Ive played religiously over the past year. It really helped me to get alot closer with my wife and kids, after we had to move to a smaller home last month.
Im glad i watch your video. At first, i really didn't much about Blackjack, the ratio, and etc. But now, i'm winning double the amount of $$ from playing basic strategy from the blackjack chart and not chasing money. I alway limit myself $400 when playing. Thank you.
You ONLY need to play Perfect Basic Strategy! NOTHINNG else matters. You should know about 4 minimum strategies and without question you need to play the best one for the table you are playing at. Oh and BTW - Nothing else matters - Bet any amount you want - Play as long as you want - Just NEVER play against what the Basic Strategy says you should do.
@@ltsUY Play as you wish. But it is guaranteed that if you "always" play perfect basic strategy, you will fare better in the long term. Let me ask. Did you ever "hit" a hard 19 vs the dealers 10 because you had a "gut feeling"? If your answer is yes ... then I ask... How did you do? If your answer is "No", my questions is ... WHY?
Through Colin and his programming I learned how to count cards and risk money effectively! Just last week I got backed off from the last casino in my area. Unfortunate that I now have to find somewhere else to play, but it feels awesome knowing that I beat the casinos and accomplished what I set out to do!
I have a problem counting cards cause im learning hi lows rn how do you predict a high when all you get are 4-6 lows in a row or that only matter for what the final card was to count towards what the n6ecy will be ?
@@shadowdrags5011 when the count goes up, it means there is an excess of 10s and aces in the decks remaining in the shoe. You can’t predict when those 10s and aces will come out of the shoe and form the winning hands you want. Those cards could come out in the next round or may not come out because they are behind the cut card at the end of the shoe. All we can say for certain is that the cards must come out if you dealt to the last card in the shoe. Occasionally, the count goes up early into the shoe and never goes down until the cut card is dealt. This means you can have a run of bigs bets. Sometimes you can win the majority of those bets and be up considerably, but sometimes you can lose the majority of them and suffer a huge loss. You have to remember that if you placed correctly sized bets as the count rose, then you played correctly. We are not guaranteed to win big bets when the count is high. The maths informs us that that we will only win the big bet hands slightly more than losing them. I have a friend who insisted that the win rate on a game he played was 20% higher than what I had calculated using game simulation software. I kept telling him that I just couldn’t tweak the rules of a simulation to get a win rate as high as he had claimed. I said, I think you are going to have a very long flat streak, hardly winning anything, or you are going to have a huge crashing loss. Although he was well up, in the space of a month, he suffered about a loss amounting to nearly 80% of the bankroll required to play the game. He was devastated and angry about it! So I plotted his sessions on a graph including the + & - standard deviation curves over time. It turned out his win followed closely, the 1st upward standard deviation curve for several years. When his loss came, it bottomed out close to the 1st downward standard deviation curve. The maths says our results will be between the 1st positive and negative standard deviation curves 68% of the time. His results were within that band. He played on and eventually reached a new all time high, and realised that the win rate wasn’t as high as he originally thought. He had played professionally, knew all the playing adjustments, but this was his first major loss and it threw him. It was also a good lesson to realise that the fluctuation in the game can be much bigger than you expect. I have known advantage players who become overconfident in their ability to win at the game and start chasing losing bets by placing more big bets on the table when the count drops to 0 and below. Sadly, these players lost their bankroll and quit the game. They couldn’t mentally handle negative fluctuation beating them. I have also seen players who have an initial big win then start spending up big on holidays etc living it up. Then, as they played on, buoyed by the idea that they can easily win big all the time, suddenly get kicked in the pants, lose their remaining bankroll and become negative about the game and never go back to it again. This is why one needs a mentor, checking your game and your attitude towards it. You will know that you have the right attitude, when your focus is on playing a winning game while you let the fluctuation take care of itself. Good luck with it!
I figured out that the highs and lows are used for a head up as a hi or low should be coming soon when i was practicing today and thank you for the rest of the advice good luck to you too
A third is pretty accurate for comps. I usually sit down with $200 at my local casino and they always give me $35 in free play on the slots and a $10 food voucher.
It used to be half at Bellagio and other casinos before MGM took over. My VIP Vice President said that it had gone down to a quarter about 15 years ago. I've been comped RFB for thousands of dollars per trip. The best year I had, I put $25 into a Video Poker game in Vegas and rode that $25 for about 6 hours. Ended up getting about 5 trips fully comped with meals up to $3000 and still had some leftover
I love colin's mcdonalds analogy when explaining 6:5 v 3:2. It reminds me of when A&W had a 1/3 pounder to compete with mcd's 1/4 pounder and the idea flopped cuz ppl suck at math.
It always kills me to watch people going to,casinos without a plan, or budget , and all their money in one pocket and just randomly walk around and say oh I think I’ll play this game. It’s like a coach just showing up with his team and sending them out on the field with no plan and just saying play whatever you want. You have little chance of winning. Before you even leave your house you have to have a plan. A budget. Know what games you’re playing and how much you’re willing to lose on each one. Keep your gambling money separate in its own pocket. Leave your rent money at home. And your credit card. Only lose what you can wake up the next morning and not feel bad about. You would be surprised how easy it is to win when you start having a plan..
@joeyboy676 as an AP with hours of experience, I would argue it is not easy to win. But it is easy to lose. If you cap your losses at what you can afford, in terms of pure entertainment, it's not that bad. if you want to make money, get ready for that dirty word: varrience.
I'm not an advanced player at all. I know some basic strategy. So I always felt like the side bets was a boost. When you hit trips suited. But like Collin said, it's like playing the lottery. They dont come out that much at all. Thanks for these videos!! Love watching them!
@@Blackjackapprenticeship Is it possible to get to about even EV (no win or loss average), WITHOUT changing bet sizes at all, simply by counting and playing basic strategy PLUS adjustments indicated by the count? I know basic strategy gets down to about 0.5% -EV, so I imagine with adjustment it must be a little lower than that (?)
but honestly winning the side bets are more fun than getting blackjack, if you are purely doing it for entertainment I think it's good to do some side bets
Try again. I was just in Vegas a week ago and most casinos on the strip that have 3:2 blackjack are $100 and up minimum. The $50 and below are 6:5 and most are the Shufflemaster continuous shuffle machines. This was on a Friday night and all day Saturday.
@@nickpappagiorgio8845 I've definitely seen $50 3:2 shoe games but that was Mon Tuesday afternoon so yeah I'm sure they get bumped to $100 friday - saturday
I loved this video, liked and subscribed for the simple fact that you placed time stamps for all the tips in the description instead of trying to force us into watching the whole video less we miss something
walked into my local casino with 200. blackjack 3 to 2 odds, out of a shoe. walked out with 370 total, profit 170. that was my very first time in a casino but before that i was watching so many videos of basic strategy and how to play. also played blackjack on GTAO as well as on my VR to learn without the consequences. 👍🏽
Great advice! I learned to play BJ better by learning and MEMORIZING basic strategy first. I had to unlearn bad habits at first and focused on playing basic strategy and playing it coldly like a machine without feeling. It has to be followed without hesitation. Also develop a betting plan and stick to it. If you are down a certain percentage of your bankroll, then you need to get out. If you are up a certain percentage of your bankroll then you cash in and get out.
I will play with “the card” to slow the game and provide cover. My wife always rats me out when she walks up to the table by stating the obvious, that “I don’t need the card.”
@@zalix512 Cover for what?? If you are talking about counting cards, having a bs card at the table will not stop them from identifying you as a counter
As a craps player, I can say that the tip about comps and being rated definitely apply when you’re at the craps table too. Crowded tables have more bets flying in to the dealers which slow down the game. You can also start by betting bigger, regress your bets down and still get rated for your higher betting amounts.
I'm going to Vegas next month. I'm going to play craps. Last year I actually managed to come out ahead. I'm not too good at craps but that's where all the excitement is.
I love craps. Picking out the lucky shooters works. Old men and women are. Always bet as .uch odds as you can afford. If you can afford to et a continously come bet, that's works too. Pocket your winning and leave ahead or when you lost a certain smount.
I know sidebets is a bad word. Yet I have to ask what about war blackjack? The house is like 1% better odds... yet the fact you can bet your winnings or add them to the blackjack bet seems good. If you have a 8,9 or 10 etc. Thoughts from a pro? =)@@Blackjackapprenticeship
@@wildcatterry17 So, you are not a card counter. You are a novice of some sort. That's actually no problem. Now-Why "regroup" and comeback another day? The cards can (and do) change all the time. Many times you are on a bad streak (an "after the fact" realization).and the question is "When will this bad streak end? On the next hand? In a few hands? Possibly in 1 week? Or possibly 2 months? Or maybe never??? My point is - Just stop when you feel like stopping. and of course never lose more than you can easily afford to lose. Never bet 1 Cent more than you can actually afford to lose. Set you own goals and or limitations. My point is - "Set your loss limit for each and every time you play. And by that I mean "never bet 1 Cent more than you can lose and still walk away "Happily".
6 to 5 may not be listed on the felt, but often it will be shown on an electronic sign with rules scrolling at the bottom. Surrender may be listed as well which is good for the player. Get rid of those 16s vs 10s, who needs em anyway! 9/10 people dont see this sign.
Great content! What's lousy is that I've seen the 'cheap' tables going to 6:5 forcing you to play higher ones to get better rules and preying on peoples lack of knowledge.
How thick do you have to be to not know that if you are getting $60 for a $50 blackjack then that's worse than getting $75 for a $50 blackjack? It's just that some people don't give a chit. They'll gamble on any crap the casino dreams up. EDIT - Oh, hang on, I'm not sure you were suggesting that some people don't know that 6-5 is worse for the player than 3-2. I apologise if that was the case. The video uploader did suggest that though.
@@Massivemonster1234 Wtf are you on about, dude. I don't give a flying how you spell words in the USA if that's where you're from because I don't live there. Everything in my reply is spelled correctly.
This advice really helped me. I played differently when I was in Vegas in May and I doubled my money each time I sat down at the blackjack tables. It was great.
Please be aware that “doubling your money” after a visit to a casino while using basic strategy, is just random fluctuation and while it feels good, it won’t happen like that all the time. If you are not card counting, or using other advanced strategies, all playing basic strategy will do, is reduce the long term house edge against you. Card counters can have emotionally devastating losses, even though they are doing everything correctly. Thankfully, you eventually recover from these losses and go on to reach a new all time high.
@@geoffpearce889 Thanks. I'm a Vegas regular and this ain't my first rodeo. When I buy in with $100 at a table and walk away from that table 20 minutes later with $200, that's doubled my money. If I do that three or four times in a couple of days, then I am a happy camper.
This is why I have stopped going to the casino for a bit. May as well have just walked in, handed them my money and left. Granted, I would only play with a few hundred dollars but I’d like to occasionally leave with more than I came with
You and me both. I often go, when I earn a few bucks, from time to time. But after a bad visit, I wait a little while longer to go back. I usually try not to lose more than $100 (if I often came in with at least $200, that is), since I want to have a little left over for gas or food, etc.
@@chrisfinch8637 Yeah, I usually take at least $200 to play with but occasionally $300-$400 but I always leave it at that and never play with money I can’t afford to lose. I also don’t get drunk when I play but I will have a couple drinks over the night.. but not anymore I don’t think. I almost always get up $50-$100 and then just lose from there once I start drinking. I just need to learn more about the finer points of the game before I play for money again.
@@darthsilversith667 Especially get more pointers, like with these guys, on how to play it logically, spending money wisely on these games, and know how to follow certain strategies to help you win more.
I honestly think this may be one of your best videos, especially for those of us who don't card count. It's always good to remember that there are plenty of things one can do to "lose less" even if we're not taking the casino for a lot of money. If one is playing the game right, you can still do pretty damn well if you hit a good run of cards, and it softens the blow when the cards inevitably turn. Are we going to be stuck with only 6:5 blackjack on the strip going forward? I hate to say it, butI think so. :(
@@CaptainPantys Strip casinos have recently made a change where they only pay 6-to-5 for blackjack, rather than the old 3-to-2. To put it plainly, if you bet $10, you used to get $15 for blackjack. Now you get $12. That can add up significantly over a longer period of play.
Years ago I started pointing out that those magnificant gambling palaces were not built on winners. They are "Monuments To Losers". A person special to me was telling me how she and a few friends like to go to a casino and limit their losses to $100, and only occasionally. My first thought was you piss away 100, for what? Then it hit me. I worked at a golf course, and people regularly come out and piss away $100 or more on that silly game, because they think they are getting some pleasure out of it. OK then, if sitting in that casino and playing those games gives you some pleasure, and you limit it to a reasonable amount you can easily afford, go for it. And, for that pleasure, you just might, maybe, on occasion, walk out with more money than you walked in with. That never happens on a golf course. ( PS. I worked in a casino at the same time. The golf course and casino were owned by the same tribe. I never played in the casino. The place was depressing to me, but being out on the course was a beautiful place to be )
Based on your summary you would be considered a pessimist. I have earned golf course and spa packages access since 2009 while doing fairly decent with my actions. I methodically track and record all actions.
Regarding the blackjack variants not being advertised, a friend of mine sat down at a table and started playing (casually). They made the hand signal for what they bought was either hit or stand (I forget if they were tapping the table or trying to wave it off to stand, but it's not really relevant) but it turned out they were at a "Spanish blackjack" table and since she slid her fingers across the felt instead of tapping in one spot or waving off the next card without touching the felt, they said it was the hand signal for surrendering. My friend felt cheated. There was a tiny little sign on the end of the tables that had the rules printed, which was pointed out after the hand, but that was the only thing indicating it wasn't standard blackjack.
That tip on full tilt hits home for sure. I’ve learned to have a casino buddy on dial to reach out to so I can step away and think. Always get that bad feeling when I’m seeing another player at the table go through it. Avoiding full tilt is probably more important advice than basic strategy itself in my opinion.
You are a game changer for a lot of people. I’ve got a whole new way of looking gambling at a casino. It doesn’t make any sense to make any bet in the casino unless you have been able to go over every detail to if the wager in order to determine what the house edge is and then be able to implement strategy and techniques to balance the scales where possible. If ya can’t do that then it’s a bad bet. Not saying that people shouldn’t always be responsible for the own life all the time. That don’t make it right for the casinos to put in so much effort intentionally misleading people about how truly at a disadvantage they are. Thanks for the vids and info. Like I said it’s been a game changer for me. Where I could see myself potentially going down a slippery slope in the casinos not to long ago, Ive taken a much more rational approach to the whole thing and developed the much needed discipline, derived from a deeper and more realistic understanding of the system itself. As to not hand over my money so Willy nilly on a very small chance of getting a little bit back every once in a while.
The only Blackjack variant with a low house edge AFAIK is Spanish 21. Particularly if the table either allows redoubling or stands on soft 17- it's under 0.5%. Basic strategy for it is certainly more complex than Blackjack, but it's a great game for anyone bored with plain ol' Blackjack and can be found pretty commonly around the US (except Vegas, oddly enough).
Since i’m not a card counter yet and i know that i’m at a disadvantage, this is how i play. I flat bet the table minimum, i play basic strategy, and i play for however long i decided i was going to play before going or until i run out money, and then i don’t go back to the casino again til like a year later 😂. However, when i learn how to count i do want to try to play a lot and make money.
I wish you luck but card counting - while interesting from an academic viewpoint - is not going to make you much money. As you will know, if you're good enough to win - or even if the casino suspects that you _might_ be good enough to win - they will not let you play and your details will be circulated to other casinos. They'll treat you like a criminal when it is them that are the true criminals. I wouldn't discourage you from trying but if you're interested in card games you'll probably find that it's much easier to win money at poker than blackjack.
Great presentation! The 6:5 game sucks so bad. Not only do the odds drop but the fun is stripped away. I recently had to drive over to Ellis Island to find a 3:2 game that I liked!
Not that I play roulette but I see so many that have 0 00 000 giving them 7.5% house edge. People need to wise up and let those tables fail. I play craps and I’m tired of seeing field bets pay only double for 2&12. 12 should be payed triple. Still a 2.5% house edge for fucks sake. Do they really need 5%.
I joined BJA 2 yrs ago and studied my a** off was getting real good at counting ,dividing decks into count and covid hit so no casino for me but I will say if you are going to join a site Colin's is the best to learn and the members are so helpful with newbies..Colin is also the most honest and trustworthy man in the business and the most feared when he walks into a casino .
Can’t wait to get back into BJA…. Had some tough life circumstances that made me put it on hold but I’m ready to get back to the study grind and go get the $$$
6"45. ties in with what professional gambler John Patrick used to preach, money management! Set for yourself a win goal and a loss limit first and foremost!
Great video! These tips are super helpful for people just getting into blackjack and want to be prepared for the casino. Also, it’s a great gateway to get people interested in card counting.
This video is really helpful. I'm going on a cruise next week and I've never gambled before but like the idea of enjoying black jack. Not enough time to learn to card count but having some basics will make it fun.
Most dealers don't know about hitting a soft 18 vs their 9, 10 or ace. They usually ask if I'm sure, and if I'm not quick with my hit they try to move straight on to the next player, assuming I'm standing.
Unfortunately the rating system doesn't always work like that. I'm a dealer at a casino and they ask us what the players average bet is (so we watch the average) the supervisor is only putting how much you came in for (your buy in) on the system
If you have a 15 or 16 - and hit and a face card shows. I generally feel like I'm screwing over my next hand. Is this considered in basic strategy? I don't have the data, but I can recall times when I would of had a 20 or blackjack in the following hand if I didn't hit.
Question how much advantage do you get when using true count conversion vs using the running count? Does it make a difference in a single/double deck game or a 6/8 deck game? Thanks in advance
Running count is ok in single deck, but most of the singles only pay 6/5. Using running count in 6/8 decks, is a waste of time, u less the rules are extra special, edge off the top.
@@andrewcalder012 depends what you mean. For example if you are playing single deck and the running count is plus 5 and you have 26cards left. True count is 10.
You could always use an unbalanced court, i.e., Synders' Red Seven. There's plenty of other one's as well, if you have hard time dividing by fractions/decimals. I prefer unbalanced. It allows me to side-track certain cards, (vulnerable side-bets) and focus on more important things, like skilled-cut-card-placement.
Atlantic city has 3-2 blackjack everywhere. The table minimums are $10 sunday-thursday and go up to $15 minimum on friday and saturday nights. All are shoes, although perhaps high limit are different, i don't play hogh limit. Hotel prices are cheap, especially sunday to thursday. Offseason even low rollers can get free rooms and during prime time (summer) discounted rooms. Surprised more people don't gamble in Atlantic city. It crazy for people to keep going to vegas with bad blackjack rules, high resort fees, expensive restaurants.
Fantastic video, man. One of the best for anyone that doesn't have the bankroll to burn the place down. I won't categorize myself, but I think that when I began, this would have been one to take to the heart. Great video. I'm super glad to see these coming out.
Even I want to win more money, by playing side bets, but my dad has always cautioned me about those, as well as how much to play with, on future hands. If it weren’t for him (since he has had friends in Las Vegas and such) I wouldn’t have been a careful gambler. I always try to play at my own calm risk.
@@mrfoodskaterbecause they have rules to make you bet certain amount, they know what they are doing and know what cards usually come next and are more not in your favour.
Good advice! Another small tidbit is to sit at 3rd base... that way you will be right next to the pit boss when he/she is inputting on their little computer. I'll even joke around with the pit boss sometimes and say something like "you missed my $1,000 bet!". For all I know he might believe me! ;)
Just was in LV at two major casinos on the strip and they were all 6:5 and hit on soft 17 tables. You had to play in the high limit room for 3:2 and stand on soft 17.
Yep, $100/hand at most places on the strip, $200 at Caesar's to get a fair game. 3:2 S17 DA2 DAS Resplit to at least 3 and Late Surrender should be the MINIMUM we expect.
The casinos don’t put a gun to your head to force you to gamble. If they only have 6/5 tables then I play another game or don’t gamble. If we all did that they would change back to 3/2.
Wrong video to ask this, but just wanted your thoughts. At the Rio in Vegas, there’s a 6 to 5 table that if the dealer gets a 22, it’s a push all around the table. But.... every split and doubledown is FREE! I thought it was pretty wild and would love your input. Thanks
That's Free Bet Blackjack. If you don't get many splits and doubles, you're giving up getting paid when the dealer busts with a 22 and not getting anything in return. If you play, Wizard of Odds has a strategy chart for this game, which I recommend using. It is a fun game. I've played it. Glad to hear it's still around.
I have been in several places where they only offer 3 to 2 blackjack on higher bet tables ...... they may have 6 to 5 on their $5 or $10 tables but 3 to 2 tables start at $25 ..... also the casino may have only one or two 3 to 2 tables open but have six or more 6 to 5 tables running ...... I guess the casino is thinks if all the 3 to 2 are filled then you will play the 6 to 5 tables instead
What if there is a situation where basic strategy would tell you to always double *whatever move you are doing*, but the count is really bad against you? Would you still double? Or just hit instead?
Only if it's a deviation like 12 v 4, 13 v 2, 12 v 6 (S17) or 11 v Ace etc. Don't just randomly not double or split because the count is in the toilet. Instead "drunkenly" fall asleep at the table until they shuffle, where you suddenly sober up and play perfectly 🤣
@@raven7389 Are you talking about doubling down with a 12 or 13 count? That's not basic strategy, and it's definitely a bad idea. For the 12 and 13 count hands you mention, I think you're referring to hands where basic strategy would be to stay, but hitting would be a better percentage play if a sufficient number of 10s have come out.
Checking a computer analysis of a six-deck blackjack game: for all but one hand where doubling down is basic strategy, it would take an extreme situation to justify not doubling down, i.e. double down regardless. The exception is A/2 (soft 13) vs dealer 5, when hitting is better if the deck is light in 7s through 10s. So hit if you're counting 10s and you know a lot of 10s have come out. If you're not counting, just look at the cards you see on the table and hit instead of doubling down if you see a disproportionate number of 7s through 10s.
While your comp advice May work short term, if you play for more than 30 minutes, the floor will eventually notice you’re betting the minimum and change the Average bet on the computer.
I will say something right now. I've been watching ur videos for 2 years or so. I've been on the website a bunch, poured into the videos (rewinding a bunch, and pausing) until I got it. I've had your basic strat card as a screensaver on my phone for about a year now. Last time went to the local casino, I played better than ever have. Money lasted so much longer. The last dealer I had, asked me what I was looking at on my phone, after I told my friend to double on her A,5 against the dealers 6, (we won our hands) I showed her my phone screen. She said where'd u get that. All I said was, the internet. Lol I think that was dumb of me lol anyway, that's my story. Oh ya, I ended up giving it all back to them. Have to keep in mind leave.
I never split 10’s, I never buy insurance, I never take even money, I always assume the dealer has a 10 underneath and hit and stay accordingly, I always hit soft anything if the dealer is not showing a face card I’m sure I’m doing some things wrong and I’m glad I discovered your channel so I can have a better chance next time I gamble….. subscribing now.
why would you assume the dealer has a ten underneath when out of 13 possible card ranks 4 are ten value and 9 are not? The odds are 2.25-1 against the dealer's down card being a ten.
Believe there’s an error in the video. Having all your chips out and not being able to double down is the same result as having half your chips out and doubling down. A better analogy, for that section would have been having a pair of aces and not having any more money left to split. :)
Great straight forward grounding video. By extension to the online environment, are online Blackjack games on major 'poker/card' sites regulated enough to straight and true to their RTP promise? If playing online, is it better to play on a live dealer, multiplayer table as opposed to 'the algorithm'?
It’s amazing with how much information out there is about Blackjack, most people don’t take the time to learn even a little bit. How many videos of crowded 6:5 tables have you seen on RUclips? It’s crazy how many people I’ve seen hit 16 vs a 5, stand on 15 vs 10, double on 7 vs 4. Oh, btw… I was at Wind Creek and I won about $40 in two hours. 😂 For whatever reason it only registered I won $12. Nevertheless I received $8 free play and threw it in a slot for fun- hit a $14 jackpot. Next thing I know one of the dudes in a suit started watching me so I left. I mean give me a break; they don’t want to win even $1!!! 😅 After three free drinks I was told the drink comp service was temporarily out of order. Hahaha jeez they’re brutal sometimes
Love these vids. I’m addicted to learning more! I don’t believe I’ll ever go professional and I think that’s a big percent of ppl here. Can you explain how one would go about being a part-time AP?
The house edge on blackjack for casinos is about 2% on turnover. Just knowing basic strategy reduces this down to about 0.5% which means you will lose far less from long term play. Card counting identifies when the edge has ever so slightly tipped in your favour. Part of understanding the maths of winning at the game, is to size your bets according to how much advantage you have as the count goes up. The advantage only favours you for about a quarter to a third of the hands you play. The rest of the time it favours the house and this is why we place minimum or no bet at all. You have to carefully size your bets in a spreadsheet with a frequency distribution which shows the amount of advantage you, or the house has, at various counts per 100 hands. When you plug in your bet sizes and multiply everything out and add up the positive EV and the Negative EV the result will be your long term EV per 100 hands of play. If you only get 60 rounds per hour, your EV will only be 60% of this figure. If you get 150 rounds per hour, your EV will be 150% of this figure. If you want to be a part time AP, you still have to learn how to do everything correctly, ie, play perfect basic strategy, keep a running count of cards in play, estimate the number of decks remaining in the shoe, mentally do a true count conversion which informs you of your predetermined bet size, and at least learn The Illustrious 18 playing strategy adjustments which give you a little extra EV. You have to be able to do these processes automatically because there are many distractions in the casinos that can cause you to forget things, lose the count, or make a wrong playing adjustment. It might seem daunting doing all this, but hey, before you learned how to drive a car, you had to go through a long learning process, knowing road rules and learning how to operate clutch brake and accelerator and observe other traffic around you. But now it’s an automatic process. Most new players start at minimum bet tables to get a feel of what it’s like to implement advantage play in a real world situation. In the beginning, you may need to do several hundred hours of play before you actually start to take money out of a casino. If you have a small bankroll and a low EV, you might find needing to do many more hours of play to reach this point. And if you are only doing this part time, you could find it taking 6 to 12 months or more, before you are in positive territory. However, compared to a new business startup, after an investment of time and money establishing it, and if everything is done right, it can still take 2 or 3 years for a business to show a profit. But if you are persistent, and develop confidence in your play, eventually you can scale your bets up which will increase your EV and then it will be rewarding. Good luck with it.
I’ve always been Lucky but Mainly Strategic when I Gamble or Bet which some people ask, “How are you that lucky? What did you just do? How did you know about what to do and why did you decide to play [insert Game here]?!” Some are really aggressive and try to threaten me or downplay me by trying to intimidate me and or ruin my winning streak which just boosts my Gambling Ego but my expression never changes. Don’t play or bet aggressively unless you have a BIG advantage or rely on sheer luck alone, Bet high then change that same bet lower after others bet high. I’m going to visit a Casino in a Suit just for fun! Anyways good luck to everyone here and have a good one! (Also remember to use your brain when Gambling/Betting on EVERY Game.)
Colin says to get rated when you have a maximum bet placed 4:37 , but if you aren't counting is it better to flat bet all hands the same amount? You are only guessing on gut feel when to bet more or less.
That’s what I been doing. I been betting 25$ hands then going to 50$ or 75$ when I just have a hot feeling or whatever, only been going 3 weeks and I’m up every trip!
Oh yeah, I hate being on a 6/5 and don't realize it till I hit blackjack. One thing I would like your opinion on that you didn't mention. I know double down after a split has pretty much anywhere in Las Vegas and Laughlin have pretty much disappeared. I would like to know your thoughts and if anyone knows casinos in Nevada that allow that.
5:43 over the years of gambling I learned this is the most important rule if you want to protect your bankroll. I lost it all many times to doing this to learn to stop
If you want to know if BJ odds are better or worse than 3 to 2 here's how you calculate it. 3 to 2 is 3 divided by 2 which equals 1.5 6 to 5 is 6 divided by 5 which equals 1.2 The higher total is better odds.
#2 don't chase your money. In any game of chance I like to think of it like the wind. It's either at your back (good) or in your face (bad). Nothing YOU can do will change the wind, you've just got to recognize it for what it is and adjust accordingly. If the wind is at your back sure go ahead and bet big!
I agree with you in terms of the numbers and percentages of the casinos advantage but I’ve hit a lot in the side bets but I also only start betting on the side bets once I made 200 percent of my initial buy in. With that said I only use the side bets when my gut tells me and it’s always a 5-10 dollar hand.
6-5 cropping up . NO almost all casinos on the strip are 6 to 5 and have been for a long time. That's why I go downtown. I love El Cortez and have won quite a bit of money there. ( hundreds of dollars). I don't have a big bankroll so I have to bet small, usually $10 a hand. I follow all these tip you have given. It's really good advice. I prefer 2 decks not a shoe. (too hard to count). But I rarely ever count because it's not as fun when I have to focus and concentrate. I wanted to add even if you play perfect strategy every time it doesn't mean you will always win or come out ahead at the end of the session.
Tip #4. My thoughts with this are this. If you're down to your last stack, what's the harm of not saving an equal amount for a double down? In a split scenario, sure, but same theory. You have $60 down, get a double down hand, then cannot double, take a hit, and make $120. If you put down $30. Get a double, then double and hit. You still get $120.
Learning basic strategy with the app and its super helpful I’m getting there slowly but surly! I’ve been in it so much I noticed the 9 of diamonds has 10 diamonds and the 10 of diamonds has 9 diamonds just a friendly heads up
Backup bets... After a late night in Vegas, my wife wasn't feeling that well the next morning. Since she wanted to sleep in, I walked over to the Westgate and played a little AM Blackjack. I was the only person playing cards that morning (approximately 9AM). I was back and forth, then had a hand where I split 8's four times... I've never split a hand four times before...My cheeks were clenched, but dealer bust! I had the same thing happen a few hands later where I split 8's three times. Again, dealer bust! I was pretty happy heading back to the hotel with a little extra spending cash in my pocket!
I see players' videos recommending the 2 1 2 strategy. Is it similar or the same as the Martingale System? Yes or no, do you have a strategy, rule of thumb or recommend when to increase and decrease a bet? Numbers and I don't get along. I won't be able to count cards. I did print your "basic strategy" rules and I'm looking forward to playing the smarter way next time. Great videos and I enjoyed the Holly Rollers doc. I'll recommend it to my mother-in-law.
Around where we're visiting there's really only 2 casinos (Planet Hollywood and Mirage) that offer $25 3:2 blackjack, but thats mainly just during the day or slow times, then I believe its $50 in evenings and weekends. Most casinos barely offer these games for less than $50 or $100 per hand if at all. Though maybe its better downtown, I just usually prefer to stick around the strip.
For Side bets on the double deck buster , you have to wait until the dealer bust ..that’s the only time I would play that .. usually if he bust once in that shoe he will buss again. Otherwise he could go 2-3 shoes with no bust
Regarding the comp portion of the video: I get that the timing of your request to comp benefits you, but with the RFID chip technology in some of the casinos, wouldn't they also have software to track comps based on your 'actual' bets? I know a lot of places don't have RFID tech, but some do...
According to eight eight eight casinos, you flatbet minimum bet on main bet, and then when the count reaches a true seven, you max the bet on Lucky Ladies. So yes, its advantageous.
I don't care what anyone says but I will play the progressive bets at the table. I've won 2 jackpots this year alone putting up $1, one was $28k and the other was $35k. Yeah, I think I am okay giving them $1 for my chance at a progressive jackpot.
Ive played religiously over the past year. It really helped me to get alot closer with my wife and kids, after we had to move to a smaller home last month.
lol 😂🎉
lol
Stolen
😂
you teach your kids blackjack? and you post that on youtube? child abuse. sad.
Im glad i watch your video. At first, i really didn't much about Blackjack, the ratio, and etc. But now, i'm winning double the amount of $$ from playing basic strategy from the blackjack chart and not chasing money. I alway limit myself $400 when playing. Thank you.
broke ass
You ONLY need to play Perfect Basic Strategy! NOTHINNG else matters. You should know about 4 minimum strategies and without question you need to play the best one for the table you are playing at. Oh and BTW - Nothing else matters - Bet any amount you want - Play as long as you want - Just NEVER play against what the Basic Strategy says you should do.
@@BobSTKnah, sometimes going on feeling works, IF your gut says to not hit a 16 on a 10, u probably shouldn’t do it
@@ltsUY Play as you wish. But it is guaranteed that if you "always" play perfect basic strategy, you will fare better in the long term. Let me ask. Did you ever "hit" a hard 19 vs the dealers 10 because you had a "gut feeling"? If your answer is yes ... then I ask... How did you do? If your answer is "No", my questions is ... WHY?
@@BobSTK what the fuck? U comparing standing on a 16 to hitting a 19? Buddy you good?
Through Colin and his programming I learned how to count cards and risk money effectively! Just last week I got backed off from the last casino in my area. Unfortunate that I now have to find somewhere else to play, but it feels awesome knowing that I beat the casinos and accomplished what I set out to do!
Hell yeah, getting backed off means you were doing something right, if not everything right!
Now that you’re a winner, the next stage is learning how to look like a loser! Convince casinos you are a loser and they won’t bother you as much!
I have a problem counting cards cause im learning hi lows rn how do you predict a high when all you get are 4-6 lows in a row or that only matter for what the final card was to count towards what the n6ecy will be ?
@@shadowdrags5011 when the count goes up, it means there is an excess of 10s and aces in the decks remaining in the shoe. You can’t predict when those 10s and aces will come out of the shoe and form the winning hands you want. Those cards could come out in the next round or may not come out because they are behind the cut card at the end of the shoe. All we can say for certain is that the cards must come out if you dealt to the last card in the shoe.
Occasionally, the count goes up early into the shoe and never goes down until the cut card is dealt. This means you can have a run of bigs bets. Sometimes you can win the majority of those bets and be up considerably, but sometimes you can lose the majority of them and suffer a huge loss. You have to remember that if you placed correctly sized bets as the count rose, then you played correctly. We are not guaranteed to win big bets when the count is high.
The maths informs us that that we will only win the big bet hands slightly more than losing them. I have a friend who insisted that the win rate on a game he played was 20% higher than what I had calculated using game simulation software. I kept telling him that I just couldn’t tweak the rules of a simulation to get a win rate as high as he had claimed. I said, I think you are going to have a very long flat streak, hardly winning anything, or you are going to have a huge crashing loss. Although he was well up, in the space of a month, he suffered about a loss amounting to nearly 80% of the bankroll required to play the game. He was devastated and angry about it! So I plotted his sessions on a graph including the + & - standard deviation curves over time. It turned out his win followed closely, the 1st upward standard deviation curve for several years. When his loss came, it bottomed out close to the 1st downward standard deviation curve. The maths says our results will be between the 1st positive and negative standard deviation curves 68% of the time. His results were within that band. He played on and eventually reached a new all time high, and realised that the win rate wasn’t as high as he originally thought. He had played professionally, knew all the playing adjustments, but this was his first major loss and it threw him. It was also a good lesson to realise that the fluctuation in the game can be much bigger than you expect.
I have known advantage players who become overconfident in their ability to win at the game and start chasing losing bets by placing more big bets on the table when the count drops to 0 and below. Sadly, these players lost their bankroll and quit the game. They couldn’t mentally handle negative fluctuation beating them. I have also seen players who have an initial big win then start spending up big on holidays etc living it up. Then, as they played on, buoyed by the idea that they can easily win big all the time, suddenly get kicked in the pants, lose their remaining bankroll and become negative about the game and never go back to it again. This is why one needs a mentor, checking your game and your attitude towards it. You will know that you have the right attitude, when your focus is on playing a winning game while you let the fluctuation take care of itself. Good luck with it!
I figured out that the highs and lows are used for a head up as a hi or low should be coming soon when i was practicing today and thank you for the rest of the advice good luck to you too
A third is pretty accurate for comps. I usually sit down with $200 at my local casino and they always give me $35 in free play on the slots and a $10 food voucher.
It used to be half at Bellagio and other casinos before MGM took over. My VIP Vice President said that it had gone down to a quarter about 15 years ago. I've been comped RFB for thousands of dollars per trip. The best year I had, I put $25 into a Video Poker game in Vegas and rode that $25 for about 6 hours. Ended up getting about 5 trips fully comped with meals up to $3000 and still had some leftover
I love colin's mcdonalds analogy when explaining 6:5 v 3:2.
It reminds me of when A&W had a 1/3 pounder to compete with mcd's 1/4 pounder and the idea flopped cuz ppl suck at math.
Wendy's has had 1/3 pounders since forever.
but they don't advertise it as such. they find other ways to compete, like "fresh never frozen beef" @@Sick_Of_You
It always kills me to watch people going to,casinos without a plan, or budget , and all their money in one pocket and just randomly walk around and say oh I think I’ll play this game. It’s like a coach just showing up with his team and sending them out on the field with no plan and just saying play whatever you want. You have little chance of winning. Before you even leave your house you have to have a plan. A budget. Know what games you’re playing and how much you’re willing to lose on each one. Keep your gambling money separate in its own pocket. Leave your rent money at home. And your credit card. Only lose what you can wake up the next morning and not feel bad about. You would be surprised how easy it is to win when you start having a plan..
@joeyboy676 as an AP with hours of experience, I would argue it is not easy to win. But it is easy to lose. If you cap your losses at what you can afford, in terms of pure entertainment, it's not that bad. if you want to make money, get ready for that dirty word: varrience.
I'm not an advanced player at all. I know some basic strategy. So I always felt like the side bets was a boost. When you hit trips suited. But like Collin said, it's like playing the lottery. They dont come out that much at all. Thanks for these videos!! Love watching them!
Yeah, you're losing so much EV that those occasional big payouts aren't worth it!
Unless you know they gonna hit 🤑
@@Blackjackapprenticeship Is it possible to get to about even EV (no win or loss average), WITHOUT changing bet sizes at all, simply by counting and playing basic strategy PLUS adjustments indicated by the count? I know basic strategy gets down to about 0.5% -EV, so I imagine with adjustment it must be a little lower than that (?)
but honestly winning the side bets are more fun than getting blackjack, if you are purely doing it for entertainment I think it's good to do some side bets
What do you mean by "being rated" ?
I was in Vegas 2 weeks ago. The strip is full of 6:5 continuous shuffle machines 🤮
Yeah its horrible, only 3:2 tables on strip are $50+ per hand
Try again. I was just in Vegas a week ago and most casinos on the strip that have 3:2 blackjack are $100 and up minimum. The $50 and below are 6:5 and most are the Shufflemaster continuous shuffle machines. This was on a Friday night and all day Saturday.
@@nickpappagiorgio8845 I've definitely seen $50 3:2 shoe games but that was Mon Tuesday afternoon so yeah I'm sure they get bumped to $100 friday - saturday
The few shoe games (not csm) I found also didn’t allow mid shoe entry
@Anthony J. Charles which casino?
I loved this video, liked and subscribed for the simple fact that you placed time stamps for all the tips in the description instead of trying to force us into watching the whole video less we miss something
walked into my local casino with 200. blackjack 3 to 2 odds, out of a shoe. walked out with 370 total, profit 170. that was my very first time in a casino but before that i was watching so many videos of basic strategy and how to play. also played blackjack on GTAO as well as on my VR to learn without the consequences. 👍🏽
You got short term lucky. Enjoy the winnings
Expect Variance. But way togo learning first. That’s the most important aspect. You will never survive without education. The free kind is the best.
Great advice! I learned to play BJ better by learning and MEMORIZING basic strategy first. I had to unlearn bad habits at first and focused on playing basic strategy and playing it coldly like a machine without feeling. It has to be followed without hesitation. Also develop a betting plan and stick to it. If you are down a certain percentage of your bankroll, then you need to get out. If you are up a certain percentage of your bankroll then you cash in and get out.
I will play with “the card” to slow the game and provide cover. My wife always rats me out when she walks up to the table by stating the obvious, that “I don’t need the card.”
@@zalix512 Has a casino dealer ever not allowed the use of a basic strategy card?
@@zalix512 Cover for what?? If you are talking about counting cards, having a bs card at the table will not stop them from identifying you as a counter
As a craps player, I can say that the tip about comps and being rated definitely apply when you’re at the craps table too. Crowded tables have more bets flying in to the dealers which slow down the game. You can also start by betting bigger, regress your bets down and still get rated for your higher betting amounts.
Don’t give away our secrets please
I'm going to Vegas next month. I'm going to play craps. Last year I actually managed to come out ahead. I'm not too good at craps but that's where all the excitement is.
And tipping your dealers .
I love craps. Picking out the lucky shooters works. Old men and women are. Always bet as .uch odds as you can afford. If you can afford to et a continously come bet, that's works too. Pocket your winning and leave ahead or when you lost a certain smount.
:) As a novice CC myself who has been just practicing over the past 6 months, I found some info in here that definitely helped. Thanks Colin.
Glad it helped!
I know sidebets is a bad word. Yet I have to ask what about war blackjack? The house is like 1% better odds... yet the fact you can bet your winnings or add them to the blackjack bet seems good. If you have a 8,9 or 10 etc. Thoughts from a pro? =)@@Blackjackapprenticeship
"Helped"? Like how?
@@BobSTK Like not chasing losses. You regroup and come back another day.
@@wildcatterry17 So, you are not a card counter. You are a novice of some sort. That's actually no problem. Now-Why "regroup" and comeback another day? The cards can (and do) change all the time. Many times you are on a bad streak (an "after the fact" realization).and the question is "When will this bad streak end? On the next hand? In a few hands? Possibly in 1 week? Or possibly 2 months? Or maybe never??? My point is - Just stop when you feel like stopping. and of course never lose more than you can easily afford to lose. Never bet 1 Cent more than you can actually afford to lose. Set you own goals and or limitations. My point is - "Set your loss limit for each and every time you play. And by that I mean "never bet 1 Cent more than you can lose and still walk away "Happily".
6 to 5 may not be listed on the felt, but often it will be shown on an electronic sign with rules scrolling at the bottom. Surrender may be listed as well which is good for the player. Get rid of those 16s vs 10s, who needs em anyway! 9/10 people dont see this sign.
Great content! What's lousy is that I've seen the 'cheap' tables going to 6:5 forcing you to play higher ones to get better rules and preying on peoples lack of knowledge.
How thick do you have to be to not know that if you are getting $60 for a $50 blackjack then that's worse than getting $75 for a $50 blackjack? It's just that some people don't give a chit. They'll gamble on any crap the casino dreams up.
EDIT - Oh, hang on, I'm not sure you were suggesting that some people don't know that 6-5 is worse for the player than 3-2. I apologise if that was the case. The video uploader did suggest that though.
@@PureExile
Apologize, not apologize, Junior. If you're going to edit your post, and get your point across, spellcheck. Now...apologize.
@@Massivemonster1234 Wtf are you on about, dude. I don't give a flying how you spell words in the USA if that's where you're from because I don't live there. Everything in my reply is spelled correctly.
This advice really helped me. I played differently when I was in Vegas in May and I doubled my money each time I sat down at the blackjack tables. It was great.
Please be aware that “doubling your money” after a visit to a casino while using basic strategy, is just random fluctuation and while it feels good, it won’t happen like that all the time. If you are not card counting, or using other advanced strategies, all playing basic strategy will do, is reduce the long term house edge against you. Card counters can have emotionally devastating losses, even though they are doing everything correctly. Thankfully, you eventually recover from these losses and go on to reach a new all time high.
@@geoffpearce889 Thanks. I'm a Vegas regular and this ain't my first rodeo. When I buy in with $100 at a table and walk away from that table 20 minutes later with $200, that's doubled my money.
If I do that three or four times in a couple of days, then I am a happy camper.
@@sunnyscott4876 that's pretty much what I do. It makes it more fun. I feel like a winner. I use the double my amount on all the games I play.
@@carasmussen27 OK!
This is why I have stopped going to the casino for a bit. May as well have just walked in, handed them my money and left. Granted, I would only play with a few hundred dollars but I’d like to occasionally leave with more than I came with
You and me both. I often go, when I earn a few bucks, from time to time. But after a bad visit, I wait a little while longer to go back. I usually try not to lose more than $100 (if I often came in with at least $200, that is), since I want to have a little left over for gas or food, etc.
@@chrisfinch8637 Yeah, I usually take at least $200 to play with but occasionally $300-$400 but I always leave it at that and never play with money I can’t afford to lose. I also don’t get drunk when I play but I will have a couple drinks over the night.. but not anymore I don’t think. I almost always get up $50-$100 and then just lose from there once I start drinking. I just need to learn more about the finer points of the game before I play for money again.
@@darthsilversith667 Especially get more pointers, like with these guys, on how to play it logically, spending money wisely on these games, and know how to follow certain strategies to help you win more.
@@chrisfinch8637 lose less*
Wouldn’t we all? Lol
Dude the content you've put out on this channel is amazing! Ive been binging it like crazy lately, Thank you Colin!
Glad to hear it!
Great value to be had in the podcasts and site as well
I honestly think this may be one of your best videos, especially for those of us who don't card count. It's always good to remember that there are plenty of things one can do to "lose less" even if we're not taking the casino for a lot of money. If one is playing the game right, you can still do pretty damn well if you hit a good run of cards, and it softens the blow when the cards inevitably turn. Are we going to be stuck with only 6:5 blackjack on the strip going forward? I hate to say it, butI think so. :(
What do you mean about only 6:5 on the strip?
@@CaptainPantys Strip casinos have recently made a change where they only pay 6-to-5 for blackjack, rather than the old 3-to-2. To put it plainly, if you bet $10, you used to get $15 for blackjack. Now you get $12. That can add up significantly over a longer period of play.
@Rick Moreno That is crap dude... I was just getting into card counting and I think shoots my chances in the back of the head.
Years ago I started pointing out that those magnificant gambling palaces were not built on winners. They are "Monuments To Losers". A person special to me was telling me how she and a few friends like to go to a casino and limit their losses to $100, and only occasionally. My first thought was you piss away 100, for what? Then it hit me. I worked at a golf course, and people regularly come out and piss away $100 or more on that silly game, because they think they are getting some pleasure out of it. OK then, if sitting in that casino and playing those games gives you some pleasure, and you limit it to a reasonable amount you can easily afford, go for it. And, for that pleasure, you just might, maybe, on occasion, walk out with more money than you walked in with. That never happens on a golf course. ( PS. I worked in a casino at the same time. The golf course and casino were owned by the same tribe. I never played in the casino. The place was depressing to me, but being out on the course was a beautiful place to be )
Based on your summary you would be considered a pessimist. I have earned golf course and spa packages access since 2009 while doing fairly decent with my actions. I methodically track and record all actions.
Regarding the blackjack variants not being advertised, a friend of mine sat down at a table and started playing (casually). They made the hand signal for what they bought was either hit or stand (I forget if they were tapping the table or trying to wave it off to stand, but it's not really relevant) but it turned out they were at a "Spanish blackjack" table and since she slid her fingers across the felt instead of tapping in one spot or waving off the next card without touching the felt, they said it was the hand signal for surrendering. My friend felt cheated. There was a tiny little sign on the end of the tables that had the rules printed, which was pointed out after the hand, but that was the only thing indicating it wasn't standard blackjack.
That tip on full tilt hits home for sure. I’ve learned to have a casino buddy on dial to reach out to so I can step away and think. Always get that bad feeling when I’m seeing another player at the table go through it. Avoiding full tilt is probably more important advice than basic strategy itself in my opinion.
You are a game changer for a lot of people. I’ve got a whole new way of looking gambling at a casino. It doesn’t make any sense to make any bet in the casino unless you have been able to go over every detail to if the wager in order to determine what the house edge is and then be able to implement strategy and techniques to balance the scales where possible. If ya can’t do that then it’s a bad bet. Not saying that people shouldn’t always be responsible for the own life all the time. That don’t make it right for the casinos to put in so much effort intentionally misleading people about how truly at a disadvantage they are. Thanks for the vids and info. Like I said it’s been a game changer for me. Where I could see myself potentially going down a slippery slope in the casinos not to long ago, Ive taken a much more rational approach to the whole thing and developed the much needed discipline, derived from a deeper and more realistic understanding of the system itself. As to not hand over my money so Willy nilly on a very small chance of getting a little bit back every once in a while.
The only Blackjack variant with a low house edge AFAIK is Spanish 21. Particularly if the table either allows redoubling or stands on soft 17- it's under 0.5%. Basic strategy for it is certainly more complex than Blackjack, but it's a great game for anyone bored with plain ol' Blackjack and can be found pretty commonly around the US (except Vegas, oddly enough).
They had it in Vegas for a short while back in the late 2000's. I remember playing it at the Excalibur and doing pretty well with it!
The best advice for blackjack so far
Since i’m not a card counter yet and i know that i’m at a disadvantage, this is how i play. I flat bet the table minimum, i play basic strategy, and i play for however long i decided i was going to play before going or until i run out money, and then i don’t go back to the casino again til like a year later 😂. However, when i learn how to count i do want to try to play a lot and make money.
I wish you luck but card counting - while interesting from an academic viewpoint - is not going to make you much money. As you will know, if you're good enough to win - or even if the casino suspects that you _might_ be good enough to win - they will not let you play and your details will be circulated to other casinos. They'll treat you like a criminal when it is them that are the true criminals.
I wouldn't discourage you from trying but if you're interested in card games you'll probably find that it's much easier to win money at poker than blackjack.
if you flat bet playing basic strategy you are guaranteed to lose. You can only win by varying your bet sizes
Great presentation! The 6:5 game sucks so bad. Not only do the odds drop but the fun is stripped away. I recently had to drive over to Ellis Island to find a 3:2 game that I liked!
Not that I play roulette but I see so many that have 0 00 000 giving them 7.5% house edge. People need to wise up and let those tables fail. I play craps and I’m tired of seeing field bets pay only double for 2&12. 12 should be payed triple. Still a 2.5% house edge for fucks sake. Do they really need 5%.
I joined BJA 2 yrs ago and studied my a** off was getting real good at counting ,dividing decks into count and covid hit so no casino for me but I will say if you are going to join a site Colin's is the best to learn and the members are so helpful with newbies..Colin is also the most honest and trustworthy man in the business and the most feared when he walks into a casino .
Can’t wait to get back into BJA…. Had some tough life circumstances that made me put it on hold but I’m ready to get back to the study grind and go get the $$$
0:49 Absolutely avoid the side bets!!
6"45. ties in with what professional gambler John Patrick used to preach, money management! Set for yourself a win goal and a loss limit first and foremost!
Great video! These tips are super helpful for people just getting into blackjack and want to be prepared for the casino. Also, it’s a great gateway to get people interested in card counting.
Awesome thank you!
I’m sorry ILp pop Ponc😊GOP POP😊PPP PICKED 😊
Thank you Colin for making these videos
Love the content Colin. Keep it up! 👍🏻
This video is really helpful. I'm going on a cruise next week and I've never gambled before but like the idea of enjoying black jack. Not enough time to learn to card count but having some basics will make it fun.
I had a dealer question me when using basic strategy. I just pointed to the basic strategy card that she gave me.
Most dealers don't know about hitting a soft 18 vs their 9, 10 or ace. They usually ask if I'm sure, and if I'm not quick with my hit they try to move straight on to the next player, assuming I'm standing.
Hi Colin, When did Ace/ Seven verse 2 become a hit? I have had the same basic strategy card for over 20 years. Thanks
Unfortunately the rating system doesn't always work like that. I'm a dealer at a casino and they ask us what the players average bet is (so we watch the average) the supervisor is only putting how much you came in for (your buy in) on the system
When players bet multiple spots like say $5 x 3 is it $5 or $15?
@@moef.5326 it'll be your total bet (all put together) so the $15 🙂
If you have a 15 or 16 - and hit and a face card shows. I generally feel like I'm screwing over my next hand. Is this considered in basic strategy? I don't have the data, but I can recall times when I would of had a 20 or blackjack in the following hand if I didn't hit.
Question how much advantage do you get when using true count conversion vs using the running count? Does it make a difference in a single/double deck game or a 6/8 deck game? Thanks in advance
Running count is ok in single deck, but most of the singles only pay 6/5. Using running count in 6/8 decks, is a waste of time, u less the rules are extra special, edge off the top.
@@bobbyd9319 ok thanks
@@bobbyd9319 From what I understand, a running count on a single deck IS the true count.
@@andrewcalder012 depends what you mean. For example if you are playing single deck and the running count is plus 5 and you have 26cards left. True count is 10.
You could always use an unbalanced court, i.e., Synders' Red Seven. There's plenty of other one's as well, if you have hard time dividing by fractions/decimals.
I prefer unbalanced. It allows me to side-track certain cards, (vulnerable side-bets) and focus on more important things, like skilled-cut-card-placement.
Atlantic city has 3-2 blackjack everywhere. The table minimums are $10 sunday-thursday and go up to $15 minimum on friday and saturday nights. All are shoes, although perhaps high limit are different, i don't play hogh limit. Hotel prices are cheap, especially sunday to thursday. Offseason even low rollers can get free rooms and during prime time (summer) discounted rooms. Surprised more people don't gamble in Atlantic city. It crazy for people to keep going to vegas with bad blackjack rules, high resort fees, expensive restaurants.
you don't like excitement , do you.
Make sure to get rated on your max martingale bet 🤓
Fantastic video, man. One of the best for anyone that doesn't have the bankroll to burn the place down. I won't categorize myself, but I think that when I began, this would have been one to take to the heart. Great video. I'm super glad to see these coming out.
Much appreciated.
Even I want to win more money, by playing side bets, but my dad has always cautioned me about those, as well as how much to play with, on future hands.
If it weren’t for him (since he has had friends in Las Vegas and such) I wouldn’t have been a careful gambler. I always try to play at my own calm risk.
6:40 is EVERYTHING!! Say it louder for the people in the back! 🗣
Collin you forget the major rule.. Dont play Blackjack online or computer blackjack.. Only play at your land based Casino.. :))))
Amen. Have learned that the hard eay
Why? You 1000% do better with provably fair systems with a calculator next to you
@@mrfoodskaterbecause they have rules to make you bet certain amount, they know what they are doing and know what cards usually come next and are more not in your favour.
@@TimmCad they have the same rules at regular casinos? Ive won more online then in pe4son
Good advice! Another small tidbit is to sit at 3rd base... that way you will be right next to the pit boss when he/she is inputting on their little computer. I'll even joke around with the pit boss sometimes and say something like "you missed my $1,000 bet!". For all I know he might believe me! ;)
Just was in LV at two major casinos on the strip and they were all 6:5 and hit on soft 17 tables. You had to play in the high limit room for 3:2 and stand on soft 17.
Yep, $100/hand at most places on the strip, $200 at Caesar's to get a fair game. 3:2 S17 DA2 DAS Resplit to at least 3 and Late Surrender should be the MINIMUM we expect.
At TI a couple months ago they had 3:2 for $15 min bet
The casinos don’t put a gun to your head to force you to gamble. If they only have 6/5 tables then I play another game or don’t gamble. If we all did that they would change back to 3/2.
Crazy how much the quality and effort has changed recently in ur vids colin! Great work 👏🏽
Glad you think so!
7:04 player’s edge 😂
They are talking about the edge the player's going to get after losing all their money.
Do u always stick to perfect basic strategy even when counting? I.e. are u still supposed to hit 16 vs 10 even when deep in negative counts?
New TITLE : 6 Ways to Lose Less Money at Blackjack (without counting cards)
Wrong video to ask this, but just wanted your thoughts.
At the Rio in Vegas, there’s a 6 to 5 table that if the dealer gets a 22, it’s a push all around the table.
But.... every split and doubledown is FREE!
I thought it was pretty wild and would love your input.
Thanks
That's Free Bet Blackjack. If you don't get many splits and doubles, you're giving up getting paid when the dealer busts with a 22 and not getting anything in return.
If you play, Wizard of Odds has a strategy chart for this game, which I recommend using.
It is a fun game. I've played it. Glad to hear it's still around.
I have been in several places where they only offer 3 to 2 blackjack on higher bet tables ...... they may have 6 to 5 on their $5 or $10 tables but 3 to 2 tables start at $25 ..... also the casino may have only one or two 3 to 2 tables open but have six or more 6 to 5 tables running ...... I guess the casino is thinks if all the 3 to 2 are filled then you will play the 6 to 5 tables instead
I have a question, what do you think about blackjack parisian style?
What if there is a situation where basic strategy would tell you to always double *whatever move you are doing*, but the count is really bad against you? Would you still double? Or just hit instead?
Only if it's a deviation like 12 v 4, 13 v 2, 12 v 6 (S17) or 11 v Ace etc. Don't just randomly not double or split because the count is in the toilet. Instead "drunkenly" fall asleep at the table until they shuffle, where you suddenly sober up and play perfectly 🤣
@@raven7389 Are you talking about doubling down with a 12 or 13 count? That's not basic strategy, and it's definitely a bad idea. For the 12 and 13 count hands you mention, I think you're referring to hands where basic strategy would be to stay, but hitting would be a better percentage play if a sufficient number of 10s have come out.
Checking a computer analysis of a six-deck blackjack game: for all but one hand where doubling down is basic strategy, it would take an extreme situation to justify not doubling down, i.e. double down regardless. The exception is A/2 (soft 13) vs dealer 5, when hitting is better if the deck is light in 7s through 10s. So hit if you're counting 10s and you know a lot of 10s have come out. If you're not counting, just look at the cards you see on the table and hit instead of doubling down if you see a disproportionate number of 7s through 10s.
Finally found someone that knows the game. Blackjack junkie here and it’s good to find someone with some sense
While your comp advice May work short term, if you play for more than 30 minutes, the floor will eventually notice you’re betting the minimum and change the Average bet on the computer.
does basic strategy work for 6 deck cards ? ie- which bj version should i select when playing online ?
6/16 either you hit all the time or you don’t. Either/or doesn’t matter as long as it’s consistent.
I will say something right now. I've been watching ur videos for 2 years or so. I've been on the website a bunch, poured into the videos (rewinding a bunch, and pausing) until I got it. I've had your basic strat card as a screensaver on my phone for about a year now. Last time went to the local casino, I played better than ever have. Money lasted so much longer. The last dealer I had, asked me what I was looking at on my phone, after I told my friend to double on her A,5 against the dealers 6, (we won our hands) I showed her my phone screen. She said where'd u get that. All I said was, the internet. Lol I think that was dumb of me lol anyway, that's my story. Oh ya, I ended up giving it all back to them. Have to keep in mind leave.
I learned a while back that single deck blackjack provides the player much better odds that 6 or 8 deck tables. Your thoughts?
of course single deck gives a player better odds. thats why casinos use multideck shoes'
If you're a card counter, then the single deck is better, otherwise the 6 deck shoe is fine.
Wow. You quoted what a BJ dealer at the Strat told me 20 years ago. "They don't build these on winners".
I never split 10’s, I never buy insurance, I never take even money, I always assume the dealer has a 10 underneath and hit and stay accordingly, I always hit soft anything if the dealer is not showing a face card I’m sure I’m doing some things wrong and I’m glad I discovered your channel so I can have a better chance next time I gamble….. subscribing now.
why would you assume the dealer has a ten underneath when out of 13 possible card ranks 4 are ten value and 9 are not? The odds are 2.25-1 against the dealer's down card being a ten.
Before starting to learn counting cards, would like to learn does it work if 25-30% of cards are out of game?
Believe there’s an error in the video.
Having all your chips out and not being able to double down is the same result as having half your chips out and doubling down.
A better analogy, for that section would have been having a pair of aces and not having any more money left to split. :)
Great straight forward grounding video. By extension to the online environment, are online Blackjack games on major 'poker/card' sites regulated enough to straight and true to their RTP promise? If playing online, is it better to play on a live dealer, multiplayer table as opposed to 'the algorithm'?
It’s amazing with how much information out there is about Blackjack, most people don’t take the time to learn even a little bit. How many videos of crowded 6:5 tables have you seen on RUclips? It’s crazy how many people I’ve seen hit 16 vs a 5, stand on 15 vs 10, double on 7 vs 4. Oh, btw… I was at Wind Creek and I won about $40 in two hours. 😂 For whatever reason it only registered I won $12. Nevertheless I received $8 free play and threw it in a slot for fun- hit a $14 jackpot. Next thing I know one of the dudes in a suit started watching me so I left. I mean give me a break; they don’t want to win even $1!!! 😅 After three free drinks I was told the drink comp service was temporarily out of order. Hahaha jeez they’re brutal sometimes
Since ive been playing basic i can turn 25 into 100$ most days usually play 5 or 10 a handb
Thanks for the helpful tips.
What are your thoughts on playing 2 hands?
Love these vids. I’m addicted to learning more! I don’t believe I’ll ever go professional and I think that’s a big percent of ppl here. Can you explain how one would go about being a part-time AP?
The house edge on blackjack for casinos is about 2% on turnover. Just knowing basic strategy reduces this down to about 0.5% which means you will lose far less from long term play. Card counting identifies when the edge has ever so slightly tipped in your favour. Part of understanding the maths of winning at the game, is to size your bets according to how much advantage you have as the count goes up. The advantage only favours you for about a quarter to a third of the hands you play. The rest of the time it favours the house and this is why we place minimum or no bet at all. You have to carefully size your bets in a spreadsheet with a frequency distribution which shows the amount of advantage you, or the house has, at various counts per 100 hands. When you plug in your bet sizes and multiply everything out and add up the positive EV and the Negative EV the result will be your long term EV per 100 hands of play. If you only get 60 rounds per hour, your EV will only be 60% of this figure. If you get 150 rounds per hour, your EV will be 150% of this figure.
If you want to be a part time AP, you still have to learn how to do everything correctly, ie, play perfect basic strategy, keep a running count of cards in play, estimate the number of decks remaining in the shoe, mentally do a true count conversion which informs you of your predetermined bet size, and at least learn The Illustrious 18 playing strategy adjustments which give you a little extra EV. You have to be able to do these processes automatically because there are many distractions in the casinos that can cause you to forget things, lose the count, or make a wrong playing adjustment. It might seem daunting doing all this, but hey, before you learned how to drive a car, you had to go through a long learning process, knowing road rules and learning how to operate clutch brake and accelerator and observe other traffic around you. But now it’s an automatic process.
Most new players start at minimum bet tables to get a feel of what it’s like to implement advantage play in a real world situation. In the beginning, you may need to do several hundred hours of play before you actually start to take money out of a casino. If you have a small bankroll and a low EV, you might find needing to do many more hours of play to reach this point. And if you are only doing this part time, you could find it taking 6 to 12 months or more, before you are in positive territory. However, compared to a new business startup, after an investment of time and money establishing it, and if everything is done right, it can still take 2 or 3 years for a business to show a profit. But if you are persistent, and develop confidence in your play, eventually you can scale your bets up which will increase your EV and then it will be rewarding. Good luck with it.
Thanks for what you do Colin
Thank you for this video. It is very informative. Do you also make videos on baccarat to help us play better for that is my favourite game.
I’ve always been Lucky but Mainly Strategic when I Gamble or Bet which some people ask, “How are you that lucky? What did you just do? How did you know about what to do and why did you decide to play [insert Game here]?!” Some are really aggressive and try to threaten me or downplay me by trying to intimidate me and or ruin my winning streak which just boosts my Gambling Ego but my expression never changes. Don’t play or bet aggressively unless you have a BIG advantage or rely on sheer luck alone, Bet high then change that same bet lower after others bet high. I’m going to visit a Casino in a Suit just for fun! Anyways good luck to everyone here and have a good one! (Also remember to use your brain when Gambling/Betting on EVERY Game.)
Colin says to get rated when you have a maximum bet placed 4:37 , but if you aren't counting is it better to flat bet all hands the same amount? You are only guessing on gut feel when to bet more or less.
That’s what I been doing. I been betting 25$ hands then going to 50$ or 75$ when I just have a hot feeling or whatever, only been going 3 weeks and I’m up every trip!
Oh yeah, I hate being on a 6/5 and don't realize it till I hit blackjack. One thing I would like your opinion on that you didn't mention. I know double down after a split has pretty much anywhere in Las Vegas and Laughlin have pretty much disappeared. I would like to know your thoughts and if anyone knows casinos in Nevada that allow that.
5:43 over the years of gambling I learned this is the most important rule if you want to protect your bankroll. I lost it all many times to doing this to learn to stop
If you want to know if BJ odds are better or worse than 3 to 2 here's how you calculate it.
3 to 2 is 3 divided by 2 which equals 1.5
6 to 5 is 6 divided by 5 which equals 1.2
The higher total is better odds.
You get back +50% vs + 20%… Start from there. 😉
#2 don't chase your money. In any game of chance I like to think of it like the wind. It's either at your back (good) or in your face (bad). Nothing YOU can do will change the wind, you've just got to recognize it for what it is and adjust accordingly. If the wind is at your back sure go ahead and bet big!
I agree with you in terms of the numbers and percentages of the casinos advantage but I’ve hit a lot in the side bets but I also only start betting on the side bets once I made 200 percent of my initial buy in. With that said I only use the side bets when my gut tells me and it’s always a 5-10 dollar hand.
Thanks for the information been listening to you. Basic strategy helped improve my play.
Glad to help
6-5 cropping up . NO almost all casinos on the strip are 6 to 5 and have been for a long time. That's why I go downtown. I love El Cortez and have won quite a bit of money there. ( hundreds of dollars). I don't have a big bankroll so I have to bet small, usually $10 a hand. I follow all these tip you have given. It's really good advice. I prefer 2 decks not a shoe. (too hard to count). But I rarely ever count because it's not as fun when I have to focus and concentrate. I wanted to add even if you play perfect strategy every time it doesn't mean you will always win or come out ahead at the end of the session.
TI has 3:2 with $15 min bet
Dos your decision vary if you are playing 3rd base ?
I love playing side bets
Tip #4. My thoughts with this are this. If you're down to your last stack, what's the harm of not saving an equal amount for a double down? In a split scenario, sure, but same theory. You have $60 down, get a double down hand, then cannot double, take a hit, and make $120. If you put down $30. Get a double, then double and hit. You still get $120.
the harm is that you are in a casino losing at blackjack
Learning basic strategy with the app and its super helpful I’m getting there slowly but surly! I’ve been in it so much I noticed the 9 of diamonds has 10 diamonds and the 10 of diamonds has 9 diamonds just a friendly heads up
Wow! Which app? Our iOs or Android app?
@@Blackjackapprenticeship on your iOS app
I never play Tri-Lux. One casino I know of has the low end bet pay schedule set for a 13% house advantage!
Good video. Off topic… what chips are those in front of you?
Thanks for vid. Colin! awesome as always.
Glad you enjoyed it!
What you think about the perfect pairs side bet , probably the best side bet .
Backup bets... After a late night in Vegas, my wife wasn't feeling that well the next morning. Since she wanted to sleep in, I walked over to the Westgate and played a little AM Blackjack. I was the only person playing cards that morning (approximately 9AM). I was back and forth, then had a hand where I split 8's four times... I've never split a hand four times before...My cheeks were clenched, but dealer bust! I had the same thing happen a few hands later where I split 8's three times. Again, dealer bust! I was pretty happy heading back to the hotel with a little extra spending cash in my pocket!
I see players' videos recommending the 2 1 2 strategy. Is it similar or the same as the Martingale System? Yes or no, do you have a strategy, rule of thumb or recommend when to increase and decrease a bet? Numbers and I don't get along. I won't be able to count cards. I did print your "basic strategy" rules and I'm looking forward to playing the smarter way next time. Great videos and I enjoyed the Holly Rollers doc. I'll recommend it to my mother-in-law.
Around where we're visiting there's really only 2 casinos (Planet Hollywood and Mirage) that offer $25 3:2 blackjack, but thats mainly just during the day or slow times, then I believe its $50 in evenings and weekends. Most casinos barely offer these games for less than $50 or $100 per hand if at all. Though maybe its better downtown, I just usually prefer to stick around the strip.
I am in the uk and as you may know the games played differently, does that make a huge difference to basic start and CC ?
While playing without card counting do you suggest to use any bet progression or to play even money?
Thanks for the book recommendation. Just borrowed a digital copy from my library.
For Side bets on the double deck buster , you have to wait until the dealer bust ..that’s the only time I would play that .. usually if he bust once in that shoe he will buss again. Otherwise he could go 2-3 shoes with no bust
does electronic black jack have the same odds as physical blackjack table game?
Regarding the comp portion of the video: I get that the timing of your request to comp benefits you, but with the RFID chip technology in some of the casinos, wouldn't they also have software to track comps based on your 'actual' bets? I know a lot of places don't have RFID tech, but some do...
I am curious tho for the side bets, wouldn’t Lucky Ladies be advantageous to a counter since you’re betting on getting 20?
According to eight eight eight casinos, you flatbet minimum bet on main bet, and then when the count reaches a true seven, you max the bet on Lucky Ladies. So yes, its advantageous.
At a true 6 and a half you can bet on kings bounty or lucky ladies
Though it's not THAT valuable. Still it is +EV.
@@shred9395 But it could be a bit of a red flag to suddenly do that one side bet if you want to avoid being tagged as a card counter.
I don't care what anyone says but I will play the progressive bets at the table. I've won 2 jackpots this year alone putting up $1, one was $28k and the other was $35k. Yeah, I think I am okay giving them $1 for my chance at a progressive jackpot.