Well the interesting thing is that they allow it at some level. They could just use shuffle machines or rule changes to make counting completely worthless. But they don't. And thats because even the counters are making them money. Its a type of advertising. It adds romance to the casino story. They just don't want it to be too lucrative. But its entirely at the casino industries discretion how much they tolerate.
They already modified the game by adding more decks to the shoe. The truth is most of the people coming to the casino to count cards aren't doing it properly to begin with and are losing money, because they don't know basic strategy. Why would they modify the game when it attracts losers who think they can beat it? But they are certainly looking for the winners to back off and trespass. The idea they "tolerate" losing money is not true. If they identify an advantage player, that player is out. They want losers.
@@levigoldson Also for why they don't shuffle after every round is quite simple, no matter how fast you do it, it takes extra time to shuffle, and that time could be spent having a few more loosers loose money to them, so shuffling every round would likely loose the casinos more money, than gain from tripping up the good card counters
My friends took me to a casino to play black jack for the first time. I lost 40 bucks cause obviously i didnt know what i was doing, but my friend is a blackjack dealer so she was sitting next to me explaining the rules and at point the dealer at our table said "10 is the most common card value in the deck so its safe to assume my lower card is always a 10. I responded with "oh so if you're smart enough u can keep track of how many 10s have already been played and try to figure out what cards are left." And everyone just looked at me like i had just said Voldemort or something and my friend says "no, thats counting cards." I just think its funny that they want you to play the game but ignore the obvious strategy. Like i had never played blackjack before. I dont know anything about card counting, and here was a table full of people looking at me like i was a criminal for saying something that just made sense to me
You're a threat to the casino and the other ploppies because you use reason and logic to make your decisions. Please continue to make the degenerates and the casino management seethe. - Sincerely, an amateur card counter
in any deck, only 16 cards have the numeric value of 10. Why would I assume she has a ten? (the easiest way to be the autoshuffler is to not assume they have a face card as 1/3 of every deck is not face cards, and stand on 14-15-16)
About the losing money part of card counting, I think Captain John-Luc Picard says it best "it is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose, it is not weakness, that is life"
Gotta love how matter-of-fact you are about everything without ever getting even a little bit close to getting tense or dramatic or upset. That alone makes you and the rest of the BJA team the most respectable group in the BJ card-counting scene in my opinion.
The first point reminds me of something Alan Watts said, something to the effect of "using your mind in a contest of brute force to win will seem like cheating to people who are less intelligent."
I've been watching your videos for about a week now, and the really cool thing is that I've always wanted to have a go at card counting, but never knew how to do it. After finding you, I thought "cool, maybe I can finally do this..." but then I realised, nope this is too hard and too boring and too slow... So I don't want to do it. But that's BRILLIANT because you have helped me scratch an itch without me having to actually scratch it!
The part that was most wrong is that you have to do it full time. IMO, card counting, or any other form of advantage gambling, works quite well as a side job, with the advantage that you have the income from your regular job to get you through the bad spells. It takes a big bankroll to do it full time, as that bankroll has to cover living expenses as well as gambling losses when you run bad.
The way I see it, for a card counter to thrive, there must be dozens of ploppies. We NEED people preaching the flow of the cards. We NEED gamblers explaining to the pit boss how their new negative progression system is going to win them their money back. We NEED people yelling "tip yo deala, tip yo deala" every time they win a hand. And we sure need videos like Cheddar's. We ain't gonna fix their lives, but I'll gladly take some money back from the bad guys. Love your videos and information you put out for all to see. I'd be lying if I said I didn't learn much from your youtube channel alone. Keep up the great work Colin!
To be fair, it's good form to tip the dealers if you're winning anyway. Not only does it provide camouflage, it also provides incentive for the dealer to not rat you out to their supervisor if they know what you're doing. As a dealer, if an AP was tipping me, I'd have been completely happy to keep my mouth shut for their entire session. After all, dealers get paid below minimum wage, so their paychecks are about 75% tips. My advice is the same as treating it like a restaurant: if you can't afford the tip, you can't afford the meal
@@tmtmtlsml As a dealer, I wouldn't care if I knew you were counting cards or even if you admitted to me that you were counting. I'd want you to win, its not my casino, why would I care if you won?
Vulnerability in the BJ teams comes from the team members stealing the bank roll, as mentioned by Ken Uston in his books. Proper vetting of team members is critical for success.
Greed, ego and paranoia are hardwired into everybody who plays BJ for their primary income. The same characteristics that make them successful players always make them poor teammates and business partners. It always ends the same way
The ending is really ludicrous. She wrongly posits that the best strategy in blackjack is not good enough and shouldn't be attempted, but instead of reasoning that we shouldn't gamble she ends with the conclusion that we should rather eliminate any strategy whatsoever and still play at the casino. What?! I'm at a loss for words. At any rate, if you beat the house you'll have a bigger tip for the dealer. It's win-win for them. Ugh. I refuse to believe that cheddar wasn't sponsored by a casino.
hey! just binge watched a bunch of your videos. They're great! Was wondering when back counting, when is the right time to wong in? Can you start a running count/true count half way through a shoe? Or can you only get an accurate running count with a new shoe? Thanks
I am a blackjack dealer. I learned to count a long time ago and wanting to go to the casino up the street. but am worried im going to get databased and potentially lose my job.
I mean if you lose your job then they need a new worker. And there's people not trying to work.. There's only one of you but there's thousands of companies around you that you can work for. The advantage is yours
Angel... you can do it... as you master it... it will get a little bit easier... it will always take some effort... however... set a goal that will motivate you... something fun... something that will drive a passion you already have.
I don't know, I just watched the video and it seems to me that the overall point they made is true: Card counting is not a get rich quick scheme. Makes sense to me.
If you want to get rich quickly and make a million dollars quickly at a casino just place $30K on a single number on the roulette wheel. Conversely you could lose $30K very quickly, too.
honestly most people want to make quick money I learned to count cards before there was internet i studied every book I could find dealt probably a million hands to myself dealing 1 to 6 decks dealing my hand plus 6 more it took me almost 11/2 years to perfect my game these days you guys have every advantage you can do it way easier then I could.
I really appreciate the honesty of this video. What us learners should get from this is, it takes money to make money and you will have loses, there is no guarantee win per night. I'm surprised he can keep going to back to the casino and betting in big fluctuations and not get pushed back.
The countermeasures that the casinos have successfully employed keep losses from card counting at an acceptable level. It’s just not worth the extra effort necessary to totally eliminate it. The amount of time and energy and money it takes to count cards now is so daunting that very few people can make the commitment. Colin just has connections to the active or successful players so his view is extremely biased. Plus he supports himself by selling card counting lessons so he’s gotta spin it positively
Hey Coin, would it be possible for (tribal) casinos to use rigged decks ("accidentally" add more 5s, remove some 10s, etc)? Unrelated question: is card counting just as legally fine and physically safe at tribal casinos, as in the ones under the full U.S. jurisdiction?
Sure, it's possible. I remember a tribal casino getting caught doing that 20 years ago. But it's highly unlikely because of the bad PR. Plus the fact that casinos have the edge over the player without cheating.
Colin is correct. What the casinos risk by doing this (fines, possible forfeiture of their gaming licenses which would basically shut them down completely) far outweighs the potential gains (another fraction of a fraction of a percent profit). I dealt and still play at tribal casinos, and on every deck change, the supervisors check the cards, then give them to the dealers who not only check the cards themselves, but also fan them on the table so the cameras very clearly pick them up. In over a decade, the only time I saw a deck error was when the supervisor failed to include one of the jokers in the game DJ Wild (which uses one joker) and it was discovered by the dealer right away. If a player notices cards missing, all they have to do is notify the state DOJ who will make the casino pull their surveillance data for that date, time, and table, and boom. Instant lawsuit from everyone that played on that table, fines from the DOJ, and possible shutdown and criminal charges if it was found to be done on purpose As to the legality, counting cards is not illegal anywhere. You can't make it a crime to have a good memory. However, as private businesses, casinos can kick out anyone they want for any reason they want, including none at all. So if a casino suspects you of being an AP, they'll often kick you off their tables and not give a reason why because they don't need to and there's no point entertaining an argument. The only exception to this is Atlantic City, where a lawsuit forced casinos to take AP action. In response, most or all Atlantic City casinos instituted rules that drove the house edge on their games so high that an AP would break even at best
@@tmtmtlsml Once the Casino figures out you are a card counter, which is easy, they will prevent you from counting with an advantage by telling you that you have to play the same bet throughout the shoe which eliminates your advantage.
I’m just seeing this now, but I play a lot of video games and I am very high ranked in a lot of those games and there are a lot of times I get accused of hacking/cheating. I’m like no… I just know my positioning better than you. That doesn’t mean I’m cheating, that just makes me a smarter player. People just don’t want others to be better than them in competitive things like gaming and blackjack. Great content, as always!
Alot of people have used that phrase for various things. I realized that I didn't have the skills to be a card counter along time ago. I learned from a pro in the 70's who learned from a guy called "the Professor .
The content of the Cheddar video is very in line with how casinos view patrons. Mindless cash registers whose only purpose there is to swell the house's coffers. Have a number of friends in gaming and the executive staff at most casinos operate like this. In their mind, players are supposed to lose because the house is offering them a game with a built in edge to them. Plus you are on their property, drinking their 'free' drinks, etc. so the gambling losses are thought of by the house as a 'time charge'. So when someone uses their brain to outsmart them at their own game consistently, they respond as you'd expect.
In the Cheddar video, they were showing cards being dealt and values given to them, they gave -1 to small cards and +1 to face cards. That video HAD to be sponsored by some casinos.
Question Cheddar but if the house always wins then why Backoff? Why so many counter measures? True the house always wins against average players but the true AP can win sometimes. And with good bank roll control alot of sometimes adds up.
Calculate odds of each game, each hand, stand behind the table for long long time for positive EV. Keep track of approx number of hands played. Adjusting with people ire, as come in and go out in between. All these take a lot of self deciplene and too much patience. Whole day goes away. If you have another job, tracking 100 hours even very very difficult, specially waiting for positive ev.
Do you increase your hands when the count is in your favor? If so how many added hands? If you don't increase the quantity of hands the dealer has the same likelihood to get the same cards, yes?
Most casinos have a limit of 2 or 3 hands per player, depending on the game. The only thing that more player hands does is provide more opportunity for the count to trend back towards 0. So if the count is really high, the more hands you have out there, the more high cards are likely to come out before the dealer gets their card. How much of an advantage getting one or two more cards out before the dealer gets theirs is not something I know the figure of, but I can't imagine it's all that much
@@johnshannon2033 Playing multiple hands can be advantageous, but not for the reason of lowering a high count before the dealer gets a card. It's advantageous because, in a true count above +3, you have a slight advantage. Playing two hands doubles that advantage, and playing 3 triples it. That being said, jumping from playing one hand at table minimum to three hands at a couple hundred each runs the risk of bringing the heat down on you, so do it at your own risk
@@tmtmtlsml I'm sorry but your comment is inaccurate, because although the _running_ count would tend towards 0, as you mentioned, the _true_ count tends to be the same, no matter how high or low it is. In fact, the math works exactly so that the running count tends towards 0 in the same rate as the number of the cards "tends" towards 0.
@@danielyuan9862 Oh my gosh, you're absolutely right. It's a ratio so of course that's how the math would average out like that. I was only thinking of the RC and not the TC. Thank you for the correction
kinda of dumb thing to say. you are supposed to bet the minimum or not at all, if you can, when the count is negative.....PERIOD. your comment is stupid. some players, when they see the deck has become hugely negative. will go out for a smoke or pretend to take a toilet break until the shoe finishes. my favorite technique is to skip hands and play every other hand when the deck is negative.
Hey Colin, I’m in college and have a 1.2k bankroll that is separate from my expense money. The only thing is the lower hand tables $50 a hand don’t have the shuffle machine and pay 3:2. What do you recommend? Thank you
Yeah, you need to wait to get into card counting. You can't expect to beat 6:5, and you'll need a sizable bankroll to play $50 tables. Wish I had better news, but that's reality.
I've always wondered why casinos don't eliminate card counting by always cutting the shoe in half (or more) so you can never get decent deck penetration. I recently realized the answer watching your videos. It's because successful card counting is so hard. Most people doing it are doing it correctly only 99% of the time. Those people are going to get cleaned out almost as fast as the compulsive gamblers. I have a feeling Cheddar is right that the casinos know within 10 minutes that you are a card counter. However, they don't know for quite a while that you are a good card counter. They are letting people like you keep playing because it's really hard to distinguish between a card counter who makes basic strategy mistakes 1% of the time (most of them) and therefore loses and one who will really take them to the cleaners. If anyone is reading a comment on such an old video, I'd be curious what you think.
If every dealer only dealt half the shoe before shuffling for the whole day, then the dealers are going slower, and they dealt many thousands of fewer hands. Sure, that one guy successfully won $3000 that day before getting backed off, but meanwhile they are up $500,000 from everyone else with all the extra hands they dealt by being efficient.
Counting cards isn’t hard at all. It’s the blackjack strategy that you need to play perfect strategy (which also changes based on the current count) and you can still lose. That’s why casinos don’t care.
I can attest what you said about the casino asking you to leave if you start winning too much, is true. I have been banned from playing blackjack by many casino's and a few have even kicked me out entirely. Casino's are built from losers and if you prove you're not a loser, you get kicked out, so again, you lose.
Yeah, pitch is fine. You just need to know how to count a facedown game. Count the other players' cards once and only once. It takes some practice, but not that tough.
@@Blackjackapprenticeship generally, in pitch games, I don't count other players' down cards until the dealer flips them at the end of the hand (or when they are turned up for doubles, splits and blackjacks).Yes, sometimes they get flashed early, and that might help you make more accurate playing decisions, but the important decision is how much to bet, and you don't need the count for that until you are ready to place your next bet, and if you don't follow a strict routine it's very easy to double count cards, or miss cards. Being off on your count when making your betting decisions will cost you far more than you will gain in playing decisions for counting cards that are carelessly flashed early.
Every job becomes boring.... thank you!!! There has to be a generational gap in understanding that. It’s absurd people expect infinite novelty and excitement. It has to be the reason there are so few world class professionals in any given field..... because it gets boring one thousandth of the way there!!! And that’s the vast chasm separating amateurs from champions
11:08 "Because he played 2000 hours a year [...] and you might be thinking 'that's a lot of blackjack' " Yea, but that's no different from clocking in a regular full-time job. 40 hours a week x 52 weeks is 2080 hours per year, which is just a regular salaried job. So that really just means Yoshi had to clock in what most of us normally do per year.
I think casino get it, they are trying to say, they are a place to spend money, not win money, and we all got the concept wrong. Anyway what I learnt from their video: 1. Don't count by yourself, when you keep going up and down is obvious, so they really suggesting to play in a group. The big player just play big all the time, less obvious. 2. Don't play too long, probably just win big for 1 hour, then quickly go, or switch the big player 🤔
Even in real life situations outside of BJ and card counting, as time passes by, I wonder whether using our brains might really end up being considered illegal.
Counting only gives the slightest of edges. Card counters lose many thousands even when playing at advantage. Dealers also make thev20s and BJ and when you hit on the hard 12-16 against dealer 10 and you bust
The coupon analogy isn't quite right, most coupons are paided back to the stores buy the manufacturer and the stores continue to make money. You hardly ever see coupon for the local store brands.
Colin is thoroughly accurate, but Cheddar gets one thing sort of right: You're probably never going to be a professional card counter. It takes hard work, dedication, lots of travel, and a significant bankroll. If you have/can do those things, you've probably already got an education and have a cool job. So it's very few who make it work. For every 100 dudes (and the occasional girl) who think they know how to card count, or are trying to learn, probably only ONE will be successful. It's just a tough deal. And boring. And expensive. Then again, it is absolutely REAL. So go into it with a level head, and understand the reality. And if you're one of those unique individuals with the requisite qualities and determination, go for it.
That woman that makes the cheddar video is completely off base. She said that the casinos are always one step ahead of card counters. This is completely false. Many card counter can play for substantial periods of time without being detected. Her claim that the casinos will catch a card counter within 15 minutes is total nonsense. I am a card counter and I have only been backed off once. I don’t play professionally because I live far from a casino and have a small bankroll but I am a math genius. Her narrative that the players should tip the dealers is total bs. The casinos are the ones that generate obscene profits. It is the casinos’ responsibility to pay their dealers reasonable wages. It is not up to the customers to help pay the dealers wages. Other players may frown upon the card counter that doesn’t tip, but tipping offers no benefit. The card counters are in business to utilize the tiny edge they have, not to make the dealers happy, Tipping the dealer offers no benefit. The dealer will not make incorrect payoffs or allow the players to cheat or reduce the size of the pack. We have been brainwashed by society to think that it is somehow our responsibility to help pay for dealers’ wages when they casinos are the ones with massive wealth. I refuse to buy into this nonsense. The woman on the cheddar video refers to card counters as cheaters. They are not cheating because they are simply using their minds to keep track of the cards, and their edge is razor thin. Being able to do simple math and using that information is in no way creating.
One thing I’ve never been able to truly figure out myself as a mid level counter I would say is when you get to the higher end of your bet spread is it better to spread it out among 2-3 hands or stack it all on one? I generally go from 5-50 and when at 40-50 i play two hands of 20-25 and have found that seems to work better than just one hand
@@timmyg000420 at one casino in the area known for being quick to back off people but I played high stakes double deck there $25-$250 hands. I have been kicked out of 2 other casinos but didn’t play on my id so wasn’t banned possibly due to that.
12:38 The eloquent rebuttal to Cheddar's claim is: "If the House always wins, then why do they tell big winners at their tables to stop?" Cheddar plays off a cliche here that describes a fundamental truth about casinos, but not the whole truth. The house odds are stacked against regular players because that's their whole business model. (and it is a very risky business) But card counters are not regular players, they're experts.
in order to make big money, your going to need to travel , at some point you will be banned at your local games, and than you will have to take your show on the road, GAS , Hotels, Food, Wear and tear on your car, all that stuff has to be calculated,,, You need a good bankroll to make money , because once you have to travel 5k or 10k isnt going to get it done
i think the point she is trying to make is very few people can do it , as humas we get tired, we make mistakes and mistakes change the odds and lower EV , every little mistake whether its messing up the count or making basic strategy errors or betting errors or not managing your bankroll correctly, swing the odds back in the casinos favor,, those odds are only in your favor if you play perfect,, add in backoffs threats jailtime burnout, most people cant handle dem swings and quit,,,,,very few APs are as good as they claim,,,,,
Hey I hope this is read by @BlackJack Apprenticeship how much do the odds change when a casino is running a strategy to back off card counters when they are down during their visit? How many people*casinos do you need to get the Edge back to the player?
It wouldn't affect the edge. Just like a gambler can't win by always "quitting when they're ahead," casinos can't win by backing players off when they're down. If a card counter plays enough hours among available casinos, the math works out.
Damm I saw that video a while ago. I was gonna comment about it and ask if you gonna response to that video. But I was too busy practicing card counting that i forgot to mention to you about it. Glad that you responsed to that video haha.
I’m fine with cheddar’s attitude, the more people that believe it, the fewer people that will try counting. As long as there are just a few of us we can remain relatively under the radar
@@sanfranciscobay I don’t know. I sat at a table once where two guys were flat betting $500, so nobody noticed me with my $25 unit at 12 to 1. Admittedly that is a rare situation, usually those guys ought to go to the high stakes room.
"The house always wins" yes. And thats why when you do something that will cost them money, they throw you out. When you get caught counting cards, they throw you out. If this didn't loose them money, they would let you keep doing it. In fact, they would probably love you, because nothing makes a place more money than someone who THINKS they know what they're doing, but they don't. But the very fact they try to catch card counters shows that they loose on this.
Counting cards isn’t hard at all. It’s the strategy that changes based on said counts that is the tough part to learn. Because you have the basic strategy, and the strategies change based if count is high or low. And even then, you can play perfectly and still lose. It doesn’t guarantee you to win. It just gives you a better chance. Basically taking the house odds, and putting them in your favor Also, working in teams is NOT allowed. If they find you doing that, they most def will kick you out
I like math, and understanding in simple terms how card counting works and that the house has only 0,5% edge when played with a computer proven perfect technique makes it almost obvious for me that card counting will improve you chances of winning money likely over 0%.
i do agree with you because i learned about card counting and every time i went to las vegas and played for the entire week i was there, i was never down but always up. sometimes well above expectation and sometimes below expectation. after a full week of playing 2-3 hours in the morning.....2-3 hours in the afternoon and a few hours at night......for 7 days...i was always up.
@@GaryLuKOTH DURING the week i could have been down.....but after an entire week of playing as i stated above..i would eventually reach positive territory. sometimes it wasn't much however and all i felt was frustrated with all the time an effort. i remember walking back to my hotel and my jaws aching from the tension and frustration i was feeling after three days of crap luck and negative return.. that particular trip ended being the worst results ever and simply wasn't worthwhile.
Take your skills and bankroll to Forex / futures trading. Or for yourself perhaps selling premium on options :) they can’t kick you out from the exchanges like they can the casinos!! All the best. I enjoyed my card counting days immensely
My favorite go-to when discussing card counting is the Hangover, because it is a perfect sum up of how casinos would like you to perceive card counting. Also, before I even considered learning the technique, I had a conversation with my father (who is an idiot by the way) about table etiquette. He is a firm believer in the etiquette when he taught me how to play Blackjack, and was left in an incoherent argument loop when I told him that none of what he said made any sense. Who cares if players get mad at you and leave? Since when are you playing them? You ever stop to think that the only one who wants you to take that sacrificial hit for the next player is the house?
I think the implication is they are smart enough to keep track of every card played and do quick math to calculate the odds every time a new card is thrown down. When people think of card counting they think thats what you have to do.
@@ddshocktrooper5604 And it has the added benefit of potentially frustrating someone to the point where they want to leave the casino. (or narc on you)
The house absolutely does always win! But that doesn't mean you lose - it just means that the blackjack table only stays open as long as it's profitable for them to keep it open. If everyone who played blackjack was a profitable card counter the house would stop winning and blackjack tables would start closing but that isn't close to reality - there are plenty of clueless punters, plenty of good standard players where the casino has a slight edge, enough 'think they've got an edge but don't' players that the house can keep winning even while they are losing to YOU.
I've seen casinos restrict players to flat betting and no mid shoe entries. While talking with the deal about it she admitted the black jack tables aren't their to make the casino money. "Blackjack dosen't make us much if any money. We offer it because in most cases couples come in and the husband plays Blackjack while the wife does the slot machines. So Blackjack and poker are the casino version of adult daycare."
Wondering if someone can answer a quick question. But first, I am fascinated by the subject, but I'm afraid an impossibility for me. Getting older, I lack the short term memory and concentration to keep track of a count. Also, my local casino has gone to the continuous shuffle machine. And I mean cards go in after every hand. So here's my question. I get it that by keeping count, you have an idea what cards remain in the deck. Do you only have the advantage when the remaining deck is rich in high cards? Or can you get an advantage knowing when it is rich in low cards? How many shuffles do you have to go through before you get a deck unbalanced in your favor? I can imagine playing for hours and going through numerous shuffles before a deck becomes significantly unbalanced that you can "pounce". Am I right?
Card counting strategies don't tell you what cards are left in the deck. They only tell you the ratio of high cards to low cards that remain. No matter whether the count is high or low, just knowing what the count is is an advantage. However, when the count is low, the advantage of knowing it is outweighed by the house advantage of the low count, so it is not favorable. By definition, the count will be positive about half the time, and it will be negative the same proportion. The general rule is that the player has the overall advantage when the true count gets to +3 or higher. I don't play shoe games much, but from my time as a dealer, I would estimate that the count gets that high about once every other shoe on average, and when it does get that high, it can stay there anywhere from one hand to a couple dozen hands, but the variance on that is all over the place with 312 cards in play (or even 416 cards if it's an 8-deck shoe)
@@sanfranciscobay That's all anyone can do, knowing full well that over time, the casino wins. I found that playing basic strategy, I can keep close for awhile, even be ahead for awhile. Until "The Streak" hits, and the dealer wins 15 in a row. That is going to happen. You just never know when.
Even with the lack of scaling they neglect to mention you stand to make a million in about 6 years if you did 40 hours a week, that would make you in the top 5% of earners and not far off the top 1%.
I don't count cards but I watch the cards. I enjoy it while playing blackjack. Once I was watching the cards and the dealer thought I was counting. So she called over the pit boss. He watched for a while and then left me alone
Know the rules . . . play strategically . . . don't get greedy. Perhaps this could become a favored past time. Make it 'your all, and everything' . . . you're setting yourself up, for a FALL ! 😬😎🇺🇸
You are likely right. These videos online make card counting seem easier than it is. Plus, even Colin himself told stories about how he had students who failed in counting.
You may not make millions from the casino but you can make 6-figures and that is good enough for me!! 'Inside the Edge' is definitely worth the watch (free Amazon Prime).
Very intelligent & well spoken. Theres always theories and patterns with numbers. Just like how Einstein figured the theory of relativity. But his brain was a modern computer. How about a six deck shoot hard to count cards with that isn't it?
2000 hours a year sounds like a lot but if you treat it like your full time job then you would be playing 8 hours day, which is 40 hours a week. There are 52 weeks a year which means 40 x 52 is 2080 hours. I would venture a guess that most new advantage players will still be reliant on a typical 8 to 5 because of benefits and the like. So you likely can't start out doing this but if you are successful at growing your bankroll then it is technically feasible.
I still can't work out why high cards are better for the player than the casino? You still get dealt your fair share of those cards with the advantage being the casino can tie.
The dealer is more likely to bust with high cards. They must hit everything up to a soft 17. You are more likely to make hands with high cards. It's not a huge edge, but it's enough to have an edge of 1-4%.
The truth about card counting is that like everything, the people promoting the practice are going to convey very different messages than those who want to discourage it for any reason (casino-sponsored, bitter about their own failed card counting endeavors, etc). Cheddar has its own bias towards it, and this should be taken into consideration, but so does this guy. He wants people purchasing (expensive) memberships to his website, and so, he's going to portray it in a positive light. The reality is that full-time card counting is like just about every field in life. Some are going to make it to the top (the 7 figure counters), others will do well but not reach the upper echelon (the 6 figure counters), many will be able to have moderate success (the 5 figure counters) and may make a living but won't get rich. And then, many others will either not make very much or even lose money in the long run despite hours of training. Think of it like professional football. There are the Tom Bradys of the world, the successful, but somewhat unheralded starters, the serviceable journeymen, and finally, the hundreds of guys occupying the roster bubbles, practice squads, etc. These players may hang around signing minimum deals and bouncing from team to team for a few years, but most get tossed in the bushes and have exited the sport by their 25th birthdays in pursuit of something else. This dude is at the top, knows a few others at the top, and then I'm sure he knows countless at the B level. He's honest about the things you need (training, bankroll, resolve, etc), but there's a reason why he's not sharing personal anecdotes about the guys he surely knows of who've gotten themselves into financial trouble by quitting their day jobs and/or pissing away a bankroll in pursuit of a card counting career. Hearing these stories might dissuade people from signing up for a Blackjack Apprenticeship membership. Notice how he shreds the "cheating the system" claim in the description Cheddar provided of their video, but doesn't dispute the "nearly impossible to make millions" claim?
You must work for Cheddar. It's not impossible to "get away" with. Maybe at sweatier joints, or in the south. But there are plenty of casinos ripe for the picking, you just have to look.
The fact of the matter is if card counting couldn't make decent money, casinos wouldn't stop people doing it.
Well the interesting thing is that they allow it at some level. They could just use shuffle machines or rule changes to make counting completely worthless. But they don't. And thats because even the counters are making them money. Its a type of advertising. It adds romance to the casino story. They just don't want it to be too lucrative. But its entirely at the casino industries discretion how much they tolerate.
@@peterisawesomeplease I guess that makes sense, II was wondering why casinos don't just shuffle the cards after each round
They already modified the game by adding more decks to the shoe. The truth is most of the people coming to the casino to count cards aren't doing it properly to begin with and are losing money, because they don't know basic strategy. Why would they modify the game when it attracts losers who think they can beat it? But they are certainly looking for the winners to back off and trespass. The idea they "tolerate" losing money is not true. If they identify an advantage player, that player is out. They want losers.
@@levigoldson Also for why they don't shuffle after every round is quite simple, no matter how fast you do it, it takes extra time to shuffle, and that time could be spent having a few more loosers loose money to them, so shuffling every round would likely loose the casinos more money, than gain from tripping up the good card counters
@@GummieI unless they had automatic shufflers.. and rotate decks, hypothetically no time would be lost
My friends took me to a casino to play black jack for the first time. I lost 40 bucks cause obviously i didnt know what i was doing, but my friend is a blackjack dealer so she was sitting next to me explaining the rules and at point the dealer at our table said "10 is the most common card value in the deck so its safe to assume my lower card is always a 10. I responded with "oh so if you're smart enough u can keep track of how many 10s have already been played and try to figure out what cards are left." And everyone just looked at me like i had just said Voldemort or something and my friend says "no, thats counting cards." I just think its funny that they want you to play the game but ignore the obvious strategy. Like i had never played blackjack before. I dont know anything about card counting, and here was a table full of people looking at me like i was a criminal for saying something that just made sense to me
Well.. gambling is absurd
Your playing the house. Not the game. Haha
@@InvaderZed Excellent interpretation
You're a threat to the casino and the other ploppies because you use reason and logic to make your decisions. Please continue to make the degenerates and the casino management seethe.
- Sincerely, an amateur card counter
in any deck, only 16 cards have the numeric value of 10. Why would I assume she has a ten? (the easiest way to be the autoshuffler is to not assume they have a face card as 1/3 of every deck is not face cards, and stand on 14-15-16)
About the losing money part of card counting, I think Captain John-Luc Picard says it best "it is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose, it is not weakness, that is life"
life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans
"John Luke" c'mon man
Yes I needed to hear this quote
@@maxandch33se90 I'm pretty sure it's a french thing but idk I dont watch star trek much
@@bruce4139 yeah, it's supposed to be Jean Luc
Gotta love how matter-of-fact you are about everything without ever getting even a little bit close to getting tense or dramatic or upset. That alone makes you and the rest of the BJA team the most respectable group in the BJ card-counting scene in my opinion.
13000 hours to make a million? That's still almost $80 an hour. That sounds good. Lmao
How many hours does it take to graduate college and get your masters? Then how many hours does it take to pay off those student loans.....
@@mattheweraci5502 cuz a degree guarantees a million dollar job😑😑😑 or any job in your studied field
@@omgfreddy698 “Guarantee?” .... simply comes down to one’s opportunity cost
80$ and hour is great
Don't forget that the more cash u have the more u make. Unlike a job
The first point reminds me of something Alan Watts said, something to the effect of "using your mind in a contest of brute force to win will seem like cheating to people who are less intelligent."
I've been watching your videos for about a week now, and the really cool thing is that I've always wanted to have a go at card counting, but never knew how to do it. After finding you, I thought "cool, maybe I can finally do this..." but then I realised, nope this is too hard and too boring and too slow... So I don't want to do it. But that's BRILLIANT because you have helped me scratch an itch without me having to actually scratch it!
I wanted to hate on that video so bad but decided it was a waste of my time. I'm so glad you ripped into them 😂🔥
The part that was most wrong is that you have to do it full time. IMO, card counting, or any other form of advantage gambling, works quite well as a side job, with the advantage that you have the income from your regular job to get you through the bad spells. It takes a big bankroll to do it full time, as that bankroll has to cover living expenses as well as gambling losses when you run bad.
Made as much as I get paid in two weeks in one night. As far as side gigs go beats delivering food or driving for a rideshare.
colin is a real gem. we are lucky to have someone with such integrity
11:12 …. You might be thinking "Well, that's a lot of blackjack." "It is a lot of blackjack!"
I was actually thinking it's grindy, but still less grindy than a full time job @ ~38hrs a week.
look inside that mans eyes in that moment and you cannot fathom
Great job Colin!
The way I see it, for a card counter to thrive, there must be dozens of ploppies. We NEED people preaching the flow of the cards. We NEED gamblers explaining to the pit boss how their new negative progression system is going to win them their money back. We NEED people yelling "tip yo deala, tip yo deala" every time they win a hand. And we sure need videos like Cheddar's. We ain't gonna fix their lives, but I'll gladly take some money back from the bad guys.
Love your videos and information you put out for all to see. I'd be lying if I said I didn't learn much from your youtube channel alone. Keep up the great work Colin!
To be fair, it's good form to tip the dealers if you're winning anyway. Not only does it provide camouflage, it also provides incentive for the dealer to not rat you out to their supervisor if they know what you're doing. As a dealer, if an AP was tipping me, I'd have been completely happy to keep my mouth shut for their entire session. After all, dealers get paid below minimum wage, so their paychecks are about 75% tips. My advice is the same as treating it like a restaurant: if you can't afford the tip, you can't afford the meal
@@tmtmtlsml As a dealer, I wouldn't care if I knew you were counting cards or even if you admitted to me that you were counting. I'd want you to win, its not my casino, why would I care if you won?
Vulnerability in the BJ teams comes from the team members stealing the bank roll, as mentioned by Ken Uston in his books.
Proper vetting of team members is critical for success.
Greed, ego and paranoia are hardwired into everybody who plays BJ for their primary income. The same characteristics that make them successful players always make them poor teammates and business partners. It always ends the same way
The ending is really ludicrous. She wrongly posits that the best strategy in blackjack is not good enough and shouldn't be attempted, but instead of reasoning that we shouldn't gamble she ends with the conclusion that we should rather eliminate any strategy whatsoever and still play at the casino. What?! I'm at a loss for words. At any rate, if you beat the house you'll have a bigger tip for the dealer. It's win-win for them. Ugh. I refuse to believe that cheddar wasn't sponsored by a casino.
I love how he keeps laughing at how ridiculous it is...my exact reaction xD
Great vid!
hey! just binge watched a bunch of your videos. They're great! Was wondering when back counting, when is the right time to wong in? Can you start a running count/true count half way through a shoe? Or can you only get an accurate running count with a new shoe? Thanks
Depends on bankroll size and when you gain the edge. You should have a strong enough edge to wong in by true 2.
This made me laugh. Love your content, info, and tips! Thank you for contributing your knowledge to those interested in learning this skill.
I am a blackjack dealer. I learned to count a long time ago and wanting to go to the casino up the street. but am worried im going to get databased and potentially lose my job.
you don't need to show ID if asked
Ya because your gaming ID isn't in any type of database....You could potentially lose your job I suppose if your casino suspected you of collusion...
I mean if you lose your job then they need a new worker. And there's people not trying to work.. There's only one of you but there's thousands of companies around you that you can work for. The advantage is yours
Most likely yes
You come off as a very genuine guy! Just bought your book , hopefully the beginning of my blackjack career
Angel... you can do it... as you master it... it will get a little bit easier... it will always take some effort... however... set a goal that will motivate you... something fun... something that will drive a passion you already have.
Ted Osmundson thank you! I already learned basic strategy going into card counting now. Thinking of buying his program.
@@angelmoreno3982 I bought the program that trains you to become perfect... I highly recommend it!
Ted Osmundson will be buying soon.
His the career going man?
You mean I might get backed off it I appear with a shirt with "keep calm and double down" written on it? lol
7:14 Man, what a gut-punch. That cut right to my soul
Ha, I heard that one. Couple hundred hours? Geesh. More like 5,000+ I mean, this guy has 5x that into BJ
So, I just stopped my work to watch this video hahaha. Ur the man, love the book, love being a BJA member, love ur videos man
I don't know, I just watched the video and it seems to me that the overall point they made is true: Card counting is not a get rich quick scheme. Makes sense to me.
If you want to get rich quickly and make a million dollars quickly at a casino just place $30K on a single number on the roulette wheel. Conversely you could lose $30K very quickly, too.
honestly most people want to make quick money I learned to count cards before there was internet i studied every book I could find dealt probably a million hands to myself dealing 1 to 6 decks dealing my hand plus 6 more it took me almost 11/2 years to perfect my game these days you guys have every advantage you can do it way easier then I could.
I really appreciate the honesty of this video. What us learners should get from this is, it takes money to make money and you will have loses, there is no guarantee win per night. I'm surprised he can keep going to back to the casino and betting in big fluctuations and not get pushed back.
The casino is exactly one step behind
The countermeasures that the casinos have successfully employed keep losses from card counting at an acceptable level. It’s just not worth the extra effort necessary to totally eliminate it. The amount of time and energy and money it takes to count cards now is so daunting that very few people can make the commitment. Colin just has connections to the active or successful players so his view is extremely biased. Plus he supports himself by selling card counting lessons so he’s gotta spin it positively
@@drdrew3 countermeasures
an honour to see the inventor of the phase its a marathon not a sprint in action.
It only works if you work it smh never seen that video ... been busy generating ev :/
Hey Coin, would it be possible for (tribal) casinos to use rigged decks ("accidentally" add more 5s, remove some 10s, etc)?
Unrelated question: is card counting just as legally fine and physically safe at tribal casinos, as in the ones under the full U.S. jurisdiction?
Sure, it's possible. I remember a tribal casino getting caught doing that 20 years ago. But it's highly unlikely because of the bad PR. Plus the fact that casinos have the edge over the player without cheating.
Colin is correct. What the casinos risk by doing this (fines, possible forfeiture of their gaming licenses which would basically shut them down completely) far outweighs the potential gains (another fraction of a fraction of a percent profit).
I dealt and still play at tribal casinos, and on every deck change, the supervisors check the cards, then give them to the dealers who not only check the cards themselves, but also fan them on the table so the cameras very clearly pick them up. In over a decade, the only time I saw a deck error was when the supervisor failed to include one of the jokers in the game DJ Wild (which uses one joker) and it was discovered by the dealer right away. If a player notices cards missing, all they have to do is notify the state DOJ who will make the casino pull their surveillance data for that date, time, and table, and boom. Instant lawsuit from everyone that played on that table, fines from the DOJ, and possible shutdown and criminal charges if it was found to be done on purpose
As to the legality, counting cards is not illegal anywhere. You can't make it a crime to have a good memory. However, as private businesses, casinos can kick out anyone they want for any reason they want, including none at all. So if a casino suspects you of being an AP, they'll often kick you off their tables and not give a reason why because they don't need to and there's no point entertaining an argument. The only exception to this is Atlantic City, where a lawsuit forced casinos to take AP action. In response, most or all Atlantic City casinos instituted rules that drove the house edge on their games so high that an AP would break even at best
@@tmtmtlsml Once the Casino figures out you are a card counter, which is easy, they will prevent you from counting with an advantage by telling you that you have to play the same bet throughout the shoe which eliminates your advantage.
@@JS-oh2dp Error on my part. I know counting is legal by law but unwanted by the Casino.
I’m just seeing this now, but I play a lot of video games and I am very high ranked in a lot of those games and there are a lot of times I get accused of hacking/cheating. I’m like no… I just know my positioning better than you. That doesn’t mean I’m cheating, that just makes me a smarter player. People just don’t want others to be better than them in competitive things like gaming and blackjack. Great content, as always!
Colin if you ever get a chance read the comment section of her video. The entire card counting comunity had it’s best moments in that chat.
Alot of people have used that phrase for various things. I realized that I didn't have the skills to be a card counter along time ago. I learned from a pro in the 70's who learned from a guy called "the Professor
.
If your edge is 55% over 45% you will win in the long run, period.
Even 51 against 49 :P
End of discussion ;)
I wanted to see this reply! Awesome!!
The content of the Cheddar video is very in line with how casinos view patrons. Mindless cash registers whose only purpose there is to swell the house's coffers. Have a number of friends in gaming and the executive staff at most casinos operate like this. In their mind, players are supposed to lose because the house is offering them a game with a built in edge to them. Plus you are on their property, drinking their 'free' drinks, etc. so the gambling losses are thought of by the house as a 'time charge'.
So when someone uses their brain to outsmart them at their own game consistently, they respond as you'd expect.
In the Cheddar video, they were showing cards being dealt and values given to them, they gave -1 to small cards and +1 to face cards. That video HAD to be sponsored by some casinos.
It's literally...... this simple: If card counting doesn't work, then why do the casinos back the players off?
Case closed.
Question Cheddar but if the house always wins then why Backoff? Why so many counter measures? True the house always wins against average players but the true AP can win sometimes. And with good bank roll control alot of sometimes adds up.
50 bucks an hour sounds pretty damn good to me. 😊
Calculate odds of each game, each hand, stand behind the table for long long time for positive EV. Keep track of approx number of hands played. Adjusting with people ire, as come in and go out in between. All these take a lot of self deciplene and too much patience. Whole day goes away. If you have another job, tracking 100 hours even very very difficult, specially waiting for positive ev.
Do you increase your hands when the count is in your favor? If so how many added hands? If you don't increase the quantity of hands the dealer has the same likelihood to get the same cards, yes?
Most casinos have a limit of 2 or 3 hands per player, depending on the game. The only thing that more player hands does is provide more opportunity for the count to trend back towards 0. So if the count is really high, the more hands you have out there, the more high cards are likely to come out before the dealer gets their card. How much of an advantage getting one or two more cards out before the dealer gets theirs is not something I know the figure of, but I can't imagine it's all that much
@@tmtmtlsml thanks for the reply. So you suggest playing the same amount of hands?
@@johnshannon2033 Playing multiple hands can be advantageous, but not for the reason of lowering a high count before the dealer gets a card. It's advantageous because, in a true count above +3, you have a slight advantage. Playing two hands doubles that advantage, and playing 3 triples it. That being said, jumping from playing one hand at table minimum to three hands at a couple hundred each runs the risk of bringing the heat down on you, so do it at your own risk
@@tmtmtlsml I'm sorry but your comment is inaccurate, because although the _running_ count would tend towards 0, as you mentioned, the _true_ count tends to be the same, no matter how high or low it is. In fact, the math works exactly so that the running count tends towards 0 in the same rate as the number of the cards "tends" towards 0.
@@danielyuan9862 Oh my gosh, you're absolutely right. It's a ratio so of course that's how the math would average out like that. I was only thinking of the RC and not the TC. Thank you for the correction
Card counting also can come out negative so be careful how much you bet.
Card counting in general gives you the upper hand in terms of probability, so if you play long enough you'll end up with a net positive
Good luck too you then.
Are you telling me that the casino should be worried about how much the players are betting because the casino could be in the negative?
kinda of dumb thing to say. you are supposed to bet the minimum or not at all, if you can, when the count is negative.....PERIOD. your comment is stupid. some players, when they see the deck has become hugely negative. will go out for a smoke or pretend to take a toilet break until the shoe finishes. my favorite technique is to skip hands and play every other hand when the deck is negative.
I love it that they say this honestly. More for those of us who are willing to put in the work!
Hey Colin,
I’m in college and have a 1.2k bankroll that is separate from my expense money. The only thing is the lower hand tables $50 a hand don’t have the shuffle machine and pay 3:2. What do you recommend? Thank you
@@marcb510 What's a red chip table?
Yeah, you need to wait to get into card counting. You can't expect to beat 6:5, and you'll need a sizable bankroll to play $50 tables. Wish I had better news, but that's reality.
@@Begeru A red chip game is a game with a $5 or $10 minimum bet. In most casinos, $5 chips are red.
I've always wondered why casinos don't eliminate card counting by always cutting the shoe in half (or more) so you can never get decent deck penetration. I recently realized the answer watching your videos. It's because successful card counting is so hard. Most people doing it are doing it correctly only 99% of the time. Those people are going to get cleaned out almost as fast as the compulsive gamblers.
I have a feeling Cheddar is right that the casinos know within 10 minutes that you are a card counter. However, they don't know for quite a while that you are a good card counter. They are letting people like you keep playing because it's really hard to distinguish between a card counter who makes basic strategy mistakes 1% of the time (most of them) and therefore loses and one who will really take them to the cleaners.
If anyone is reading a comment on such an old video, I'd be curious what you think.
There is probably a very in-depth reason, but this does sound solid.
If every dealer only dealt half the shoe before shuffling for the whole day, then the dealers are going slower, and they dealt many thousands of fewer hands. Sure, that one guy successfully won $3000 that day before getting backed off, but meanwhile they are up $500,000 from everyone else with all the extra hands they dealt by being efficient.
Counting cards isn’t hard at all. It’s the blackjack strategy that you need to play perfect strategy (which also changes based on the current count) and you can still lose. That’s why casinos don’t care.
Deck penetration is irrelevant.
@@SpecialJay lmao
I can attest what you said about the casino asking you to leave if you start winning too much, is true. I have been banned from playing blackjack by many casino's and a few have even kicked me out entirely. Casino's are built from losers and if you prove you're not a loser, you get kicked out, so again, you lose.
What do you think of counting in pitch games? Most double deck games in my area are pitch games.
Yeah, pitch is fine. You just need to know how to count a facedown game. Count the other players' cards once and only once. It takes some practice, but not that tough.
@@Blackjackapprenticeship generally, in pitch games, I don't count other players' down cards until the dealer flips them at the end of the hand (or when they are turned up for doubles, splits and blackjacks).Yes, sometimes they get flashed early, and that might help you make more accurate playing decisions, but the important decision is how much to bet, and you don't need the count for that until you are ready to place your next bet, and if you don't follow a strict routine it's very easy to double count cards, or miss cards. Being off on your count when making your betting decisions will cost you far more than you will gain in playing decisions for counting cards that are carelessly flashed early.
Every job becomes boring.... thank you!!!
There has to be a generational gap in understanding that. It’s absurd people expect infinite novelty and excitement. It has to be the reason there are so few world class professionals in any given field..... because it gets boring one thousandth of the way there!!! And that’s the vast chasm separating amateurs from champions
So dang true, so much
Casinos frown upon usage of brain.
11:08 "Because he played 2000 hours a year [...] and you might be thinking 'that's a lot of blackjack' "
Yea, but that's no different from clocking in a regular full-time job.
40 hours a week x 52 weeks is 2080 hours per year, which is just a regular salaried job. So that really just means Yoshi had to clock in what most of us normally do per year.
I think casino get it, they are trying to say, they are a place to spend money, not win money, and we all got the concept wrong. Anyway what I learnt from their video: 1. Don't count by yourself, when you keep going up and down is obvious, so they really suggesting to play in a group. The big player just play big all the time, less obvious. 2. Don't play too long, probably just win big for 1 hour, then quickly go, or switch the big player 🤔
Even in real life situations outside of BJ and card counting, as time passes by, I wonder whether using our brains might really end up being considered illegal.
Counting only gives the slightest of edges. Card counters lose many thousands even when playing at advantage. Dealers also make thev20s and BJ and when you hit on the hard 12-16 against dealer 10 and you bust
If it takes 400 hours to double your money, then it would take roughly 3987 hours to turn $1000 into $1,000,000.
The coupon analogy isn't quite right, most coupons are paided back to the stores buy the manufacturer and the stores continue to make money. You hardly ever see coupon for the local store brands.
Colin is thoroughly accurate, but Cheddar gets one thing sort of right: You're probably never going to be a professional card counter. It takes hard work, dedication, lots of travel, and a significant bankroll. If you have/can do those things, you've probably already got an education and have a cool job. So it's very few who make it work. For every 100 dudes (and the occasional girl) who think they know how to card count, or are trying to learn, probably only ONE will be successful. It's just a tough deal. And boring. And expensive. Then again, it is absolutely REAL. So go into it with a level head, and understand the reality. And if you're one of those unique individuals with the requisite qualities and determination, go for it.
That woman that makes the cheddar video is completely off base. She said that the casinos are always one step ahead of card counters. This is completely false. Many card counter can play for substantial periods of time without being detected. Her claim that the casinos will catch a card counter within 15 minutes is total nonsense. I am a card counter and I have only been backed off once. I don’t play professionally because I live far from a casino and have a small bankroll but I am a math genius. Her narrative that the players should tip the dealers is total bs. The casinos are the ones that generate obscene profits. It is the casinos’ responsibility to pay their dealers reasonable wages. It is not up to the customers to help pay the dealers wages. Other players may frown upon the card counter that doesn’t tip, but tipping offers no benefit. The card counters are in business to utilize the tiny edge they have, not to make the dealers happy, Tipping the dealer offers no benefit. The dealer will not make incorrect payoffs or allow the players to cheat or reduce the size of the pack. We have been brainwashed by society to think that it is somehow our responsibility to help pay for dealers’ wages when they casinos are the ones with massive wealth. I refuse to buy into this nonsense. The woman on the cheddar video refers to card counters as cheaters. They are not cheating because they are simply using their minds to keep track of the cards, and their edge is razor thin. Being able to do simple math and using that information is in no way creating.
One thing I’ve never been able to truly figure out myself as a mid level counter I would say is when you get to the higher end of your bet spread is it better to spread it out among 2-3 hands or stack it all on one? I generally go from 5-50 and when at 40-50 i play two hands of 20-25 and have found that seems to work better than just one hand
Yes, for sure
Have you been "backed off" as a mid level counter?
@@timmyg000420 at one casino in the area known for being quick to back off people but I played high stakes double deck there $25-$250 hands.
I have been kicked out of 2 other casinos but didn’t play on my id so wasn’t banned possibly due to that.
12:38 The eloquent rebuttal to Cheddar's claim is: "If the House always wins, then why do they tell big winners at their tables to stop?"
Cheddar plays off a cliche here that describes a fundamental truth about casinos, but not the whole truth.
The house odds are stacked against regular players because that's their whole business model. (and it is a very risky business)
But card counters are not regular players, they're experts.
Dealers think casino security and surveillance are way more compitant than they actually are.
Cheddar appropriately named. Such cheese.
in order to make big money, your going to need to travel , at some point you will be banned at your local games, and than you will have to take your show on the road, GAS , Hotels, Food, Wear and tear on your car, all that stuff has to be calculated,,, You need a good bankroll to make money , because once you have to travel 5k or 10k isnt going to get it done
Mike Postle says hi!
i think the point she is trying to make is very few people can do it , as humas we get tired, we make mistakes and mistakes change the odds and lower EV , every little mistake whether its messing up the count or making basic strategy errors or betting errors or not managing your bankroll correctly, swing the odds back in the casinos favor,, those odds are only in your favor if you play perfect,, add in backoffs threats jailtime burnout, most people cant handle dem swings and quit,,,,,very few APs are as good as they claim,,,,,
Hey I hope this is read by @BlackJack Apprenticeship
how much do the odds change when a casino is running a strategy to back off card counters when they are down during their visit? How many people*casinos do you need to get the Edge back to the player?
It wouldn't affect the edge. Just like a gambler can't win by always "quitting when they're ahead," casinos can't win by backing players off when they're down. If a card counter plays enough hours among available casinos, the math works out.
But getting backed off when your down is tough on morale. It could wear a card counter down if they're not mentally tough enough.
Damm I saw that video a while ago. I was gonna comment about it and ask if you gonna response to that video. But I was too busy practicing card counting that i forgot to mention to you about it. Glad that you responsed to that video haha.
I’m fine with cheddar’s attitude, the more people that believe it, the fewer people that will try counting. As long as there are just a few of us we can remain relatively under the radar
Impossible to be under the radar. The highs of the bet as the deck penetration gets deeper gives a card counter away immediately.
@@sanfranciscobay I don’t know. I sat at a table once where two guys were flat betting $500, so nobody noticed me with my $25 unit at 12 to 1. Admittedly that is a rare situation, usually those guys ought to go to the high stakes room.
@@pamagee2011 Good idea. Sit next to people betting lots of money and your smaller bets seem insignificant.
"The house always wins"
yes. And thats why when you do something that will cost them money, they throw you out. When you get caught counting cards, they throw you out. If this didn't loose them money, they would let you keep doing it. In fact, they would probably love you, because nothing makes a place more money than someone who THINKS they know what they're doing, but they don't. But the very fact they try to catch card counters shows that they loose on this.
You know, it's really true that the house always wins... when it comes to slots.
Counting cards isn’t hard at all. It’s the strategy that changes based on said counts that is the tough part to learn. Because you have the basic strategy, and the strategies change based if count is high or low. And even then, you can play perfectly and still lose. It doesn’t guarantee you to win. It just gives you a better chance. Basically taking the house odds, and putting them in your favor
Also, working in teams is NOT allowed. If they find you doing that, they most def will kick you out
I like math, and understanding in simple terms how card counting works and that the house has only 0,5% edge when played with a computer proven perfect technique makes it almost obvious for me that card counting will improve you chances of winning money likely over 0%.
Deviations from basic sytategy based on counting , ok 1% advantage for game but over 10 games 10% got it?
This is truly incredible 👍🏾
i do agree with you because i learned about card counting and every time i went to las vegas and played for the entire week i was there, i was never down but always up. sometimes well above expectation and sometimes below expectation. after a full week of playing 2-3 hours in the morning.....2-3 hours in the afternoon and a few hours at night......for 7 days...i was always up.
“never down but always up” Wow, you are very lucky. Even a professional card counter gets losing streaks.
@@GaryLuKOTH DURING the week i could have been down.....but after an entire week of playing as i stated above..i would eventually reach positive territory. sometimes it wasn't much however and all i felt was frustrated with all the time an effort. i remember walking back to my hotel and my jaws aching from the tension and frustration i was feeling after three days of crap luck and negative return.. that particular trip ended being the worst results ever and simply wasn't worthwhile.
#4 Marathon not a sprint, is a saying used forever in so many industries.
Take your skills and bankroll to Forex / futures trading. Or for yourself perhaps selling premium on options :) they can’t kick you out from the exchanges like they can the casinos!! All the best. I enjoyed my card counting days immensely
My favorite go-to when discussing card counting is the Hangover, because it is a perfect sum up of how casinos would like you to perceive card counting.
Also, before I even considered learning the technique, I had a conversation with my father (who is an idiot by the way) about table etiquette. He is a firm believer in the etiquette when he taught me how to play Blackjack, and was left in an incoherent argument loop when I told him that none of what he said made any sense. Who cares if players get mad at you and leave? Since when are you playing them? You ever stop to think that the only one who wants you to take that sacrificial hit for the next player is the house?
If they leave out of frustration because of you the game will just go faster. This seems like an absolute win.
I think the implication is they are smart enough to keep track of every card played and do quick math to calculate the odds every time a new card is thrown down.
When people think of card counting they think thats what you have to do.
@@ddshocktrooper5604 And it has the added benefit of potentially frustrating someone to the point where they want to leave the casino. (or narc on you)
The house absolutely does always win! But that doesn't mean you lose - it just means that the blackjack table only stays open as long as it's profitable for them to keep it open. If everyone who played blackjack was a profitable card counter the house would stop winning and blackjack tables would start closing but that isn't close to reality - there are plenty of clueless punters, plenty of good standard players where the casino has a slight edge, enough 'think they've got an edge but don't' players that the house can keep winning even while they are losing to YOU.
I've seen casinos restrict players to flat betting and no mid shoe entries. While talking with the deal about it she admitted the black jack tables aren't their to make the casino money. "Blackjack dosen't make us much if any money. We offer it because in most cases couples come in and the husband plays Blackjack while the wife does the slot machines. So Blackjack and poker are the casino version of adult daycare."
Wondering if someone can answer a quick question. But first, I am fascinated by the subject, but I'm afraid an impossibility for me. Getting older, I lack the short term memory and concentration to keep track of a count. Also, my local casino has gone to the continuous shuffle machine. And I mean cards go in after every hand. So here's my question. I get it that by keeping count, you have an idea what cards remain in the deck. Do you only have the advantage when the remaining deck is rich in high cards? Or can you get an advantage knowing when it is rich in low cards? How many shuffles do you have to go through before you get a deck unbalanced in your favor? I can imagine playing for hours and going through numerous shuffles before a deck becomes significantly unbalanced that you can "pounce". Am I right?
Card counting strategies don't tell you what cards are left in the deck. They only tell you the ratio of high cards to low cards that remain. No matter whether the count is high or low, just knowing what the count is is an advantage. However, when the count is low, the advantage of knowing it is outweighed by the house advantage of the low count, so it is not favorable.
By definition, the count will be positive about half the time, and it will be negative the same proportion. The general rule is that the player has the overall advantage when the true count gets to +3 or higher. I don't play shoe games much, but from my time as a dealer, I would estimate that the count gets that high about once every other shoe on average, and when it does get that high, it can stay there anywhere from one hand to a couple dozen hands, but the variance on that is all over the place with 312 cards in play (or even 416 cards if it's an 8-deck shoe)
A continuous shuffling machine makes card counting impossible. Play the basic strategy.
@@sanfranciscobay That's all anyone can do, knowing full well that over time, the casino wins. I found that playing basic strategy, I can keep close for awhile, even be ahead for awhile. Until "The Streak" hits, and the dealer wins 15 in a row. That is going to happen. You just never know when.
Even with the lack of scaling they neglect to mention you stand to make a million in about 6 years if you did 40 hours a week, that would make you in the top 5% of earners and not far off the top 1%.
selling options is way more fun.
I don't count cards but I watch the cards. I enjoy it while playing blackjack. Once I was watching the cards and the dealer thought I was counting. So she called over the pit boss. He watched for a while and then left me alone
Know the rules . . . play strategically . . . don't get greedy. Perhaps this could become a favored past time. Make it 'your all, and everything' . . . you're setting yourself up, for a FALL ! 😬😎🇺🇸
For every successful counter I bet you there is 100000 failed counters.
You are likely right. These videos online make card counting seem easier than it is. Plus, even Colin himself told stories about how he had students who failed in counting.
This is the most polite troll response video I have ever seen
Haha. This is as mean as I get.
You may not make millions from the casino but you can make 6-figures and that is good enough for me!!
'Inside the Edge' is definitely worth the watch (free Amazon Prime).
Very intelligent & well spoken. Theres always theories and patterns with numbers. Just like how Einstein figured the theory of relativity. But his brain was a modern computer. How about a six deck shoot hard to count cards with that isn't it?
2000 hours a year sounds like a lot but if you treat it like your full time job then you would be playing 8 hours day, which is 40 hours a week. There are 52 weeks a year which means 40 x 52 is 2080 hours. I would venture a guess that most new advantage players will still be reliant on a typical 8 to 5 because of benefits and the like. So you likely can't start out doing this but if you are successful at growing your bankroll then it is technically feasible.
I haven't heard anything from "inside the edge" since the original trailer came out. Did it finally get released?
Yep!
Do you have an accountant who does your taxes? How do you keep track and report your income?
Yes. Accountant. Yes I track and report all income. Always have.
What is the best amount of decks/Least for card counting in your opinion?
All things being equal, less decks = higher player advantage
@@tmtmtlsml Deck penetration is also important.
Making money is boring
....I wish I was at that point in life where making money is boring
How does card counting work when the dealer hits a soft 17 and surrender is not available? It's an unwinnable game if not card counting.
In the Netherlands we can’t count cards. Only 1 casino has blackjack and they put all cards into the shuffle machine each round
I wonder how much she got paid to make that video. They wouldn’t kick you out if there was any truth to her video.
I still can't work out why high cards are better for the player than the casino? You still get dealt your fair share of those cards with the advantage being the casino can tie.
The dealer is more likely to bust with high cards. They must hit everything up to a soft 17. You are more likely to make hands with high cards. It's not a huge edge, but it's enough to have an edge of 1-4%.
The truth about card counting is that like everything, the people promoting the practice are going to convey very different messages than those who want to discourage it for any reason (casino-sponsored, bitter about their own failed card counting endeavors, etc). Cheddar has its own bias towards it, and this should be taken into consideration, but so does this guy. He wants people purchasing (expensive) memberships to his website, and so, he's going to portray it in a positive light.
The reality is that full-time card counting is like just about every field in life. Some are going to make it to the top (the 7 figure counters), others will do well but not reach the upper echelon (the 6 figure counters), many will be able to have moderate success (the 5 figure counters) and may make a living but won't get rich. And then, many others will either not make very much or even lose money in the long run despite hours of training. Think of it like professional football. There are the Tom Bradys of the world, the successful, but somewhat unheralded starters, the serviceable journeymen, and finally, the hundreds of guys occupying the roster bubbles, practice squads, etc. These players may hang around signing minimum deals and bouncing from team to team for a few years, but most get tossed in the bushes and have exited the sport by their 25th birthdays in pursuit of something else.
This dude is at the top, knows a few others at the top, and then I'm sure he knows countless at the B level. He's honest about the things you need (training, bankroll, resolve, etc), but there's a reason why he's not sharing personal anecdotes about the guys he surely knows of who've gotten themselves into financial trouble by quitting their day jobs and/or pissing away a bankroll in pursuit of a card counting career. Hearing these stories might dissuade people from signing up for a Blackjack Apprenticeship membership. Notice how he shreds the "cheating the system" claim in the description Cheddar provided of their video, but doesn't dispute the "nearly impossible to make millions" claim?
Card Counting only gives a skilled counter a ~1% advantage and is nearly impossible to get away with now.
You must work for Cheddar. It's not impossible to "get away" with. Maybe at sweatier joints, or in the south. But there are plenty of casinos ripe for the picking, you just have to look.
Liked: "Card counting is marathon and not a sprint"
Did this guy really advocate to not tip the dealer? Ewwwww
The Captain rules