card counters

[HCTiger9704]

I am wondering if there has ever been any true stories about card counters playing on the casinos (such as the MIT Blackjack Team)?

 

I do not play black jack (I usually play the penny slot machines) but I enjoy reading non-fiction stories.

Edited April 26, 2013 by HCTiger9704

[davecttr]

Hardly any point in card counting on a ship. If they find you out there is no where else to go!.

 

Some cruise lines have continuous shuffling machines as well.

 

I play basic strategy blackjack for entertainment. It is really fun watching people splitting tens etc etc ;)

 

Be good to read the stories though :)

[chut_da_chut]

I can gaurentee card counting is a real practice. Even more so 30-40 years ago; before casinos started using 6-10 decks, card shufflers, and a million cameras to watch out for suspisous play.

 

Counting cards is not a magical or difficult thing, but in this day and age, it's impossible to implement, since casinos know how to deter it.

[sailor_jimc]

And at least on Carnival Ships, they use a continuous shoe so card counting is meaningless.

[dbzcruiser]

And at least on Carnival Ships, they use a continuous shoe so card counting is meaningless.

It is not entirely meaningless, you can count for the limited purpose of knowing whether to hit or stand when you have a three or more card hard 16 against dealer 10. If the tens and aces exceed the 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, and 6'd, stand, otherwise hit.

 

(I always surrender an initial hard 16 against a 10.)

[sailor_jimc]

It is not entirely meaningless, you can count for the limited purpose of knowing whether to hit or stand when you have a three or more card hard 16 against dealer 10. If the tens and aces exceed the 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, and 6'd, stand, otherwise hit.

 

(I always surrender an initial hard 16 against a 10.)

 

How do you figure? They use a 6 deck CSM and they put the last hand's cards back into the shoe after each hand is dealt. Even if you are the last person seated at a full table AND all the players before you got dealt 20's you are looking at 10 of 96 tens in the shoe. there are 360 2's thru 6's in that same shoe... So knowing the cards that are on the table is of little help considering that the cards they put in the machine from the last hand could possibly show up coming out of the shoe on the NEXT deal...

[Dorhead1230]

I am wondering if there has ever been any true stories about card counters playing on the casinos (such as the MIT Blackjack Team)?

 

I do not play black jack (I usually play the penny slot machines) but I enjoy reading non-fiction stories.

 

Have you read Bringing Down the House? That's the book Ben Mezrich wrote about the MIT blackjack team. They based the movie 21 on it. If you've never read it, you should. It's such a crazy story...and so much more interesting than the movie!

[Wondo]

It is not entirely meaningless, you can count for the limited purpose of knowing whether to hit or stand when you have a three or more card hard 16 against dealer 10. If the tens and aces exceed the 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, and 6'd, stand, otherwise hit.

 

(I always surrender an initial hard 16 against a 10.)

 

Which cruise lines have surrender?

[Silverscreencruiser]

Successful card counting reverses the small advantage the house normally has and gives the player a small advantage. Over time, players can earn a profit. It does not guarantee that players will win a large number of hands in a row so that they can win millions in minutes.

 

TV shows and movies that show players coming into a "hot" shoe and cleaning up on a consistent basis are fantasy. The reality of watching card counters consistently is the same reality as watching the casino dealer, boring.

[Grandpaul]

Have you read Bringing Down the House? That's the book Ben Mezrich wrote about the MIT blackjack team. They based the movie 21 on it. If you've never read it, you should. It's such a crazy story...and so much more interesting than the movie!

You're right. I thought the movie was terribly done. Great book.

[passlineman]

Agreed the movie sucked!

[OldSeaDog1969]

You're right. I thought the movie was terribly done. Great book.

 

Agree 100%. Shocking portrayal of the book.

[OldSeaDog1969]

Card counting is all but dead. Casino management have so many options to deter card counters. Cutting the shoe so thin that it's impossible to count, enforcing the table minimum to be played throughout the whole shoe & the obvious, just barring them.

[tv24]

I spent many hours in Reno counting cards using the "Red 7" method. You can research and learn it on line. I have a friend who swears by it. My conclusion was that it gave me a complete headache and took all of the fun out of the game. One has to concentrate and count every card that comes out of the shoe. Very hard work. And I am on the fence as to whether the counting really gave me an advantage.

[Harry and Lucille]

Never had an interest in card counting. Takes too much time and reality out of the game. I have studied the game for many years. Real advantage is only with luck, feeling, whatever. Odds are only in the favor of the player with splits and double downs depending on the dealers up card. I play like it is a long term job when I sit down. Out of 18 cruises, I have managed to pay for 9 of them on the table. I done good. Usually play 5 or 6 hours on a sea day. Have to know the odds and study until it becomes automatic play then you can have the fun of idle chit chat with other players, dealers and pit boss. It's great when the staff knows you by name and tracks your winnings. ;)

 

Good luck out there, Harry

[OCruisers]

Some cruise lines have continuous shuffling machines as well.

 

I play basic strategy blackjack for entertainment. It is really fun watching people splitting tens etc etc ;)

 

:D I saw someone splitting 6's.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[skeeter195]

I always count cards and put that advantage to good use at times. I usually talk, have drinks and make silly comments like wow I got lucky on that hand when I should have won, when I am counting and doing the betting to go along with it. You will only get 1 or 2 shoes every couple of hours to really take advantage of the cards. I have never been caught or questioned on my play. My best advice is to be friendly and you may not ever get caught. The counting thing is hard at first, but I can now drink 3-4 drinks an hour and never miss a card. I also think that if someone is drinking it kind of draws the attention away from you as being a counter.

[OCruisers]

Skeeter ... Those continuous shuffling machines are not your friend.

 

Since I can't accurately count cards when more than 2 decks are being used, I just do basic strategy

 

LuLu

~~~~

[skeeter195]

Yeah forget about it with the shuffling machines. I was on NCL Breakaway in October and the $50 and up tables were hand shuffled and 2 of the dealers were actually cutting thin. I thought it was a mistake the first time, but they continued it throughout the week. It are those little things that can make a big difference in the end. An extra 20 or 30 cards can turn into some great hands if things are right.

 

Don't think that counting can't be done with 8 decks. I had a shoe once where there there was 105 cards left and there were only 6 tens left. That's when basic strategy takes a back seat. I won 2 hands at that point by hitting 12's against a 5 one hand and a 6 the other. Since there were only 6 tens left the odds of me busting were around 3%. The other players and dealer thought I was nuts. I later explained to one of the players why.

[RANTHEMAN]

What's wrong with splitting 6s??? Always versus a 2 thru 6.

[tv24]

The problem with splitting 6's is the somewhat high probability of pulling a face card or 10. Then you end up with a 16, the worst hand possible, or how about 2 16's? If you keep your two 6's, you have a 12, which is a hand that can be worked with. If the dealer has a six up, I might consider splitting 6's, especially if my bet is small, and if there are not other players around. Just my strategy and opinion.

[Grandpaul]

I wouldn't split against a 2. That's not a bad card for the dealer. But whatever makes you happy. Like I say at the table "Hey if I play smart I will lose. Maybe I'll play stupid and have a chance". Some people think I'm serious. Lots of fun playing.

[RANTHEMAN]

Whatever floats your boat tv. As you say there is a high probabilty of drawing a 10. But that is also true for the dealer and when the dealer has a break card, you want to get more money on the table. As for the duece, it is a really scary card and sometimes I will hit the 6s against the 2. Statisticaly splitting makes sense but we all play the way we play.

 

Cheers and Happy New Year !!;)