2009 - Blackjack Apprenticeship

Archive: 2009

  1. Card Counting in the Movies – “The Hangover”

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    Ed, Alan, Phil and Doug are driving towards Vegas in a classic Mercedes with the top down.  Alan is reading a book on card counting.

    Ed – “Isn’t card counting illegal?”

    Alan – “No.  Its just frowned upon, like masturbating in an airplane.”

    Phil – “I’m pretty sure that is illegal too.”

    The Hangover is in the theaters.  It is a movie from the director of Old School about four friends who go to Vegas for a bachelor party weekend.  Alan, the brother of the groom, and a bit of an oddball, unwittingly spikes everyone’s drink with Ruphies (the date rape drug) thinking he was giving everyone ecstasy.  The next day they wake up and can’t remember a single thing that happened

    thehangoverpic4Well, a lot happened it turns out.  One such happening was losing 80K of an Asian Gangster’s money.  The gang takes Doug hostage and they have to come up with the 80K by sunup or they will never see Doug again.

    Alan, the oddball, has read a book on counting cards so they head off to a blackjack table.  Complicated equations appear on the screen as Alan (played brilliantly by Zach Galifianakis) watches the cards intently.  Finally, he sits down, calls his friends in, and starts betting big.

    There is a 3 minute montage of everyone winning, pressing their bets and winning more.  Finally the pit boss begins to get suspicious and is making calls.  They notice the heat and take off before anything can happen.  They have won 80K – exactly what they need to rescue their friend.

    The Hangover is a geeky guy bonding movie and not meant at all to be taken seriously.  But if someone asks you if that card counting thing you are into is like the scene in this movie they just saw, then you can politely educate them:

    1. Is Counting Cards illegal or just “frowned upon”?  Alan is right on this one.  It is just “frowned upon”.  If a casino thinks you are counting cards they will typically watch you for a while to decide whether you are a real threat to them or not.  If they decide you are a threat then they will simply ask you to stop playing.  You are not going to get in trouble and you certainly are not going to get arrested or beat up.
    2. Can you make 80K in one hour like those guys seemed to do?  Yes.  You can make that kind of KaChing.  But here is the thing: if you are betting with enough money to win that much that fast, you are also betting with enough money to lose that much that fast. To win that much you need to be betting 1000 dollars a hand when the count is in your favor (and likely be playing three hands at once).
    3. While Alan is watching the cards, calculus and algebra are floating around his head.  Do you have to know really complicated math to count cards?  Nope.  You don’t have to know high level math.  In fact, you really just need to know how to add, subtract, and divide.  I always tell people you don’t have to be incredibly smart to count cards.  You just have to be averagely smart and incredibly self-disciplined.
    4. Can you count cards after reading one book?  Well, not really.  Counting cards takes a special learned set of skills that takes weeks to get used to.  You will have to practice, practice, practice.  It only takes one book, or an hour or so in our video course to learn how to count cards, but it takes weeks and sometimes months to actually be able to do it for real.

     

    Join our membership and learn not only how to count cards like a pro, but how you should practice to get there.

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  2. How to Practice Blackjack Card Counting by Yourself

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    practice blackjack by yourselfBlackjack is the only game in a casino that can actually be beaten over the long haul. But it’s not something that is mastered in a couple hours of practice. You need perfect skills, proper money management, and the right temperament to be a winning player.

    I’m going to break down how to practice the first three steps needed to beat the house.

    But first, if you’re still not 100% clear on what card counting is and how it works, take a few minutes and watch this video:

     

     

    Practicing Blackjack Part I: Basic Strategy is the Foundation

     

    A lot of people say, “”I know about 95% of basic strategy. Show me the deviations, get me to a table, show me how to bet! I’m ready to play!”

    But if you are still making ANY Basic Strategy mistakes, or having to use much mental energy to make your playing decisions, then you’re in trouble! I don’t care how well you can count and how many deviations you memorize… if you make Basic Strategy mistakes, you will never have the advantage over the dealer.

    If, however, for every playing decision, the correct Basic Strategy answer comes quickly, then counting, deviations, and betting will be MUCH easier.

    Ok. So how do I get better at Basic Strategy quickly?

    1. Recite the chart. I recommend talking through the entire chart every day, a few times a day. Start with Splits, and say “Aces always split. 10’s never split. 9’s split up thru 9, except against a 7.” etc. You should be able to effortlessly run thru the chart.

    2. Use our (FREE) Basic Strategy Drill. IF you can recite the chart, it’s time to start practicing PLAYING basic strategy. Our free drill is a great way to efficiently put basic strategy into practice.

    3. Practice on our iOS App. If you’re an iOS person, we also have an app to drill your basic strategy (and counting, and everything else), called “Card Counting Trainer Pro“. The bottom line is that you need to drill yourself on basic strategy decisions until you can play Basic Strategy perfectly. (Sorry, no Android or Windows Phone app).

    4. Keep reviewing. Basic Strategy is sort of an abstract thing. So you won’t retain it if you don’t keep practicing and reviewing it. You might go 10 hours of playing blackjack without seeing some decisions. But when you DO see it, you want to know what to do instantly.

    Practicing Blackjack Part II: The Running Count

     

    keeping the running count in blackjack

    If you haven’t read it yet, I recommend starting with our all-encompassing “How to Count Cards” guide.

    Also, if you join our FREE Card Counting Mini-Course, I provide some additional tips for counting cards faster and easier.

    But if you’re familiar with the running count and simply want some practicing tips, here’s what you should focus on.

    1.  Count through a deck of cards. The first step is to take a deck of cards and count through it, one at a time. If you don’t end up at zero, then you did something wrong. This will help you in creating new associations with cards, essentially “learning the language” of card counting. When you’re playing at a table, you want to see a 4 of clubs primarily as “+1”, not as a 4 of clubs. After time, you’ll start to see cards simply as +1, 0, or -1.

    2. Practice with our FREE Card Counting Training Drill. After you’ve begun “learning the language” of card counting, it’s time to practice counting the way it’s actually dealt at the tables. We have this free drill so you can efficiently begin practicing card counting. The goal is the same as basic strategy… begin slowly, but accurately until you can play 100 hands perfectly.

    3. “Back Count” at a Casino. If you’re ready for some real-world experience, you can practice by going into a casino and standing behind the table, and just watching. DO. NOT. PLAY. You’re not ready yet. BUT, if  If you can get thru an entire shoe without dropping the count, missing a card, or getting mentally fatigued, then you are one step closer to actually trying to play while counting.

    Practicing Blackjack Part III: Practicing How to Get to the True Count

     

    A lot of people begin having issues when they start dividing to convert from the running count to the true count, but if you separate the individual processes and master them, it’s not too complicated to put it all together. So here’s some tips to practice the individual process of converting from running to true count.

    1. The old Fashioned Math Practice Approach. Assuming you’re practicing for a 6 deck game, get out your discard tray and 6 decks of cards. Then write the numbers 1 to 30 on scraps of paper and place them in a hat, cup, whatever. Then, starting with less than 1 deck in the discard tray, start pulling numbers out of the hat and practice dividing the number by 6 (the number of decks remaining). Do this 20 or 30 times. Then, put one full deck in the discard tray and start over, dividing by 5. Do this for every deck increment until you’re dividing by 1 deck remaining. Wash, rinse, repeat. Over and over.

    2. Use our True Count Drill. This is a much more efficient way of doing the drill I describe above. Yes, you need a paid membership to our site to do this, but if you’re serious about card counting, our Membership is the best way to learn, train, and connect with a community of card counters who have taken Millions out of casinos.

    3. If you want to practice throughout the day, then while you’re driving, exercising, taking a shower, whatever, just start dividing random numbers by 6, then 5, then 4, 3, 2, and 1. Before long, with these drills, you should be able to divide any running count by any true count. The goal is to be able to do so in a quick second, without having to take too much energy away from keeping the running count and making your basic strategy (and eventually deviation) decisions.

    Be Aware that There’s MORE!

     

    These drills are the first step to being an effective card counter. There’s still deviations, betting, bankroll management, avoiding heat, and a lot more.

    Not only have I taken over $600,000 from casinos and co-managed a blackjack team that took nearly $4Million from casinos, but through Blackjack Apprenticeship, we’ve trained more successful card counters than anyone.

    Check our our Membership where you can gain access to:

    • The Comprehensive Video Course
    • A Suite of Blackjack Training Drills
    • Elite Community in the BJA Members Forum
    • Casino Intel in our Casino411 Database
    • Betting Advice in our Bankroll Management App
    • Exclusive BJA Content 

    Remember that being a 99% accurate card counter won’t cut it. But a 100% accurate card counter can turn the tables on the casino!

    Bringing down the house since 2002,

    Colin Jones

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  3. Top 10 Mistakes in the Movie “21”

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    These are the top 10 mistakes we noticed in the first (and only) time we watched the film.

    1. “There’s not as much strategy as people think when you play blackjack.” Blackjack is ALL about strategy
    2. Tipping casino personnel. Professional card counters don’t tip like crazy. It’s just TOO expensive!
    3. They NEVER converted to the true count, or even mention it. 
    4. Getting pistol-whipped by Lawrence Fishburne. This does not happen in real life! Card counting is perfectly legal, so card counters have every right that any other US citizen has. If a casino actually did this to a card counter, it would result in a 6-figure, or even 7-figure, lawsuit.
    5. Having two high-stakes card counters play the same table. This is just Hollywood. It makes no sense in card counting.
    6. The “Big Player” was always called in at REALLY high countsIn real team play, you don’t need to wait for such a huge count to have a winning game.
    7. The players all walked into the casino together. If you want to not be associated with the other players on your team, you wouldn’t walk in together!
    8. You don’t need to be a genius! This is not true. We’ve trained electricians, housewives, writers, and pastors to be professional blackjack players.
    9. They NEVER lose! Card counters have a 1-2% advantage. That means you still have plenty of losing days, but you DO make money over time.
    10. The facial recognition myth. A common misconception is that facial recognition software will end card counting. Not true. The movie came out 10 years ago, and facial recognition software still isn’t stopping card counters.

    About 21: The Movie

    Twenty-One is the story of six MIT students who form a card counting team and take millions from Vegas. It is based off of Ben Mezrich’s book, “Bringing Down the House,” in which a group from MIT adapted the “hi-lo” card-counting techniques popularized by Edward Thorp in his 1962 book, “Beat the Dealer”, and took millions from Vegas. However, Twenty-One is set in a different era and takes it’s own liberties with the story.

    These MIT students mastered the Hi-Lo system, the same system we teach here at Blackjack Apprenticeship with our online video course. It took a group of really smart students looking at the numbers and realizing that if they took even a slight advantage from the house with their simple card counting technique, they could beat them at their own game. But it doesn’t take a math genius to learn it and do it yourself. It just takes dedication and practice.

    This movie is received positive reviews, which was been a surprise to us and our friends who play blackjack professionally, because it got so much wrong!

    The project began when Kevin Spacy, who stars in the film, called Ben Mezrich out of the blue two weeks before the book came out. He had read an article about it in Wired Magazine and wanted to make the movie. Ben did his research writing the book while spending every weekend for a year with the team. He said it was one of the best experiences of his writing life.

    Here are a few bonuses from the film, where cast members talk about card counting:

    Kate Bosworth as “Jill” talking about cover:

    Jim Sturgess as "Ben" talking about "the cardinal sin":

    Counting cards successfully is an incredible experience and a place for all sorts of stories to take place. But it takes a good teacher. That is why we are here.