Blackjack Apprenticeship Card Counting Resources

12 Responses to “Calculating your EV from the House Edge”

1. Juan says:

   September 27, 2009 at 11:52 pm

   I have a quick question, how I know my casino Deck Penetration%? I don’t think asking is a choice.

   thanks in advance! keep on rocking and counting.
2. admin says:

   September 28, 2009 at 11:29 am

   Juan,

   That’s a great question. You can determine the casino’s deck pen by looking at how many cards are dealt before the cut card comes out. If they deal out 5 of the 6 decks before the plastic cut card comes out and they decide to shuffle, then the pen is 1.0 decks (meaning they cut off 1.0 decks). If they deal out 4.5 of the 6 decks, then the pen is 1.5 decks.

   -Colin
3. the Hit says:

   September 28, 2009 at 11:34 am

   Juan,

   You can also watch the dealer as he or she puts the cut card (usually yellow) in the decks before she loads them into the shoe. Estimate how many cards are left behind the cut card and you know your penetration.

   Every casinos varies on their policy for penetration and every dealer varies still. Watch each dealer carefully and keep note of where to find the best pen.
4. Dom says:

   November 22, 2009 at 10:55 pm

   I have noticed that online casinos, which have live dealers, only deal out half the shoe before they shuffle.

   With a pen that high, is it still possible to make a profit through couting? Or would it be very low?

   Also, do you think they would ban your account if they suspected you of counting?

   Thanks in advance!

   Dom
5. colin says:

   November 23, 2009 at 1:11 pm

   Yeah, you can’t really beat a game with only 50% pen. I have no idea if they’ll ban card counters online. We’ve never gotten into that world, because we’ve never known beatable games (aside from sign-up promotions).
6. Breezy says:

   April 15, 2010 at 1:21 pm

   Hey

   Just a quick question concerning EV and perfect basic strategy.
   You said that a player playing with perfect basic stratgey still concedes an advantage of 0.5% to the house. So to actually make any money you need to be counting cards also right? Basic strategy on its own is not much good to you no?
7. colin says:

   April 20, 2010 at 2:32 pm

   Exactly. Without basic strategy, you’re playing an even worse game. But Card Counting adds to the equation the ability to know when YOU have the advantage (and thus bet accordingly).
8. EricInEugene says:

   July 4, 2011 at 6:41 pm

   Hello,

   Thanks for the great info.

   What is the expected advantage over the house in the long run if the player properly applies BS, counting, and the 18-20 most important deviations you outlined on your site?

   A reverse calc of your stated $200/hr with $100 bets would assume an advantage of 3.334% ??

   Assuming this 3.334%, but when playing with a small bankroll and low risk tolerance and betting only $10 hand, the player would only expect to earn roughly $20/hr over time, which is not extremely advantageous.

   However, I see how EV is leveraged as the player’s bet increases over time with a higher risk tolerance.

   Do you provide more details on bank roll and details of bet increase as they coincide with higher counts in the members section?

   Many thanks
   Eric
9. colin says:

   July 5, 2011 at 2:09 pm

   Eric,
   Where did you get the $200/hr number? Typically, you get more of a 1% advantage from card counting. You can’t make hundreds of dollars an hour betting $10. But with proper skills, you can build a small bankroll into the size of bankroll where you CAN make hundreds/hr. For example, in my career, I’ve averaged winning about $500/hr. But I built my bankroll and I am very good at what I do. (;

   Yes, there are some resources in the member’s section. But truly custom bankroll coaching is offered in the store and through bootcamps.
10. gilmher says:

    October 5, 2011 at 5:42 pm

    soo the lower the deck penetration the better right? thanks
11. colin says:

    October 5, 2011 at 6:11 pm

    Yeah. If they were to deal to the last card, it would be best! The fewer cards they cut off, the better; the more cards they deal, the better.
12. Tom says:

    November 21, 2011 at 9:19 am

    What betting spread should I use if im playing a 6 deck game?