Card Counting Bet Spread

Card Counting Bet Spread
A Card Counter’s Guide to Betting at Blackjack

Accept privacy policy and terms of service
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service

Yes, I'd like to receive email communications

Copyright Blackjack Apprenticeship © 2022 | All Rights Reserved
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Ok
Knowing exactly what to bet is crucial to your success as a card counter. You could have perfect skills, but if you don’t have a bet spread that maximizes EV and minimizes your risk, you threaten your ability to beat the casino.
One common mistake I see with new card counters is over-betting and, unfortunately, I’ve seen it wipe out many bankrolls.
There are two primary reasons I see this happen:
The bottom line is that if you over-bet, your risk will be sky high and you very well could put your entire bankroll at risk.
The other mistake I see with newer card counters is under-betting, and it comes with risks as well. There are a couple common reasons people tend to under-bet:
The Bottom line is that if you don’t use a large enough bet spread, you will be playing a break-even game (or even a losing game). If you’re like me, you’re not at the casino to break even but to win!
Hopefully at this point I’ve convinced you the importance of knowing exactly what to bet to maximize your profits (EV) and minimize your risk. There are a few ways to figure out what to bet:
My hero, Tommy Hyland, once told me that his team made up for “not being the smartest card counters” by having aggressive bet spreads. By “aggressive”, he means betting very small when the casino has the advantage and betting as large as your bankroll can afford when you have the advantage.
I know some people don’t like hearing this because they’re afraid of the heat it may cause. But Tommy Hyland has made millions as a card counter, and it wasn’t from being timid. This is also the same strategy I’ve used personally and the teams I’ve run have used. By using aggressive/dynamic bet spreads, it keeps risk low and EV high. And if you want the casino’s money, this is the best way to do it.
There are creative ways to bet that cost some EV for the sake of longevity at the casinos, but that is more appropriately discussed in our Member’s Forum (I don’t want to give my secrets away to the casinos).
Don’t guess at your bet spread. If you’ve invested in your skills (perfect basic strategy , perfect counting, and deviations), put the same effort and investment into having an optimized bet spread. Anything less than that is disrespectful to your hard earned money. Treat your bankroll well and I guarantee you… your bankroll will thank you.
Start our FREE Card Counting Mini-Course
Learn the Secrets We've Used to Beat Casinos for over $4 Million (and Counting)
A complete blackjack card counting system designed to teach you how to beat the game of blackjack for big profits.

By jmankani7

in Living Toys & Games
Add Tip Ask Question Comment Download
Add Tip Ask Question Comment Download
Add Tip Ask Question Comment Download
Add Tip Ask Question Comment Download
Add Tip Ask Question Comment Download
Add Tip Ask Question Comment Download
Add Tip Ask Question Comment Download
Add Tip Ask Question Comment Download
Add Tip Ask Question Comment Download

2

212

23K

Add Tip
Ask Question
Post Comment

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google Classroom

Flag

Wrong Category
Inappropriate
Incomplete
Spam

Add To Collection
Add To Contest
Edit

Blackjack is beatable if cards aren't shuffled every hand. Depending on the remaining cards, the advantage can swing to the player. This means you can keep track of the cards that have already been dealt, and then determine whether the cards remaining are more favorable to you or to the casino. When there are a lot of 10s and Aces left in the deck, and fewer low cards, the deck favors the player. That’s mostly because blackjack becomes more likely, and the player gets paid a 50% bonus on every blackjack and also a dealer holding (12-16) will bust every time if the next card drawn is a 10. Card counting allows players to bet more with less risk when the count gives an advantage as well as minimize losses during an unfavorable count. Card counting also provides the ability to alter playing decisions based on the composition of remaining cards. The card counting technique I’m going to explain here is called Hi-Lo. It’s simple to learn, yet powerful enough to give you a fair estimation of remaining favorable cards.
Basic strategy is the mathematically correct way to play based only on your cards and the dealer’s up card. The basic strategy chart gives you the correct play for every possible situation at the blackjack table.
It will show you whether you should hit, stand, split, double, or surrender. You look across the top of the chart for the dealer’s up card, and along the left side for the hand that you hold.
Most people play at a 2-4% disadvantage to the house. By playing perfect basic strategy, you’ll be cutting down the casino’s edge to under 0.5%. It is the basic building block for winning at blackjack.
Here’s how it works. Low cards, 2 through 6, are good when removed, and are assigned the value plus 1. High cards, 10s through Aces, are bad when removed, and are assigned the value negative 1.
The middle cards, 7, 8, and 9, are mostly neutral, and assigned the value of 0. You always want to start counting at the beginning of a shoe, starting with 0.
Every time a card is layed down on the table, you add its value to maintain what is called a running count. You always want to start counting at the beginning of a shoe, starting with 0.
The 8 is worth 0, so the count stays at plus 1.
The 5 is worth 1, so the count goes to plus 2.
Another low card 3 brings us to plus 3.
An Ace is minus 1. The count drops to plus 2.
The 2 is worth 1 and brings us to plus 3.
The Jack is worth minus 1, so our running count goes down to plus 2.
First, we take the running count and divide it by the number of decks remaining.
We know what our running count is but how many decks remain? We can estimate how many decks remain by looking at the number of discards. Casinos use a 6-deck shoe, so take the number of decks you see in the discard tray, and subtract it from 6. That’s how many decks are remaining in the shoe.
Divide the running count by the number of decks remaining. This is called the true count.
First, before you start play, you have to determine your betting unit. Then, when you have the advantage and the count’s favorable, you bet in multiples of your betting unit according to the count. Your bankroll is what you’re willing to invest in yourself as a blackjack player. Your betting unit should be 1/1000 of your total bankroll.
Raise or lower your unit as your bankroll changes. By constantly adjusting your betting unit,you will never go broke,and your bankroll will increase faster in the long run.
Your maximum bet should be at least 4 times your betting unit. Your maximum bet can be higher if it won’t get you kicked out of the casino. Never bet more than 1/4 of|the money you have on you on one round, because you always want to have enough money to be able to split and double down.
Subtract 1 from the true count to determine how many units to bet. Multiply the number of units to bet by your betting unit.
For Example, your betting unit is 100, running count is +10, true count is +5, then the optimal bet would be 4X100 which gives us 400.
Play two hands at a time on spots next to each other, and bet that amount per hand. If you’re the only player at the table, or if you can only play 1 hand, bet 25% more on one hand.
You should always carry a deck with you. Count down an entire deck. If you do it correctly, the count will come out to zero. Try determining if the last card is going to be low, middle, or hi. When you’re counting right, you’ll know what it is.
Deal cards on a table while keeping the count. Deal the cards out while saying the total of each hand. If you can get a friend to deal to you, there are some great drills you can do with a partner. Have a partner deal to you, as you try to play and count at the same time. Do the same thing, but this time have the dealer say the card values out loud.
The stress test, or the check-out. While your partner deals and tries to distract you, count down and play 3 full shoes. If you can get through all 3 shoes making less than 3 mistakes total, you’re ready to try your new skill.
The Techniques mentioned here are by Andy Bloch who was once a part of MIT Black Jack team and is only for instructional purpose. I am not responsible for any loss you make by employing this technique.
Did you make this project? Share it with us!
We have a be nice policy. Please be positive and constructive.
Question

3 years ago
on Step 5
Seeking clarification on betting unit size. Is it correct or a typo that the betting unit should be one -one thousandth of your bankroll? (1/1000)? In the following paragraph an example is used of a betting unit of 100 (assuming $100). There are very few that will have access to a $100,000 bankroll. Should the betting size actually be 1/100th? Thanks.

Answer

2 years ago

100 is just an example for simple calculations.

Reply

1 year ago

I understand that $100 is easy to calculate and maybe that's why you used it, but you still haven't answered the question. Are we to understand that someone betting $100 a hand should have a $100k bankroll? I would think at $100 per hand, $10k is more than enough. You'd have to lose every hand for a month straight to lose $100k at $100 per hand.
Thank you for the article. I always thought that in Black Jack it is impossible to count cards. Now maybe I’m more lucky in the future. By the way, how many of you gamble online? At first I was a skeptic and did not trust such sites, because I was afraid for my money and credit card. But then I found out about the iWallet wallet, a detailed review of which you will find on FukuroCasinos . In general, it is an online platform that makes payments and is supported by many casinos. This acts as an intermediary in payment and will secure your funds.
Question

2 years ago
on Step 6
Hi there. You say that bet size should be Betting Unit times (TC-1). In your example with $100 betting unit and TC of 5 optimal bet is $400.- you then go on to say that it would be advantageous to play two hands with $400.- so in total $800.- seems a bit odd to me because in fact now we bet TC + 3 times Betting unit. More intuitive to me would be to maybe bet two hands with half a bet each, i.e. $200.- per hand, did I misunderstand, can someone explain? Many thanks in advance!

Answer

2 years ago

TC is the same regardless of the number of players. So it makes no difference whether you're playing 1 hand or 5 hands, the odds are still in your favor at +5 TC and you'd want to get more money on the table in this case. A disadvantage of playing 2 hands in this case is gaining heat from the pit.

Answer

2 years ago

Using the strategy theoretically gives you a small edge over casino. You have to risk more to make more.

Poker
Video Poker
Sports Betting
Casino Comps
Law and Taxes
Gambling Stories
Miscellaneous

Poker
Video Poker
Sports Betting
Casino Comps
Law and Taxes
Gambling Stories
Miscellaneous

Wynn Resorts sued again by whistleblower

Senecas want new agreement with New York

ARTICLES

CARD COUNTING

BET SPREAD BY COUNT

Green Aces: Cougfan, what’s your bet spread at each count ? I'm most interested in seeing at what count you place your max bet.
I don't bet exact, so as to not appear obvious and predictable, but generally I have my max bet out by +4 True Count . At +1 I'm at 2 units, +2 at 4 units, +3 at 7 units, and max (12 units) is at +4 and beyond. I usually spread to two hands at +3 due to the minimum bet requirements on playing two hands. Am I going to my max bet too early?
I wong out at -2. I should probably do more wonging in, but I'm looking at it from the perspective of open tables = more hands/hour. I'm playing drastically less if I wong in rather than play heads up and wong out at -2. I know this will increase my Risk of Ruin . What do you think about this approach?
Playing at my relatively small bankroll is often more of a venture in gaining experience and practicing comportment than anything else, and I think it's important to keep track of the idea that at the lower levels, playing correctly and aggressively is the way to go. I agree with the common wisdom, however, that taking in my surroundings and gaining experience is almost as important as building up my bankroll.
Wonging can be so taxing, but being patient, consistent, and opportunistic is the foundation of being a successful advantage player , in my opinion.
Cougfan: My approach is to treat it as more of an art than a science.
It varies from game to game, but in general my goal is to make sure that I am betting as little as possible (preferably $0) when the count is highly negative, a bit more when the count is in a neutral range, and as much as I can get away with when the count is highly positive ( Hi Lo TC +4 or greater). I don't worry about exact bet amounts per count. Rather, I visualize the decks as a spectrum with five iterations or "ranges.” These are: A) Very negative; B) Slightly negative; C) Neutral; D) Slightly positive; and E) Very positive. I also consider where I am at in the shoe. If a count is neutral but there is only one more hand to come after the current one, I may place a bet as if it’s a slightly or even highly negative count. Conversely, if we are early in the shoe, I may err on the side of a slightly higher bet (still within acceptable for that range), so that I am well positioned to quickly get to a huge bet if the count moves into the very positive range.
Hypothetically, if my definition of "huge bet" was $2,000, then I would really like to have at least $1,000 on the table so I can get to the desired amount without making it too obvious. If I am certain that this will be the last hand of the shoe, and the count is anything other than highly positive, then I am probably happy sitting out and/or lowering my bet if I can do so without being too obvious. Like I said, my main concern is getting big money on the table at unquestionably high counts and trying not to bet all that much at other times.
To further complicate matters, I don't have one set bet for each range, but like to move my bets around a bit, preferably not in direct relation to the count movement if at all possible.
All of this increases variance , so I set my simulations a bit more conservatively than my actual plan by moving the boundary for each range one point to my detriment (assume I will be "stuck" betting too much for one extra negative point, and will miss a positive range move by one point as well). I also make sure that the sims still work out to no more than a 0.5% ROR, and a 2% Trip ROR (assuming a maximum number of hours played, which I never actually reach). Yes, I do bring a lot of cash with me on trips, and fortunately I have never run out of funds on a trip, except for the one time I ran out of cash when I was just starting out and before I actually knew how to properly use the sim software.
Note also that the above approach works for me, but definitely should not be used if your bet levels are below the radar of the store you happen to be playing at. If they are, then just follow a regimented bet for each TC and drop all cover.
There is always a bright side: Having a smallish bankroll can make profitable play difficult, but the positive side of that is that your max bets may also fly under the casino's radar, so you can play without cover and can be more aggressive with wong-outs, etc.
There are different advantages and disadvantages for each level of bankroll. One should understand this and adjust their play accordingly so they are playing to the strengths of their game. It’s like playing in a sporting event and adjusting your play to fit your team's strengths and how the referees are calling the game. If you have a small bankroll, play anonymously ( comps aren't worth much at low levels anyway), play aggressively, and fire away. As your bankroll grows, seek out different games (tolerance for taking big action becomes one of the most important factors), and employ more finesse in your approach to the game.
My advice to any new AP would be to spend some time in a variety of casinos and observe ploppies betting at the levels you want to bet. See how they act. See how the pit reacts to them. Identify those things they do that sets the pit at ease and emulate those actions. Convince yourself that you are one of the sheep that the pit critter sees as non-threatening. At lower levels, this may be simply being someone who is seemingly not worth the pit’s attention. At higher levels, you WILL get their attention, so you need to know how to redirect it, and how to define yourself in their eyes. An example -- at smaller joints, regulars who bet big (for that place) usually welcome the pit’s attention since they like being treated as an important person after being ignored by their wife, their boss, or whoever. Don't be the type of AP that sticks out like a sore thumb before even placing a single bet!
Originally published on bj21.com Green Chip , edited for this format.
Please
log in
or
register
to leave a comment

Bj21 uses cookies, this enables us to provide you with a personalised experience.
More info

English English Svenska Français Deutsch Español Русский

/ Blackjack Betting Spread Explained

Copyright ® 2003 - 2022 CountingEdge.com . All rights reserved. Affiliate Notice, Terms of use, Privacy policy & Disclaimer - Our blog
Sex Massage Penis
Mature Missionary Creampie
Overwatch Sperm

Card Counting Bet Spread

Report Page