Board 8 > This Saturday I will be throwing money into a blender

(+) Yeah! (+)

At a casino!

Any tips?????

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My tip is don't go
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Too bad for you because I'll forget about you once I win big

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Everything on black.
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Gonna play Blackjack, I have been learning to count cards, but I havent done it in a live setting.

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don't count cards, you'll lose more than just money if you get caught doing that
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Know the odds and strats. Don't hit 17 in black jack, if you always double your bet until you win in roulette, etc. And, of course, you do seem to know, don't take money you can't afford to lose. Also don't play Kino because it's like buying a lottery ticket in its way-out-there odds and don't play baccarat because the rules are so ridiculous that you just have to trust the dealer to tell the truth because the rules are very loosely defined and can change between casinos.

If you actually want to win money, the only real option is poker and extensive practice. Some games do have strategies you can utilize, but the house knows them and limits you on them. Try to avoid games that are 100% chance or have intentionally obfuscated rules.

Once you know how much you can afford to lose, have fun. You will lose it, but if you're not spending next month's rent/mortgage then okay. Try to get every amenity you can out of it, a lot of places give free booze and such just for playing.
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Can't be worse than mobile gaming
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Don't count cards. It's not illegal, but the nicest/kindest thing they will do is throw you out with none of your money and permanently ban you. My grandpa counted cards when there wasn't AI to catch people and he got 86'd from all Vegas casinos. Laughlin, on the other hand....
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Well I fully intend on only bringing fiat and my concierge to have credit/debit cards for food and such. I also have a painfully high alcohol tolerance so they can't really hit me on intoxication. I'm going to strictly budget, really. I am just unsure how much to take.

While I know I'll probably lose, why not try?

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Don't the professional BJ players count cards?

As I said I am no more than a novice. And no actual real experience in a live area. Keeping a running count probably would be worse than memorizing what to stay on/hit on, etc, for a 4/6/8 deck table.

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On the amount it definitely matters where you go, but even in most low-end Vegas casinos black jack is base $10 buy-in, $5 per hand. Given that a hand lasts maybe 2 minutes at most if you are playing solo (and you will, at those stakes) then you're looking at - if you play well - $70 an hour of gaming.
you can obviously do much better or worse, but this is roughly what you get considering the house's take.
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There are pros, and then they systematically get banned. There's a good chance you'll meet a BJ pro while you're in a cab, because it's the last good job he could get.
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Well I am going to the newly opened Encore in outside Boston with probably 25 dollar minimums. Unless it's less now. People I am going with who get free hotel rooms (they are rich) should surely know if it's still that high.


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I'm assuming you don't want to play penny ante video poker or slot machines, so you wanna take at least a grand.
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Yeah I was thinking either 500 or 1000. I could spend more, but the Martingale system is systematically flawed

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It actually isn't necessarily flawed if the house has no betting rules, but they figured out the math enough to make it flawed.

That aside, yeah - you're looking at exactly what you thought you were. I would just prepare high end of it because everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) about a casino is designed to keep you betting more. The smell, the walls, the freebies... everything.
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Banning card counters is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard
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MZero11 posted...

Banning card counters is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard

Seriously?

They used to break your fingers and shit for this. They maybe still do.
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Corrik7 posted...

MZero11 posted...

Banning card counters is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard

Seriously?

They used to break your fingers and shit for this. They maybe still do.

Well that's dumber obviously but I meant punishing them in general
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Yeah, I mean casinos are kind of dumb in general.

Their options here are to either ban the player or stop offering the abusable game
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Play Blackjack, start first hand with a decent bet, then bet with only your stacking winnings. Split everything but 10's, double down on every 9-11. Hope your tablemates don't take your cards or feed the dealer. Profit.
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MZero11 posted...

Corrik7 posted...

MZero11 posted...

Banning card counters is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard

Seriously?

They used to break your fingers and shit for this. They maybe still do.

Well that's dumber obviously but I meant punishing them in general

It's considered cheating.
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Rather play Craps.
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I like the big wheel myself.
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I assumed you were talking about a swimsuit banner

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Just roll more in FGO instead

There is a very low chance you're good enough at counting cards to be kicked out
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https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/strategy/4-decks/

just memorize the algorithm it isn't that complicated
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NFUN posted...

https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/strategy/4-decks/

just memorize the algorithm it isn't that complicated

I've never seen this chart, but my post was actually pretty close to this.
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SwiftyDC posted...

Rather play Craps.

I tried and it literally made no sense to me. Lol

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tcaz2 posted...

Just roll more in FGO instead

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greengravy294 posted...

I tried and it literally made no sense to me. Lol

Put money on the pass line, Wait till you win or lose

Congrats: enjoy the best odds in a casino

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Better download those mobile casino games that are so popular in the US that they make up several of our Top Grossing Games Chart on Google Play, so you can get some practice in.

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I play penny slots when I go. Ill never win big, but Im more likely to see bonus rounds.

Colegreen_c12 posted...

Put money on the pass line, Wait till you win or lose

Congrats: enjoy the best odds in a casino

Yeah I get that part but a dealer could just lie to me and I wouldnt know any better!!!!

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i just played pai gow for the free beers, got dealt 5 aces, and won 12k last time i went to the casino

so do that
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ChaosTonyV4 posted...

Play Blackjack, start first hand with a decent bet, then bet with only your stacking winnings. Split everything but 10's, double down on every 9-11. Hope your tablemates don't take your cards or feed the dealer. Profit.

This is not how it works and the last two parts are especially untrue. There is no such thing as taking someones card this is a huge misconception let people play how they want.

Also count cards but dont adjust your bet to the point you are raking in a ton of money.

You are playing for fun not a job.

You cant really count cards at your typical high end casino though unless playing higher stakes as most have continuous shuffle on the low end tables

greengravy294 posted...

SwiftyDC posted...

Rather play Craps.

I tried and it literally made no sense to me. Lol

Once you figure out how it works it's really fun, or even just playing PASS and Field
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greengravy294 posted...

Yeah I get that part but a dealer could just lie to me and I wouldnt know any better!!!!

Don't bother playing if theres nobody else at the table.

If there is someone else at the table they are probably playing pass/fail. You win at the same time as them so if they win you win.

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Leafeon13N posted...

This is not how it works and the last two parts are especially untrue. There is no such thing as taking someones card this is a huge misconception let people play how they want.

Nah, there totally is.

If the dealer is showing 6 and the last guy takes the card that would bust him, he just screwed the whole table.
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ChaosTonyV4 posted...

Leafeon13N posted...

This is not how it works and the last two parts are especially untrue. There is no such thing as taking someones card this is a huge misconception let people play how they want.

Nah, there totally is.

If the dealer is showing 6 and the last guy takes the card that would bust him, he just screwed the whole table.

Did you know that that card would've busted the dealer ahead of time?
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NFUN posted...

ChaosTonyV4 posted...

Leafeon13N posted...

This is not how it works and the last two parts are especially untrue. There is no such thing as taking someones card this is a huge misconception let people play how they want.

Nah, there totally is.

If the dealer is showing 6 and the last guy takes the card that would bust him, he just screwed the whole table.

Did you know that that card would've busted the dealer ahead of time?

You don't just play your hand, you play against the dealer. If the dealer shows 6, unless you are at 11 or less, you shouldn't hit, and "playing wrong" can affect the other players.

If it's low stakes it's not really a big deal, but if I'm betting hundreds of dollars, I'd rather some dude not bust himself on the card that should have busted the dealer.
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ChaosTonyV4 posted...

You don't just play your hand, you play against the dealer. If the dealer shows 6, unless you are at 11 or less, you shouldn't hit, and "playing wrong" can affect the other players.

If it's low stakes it's not really a big deal, but if I'm betting hundreds of dollars, I'd rather some dude not bust himself on the card that should have busted the dealer.

No you are 100% wrong and don't understand basic probability. The top card is equally likely to make him bust as the second from the top. You are just as likely to screw the table as save the table.


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ChichiriMuyo posted...

Don't count cards. It's not illegal, but the nicest/kindest thing they will do is throw you out with none of your money and permanently ban you. My grandpa counted cards when there wasn't AI to catch people and he got 86'd from all Vegas casinos. Laughlin, on the other hand....

My dad was "invited to play something else" once for counting cards, but they didn't take his money or ban him (or at least they didn't say he was banned). I don't think he made an absurd amount of money though, and afaik they technically didn't catch him actually counting cards but he won a big hand and everyone around him but him got really excited.

(Might have been Atlantic City though. Also late 80s or early 90s.)

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Colegreen_c12 posted...

ChaosTonyV4 posted...

You don't just play your hand, you play against the dealer. If the dealer shows 6, unless you are at 11 or less, you shouldn't hit, and "playing wrong" can affect the other players.

If it's low stakes it's not really a big deal, but if I'm betting hundreds of dollars, I'd rather some dude not bust himself on the card that should have busted the dealer.

No you are 100% wrong and don't understand basic probability. The top card is equally likely to make him bust as the second from the top. You are just as likely to screw the table as save the table.

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ChaosTonyV4 posted...

If the dealer is showing 6 and the last guy takes the card that would bust him, he just screwed the whole table.

This logic is wild, no wonder casinos make so much money
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You guys are correct that the overall odds for the rest of the table are the same. The reason people get mad in Tony's scenario is twofold.

1) The "bad player" in this scenario is acting against their own self-interest. People can forgive someone's choice acting against the table if they were acting in their own self-interest because "it's what they would have done".

2) The expected outcome odds do adjust the moment the "bad player" draws the unexpected card, for better or for worse. Now, you can't actually do anything with that given how Blackjack is played, but you still have to experience it in a way that you don't if the "bad player" played "correctly".

Basically, ignorance is bliss.

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I've seen people basically yell at someone who hit on 16 when the dealer was showing a 5 even after he drew a 5 and the next card busted the dealers 15. Mostly why I avoid blackjack, not because i don't know the basic strategy but because most of the people who play it just seem miserable.

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I won on Blackjack and lost it all on slots and roulette

Final loss was 170 buckos and I've decided I have had enough
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