Click here to watch the video!

After you watch the video, do us a favor and leave a comment on it. If you think it’s valuable, terrible, or boring let us know and help spread the word!

In our next article, we’ll tell you guys some things we learned at this year’s Blackjack Ball. It was awesome!

P.S. We’ve just created a new Blackjack House Edge Calculator for the site. Use it to see how the rules of the casino affect their house edge (and in return, your EV). Enjoy!

P.P.S There’s still a couple spots left in the March 24th Vegas Bootcamp. If you want the best card counting training available, this is it! We’ve got a few guest speakers lined up who will be there to give some insider tips. So it should be an awesome time!

P.P.P.S. I almost forgot! The documentary, Holy Rollers, about the blackjack team we ran is set to release through Warner Brothers on March 6th! We’ll have it available through the site for those interested. It won several awards for best documentary, and gives people an inside glimpse at a multi-million dollar blackjack team. We’ll post more when it gets closer to the release date.

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So just for fun, I thought I’d give my top 5 misconceptions I encounter (By the way, feel free to add to this in the comments section!)

5. You need to buy a James Bond suit if you want to play professionally. Both Ben and I considered wardrobe upgrades when we first started playing with real money, then quickly changed our minds. Next time you’re in Vegas, walk through some high limits rooms and pay attention to what the people around you are wearing. Rich dudes seem more inclined to wear sweatsuits or Ed Hardy shirts than Versace. There may be a few people wearing suits but if you look like me, you’ll probably stand out more rather than blending in. And there are probably 50 things you could do to appear less like a card counter that have nothing to do with the clothes you’re wearing.

4. You need a photographic memory to count cards. I have a terrible memory. Seriously. My 3 year old kicks my butt at the game “Memory” every time. Fortunately, with card counting, you simply need to drill the charts into your brain (which is doable with repetition) and be able to remember the running count for a few seconds, until it changes again. What you DO need is great focus, which I have. It has more to do with practice and repetition than being able to remember stuff like your room number or parking spot (thank God!).

 3. A card counter can turn $100 into $1,000,000 in a few hours. You can blame Rain Man for this one. But as any pro card counter can tell you, your chips don’t simply double every couple hours. It involves large wins and large losses, winning streaks and losing streaks, and ups and downs. In “Burning the Tables in Las Vegas,” Ian Andersen discribes a losing streak so bad, he had a friend verify that he was playing correctly. And unfortunately, any pro card counter who plays long enough, will have one of these streaks. It’s not a get rich quick scheme. However, this brings me to my next misconception…

2. Card counting doesn’t work. There are 3 groups of people that say this: people who don’t know any better, people who have tried and failed, or people who have done it successfully, but assume it can’t be done anymore. To all 3 groups, I’d say that I disagree. In his book, “The Big Book of Blackjack,” Arnold “The Bishop” Snyder makes the argument that there’s no better time in history than now for card counting. Sure the games aren’t as easy to beat as they were decades ago, but there are more casinos than ever. And smart APs are figuring out new ways to beat the games. The cat and mouse game continues. Again, I’m not saying it’s easy, but nothing worth doing ever is! We even made a little youtube video entitled, “Does Card Counting Work,” to get the word out there on the interweb.

1. Card counting is illegal. This is the most common, and frustrating, misconceptions out there. And I’m sure the casinos love that people still think it’s illegal to use your brain. I’ve been told by everyone from pastors to neighbors to police officers… all of whom I’ve had to gently correct. I don’t even have the energy to explain it again, and obviously you know this, or else you wouldn’t be on our website. But for a more detailed writeup about it, click here.

If you made it this far and think I missed a good one, add it to the comments section!

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P.S. If you want to get in on our next Bootcamp, it’s going to be on March 24th! There are still spots available so sign up or set up a phone call for more info!

1. Website improvements- If you’ve been to the site recently, you’ll see we’ve made some major changes. The homepage, forum, and navigation have all been improved. And for those wanting premium content, the premium membership process should be easier and better than ever. We’ve added some more content like a card counting comparison chart and European No Hole Card charts. Video now works on all devices (including mobile). We’ve also got some more exciting free software in development, but I can’t announce it quite yet. Let us know what you think of the new forum and homepage, as well as what features you’d like to see added to the site!
2. Improved iPhone App- We set out to have the best card counting training app available for iPhone and iPad and we’ve gotten great reviews for the latest version! We hope to continue to add even more to it as we have time, but it’s a great way to practice basic strategy, counting, deviations, and betting. If you didn’t get it when we gave it away for free last week, shoot us an email and I’ll give you a promo copy!
3. Documentary Release- The feature length documentary about the team we ran will be available on DVD, Hulu, Netflix, and Video On-Demand in over 100 Million homes on March 6th. It’s also playing a limited theatrical release in SF, Portland, and Seattle. A lot of people have been asking how they can see it, and we finally have permission to share the news. We’ll let you know more when we get closer to the release date.
4. Vegas Bootcamp- We will be holding our next bootcamp in Las Vegas on March 24th! This may be our only training in 2012, so if you’d like hands on card counting training, this is your chance! You can sign up here, as well as set up a phone call from Ben or Colin to see if the bootcamp is right for you, or email me back to get your questions answered. We wouldn’t want you to miss it!
5. The 29-Minute Card Counting Book- We launched our latest eBook a few weeks ago and have appreciated the great reviews we’ve received. The book is designed to give someone an overview of the how, what, and why of card counting in less than 30 minutes. If you’ve read it already, we’d love to hear your feedback!

So click on the link, download it for free, and do us one big favor: Give it a positive review! If you don’t think it’s totally awesome, don’t blast it with a negative review, but Email Me and let me know how it can be even better.

Also, any help spreading the word would be awesome!

1. If you’re on Twitter, retweet this!

2. If you’re on Facebook, repost this FB post and request it through our Facebook Page.

Also, for those who don’t know yet, we’ve released our new eBook: 29 Minute Card Counting Book. You can buy it though the site, as well as on Kindle! We’re getting great reviews of it. If you’re interested in finding out more about it, you can check it out here:

When I told my father-in-law about my new “form of investing”, his main complaint was that I was trying to find a short-cut to make money. I disagree with the sentiment that you have to work long hours breaking your back to make money, and I think that everyone should look for ways to work smarter, rather than just working harder. My father-in-law has since come to appreciate my line of work (at one point, becoming the largest investor in our blackjack team). However, I understand the point he was trying to make. It seems that our culture has become obsessed with the get-rich-quick mentality, and have since met hundreds of people (inside casinos and out) who are looking for that angle to become a millionaire without using their brain or hard work. Gambling perfectly plays into this mentality; gamblers know the odds are literally stacked against them, but they still think they will be the one to beat the odds. Why do so many people play the lottery each day? They know the odds almost always outweigh the payoff, but still chose to play a losing game hoping to be the exception. In both gambling and life, this obsession with “beating the odds” results in a select few winning big, while the vast majority get to wave goodbye to their hard earned money.

If you came to our website in an effort to turn $10 into $1,000,000 without much effort, LEAVE! Better yet, stop wasting your energy on a shortcut and start working smarter. If you think card counting is your solution to being lazy and financially irresponsible, you’re wrong. If you’re lazy and irresponsible with money, you’ll lose it at the tables. Successful people don’t get lucky. They make their own luck. In the same way, Card counting is for those who like to work smarter, are willing to put in the time and energy to do something exceptionally, and have the patience to invest their time and money at the tables.

P.S. Save the Date of March 24th if you want to attend our next bootcamp. Details will follow soon! 

We’ve always been very careful about what personal information we disclose on this website. We have alluded to our Blackjack exploits and the fact that we ran a Blackjack team, but were cautious to not mention specifics. But that is all about to come to an end.

When we started this website, we were still running possibly the largest, most feared Blackjack Teams in the world. Ben and I had a huge responsibility to protect the identity of both the team itself, as well as the individuals on the team. We were passionate about passing on to others our expertise in card counting, but we didn’t want casinos to know about us and we needed to protect the anonymity of the players. But the days of secrecy are over!

5 years ago, in the height of our blackjack team, a good friend, Bryan Storkel, asked me if he could make a documentary about us and the team. We agreed, as long as he promised to not release the documentary until we gave him permission. Well, a few months ago that day came. The end result, Holy Rollers, is currently making the Film Festival circuit and picking up awards along the way (it won “Best Documentary” at Arclight Film Festival in Los Angeles, “Best Documentary” at New Hampshire Film Festival, and several other awards). The film follows a couple years of the team, the ups and downs of running a multi-million dollar blackjack team, as well as the common faith that a lot of the members of the team hold. Yup, Ben and I are Card Countin’ Christians (we’ll explain in a future blogpost why we believe Christianity and Card Counting aren’t mutually exclusive). We are incredibly proud of the job Bryan did with this movie and we hope both the blackjack community and the general public enjoy it!

So what does this mean?

1. Since the cat is out of the bag, we will be free to talk more about our own story. Whether it’s some of the crazy stories behind our blackjack team or our personal convictions, we don’t have to be as tight lipped as we were when we had a blackjack team to protect.
2. We’re going to start a several part series of blogposts covering that stuff (ourselves, the team we ran, our beliefs, the philosophy behind what and why we do what we do, why we made a documentary, etc).
3. We’ll keep you guys updated on if/when the documentary is available on DVD or whatever.
4. Hopefully this will help you guys learn from our successes and failures, both in counting cards for a living and in life.

Just like each of you, we’re not just card counters, we’re people. So there has been massive amounts of overlap between card counting and the rest of life (family, time, career, identity, relationships, money, etc). There’s no longer a concern to keep the blackjack part of life isolated, so now we are free to start the conversation about being people who count cards for a living, and all the interesting things that entails. We are as committed as ever to creating an army of card counters primed to beat the casino at their own game! We don’t see this shift as taking away from the site, but making it deeper. So there it is. Keep your eyes out for upcoming blogposts that dig deeper into all this stuff.

Thanks for being a part of the Army at BlackjackApprenticeship!

P.S. We are about a month away from the launch of our first eBook in over 2 years! It’s called “The 29-Minute Card Counting Book” and we think it will be an awesome resource for people wanting to learn card counting or who are currently card counting for money! We’ll let you know more about it as we get our act together.

P.P.S.  We are getting a lot of interest from people wanting to do a bootcamp in the next few months. If you’re interested in getting on the waiting list, send an email: info@blackjackapprenticeship.com

Keep in mind:  with the casino industry in general struggling in this area there tend to be more coupons and special promotions going on. Keep your eyes out for easy and profitable ways to increase EV!

Biloxi is a great place to play simply because all the casinos are in a relatively close proximity to one another. This can help facilitate short and frequent sessions if you are that kind of player.

Beau Rivage - You can’t miss this massive establishment along the “strip” of Biloxi. It’s a MGM property so be cautious if you have a past with them. They do have the best pits for table hopping and wonging around. This is also the only store in town to offer Late Surrender on their 6D.

Hard Rock Casino – Opened in 2007, the hotel is awesome (in true Hard Rock fashion). You’ll find one of the best DD games in town here with about 70% penetration and decent rules; and they offer stand 17 on their 6D game!  Don’t forget to check out Ruth’s Chris Steak House here for an amazing meal.

Isle of Capri – Reports of a 4 deck stand 17 game draw me in here. Check it out and report back!

Treasure Bay – Hit this place up for their DD. Although the pen has decreased over time, it’s still a great game especially with Stand 17.

If you find the above places “inhospitable” just cruise around town and hit up these tasty temptations as well: Palace Casino, IP Biloxi, Boomtown, and Grand Casino.  All beatable games! Remember, with so many places close together don’t be afraid to shop around for good conditions. If things are packed out and dealers are cutting too much off the shoe, head down the street and find something better.

Looking to extend your trip / vacation? Bay St. Louis is a mere 40 minutes away and has a few more places: Hollywood South, Silver Slipper, and Island View (Gulfport). Even more? Well then you’ve got to hit up New Orleans! (But we’ll keep that for another post.)

Have fun in the South! The people are great, weather beautiful and the food can be unbelievable! A special thanks to SouthAP0407 for some on the spot scouting.

15 minutes away from the casino it hits me: I’ve got $200 in slot vouchers in my wallet. They’d given me several hundred dollars worth of free slot play (another perk of high limit card counting), and I had won about $200 with it, but I never cashed it out. I was cursing myself and trying to figure out if I knew someone else that might be able to cash it out for me. But like I said: this was out in the middle of nowhere and in the middle of the night. So I sucked it up, and called the head of the casino…

Hi. This is Colin. You just kicked me out, but I realized I have $200 in slot vouchers. Would it be okay if I came back and cash it out without getting arrested? I’d really appreciate it!

I couldn’t believe it, but after putting me on hold for a few minutes, the head of the casino said that security guards would be waiting for me to escort me to the cage to cash out my slot winnings! I’d just made $200 by politely asserting myself to a place that had just made it abundantly clear I was not welcome there.

Here’s the takeaway: Being an a-hole is not going to get what you want. BUT, being a passive pushover won’t get you very far either. It took me a few years to figure out the balance, but I call it graceful assertiveness, AKA Don’t Be a Jerk. It’s how I choose to act every time a dealer makes a mistake. “Mr. Pitboss, I’m sorry to bother you. I was just about to buy insurance but the dealer accidentally checked their hand before I got an opportunity. I hate to be difficult, but I’m sure if you reviewed the tapes, you’d see that I didn’t have enough time to get my insurance bet out there.” It’s also how I act when I get kicked out (I’ve tried the yell-at-them-as-they-escort-you-out-the-door approach, and it doesn’t get you anywhere. Now I kill them with kindness).

This balance is incredibly valuable in Blackjack, as well as life in general. Being aggressive puts others on the defensive, and they are not very likely to cooperate. Being passive means you’re not going to get your dilemma taken seriously. But if you can be a nice guy, but make your situation known, there’s a good chance they’ll oblige you… people generally want to please others. It’s human nature.

So now I’m going to graciously assert the fact that we would LOVE it if you’d spread the word of www.BlackjackApprenticeship.com with others on Facebook and Twitter!

In addition to its traditional offerings, the bathroom stall is every counter’s respite—often  the only place in the casino without those pesky eyes in the sky following your every move. I don’t know how many millions of collective dollars I have unpacked, counted, recounted, rubber-banded and tried not to pee on inside these stained walls. Don’t drop that thousand dollar chip, because it has a mind for rolling into the next stall and then the scramble is on.

If you have never poured out a Budweiser into the toilet and refilled the bottle with water, you haven’t lived. Well you have lived, maybe quite well, but you have never lived as a shrewd card counter. Just don’t spill your water-filled Budweiser at the table like Ben once did. Oops!

A few stalls—the Wynn and Venetian in Las Vegas come to mind—have doors that go all the way to the floor. Privacy is nice when you are pulling 40 grand out of your socks. A ledge is nice, but more often than not, the top of the toilet paper dispenser is your only hope if you are looking for something resembling a flat surface to stack chips on. I hate automatic-flush toilets. God help me if I ever drop a chip into that bowl and am forced into a quick-draw duel with the hair-trigger sensor. It’s bad enough that while I am counting chips the toilet is flushing the whole time. Other patrons must think I ate at the buffet. Which brings to mind what I hear most while I am in there—buffet cursing, sports cursing, and casino-took-my-money cursing. I once heard a cellphone ringing one stall over. “This is the wolfman,” the man answered with a grunt. That explains the smell, I thought.

Here’s a fun fact—I have never been backed off in a bathroom. But I have been followed into a few, so keep your wits about you.

Tonight I had a handicapped stall to myself. The bigger office is always preferred. I had plenty of space to count, rubber-band, and re-pocket. Ten minutes later I sauntered out, and was met with the scowl and crossed arms of a man waiting in a wheelchair.