&M poker your win rate will be highly dependant on game availablity around you. Some casinos never spread higher than 10/20 which can make it very hard to make a living playing poker, other casinos regularly spread 200/400 or even higher. If you want to be a B&M poker pro I would think you would need to find a regularly spread 50/100 or 75/150 game that you can beat for about 1BB an hour. This obviously depends on how much money you want to make, if you only want 50k a year you would easily drop down to 20/40 or maybe even lower.