I hate traffic. I will do almost anything to avoid driving in traffic. If I HAVE to drive during rush hour, I try to bring my infant son with me so I can use the HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lane bypass getting stuck in the slow lanes. I just can’t understand spending an hour getting somewhere when I can be strategic about what time I drive, or finding a legal way to use the HOV lane, so I can get to the same place in half an hour. It’s just a way to get double the return on my time. It’s the same thing as picking a checkout line with no one in it at the grocery store, or looking for the gas station pump with the fewest cars lined up for it.  I view everything this way. And I believe what has made me obsessed with this idea is card counting. I see advantage card counters pay no attention to the choices they make concerning playing conditions, and it drives me nuts. When I walk into a casino, I’m not there for social interaction; I’m there to make money. Every decision I make is based on that concept. If I walk into a casino and have an option between a table with 4 people playing at it and another table that has no one playing at it, I know I can play twice as many hands in an hour with just me and the dealer. If there’s two identical tables, one with a fast dealer and the other with a slow dealer, I’ll pick the fast dealer (because odds are I’m waiting on the dealer much more than they are waiting on me). If I have the option between a game with 8 decks and average rules, or 6 decks with better rules, it’s a no-brainer. I’m not going to work twice as hard to make the same amount of money. I’m going to be strategic about the conditions I chose.  A lot of newbie card counters think the best way to make more money at it is to learn an incredibly complex card counting system. But consider this: if you can play a complex system that generates an extra 20% higher $/hr, but I can play a simpler system for 50% more hands/hr, I’m going to make much more money than you. But I better go. I have to run some errands before the afternoon rush hour.

Here at Blackjack Apprenticeship, we are not fond of gambling.  Sound strange?  Well, it is true.  When done right, counting cards is much more of an investment then a gamble.  There are a lot of myths out there about gambling in casinos.  People try to believe that there are ways to beat the house by having certain methods and systems.  But you can’t.   Check these myths out taken from The Bay City Times.

TRUE OR FALSE?

1: You can make a lot of money by finding “loose” slot machines that pay out more.

A: FALSE. While it’s true that different slot machines pay out differently, they’re all programmed so that you’ll come out behind in the long run. Some machines (called “cherry dribblers” in the industry) give lots of small payouts to keep you feeding in the coins, while others rarely pay out except for extremely large (and rare) jackpots. Odds of hitting those big jackpots are often tens of millions to one.

2: You can beat the casino if you have the right betting system.

A: FALSE. While it is true that betting systems can change the pattern of wins and losses in the short term, there’s no way any betting system can change the odds of the game.3: If you know what games to play and how to play them, you can stack the odds in your favor.

A: FALSE. Some games have better odds than others, that’s true. It’s also true that knowing the rules can increase your chances and make the game more fun. But the odds in any game are stacked against you.

4: If a certain number or combination hasn’t come up recently, there’s a good chance that it will come up soon.

A: FALSE. Every roll of the dice, deal of the cards, and spin of the wheel is completely independent. So whether a certain combination has come up once or 1,000 times, it has no bearing on future play.

5: One bad blackjack player can ruin the whole table’s chances.

A: FALSE. One of the many myths about blackjack is that a bad player can disrupt the cards and cause everyone at the table to lose. The truth is, the cards are in random order. Which means that bad player at the end of the table is just as likely to help you as to hurt you.

6: Slot machines are constantly monitored by casino managers, who then determine when the machines pay out.

A: FALSE. Every slot machine is programmed to keep a certain percentage of the money deposited in it. It’s true that casino managers can change that percentage within a certain range. But the time and amount of any one payout is completely random.

The former MGM Grand in Detroit is now filled with everything MGM didn’t take with them to the new Casino built up the street.  Go on in to purchase an authentic blackjack or even roulette table for your basement or guy’s room.  There are also television sets, 1950’s-era movie star portraits and furniture.

The new MGM cost $800 million.

Ben reviews the book, “Burning The Tables in Las Vegas–Keys to Success in Blackjack and in Life.”

This ad for the movie has Jim Sturgess talk about card counting as the cardinal sin of vegas because you are beating the house. It is comical how casinos suggest that you should come and beat them at their game to lure you in the doors but if they find that you are actually doing it they kick you out.

This is just a plug for the movie but she does make a good point. We discuss cover techniques in our advanced blackjack videos available at the video course.

The Soundtrack of the new movie “21” based on the MIT card counting team will be released by Columbia records.

The headlining track is a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” performed by the Belgian alt-rock band Soulwax.  Here is a list of the other tracks as well:

1. You Can’t Always Get What You Want – The Rolling Stones (Soulwax Remix)

2. Time To Pretend – MGMT

3. Big Ideas – LCD Soundsystem

4. Giant – D. Sardy featuring Liela Moss

5. Always – Amon Tobin

6. Young Folks – Peter Bjorn and John

7. Mad Pursuit – Junkie XL featuring Electrocute

8. Sister Self Doubt – Get Shakes

9. I Am Unknown – The Aliens

10. Shut Up And Drive – Rihanna

11. Alright – Knivez Out

12. Tropical Moonlight – Domino

13. Hold My Hand – UNKLE

14. L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever) – Mark Ronson featuring Kasabian

15. Tender Buttons – Broadcast

Gambling movies can be pretty damn good. Think “Casino” and “Rounders.” They can also can fall flat. Anyone ever hear of “Hit Me” or what was that movie about high stakes poker with Drew Barrymore and the guy from Munich?

Anyone care to wager on how this new movie on card counting starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth is going to be?

This is an interesting article about Ken Hunt, a college professor at Fort Lewis College, who got tired of people making stupid  actions playing Blackjack. He understands the math, and he knows that you can get the House advantage as close as .05% when playing correctly.  Now he wants to enlighten everyone in his community.
Some of his advice: Never play with your gut. Look for Stand 17 tables. Never let the dealer count your hand for you.

Hunt has mastered the first step in successfully beating the house, which is playing Perfect Basic Strategy. The next step is counting cards and the final step is deviating your play and your bet when the count warrants.

Read the full article here.