HCTiger9704 Posted April 26, 2013 #1 Share Posted April 26, 2013 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davecttr Posted April 28, 2013 #2 Share Posted April 28, 2013 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 :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chut_da_chut Posted May 8, 2013 #3 Share Posted May 8, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor_jimc Posted May 9, 2013 #4 Share Posted May 9, 2013 And at least on Carnival Ships, they use a continuous shoe so card counting is meaningless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbzcruiser Posted June 16, 2013 #5 Share Posted June 16, 2013 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.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor_jimc Posted June 17, 2013 #6 Share Posted June 17, 2013 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... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Dorhead1230 Posted June 18, 2013 #7 Share Posted June 18, 2013 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wondo Posted June 18, 2013 #8 Share Posted June 18, 2013 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverscreencruiser Posted June 19, 2013 #9 Share Posted June 19, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpaul Posted June 20, 2013 #10 Share Posted June 20, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passlineman Posted July 9, 2013 #11 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Agreed the movie sucked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSeaDog1969 Posted July 24, 2013 #12 Share Posted July 24, 2013 You're right. I thought the movie was terribly done. Great book. Agree 100%. Shocking portrayal of the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSeaDog1969 Posted July 24, 2013 #13 Share Posted July 24, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tv24 Posted December 22, 2013 #14 Share Posted December 22, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry and Lucille Posted December 22, 2013 #15 Share Posted December 22, 2013 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted December 22, 2013 #16 Share Posted December 22, 2013 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 ~~~~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeeter195 Posted December 23, 2013 #17 Share Posted December 23, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted December 23, 2013 #18 Share Posted December 23, 2013 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 ~~~~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeeter195 Posted December 24, 2013 #19 Share Posted December 24, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANTHEMAN Posted December 26, 2013 #20 Share Posted December 26, 2013 What's wrong with splitting 6s??? Always versus a 2 thru 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tv24 Posted December 26, 2013 #21 Share Posted December 26, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpaul Posted December 27, 2013 #22 Share Posted December 27, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANTHEMAN Posted December 27, 2013 #23 Share Posted December 27, 2013 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 !!;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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