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Table Games Blackjack strategy?

Discussion in 'Table Games' started by VegasChic-, Nov 22, 2014.

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  1. VegasChic-

    VegasChic- VIP Whale

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    I used to only play table games, but haven't played them in a long while. I'm thinking about trying some blackjack again, possibly on my next trip. A couple questions -

    - I used to play based on basic strategy. Is that still the go to, and, is that what you generally see played at even the higher limit tables? Is there another preferred strategy I should look at?

    - Does anyone have any suggested betting progression strategies? I'd bet one unit until I won, then I would increase 50% for the next bet. If I won, I would bet 2 units and let it ride until I lost. It sucked if it was win one/ lose one kind of streak, and seemed to really take hours to really get up anything notable. I'm guessing my bet increases might be too conservative?

    Out of curiosity......the hand I hated most was me getting 12 against a dealer 2. I know mathematically you are supposed to hit, but I ALWAYS busted out. Do you hit your 12's???????? While playing, does it irk you if a player at the table doesn't hit their 12's against a 2??

    Thanks for any input!!
     
  2. HuskerBB

    HuskerBB VIP Whale

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    Always hit a 12 vs a 2. The tough hands are 13 vs a 2 or 12 vs a 3 - although really those are coin flip decisions.

    Doesn't really bother me what other people at the table do. If they were hitting 14 to a dealer 6 I would not like the karma but how they play hands that are at least close from a decision standpoint don't impact me at all. Again - most people understand that what someone else at the table does has no impact on your ultimate likelihood of winning at the table.
     
  3. HuskerBB

    HuskerBB VIP Whale

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    Always hit a 12 vs a 2. The tough hands are 13 vs a 2 or 12 vs a 3 - although really those are coin flip decisions.

    Doesn't really bother me what other people at the table do. If they were hitting 14 to a dealer 6 I would not like the karma but how they play hands that are at least close from a decision standpoint don't impact me at all. Again - most people understand that what someone else at the table does has no impact on your ultimate likelihood of winning at the table.
     
  4. johnvic

    johnvic VIP Whale

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    Unless you are counting you should flat bet. No betting progression system will affect the odds.
     
  5. VegasChic-

    VegasChic- VIP Whale

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    Do you think so? My theory was that I will possibly have more losing hands over time, and it tends to win a few, lose a few. Maybe I will try flat betting and see how it goes. Thanks~
     
  6. blackjacker2

    blackjacker2 Never ever play 6:5, it is not blackjack

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    There is no magic formula which will make you win, basic strategy is still the way to go though. The two camps are people who count cards and those who don't. For those that don't you will find people who use proper basic strategy, those have their own basic strategy and those people who do not have a clue. That is a spectrum of competence, you play long enough you will see it all. Three pieces of advice from me, read a good on blackjack, do learn basic strategy and NEVER play blackjack at tables which playbacks out at 6/5 - oh and of course win and have fun!
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2014
  7. Chuck2009x

    Chuck2009x VIP Whale

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    I think that's conservative, but only by 1/2 a unit after the first winning bet. I'm a conservative bettor, but I'd press a full unit after the win, and then let the 2 unit bet ride. And I don't press at all when I'm down, only up. When I'm down after a bad streak, I try to let variance bring me back a little at a time; if I never quite get back to the + side, that's OK.

    You'll never make a $100k score that way, but if you've been staying away from tables for a while, it makes sense to play it close to the vest at first and not potentially put yourself in huge hole by chasing.
     
  8. bardolator

    bardolator Lifelong Low Roller

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    Bet flat unless you have learned to count. Learn basic strategy for 3:2 BJ, and practice until you make zero errors. Forget you ever heard of progressions. They don't work, although they may appear to work in the short run.
     
  9. BlacklabberMike

    BlacklabberMike MIA

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    very true...
    but i do press when things are going well...as happened today
    this morning i went to foxwoods.. found an empty quarter table... 200 el cheapo buy in.
    down to 2 chips, bet one, doubled on 11 vs face...hit 21....
    bet 2 chips, won, then went on a mild run to the end of the shoe.. colored out at $950
     
  10. BearcatBJ

    BearcatBJ Low-Roller

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    I hope everyone is kidding about flat betting?
     
  11. Tree DA

    Tree DA High-Roller

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    Why would they be kidding?
     
  12. Tree DA

    Tree DA High-Roller

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    double post
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2014
  13. roycpa

    roycpa High-Roller

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    No bearcat, we're not kidding! Unless you count cards, it makes absolutely no difference (none, nada, zilch) how you bet or whether you use any self imposed progression. The odds are still exactly the same. Consequently, a flat bet takes one more variable out of the equation, and you can just make sure to follow basic strategy. Even if you can accurately count cards at home at the kitchen table, it's completely another matter when you are sitting in a casino, watching the cocktail waitresses, drinking a few cold ones, talking to the dealer and other players, etc. Poor counting is worse than no counting at all.
     
  14. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    Even without counting, you will still notice when a long string of played cards are either 10-rich or 10-poor.

    In a two-deck game, this is frequently all you will need to know about counting, as you typically only get a few hands per shuffle anyway.

    Up your bet every time the previous hand was 20% or less ten value cards (1 of 5 or fewer).
    Lower your bet when the previous hand was 60% or more ten value cards (3 of 5 or more).
    Flat-bet every other situation.

    This requires your base-bet to be 1 unit (or more) above the table minimum.
    For example, if your base-bet is $10, you should try to play a $5 table - so that you can drop to $5 when the previous hand was 10-rich.

    Play this way for awhile. You will start to realize that you cannot help but notice the ratio of small cards to big cards as they are removed from the deck.
    This is when you realize that you are now "counting".

    Stick with 2-deck and definitely stick with 3:2 games.
    Avoid the sucker-bets at the table. Do not play hunches. Play proper basic strategy every hand.
    I think that you'll find plenty of bet-variance available to you if follow the suggestion I made above.
     
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  15. VegasChic-

    VegasChic- VIP Whale

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    Thanks everyone for the comments - much appreciated!! I'll brush up on my basic strategy and find some on-line games to test with!
     
  16. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    Thrre is a trainer app


    Blackjack genius I think is the name. You can set rules, then it tell you when you deviate from basic strategy
     
  17. bardolator

    bardolator Lifelong Low Roller

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    If you plan to do as Topcard suggests, which is something I nearly suggested but in a simpler and less effective way, it is good to vary your wagers because a big bet then does not attract as much attention. In two-deck with four or five players, you can have a pretty seriously good count after only two hands, and in that case, it doesn't matter much what the actual count is- just that it's good.

    The key is that you are varying your bets for a reason- and that reason has nothing to do with the so-called logic of progressions.
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2014
  18. VegasChic-

    VegasChic- VIP Whale

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    Again, thanks everyone -some questions for when the deck is obviously positive or negative -

    Occasionally when playing, you hit a scenario like this -

    Most spots are full.....as you look around the table, you see LOTS of little cards, very few face cards. Dealer has say a 7 showing, you have a low hand, say 8, so you hit, get a 4, hit, get a 3. Basic strategy says to hit, but, you see the table has been flooded with little ones and has to be due for a face card. I know a 15 doesn't beat a 17, but busting takes you out of the running, and theres a chance the dealer has a small card under too. THESE are hands I hated. Or the original 12 VS 12 scenario in OP. On it's own it may not be too bad, but again if the table seems full of little cards - and due for some face cards - it makes me WANT to deviate.

    - in this case, do you deviate from basic strategy and stop hitting? (I know topcard says not to deviate, and no hunches.... even in this case???)

    - if you do adjust your play occasionally for very obvious positive/negative decks, do the dealers/bosses give you a hard time at say a $25.00 table? I can't flatter myself to say I could ever count cards (or take the time to try), but, there are some VERY obvious decks that come along. Do the casino's expect you to be oblivious to the OBVIOUS shoe?
     
  19. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

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    Not in my experience. I've even had dealers (I know at Bellagio, possibly Mandalay Bay or Aria as well) say things along the lines of, "Lots of small cards out there, might be time to [bump up your bet] / [skip that hit] / [etc.]." What they're worried about is the serious counters. Occasional variations when the deck is particular good or bad, especially when it comes to things like whether you hit or stand, aren't going to catch any heat.
     
  20. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    I would deviate from Basic Strategy in this situation and stand on the 15, mainly because, like you said, if you bust you have ZERO chance of winning, but if you stand you atleast have some chance that the dealer will not have a ten and might bust.
     
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