Why there are few card counters
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Simply put "It is a lot of work" The first step is to learn basic startegy. Not kind of know it, but have it down cold. Then you have to decide what kind of counting method is right for you. There are lots of them. Some are balanced, like Hi-Lo and some are unbalanced, like K.O. Once you do learn to count cards, you may just find, that is the easy part. Unless you are playing a single deck game,you now have to add a true count, to the running count. Then you have to learn the index's. At least you should know Wong's Illustrate 18, as they come up the most often. Some players claim to know over 150 index's. Now you get into risk of ruin and Kelly's Criterion. You probably can learn to do it, just don't think it will be easy. Most players don't have the time or inculcation. Maybe this is why there are so many players, using some form of a progression....
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......Not necessarily true. With K-O, Red7, Renzey's KISS, etc., you do NOT convert to a TC. You work from the running count.......you now have to add a true count, to the running count.
.....Pretty good trick since Wong does not have an "Illustrate 18".....learn the index's. At least you should know Wong's Illustrate 18...
.....Amazing. Could you name a couple of those "some" who know 150 index's, or is this "some" the same one that says you need a 1,000 unit bankroll to use a counting method?Some players claim to know over 150 index's
And what is really amazing is the fact that no method I know of even has 150 "indexes". Is this guy "some" just "inventing something so he can he pretend he knows more than he does?" -
There are so few card counters out there because most blackjack players only want to "play" at the game -- not "work" at it. That's fine, but you cannot beat blackjack by "playing" at it. You cannot beat any gambling game, long term by "playing" at it -- that's a pipe dream.
The thing of it is, of all the gambling games that can be beaten (and there are few), blackjack is the easiest one to do it at. The entire roadmap for successfully beating it has been completely systematized. You learn the system well -- you've got the upper hand in the game!
It's much more nebulous with other beatable gambling games such as poker or sports betting. There, you must always rely on your own personal, on-the-spot subjective judgement of the situation. In blackjack, you're given all the right betting and playing moves ahead of time -- nothing is subjective. You rehearse them in advance -- and simply execute as they come up.
Most semi-diligent blackjack players learn their basic strategy and have no desire to delve into tedious methods of tracking the cards. So they adopt a different reason to tell them when to bet more -- their last result. This then becomes the focal point of their game and their progress is doomed to end right there. -
Yes sir, the Illustrious 18 was coined by Don Schlesinger and not Wong. As for the players that "claim" to know over 150 index's. That was from a post on BJ 21. The point I was trying to make was: Yes, you can learn to count, But it will not be easy and there will still be more you need to learn. It was not my intention to scare anyone off, from learning to count cards.
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So... in a 6-deck shoe game using the Ace/5 count... what's a good count to raise my bet by 2 units from $10? When the count is +2 or +3 or HIGHER since it's a 6-deck shoe?
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Really -- In a shoe game the Ace/5 Count doesn't take enough cards into consideration to give you a workable edge.
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I read somewhere that while using the hi-low count, for every increase of 1 in the true count, the advantage increases 0.5% for the player. Do you guys agree with this? Also, is it correct when using the Kelly criterion to bet according to 75% of your advantage? (ie. 75% of 2% advantage= 1.5% of bankroll is the optimal bet) I also read this somewhere on the net.
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That's basically correct on both points. The player's advantage starts out at roughly -0.5% with a neutral count, and would reach a 2% advantage at a count of +5 true. At this point an appropriate bet would be about 1.5% of your overall available bankroll.
Example: You may have walked into the casino with $1000 or $1500 in your pocket, but if your total available money for blackjack is $10,000, then an appropriate bet at this count would be $150. In a shoe game, you'll get to this level or beyond about 3% to 4% of the time.
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