When we went to Vegas years ago (2007ish) we stayed at the Hilton which was off the strip quite a ways. They had one deck black jack. It was amazing you could see all four aces had come out and know that the dealer didn’t have an ace left. I was doubling down on 8, 9, 10 and obv 11. We won 850$ in two hours. Regretfully we didn’t discover this blackjack till the second to last day ! Paid for most of our trip
I thought I mastered card counting until I went to the casino. Practising at home is easy compared to the pressure you face at a casino. The noise, distractions and just how fast the dealer deals. It’s very overwhelming and I lost the running count very quickly. Thankfully that was a number of years ago and now I truly have mastered it.
Ok psa I think the #1 game where he says "don't play a table with someone not playing basic strategy" he's just worded it poorly here, I think the message is just simply "don't play any blackjack regardless of rules until you've mastered basic strategy." I had to rewatch a few times here because I was confused as well.
@@samuelsamuel5269 That's exactly what it sounded like and I was about to mention it until I saw this comment. An idiot's bad play only affects the idiot in the long run, although in any single game the change in the card sequence may help or hurt other players.
so glad i saw this comment, i was going to be like “why get mad at people not playing basic strategy, they aren’t loosing your money, and anything more than friendly advice is just rude”
@@dankmemez7031 wrong , you have to be fast and accurate. Thats it. All cards are shown at one point. Adjust the count for all cards seen. Cards unseen , mathematically are the same as cards still in the shoe.
Whenever I'm at Vegas, I see a lot of people flooding the 6:5 tables and the 3:2 tables are empty...it's as if they think the bigger the number ratio the better the game.
Sometime in the 80s A&W restaurants introduced a 1/3 pound hamburger that sold for the same price as their competitor's 1/4 pound burgers, because who wouldn't want a bigger burger for the same price? Despite an aggressive marketing campaign the new, bigger burgers failed to catch on. A&W brought in a market research team who discovered that the majority of consumers thought 1/3 of a pound was less than 1/4 of a pound. Because 3 < 4. lol
Sadly you have to pay like 50-100 bucks to play even a standard blackjack (with continuous shuffle) in Australia. The craziest ruleset I saw was where you would get up to 5:1 for a blackjack (It was based on your face card, 10 paid 2:1, J 3:1 Q 4:1 K 5:1) and 5 card draw was instant win but any 17,18,19,20 push was a loss. They called it "Blackjack Plus" and just felt awful to play.
Perfect!!! I was the statman for Ken Uston's teams in the early 70's (my current age). I love the way after each scam you follow the exact percentage with what that looks like in actual dollar bills. Back in the day the Dunes dealt double deck ... every last card. But few counters played cause the single deck games were better!! How times have changed 😢
The first I ever went to Vegas I found a 3:2 double deck on Fremont street. It was first time card counting and I actually beat the house! Love these videos, keep them coming!
Another bad game that might not be around anymore was double-exposure blackjack. It looked advantageous because you could see both of the dealer's cards, but the rule that the dealer wins tied hands was a bigger disadvantage.
Still around, Carnival offers it on it's cruise ships. They call it Face-up Blackjack. I do wonder though what the house edge on this, because everytime the dealer pulls out a 10 then a 2-6 you are now playing a lot different that if a dealer pulls out a 10/mystery card. Also if the dealer has 19 you know you have to hit 17/18 instead of just normal stay and loosing to the 19/20. I'm sure the house had an edge on it, but how much? Dunno
Fantastic advice. The importance of mastering the basic strategy play first, should be like a good foundation of any home. Rock Solid! Wish I understood the importance 30 years ago. Thanks for the content and for the app.. it’s good practice to keep your mind sharp.
As usual, very informative. Thank you for the information on Free bet Blackjack, I knew it was to good to be true, but unfortunately, not anything you can do about it if ploppy's keep doing it at your table. Well, yes there is... DON'T PLAY AT THAT TABLE! lol
This is great. What started as me being curious about how the basically play blackjack is now turning into a revolution! Thank you very much for this content.
I think the hardest part of learning advantage play has been, for me, finding beatable games that are appropriate for my bankroll, especially living in the northeast
The casino I work for offers 3 to 2 blackjack with surrendering, splitting up to 4 hands, and splitting up to 3 hands with aces. Doubles on splits are also allowed. From what I know it is a very kind rule set.
@@Bladeofwar94 - The Las Vegas Club in Vegas on Fremont St. back in the '70's used to offer that as well as 6 cards under 22 = automatic win and you could double down after taking one or two hits.
Do "dealer wins tie" tables exist in the US? Because in Finland they do especially in pubs, bars and cruise ships (casinos are not that much a thing here since gambling is monopolized to a state owned organization) and according to house edge tables, those tables are definitely to be avoided since they might have up to 10% house edge
I remember years ago on one of those 6-hour gambling cruise ships they offered a double exposure game that stood on soft 17 and you could double down on any two cards. It was so fun to double down on a hard 5 against the dealer's hard 15 or 16 or better yet splitting tens and getting an ace and then doubling down (against 14, 15 ,16)
When I was going to Las Vegas, I always chose a blackjack table that had well dressed older ladies or grizzled men who knew what they were doing. I never went to tables with the young guys my age who were hollering over ever win and looked like drunken fraternity brothers. I always stayed away from the continuous shoe and auto shuffling.
Ik this isn’t directly related to the video topic but hopefully I’ll get an answer anyways lol. I’ve been practicing on the bja pro app and noticed that theres only one basic strategy chart… I’ve got multiple basic strategy cards for various deck sizes and I’m trying to figure out; why if theres slight differences in the charts for single/ double deck/ 4/6/8 decks then why does bja stick with just the singular chart that looks to be more or less the 4/6/8 deck chart? Is it just so that you only learn one chart and don’t run the risk of getting confused table to table or have you found deck size doesn’t factor in much as long as penetration is good? Please help me out. I only play double deck and maybe I’ll branch out to single not sure yet. and just want the best strategy for it as i don’t care about 4/6/8. Should i stick to my double deck basic strategy card for the most accurate play?
I watched a guy buy in at 3k and saw him turn that 3k into 200k playing free bet. (Right hand to God) I even took a picture. A couple of days prior he hit for 120k. The night he won 200k I couldn’t leave from observing him. A few days later I brought 1k and played. I hit for 15k in about 4 hours. That ish was WILD!!!!
Big question for Free Bet is why is it a bad game. Even though there is a push in the chance the dealer hits 22 you aren’t putting up your money in double down or split situations and if you are using perfect strategy with a running count wouldn’t this be just as advantageous if not more then standard blackjack? Doubling a soft 16 against a 5 and losing to a 20 and losing half of what you normally would I don’t understand why this is an issue. Seems as if anything it would Equal out or even Raise your EV at the table.
I like being able to split or double for free. If you lose, you just lose your original bet. I have played the game and got a good play on one of them with a multiple splits and doubles.
It took me years to perfect this with some great results all over the world. Vegas is the hardest place now to find a decent table. Automatic shufflers are already in most of the big casinos which just about negates any advantage a counter can get. You are better off playing off strip or downtown.
Question on Free bet, I agree that a flat better is going to be at a disadvantage, but what do you think about systems that increase the bets with wins paired with free bet? like 1-3-2-4 system.
Wizard of Odds has the house edge at about 0.58% assuming perfect strategy, but the only Switch games I've seen have used a CSM so it's pointless anyway
Thanks for the video. Is full table is better or one to one is better? What do you think. I hate end player mess up good running cards. Do you what percentage of winning of full or alone.
The other players can't impact your expected value but they can slow down the game. A full table will deal far fewer hands per hour than playing alone so just choose the speed of the game you want to play and pick the table accordingly if you have options!
I find it easier keeping count when I go heads up against the dealer, I'm not quite good enough to count on a full or semi full table but I'm getting there.
In my head, I just had an the image of a couple of busloads of about 150 highly skilled card counters descending on a blackjack pit occupying all the available tables they can. The effort to back them all off. Shut down the blackjack pit? How long would that take? If nothing else, it would make a great video.
Colin, which is better: free bet blackjack with 6 deck shoe that pays 3 to 2 blackjack, able to resplit aces & surrender offered OR blackjack: 8 deck shoe 3 to 2 blackjack, no surrender offered, only able to split aces once?
Sometimes, I just want to play blackjack on one of those Multi-Game machines. Usually, they don’t allow splits or doubling down, so, it’s just hit or stand. I think the house edge is about 3.5%. Can you confirm the house edge on this version?
#1 is confusing because on other videos you said that it doesn’t matter what another player does, they have no influence on how your hand plays out. I learned a lot from you Colin, you’re the one who inspired me to be the great card counter I am today, but that’s a little contradicting lol
@@ethanialbautista4269 I remember going to The Orleans once. Didn't have much of a good night there- they wiped me out a little bit (I think I lost $30), but I still managed to have a lot more left anyway.
almost every casino offers 3:2, it just depends what the minimum bets are.... usually the higher the minimum bet the better table odds, $100 minimum tables have the best odds usually but you can find casinos with $25 or $50 table with the same odds. try TI for $10-15 minimum 3:2 action on the strip.
How do people feel about blackjack switch? Must play two hands and you are free to switch the bottom card after the deal if you would like. Then it works like regular blackjack, except 22 is a push.
I love BJ Switch! I've had dealers on multiple occasions accidentally pay out on their 22, most likely because they had regular BJ in their rotation. I like being able to create double downs & splits.
Free bet works as long as you don’t do anything stupid and you’re playing by yourself. My favorite different game is double up so far I’ve only found it at binyons but I always make money on it. They also had this stupid game where they’d roll dice when the dealer busts and determined push or win that sucked as well
Free bet black jack with pot of gold is my absolute favorite game ever. Where you make the money is on the side bet. Insanely crazy. Won every time I played it. I was no longer caring if I won my hand as long as I got more gold coins.
I love free bet blackjack. I made so much extra money on splits and double downs that the couple of times I pushed on a 22 were irrelevant. I know the math wasn’t in my favor, but I made hundreds of dollars without having to risk my own money. The one thing to watch out for is resisting the urge to split when you shouldn’t just because it’s a free split. I saw people make bad decisions splitting any two cards when they should have just hit.
If you're a basic strategy player, a 6:5 table with $10 min bet could be better than a 3:2 table with $25 min bet. Especially if the goal is just to have fun and interact with people. I've never had any problems with enjoying myself at a low minimum 6:5 table, but I've been unhappy with a 3:2 table with higher minimums. One thing you also have to factor in for people that are just visiting Vegas and having fun, is the effort it takes to find a "good game". If I'm staying at Cosmo or Aria for a bachelor party, I'm not going to try to convince the guys to go to the Palms or TI just to find a good BJ game. I'd rather gamble with a 97% expected return and stay near the hotel we're at, then risk killing the vibe for a 99% return. It's really not that serious.
I used to fly out to Vegas - 2300 miles, versus drive to AC - 400 miles, just to get Binion's 4% Baccarat rather than 5% everywhere else. It usually ended up paying for the trip, that measley 1%.
@@kenstevens7855 - When others are involved, they pay their own way and I never loan money to people in Vegas - well, I did ONE TIME and learned my lesson.
Colin's last recommendation made it seem like he didn't want to play at a table where the other players at the table weren't playing a perfect basic strategy, but I could not care less how good or badly they're playing (as long as it is quick). Just make sure that YOU are playing with perfect basic strategy.
Ya, it is hard to find a table where everyone playing perfect basic strategy, if not almost impossible. Eventually, almost everyone deviates even slightly from it.
Free Bet is bad I agree with your point with some slightly different wording. It forces you into moves that go counter to perfect strategy play. Only game where you curse seeing 10s so really doesn’t fit into perfect strategy theory. Although not mandatory for the side bet but if you don’t go along with the table theme, the 22 push rule is killer.. better to stay on a regular table.
I live in the Midwest and casinos are rather limited in number, but Tri-Lux is popular at a few. One casino offers the basic bet at 5/10/20/30:1 payoff which looks like a good deal compared to the standard flat 9:1 for all 4 payable hands. I come up with a 23% house edge on the former, whereas it's 13% for the flat 9:1 schedule. One player I met calls the side bets, "carnival games!!"
This is my opinion on blackjack games based what I know. I'll take freebet 3-2 over any 6-5 games. I'll take a 6-5 game over any game with csm. I do wonder if freebet blackjack will lower variance for a card counter due to not needing to put more money down during some of the splits and double downs?
My family and I were on Fremont and the girls went into the 4 queens for a bathroom break. They were taking forever so I sat down at a table having no clue about bonus spin blackjack, I was mind blown! But by playing perfect basic strategy for about 15 minutes I did end up leaving 10$+
The whole point of free bet blackjack is the pot of gold side bet, if you aren't playing the side bet, then I agree, you shouldn't be playing free bet, otherwise slow playing $10 mins until you hit a big pot of gold payout isn't too bad and it's actually pretty entertaining when it happens, decent way to earn points on your player rewards card too
I know you've done videos about handling heat. But i was wondering if you could do a video kinda explaining and maybe some stories about your name being in the database and what you can do about it
Depends on how much money you wanna make and how much risk you are willing to accept. Higher risk tolerance = lower bank roll req, higher EV/hr = higher bank roll req. Probably to start though at minimum $500-$1000 regardless of what level you're at, but most likely higher considering you are asking costs included.
Definitely going to Fremont street next time I’m in Vegas lol. BOOBIES!I used to work Security for couple casinos in Oklahoma. Never even heard of anybody getting backed off for counting at my casinos
can you explain the houses advantage on blackjack game where dealer does not take a second car until everyone has hit or stood, in my Australian town the casino has machine card shuffler and dealer only takes 1 card and pulls his second and makes his hand after everyone on table done hitting/standing
My Riverside casino (pretty much only one in Virginia) deals double deck BUT after every hand is put into the auto shuffler. It’s the only casino for hours. No way to card count. Basic strategy still works but again there isn’t even one table without side bets. I just don’t play them anymore. Oh and did I mention they are ALL 6:5. Blackjack is dying
Is it possible to card count in Los Angeles? Does card counting give you enough of an edge where you can beat Los Angeles games? Or do I need to only play in Vegas or even morongo?
I'd think the 'free bet',dealer 22 push,would be higher than 1%. I tried that table in Manila City of Dreams Casino and immediately walked away after the dealer pushed with bust 22.
Colin I know you are against progressive betting but if you play basic strategy and are not a card counter what is your opinion of a player betting for example starting at $5 and remaining at $5 until he wins a hand then going to $10,$15,$20 on up until you lose then starting over to $5 repeating the process? Thanks for your answer.
Mathematically it should be the same as just betting $5 until you inevitably lose all your money due to the 0.5% house edge over basic strategy with no counting or whatever depending on the table rules. Technically it shouldn't hurt your play but it doesn't help and you shouldn't think it helps.
UK player here, mostly a poker player when I look to make money, but occasional blackjack and baccarat player for fun. My local casino used to have this great area in the basement, deliberately but classily done as a speakeasy / burlesque set-up, with stage and cage dancers. I used to love it down there, I'm fine losing a few quid an hour to watch great shows, but they replaced it all in an attempt to go more up-market Out of interest, what's so bad with other players not playing basic strategy? I must admit it does grate when a player is last to act and isn't being being sensible, but why would a player not playing perfectly impact on my broader odds. It's plausible that they take my 10 away from a double, but it's equally plausible they take the 2, or the A from the dealer? Short of potentially being pissed off mentally, what difference does it make to the odds?
I was in Vegas a couple weeks ago. Found zero blackjack tables that didn't match your #5-#2 in this video. Never saw a single traditional 3:2 blackjack payout. 6:5 reigns supreme.
Thats absolutely correct, 6/5 is the norm, so we are now waiting for the card counting community to come up with a new tactic and new strategies to give us back the advantage over 6/5 we need a new system guys to keep up with the casinos.
The house edge on these games is actually much higher if you look at the actual numbers casinos keep on the games. Casinos analyze how their games operate on a daily basis to monotype revenue. The hold is actually like 15%. A lot of people don’t play basic strategy. The. There are people that think they do...but don’t.
Not sure if it's a law, but most casinos will have the rule variants posted somewhere on the table, usually near the minimum/maximum sign. If you're looking to get that information before you get to the casino, you can try calling and getting transferred to someone in Table Games, but in my experience, they'll hang up on you about half the time. If you're okay with slogging through a couple phone trees, it couldn't hurt though.
The crazy thing about free bet is if you bet big at the right time you can spilt and double for free vs face cards and get super lucky ,but pushing on 22 hurts
A trick i use is to let other players at my table use my basic strategy cards, i bring them so i look like an amateur (i still am lol) but it brings less heat, also go to casinos on the weekdays
Bad games like this are popping up all over in other places too! Free Bet and 6:5 Blackjack for one, are showing up in Washington and California casinos making a lot of those games unplayable. Players should not play these games!! The casinos are really making it difficult for players these days. I would not play these games unless (maybe) you paid me to. 3:2 payouts should be demanded by players. Free Bet is BS also.
Sometimes I play blackjack in Fallout New Vegas. I can only get a winning streak of about 500. But I have to spend a thousand on chips. Earlier I was splitting decks and doubling down on one and stuff. It was cool
6:5 is spreading all over downtown now also, pretty soon only the sweaty spaniard will offer 3:2 blackjack, where a 1-3 bet spread will get you the evil eye.
Actually 6:5 blackjack started downtown at the Golden Nugget in 2006, it was a trial run to see if the casual tourist even noticed and unfortunately they didn't notice and from there it took off like wild fire all over town.
Do you can make an video on the diviatins charts and explain what each number says and when should i use H17 and when S17 what better and all these stuff?
lol at my local casino (the only casino in the state i live in) the only blackjack you can play unless you want to spend at least $20US (equivalent) per hand off peak, the house edge is 5.5% if you play perfectly. btw this is not in the US.
Went to the golden nugget last week on Freemont street, first time gambling or going to a casino. Played the 6:5 $2 spin blackjack and honestly I had a blast. turned my $100 into $185 in about 3 hours. I've done research since I left and yeah it's total bullshit but as someone who doesn't take it seriously, the $5 minimum + $2 spin was pretty fun.
I need some advice. My local casino offers a $250 daily match play. I wanted to see what your thoughts are on ONLY playing this everyday? I know I can’t win every time. But, is this something I should try? Please advise.
@@morgankane961 lol why not? It’s not a secret. Just looking for a good bj shoe table that pays 3:2. This doesn’t fall under “ the game is to be sold, not told” folder
@@SAsh-zg6lnWhat you mean by "a good shoe"? If youre thinking about good rules, good pen, less heat etc, then by all means, that kind of information will be kept as secret, as should be. You can buy monthly updates on BJ21.com containing that kind of details. If youre only looking for 3:2 games then all strip casinos offer it, though their minimum will be at least $25 if youre lucky.
@@SAsh-zg6ln I dont think you will find handshuffled games at the strip. ASM is faster=more money for the casinos + avoiding the shuffletracker-issue. And again, cardcounters who have recommendations will never share it without getting something in return. Its like in any other business. Who wants to help the competition?
All over the place! Stations casinos have a good double deck, Cromwell has a great 8 deck, to name a few. There are good games all over Vegas if you look for them. We have an entire database of casinos' blackjack rules in our Membership.
@@Blackjackapprenticeship I hear it over and over again, that for the low limits most players need, the places to go are far from the strip and downtown...the so-called 'locals casinos'. Colin, do you agree with this?
You know the best way not to lose at the game of blackjack? I have the answer for you right here! Evidently, it's a very well-kept secret, but I promise you, it cuts the house percentage down to ZERO, guaranteed! THE ANSWER: DON'T PLAY! EVER!! And wherever and whenever the dealer is standing there bored shitless, without anyone to deal to, that'll be YOU (losing ZERO percent!).
So funny. I played the Free black jack today. Kind of weird. I left the table with even money. The free split and double down came up a lot. That's how I got my money back.
"Any balackjack table where someone isn't playing basic strategy." It really sounds like you're saying when the person sitting next to me stands on 16 vs 7 I'm supposed to get up and leave. What you really mean is you make the game bad for yourself by not playing basic strategy yourself.
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When we went to Vegas years ago (2007ish) we stayed at the Hilton which was off the strip quite a ways. They had one deck black jack. It was amazing you could see all four aces had come out and know that the dealer didn’t have an ace left. I was doubling down on 8, 9, 10 and obv 11. We won 850$ in two hours. Regretfully we didn’t discover this blackjack till the second to last day ! Paid for most of our trip
This is why I think people are insane for saying that the difference between 5,6,8 deck and continuous shuffle is negligible.
However you have to keep in mind that the casinos don't allow for deep penetration. Sometimes they re-shuffle at half deck.. maybe a little bit more.
This is the reason that this game doesn't exist anymore.
I thought I mastered card counting until I went to the casino. Practising at home is easy compared to the pressure you face at a casino. The noise, distractions and just how fast the dealer deals. It’s very overwhelming and I lost the running count very quickly. Thankfully that was a number of years ago and now I truly have mastered it.
Did u earn?
any tips
Almost no one can learn to count cards and actually do it. So, don't even consider it. Just use basic strategy.
slow the dealer down or look for a weaker dealer
@@Grisbi6 and play on a constant disadvantage? How does thet make sense, then don't play at all or just for fun
Ok psa I think the #1 game where he says "don't play a table with someone not playing basic strategy" he's just worded it poorly here, I think the message is just simply "don't play any blackjack regardless of rules until you've mastered basic strategy." I had to rewatch a few times here because I was confused as well.
Yes, that's definitely what I meant! Sorry for the confusion.
Ohhh, I thought he meant like watch to make sure all the other people are playing perfectly too 😂
@@samuelsamuel5269 That's exactly what it sounded like and I was about to mention it until I saw this comment. An idiot's bad play only affects the idiot in the long run, although in any single game the change in the card sequence may help or hurt other players.
instablaster.
so glad i saw this comment, i was going to be like “why get mad at people not playing basic strategy, they aren’t loosing your money, and anything more than friendly advice is just rude”
Now do "The Top 5 BEST Blackjack Games in Las Vegas" and where to find them?
That’s easy….it called double deck blackjack
@@reefermadniss9453 you can’t do traditional Hi-Lo on double decks because the cards are dealt face down.
Sorry, that's top secret information for members only. Also, the better blackjack games are more vigorously protected by casino personnel.
@@dankmemez7031 wrong , you have to be fast and accurate. Thats it. All cards are shown at one point. Adjust the count for all cards seen. Cards unseen , mathematically are the same as cards still in the shoe.
Limits of 25$ or more general offer the best rules at all hotels.
Whenever I'm at Vegas, I see a lot of people flooding the 6:5 tables and the 3:2 tables are empty...it's as if they think the bigger the number ratio the better the game.
Sometime in the 80s A&W restaurants introduced a 1/3 pound hamburger that sold for the same price as their competitor's 1/4 pound burgers, because who wouldn't want a bigger burger for the same price? Despite an aggressive marketing campaign the new, bigger burgers failed to catch on. A&W brought in a market research team who discovered that the majority of consumers thought 1/3 of a pound was less than 1/4 of a pound. Because 3 < 4. lol
The 6/5 tables are usually lower min bet so they get full first
That's interesting thanks for sharing @@VinegarJoe1985
Casino exec: "3:2 is costly, what about 2.4:2?"
Gambler: "6:5? WoW! Much better!"
Sadly you have to pay like 50-100 bucks to play even a standard blackjack (with continuous shuffle) in Australia. The craziest ruleset I saw was where you would get up to 5:1 for a blackjack (It was based on your face card, 10 paid 2:1, J 3:1 Q 4:1 K 5:1) and 5 card draw was instant win but any 17,18,19,20 push was a loss. They called it "Blackjack Plus" and just felt awful to play.
Perfect!!! I was the statman for Ken Uston's teams in the early 70's (my current age). I love the way after each scam you follow the exact percentage with what that looks like in actual dollar bills. Back in the day the Dunes dealt double deck ... every last card. But few counters played cause the single deck games were better!! How times have changed 😢
🎯 times sure have changed
Weird the resorts that he showed that have 6:5 free blackjack were all MGM properties
LMAO at 3:52 for #2! That is hilarious on how you did that CEO parody
Could not have come at a better time. Thanks for posting
The first I ever went to Vegas I found a 3:2 double deck on Fremont street. It was first time card counting and I actually beat the house! Love these videos, keep them coming!
Another bad game that might not be around anymore was double-exposure blackjack. It looked advantageous because you could see both of the dealer's cards, but the rule that the dealer wins tied hands was a bigger disadvantage.
remember that one
Still around, Carnival offers it on it's cruise ships. They call it Face-up Blackjack. I do wonder though what the house edge on this, because everytime the dealer pulls out a 10 then a 2-6 you are now playing a lot different that if a dealer pulls out a 10/mystery card. Also if the dealer has 19 you know you have to hit 17/18 instead of just normal stay and loosing to the 19/20.
I'm sure the house had an edge on it, but how much? Dunno
Making hitting on 20 a thing. lol
@@winningfreak1 - There's no apostrophe in its.
@@Synchotron - Bette Midler did it in the movie 'Jinxed' (and won!)
Fantastic advice. The importance of mastering the basic strategy play first, should be like a good foundation of any home. Rock Solid!
Wish I understood the importance 30 years ago.
Thanks for the content and for the app.. it’s good practice to keep your mind sharp.
Absolutely!
As usual, very informative. Thank you for the information on Free bet Blackjack, I knew it was to good to be true, but unfortunately, not anything you can do about it if ploppy's keep doing it at your table. Well, yes there is... DON'T PLAY AT THAT TABLE! lol
This is great. What started as me being curious about how the basically play blackjack is now turning into a revolution! Thank you very much for this content.
Hey Colin, you forgot CSM games! ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO!!!!
CSM??
@@bencalkins6069 Continuous shuffling machine
Love the videos. Keep them coming.
I think the hardest part of learning advantage play has been, for me, finding beatable games that are appropriate for my bankroll, especially living in the northeast
The casino I work for offers 3 to 2 blackjack with surrendering, splitting up to 4 hands, and splitting up to 3 hands with aces. Doubles on splits are also allowed. From what I know it is a very kind rule set.
@@Bladeofwar94 what casino you at?
@@abemyer6064 Don't want to say because i'd kinda be doxing myself.
Avoid continuous shuffle machines
@@Bladeofwar94 - The Las Vegas Club in Vegas on Fremont St. back in the '70's used to offer that as well as 6 cards under 22 = automatic win and you could double down after taking one or two hits.
Do "dealer wins tie" tables exist in the US? Because in Finland they do especially in pubs, bars and cruise ships (casinos are not that much a thing here since gambling is monopolized to a state owned organization) and according to house edge tables, those tables are definitely to be avoided since they might have up to 10% house edge
Not in vegas. Ties are pushes
I remember years ago on one of those 6-hour gambling cruise ships they offered a double exposure game that stood on soft 17 and you could double down on any two cards. It was so fun to double down on a hard 5 against the dealer's hard 15 or 16 or better yet splitting tens and getting an ace and then doubling down (against 14, 15 ,16)
What is a hard 5?
@@blake_lively_matters6553 2,3
When I was going to Las Vegas, I always chose a blackjack table that had well dressed older ladies or grizzled men who knew what they were doing. I never went to tables with the young guys my age who were hollering over ever win and looked like drunken fraternity brothers.
I always stayed away from the continuous shoe and auto shuffling.
Ik this isn’t directly related to the video topic but hopefully I’ll get an answer anyways lol. I’ve been practicing on the bja pro app and noticed that theres only one basic strategy chart… I’ve got multiple basic strategy cards for various deck sizes and I’m trying to figure out; why if theres slight differences in the charts for single/ double deck/ 4/6/8 decks then why does bja stick with just the singular chart that looks to be more or less the 4/6/8 deck chart? Is it just so that you only learn one chart and don’t run the risk of getting confused table to table or have you found deck size doesn’t factor in much as long as penetration is good? Please help me out. I only play double deck and maybe I’ll branch out to single not sure yet. and just want the best strategy for it as i don’t care about 4/6/8. Should i stick to my double deck basic strategy card for the most accurate play?
Just started watching your videos and learning the ins and out of Blackjack, or should I say highs and lows. Love the videos!!
Awesome! Thank you!
I watched a guy buy in at 3k and saw him turn that 3k into 200k playing free bet. (Right hand to God) I even took a picture. A couple of days prior he hit for 120k. The night he won 200k I couldn’t leave from observing him. A few days later I brought 1k and played. I hit for 15k in about 4 hours. That ish was WILD!!!!
Where was this?
Big question for Free Bet is why is it a bad game. Even though there is a push in the chance the dealer hits 22 you aren’t putting up your money in double down or split situations and if you are using perfect strategy with a running count wouldn’t this be just as advantageous if not more then standard blackjack? Doubling a soft 16 against a 5 and losing to a 20 and losing half of what you normally would I don’t understand why this is an issue. Seems as if anything it would Equal out or even Raise your EV at the table.
I like being able to split or double for free. If you lose, you just lose your original bet. I have played the game and got a good play on one of them with a multiple splits and doubles.
It took me years to perfect this with some great results all over the world. Vegas is the hardest place now to find a decent table. Automatic shufflers are already in most of the big casinos which just about negates any advantage a counter can get. You are better off playing off strip or downtown.
Question on Free bet,
I agree that a flat better is going to be at a disadvantage, but what do you think about systems that increase the bets with wins paired with free bet? like 1-3-2-4 system.
What about Blackjack switch, where you can make a Z motion on the felt if you don't like your first 2 cards and be given 2 new cards.
Wizard of Odds has the house edge at about 0.58% assuming perfect strategy, but the only Switch games I've seen have used a CSM so it's pointless anyway
El Cortez .. $10 2 deck 3/2 you can double after split.
2 Deck is great practice too..
Interesting. Did you try card counting there?
Appreciate all the advise Colin.
Thanks for the video. Is full table is better or one to one is better? What do you think. I hate end player mess up good running cards. Do you what percentage of winning of full or alone.
The other players can't impact your expected value but they can slow down the game. A full table will deal far fewer hands per hour than playing alone so just choose the speed of the game you want to play and pick the table accordingly if you have options!
I find it easier keeping count when I go heads up against the dealer, I'm not quite good enough to count on a full or semi full table but I'm getting there.
sit at 1st base, you can hold up the game until you finish your count of exposed cards
Gambling is a tax on stupidity! Seems these games are like really taxing!
In my head, I just had an the image of a couple of busloads of about 150 highly skilled card counters descending on a blackjack pit occupying all the available tables they can. The effort to back them all off. Shut down the blackjack pit? How long would that take? If nothing else, it would make a great video.
Colin, which is better: free bet blackjack with 6 deck shoe that pays 3 to 2 blackjack, able to resplit aces & surrender offered OR blackjack: 8 deck shoe 3 to 2 blackjack, no surrender offered, only able to split aces once?
Sometimes, I just want to play blackjack on one of those Multi-Game machines. Usually, they don’t allow splits or doubling down, so, it’s just hit or stand. I think the house edge is about 3.5%. Can you confirm the house edge on this version?
At the Viena Casino, you can find 3-4 tables of these examples at 6 tables total. The worst casino in Europe.
#1 is confusing because on other videos you said that it doesn’t matter what another player does, they have no influence on how your hand plays out. I learned a lot from you Colin, you’re the one who inspired me to be the great card counter I am today, but that’s a little contradicting lol
Wow, such an informative video! You won't believe number 3!
6:5 is the worst cause there’s no sign to tell people
Went to Vegas a few weeks ago and 6:5 tables are everywhere. Is there a list of places that still offer 3:2?
The only places I know are South Point and The Orleans that have 3:2 blackjack tables
@@ethanialbautista4269 I remember going to The Orleans once. Didn't have much of a good night there- they wiped me out a little bit (I think I lost $30), but I still managed to have a lot more left anyway.
Ellis Island has 3:2 as low as $5 minimum during the week, $10 minimum on weekends.
almost every casino offers 3:2, it just depends what the minimum bets are.... usually the higher the minimum bet the better table odds, $100 minimum tables have the best odds usually but you can find casinos with $25 or $50 table with the same odds. try TI for $10-15 minimum 3:2 action on the strip.
We have a database called Casino411 in our Membership... rules/deck penetration, etc for casinos around the country, including Vegas.
Do you know if Las Vegas casinos have card shuffle machines at blackjack?
How do people feel about blackjack switch? Must play two hands and you are free to switch the bottom card after the deal if you would like. Then it works like regular blackjack, except 22 is a push.
I love BJ Switch! I've had dealers on multiple occasions accidentally pay out on their 22, most likely because they had regular BJ in their rotation. I like being able to create double downs & splits.
Free bet works as long as you don’t do anything stupid and you’re playing by yourself. My favorite different game is double up so far I’ve only found it at binyons but I always make money on it. They also had this stupid game where they’d roll dice when the dealer busts and determined push or win that sucked as well
Free bet black jack with pot of gold is my absolute favorite game ever. Where you make the money is on the side bet. Insanely crazy. Won every time I played it. I was no longer caring if I won my hand as long as I got more gold coins.
I love free bet blackjack. I made so much extra money on splits and double downs that the couple of times I pushed on a 22 were irrelevant. I know the math wasn’t in my favor, but I made hundreds of dollars without having to risk my own money. The one thing to watch out for is resisting the urge to split when you shouldn’t just because it’s a free split. I saw people make bad decisions splitting any two cards when they should have just hit.
If you're a basic strategy player, a 6:5 table with $10 min bet could be better than a 3:2 table with $25 min bet. Especially if the goal is just to have fun and interact with people. I've never had any problems with enjoying myself at a low minimum 6:5 table, but I've been unhappy with a 3:2 table with higher minimums.
One thing you also have to factor in for people that are just visiting Vegas and having fun, is the effort it takes to find a "good game". If I'm staying at Cosmo or Aria for a bachelor party, I'm not going to try to convince the guys to go to the Palms or TI just to find a good BJ game. I'd rather gamble with a 97% expected return and stay near the hotel we're at, then risk killing the vibe for a 99% return. It's really not that serious.
100% agree. I've gambled and lived in Vegas - for fun nights give the casino the extra 1% or 2% and enjoy the night.
I used to fly out to Vegas - 2300 miles, versus drive to AC - 400 miles, just to get Binion's 4% Baccarat rather than 5% everywhere else. It usually ended up paying for the trip, that measley 1%.
@@blake_lively_matters6553 Sounds like you did that by yourself. When others are involved, it's a different story.
@@kenstevens7855 - When others are involved, they pay their own way and I never loan money to people in Vegas - well, I did ONE TIME and learned my lesson.
Colin's last recommendation made it seem like he didn't want to play at a table where the other players at the table weren't playing a perfect basic strategy, but I could not care less how good or badly they're playing (as long as it is quick). Just make sure that YOU are playing with perfect basic strategy.
Ya, it is hard to find a table where everyone playing perfect basic strategy, if not almost impossible. Eventually, almost everyone deviates even slightly from it.
That was my first take, and I was confused, after a second view it seems like he meant you the player.
It would seem like people playing slow would be to the counter's advantage - more time to think about numbers - less chance for error.
So your saying don't play black jack on the strip if you like 10-15$ minimum! Gotcha
Free Bet is bad I agree with your point with some slightly different wording. It forces you into moves that go counter to perfect strategy play. Only game where you curse seeing 10s so really doesn’t fit into perfect strategy theory. Although not mandatory for the side bet but if you don’t go along with the table theme, the 22 push rule is killer.. better to stay on a regular table.
I live in the Midwest and casinos are rather limited in number, but Tri-Lux is popular at a few. One casino offers the basic bet at 5/10/20/30:1 payoff which looks like a good deal compared to the standard flat 9:1 for all 4 payable hands.
I come up with a 23% house edge on the former, whereas it's 13% for the flat 9:1 schedule. One player I met calls the side bets, "carnival games!!"
This is my opinion on blackjack games based what I know. I'll take freebet 3-2 over any 6-5 games. I'll take a 6-5 game over any game with csm. I do wonder if freebet blackjack will lower variance for a card counter due to not needing to put more money down during some of the splits and double downs?
My family and I were on Fremont and the girls went into the 4 queens for a bathroom break. They were taking forever so I sat down at a table having no clue about bonus spin blackjack, I was mind blown! But by playing perfect basic strategy for about 15 minutes I did end up leaving 10$+
turning 21 in a few hours, going to play as soon as the clock hits midnight
The whole point of free bet blackjack is the pot of gold side bet, if you aren't playing the side bet, then I agree, you shouldn't be playing free bet, otherwise slow playing $10 mins until you hit a big pot of gold payout isn't too bad and it's actually pretty entertaining when it happens, decent way to earn points on your player rewards card too
I know you've done videos about handling heat. But i was wondering if you could do a video kinda explaining and maybe some stories about your name being in the database and what you can do about it
How much of a budget do u require, all costs included, to advantage play in Vegas?
I turned 20 bucks into 1000. It’s all about how the cards are dealt and how much you wanna bet.
Depends on how much money you wanna make and how much risk you are willing to accept. Higher risk tolerance = lower bank roll req, higher EV/hr = higher bank roll req. Probably to start though at minimum $500-$1000 regardless of what level you're at, but most likely higher considering you are asking costs included.
@@elmink.3861 Woah what?! No way! Did you only play Blackjack?
@@Skitles125 But doesn't it seem a bit useless to go to Vegas with 500 dollars? 5000 maybe but 500...
@@Skitles125 yeah! It was a grind lmao. Pretty much I just put in my big bets at the right times
Definitely going to Fremont street next time I’m in Vegas lol. BOOBIES!I used to work Security for couple casinos in Oklahoma. Never even heard of anybody getting backed off for counting at my casinos
Do one on Spanish 21!
I'll give you the cliff notes... "Don't play spanish 21".
"Sorry if that's too soon." ROFLMFAO!
can you explain the houses advantage on blackjack game where dealer does not take a second car until everyone has hit or stood, in my Australian town the casino has machine card shuffler and dealer only takes 1 card and pulls his second and makes his hand after everyone on table done hitting/standing
Dealers hardly wearing anything both on and off the tables...I'm in. Let me get my money
lol no offense but if you have to explain to someone that 6:5 is a lesser payout than 3:2 then they shouldn’t be gambling in the first place 😂
Stay away from side bets. As Wizard of Odds Mike Shackelford has said many a time, "side bets are always sucker bets".
My Riverside casino (pretty much only one in Virginia) deals double deck BUT after every hand is put into the auto shuffler. It’s the only casino for hours. No way to card count. Basic strategy still works but again there isn’t even one table without side bets. I just don’t play them anymore. Oh and did I mention they are ALL 6:5. Blackjack is dying
Is it possible to card count in Los Angeles? Does card counting give you enough of an edge where you can beat Los Angeles games? Or do I need to only play in Vegas or even morongo?
I'd think the 'free bet',dealer 22 push,would be higher than 1%. I tried that table in Manila City of Dreams Casino and immediately walked away after the dealer pushed with bust 22.
Colin I know you are against progressive betting but if you play basic strategy and are not a card counter what is your opinion of a player betting for example starting at $5 and remaining at $5 until he wins a hand then going to $10,$15,$20 on up until you lose then starting over to $5 repeating the process? Thanks for your answer.
Mathematically it should be the same as just betting $5 until you inevitably lose all your money due to the 0.5% house edge over basic strategy with no counting or whatever depending on the table rules. Technically it shouldn't hurt your play but it doesn't help and you shouldn't think it helps.
UK player here, mostly a poker player when I look to make money, but occasional blackjack and baccarat player for fun.
My local casino used to have this great area in the basement, deliberately but classily done as a speakeasy / burlesque set-up, with stage and cage dancers. I used to love it down there, I'm fine losing a few quid an hour to watch great shows, but they replaced it all in an attempt to go more up-market
Out of interest, what's so bad with other players not playing basic strategy? I must admit it does grate when a player is last to act and isn't being being sensible, but why would a player not playing perfectly impact on my broader odds. It's plausible that they take my 10 away from a double, but it's equally plausible they take the 2, or the A from the dealer? Short of potentially being pissed off mentally, what difference does it make to the odds?
Colin answers this on another comment thread here and admits he worded that poorly. He really meant just you as the player needing perfect strategy.
I was in Vegas a couple weeks ago. Found zero blackjack tables that didn't match your #5-#2 in this video. Never saw a single traditional 3:2 blackjack payout. 6:5 reigns supreme.
Thats absolutely correct, 6/5 is the norm, so we are now waiting for the card counting community to come up with a new tactic and new strategies to give us back the advantage over 6/5 we need a new system guys to keep up with the casinos.
Downtown still has quite a few 3:2 games. You can find 3:2 on the strip, but table min for those starts at $50.
Number one confused me. In another video it was said the other players don't effect us. I thought that was BS, and now this video confirms this.
I’m not sure what he meant by that because other players have no bearing on your hand
I know Free Bet blackjack has a higher house edge. But it’s still pretty low and I like it for entertainment purposes bc Free Bet BJ is so much fun.
Just got back from Vegas and it suck for a Blackjack player. Never again.
The house edge on these games is actually much higher if you look at the actual numbers casinos keep on the games.
Casinos analyze how their games operate on a daily basis to monotype revenue.
The hold is actually like 15%. A lot of people don’t play basic strategy. The. There are people that think they do...but don’t.
I totally agree with you, if all casinos went 6-5, I would quit playing the game and save myself alot of money!
That's the point though. Most of these are specifically countermeasures against advantage players.
Pretty much all the casinos are 6-5. It pretty gay if you tell me.
@@5DollarsUp don't play at those casinos
@@yasminsparrow695 if you are at the strip. You have no choice but deal with those casinos.
Ez bust is a good one to play but it’s 6to5 most places . Suncoast hotel has ez bust & is 3to2 & they only use 2 decks & they have 10$ min tables .
I've watched many of your videos and find them informative. But where do you find any particular casino's rules? Are these published somewhere?
Not sure if it's a law, but most casinos will have the rule variants posted somewhere on the table, usually near the minimum/maximum sign. If you're looking to get that information before you get to the casino, you can try calling and getting transferred to someone in Table Games, but in my experience, they'll hang up on you about half the time. If you're okay with slogging through a couple phone trees, it couldn't hurt though.
The crazy thing about free bet is if you bet big at the right time you can spilt and double for free vs face cards and get super lucky ,but pushing on 22 hurts
Can Spanish 21 be beaten?? Or is it a waste of time? The game on my cruise is hand shuffle, dealing 6.5 decks out of 8
I’d add to that list.. Any blackjack dealt from a CSM.
Can you find traditional Blackjack in Vegas easily? If not. Screw it. I will just continue to go to the local Indian casino.
I wants to know that as well :D
Staying at the Venetian RIGHT NOW. 6:5 bullshit games are all over the floor. I didn't see a single 3:2 game. Take it for what it's worth.
As a rule of thumb the further from the strip the better the games.
Great info
A trick i use is to let other players at my table use my basic strategy cards, i bring them so i look like an amateur (i still am lol) but it brings less heat, also go to casinos on the weekdays
Bad games like this are popping up all over in other places too! Free Bet and 6:5 Blackjack for one, are showing up in Washington and California casinos making a lot of those games unplayable. Players should not play these games!! The casinos are really making it difficult for players these days. I would not play these games unless (maybe) you paid me to. 3:2 payouts should be demanded by players. Free Bet is BS also.
Sometimes I play blackjack in Fallout New Vegas. I can only get a winning streak of about 500. But I have to spend a thousand on chips. Earlier I was splitting decks and doubling down on one and stuff. It was cool
Apparently you're ability to play Black Jack is tied to your luck stat. Heard if you crank the Luck stat to 10, Casino games become stupidly beatable.
6:5 is spreading all over downtown now also, pretty soon only the sweaty spaniard will offer 3:2 blackjack, where a 1-3 bet spread will get you the evil eye.
Actually 6:5 blackjack started downtown at the Golden Nugget in 2006, it was a trial run to see if the casual tourist even noticed and unfortunately they didn't notice and from there it took off like wild fire all over town.
@@lennyanders1639 Flamingo had 6:5 in 2002, and super fun 21 which paid even money on a natural blackjack in 1999.
I have seen "party pits" where blackjack only pays even money. Most blackjack games on machines are like that too.
Do you can make an video on the diviatins charts
and explain what each number
says and when should i use H17 and when S17
what better and all these stuff?
All that information is on the BJA website. Become a member and its all there.
lol at my local casino (the only casino in the state i live in) the only blackjack you can play unless you want to spend at least $20US (equivalent) per hand off peak, the house edge is 5.5% if you play perfectly. btw this is not in the US.
Went to the golden nugget last week on Freemont street, first time gambling or going to a casino. Played the 6:5 $2 spin blackjack and honestly I had a blast. turned my $100 into $185 in about 3 hours. I've done research since I left and yeah it's total bullshit but as someone who doesn't take it seriously, the $5 minimum + $2 spin was pretty fun.
I need some advice. My local casino offers a $250 daily match play. I wanted to see what your thoughts are on ONLY playing this everyday? I know I can’t win every time. But, is this something I should try? Please advise.
A $250 daily match play is insane, can you break it up into $25 per hand or do you have to play one hand at $250?
I think you’ve mentioned this before but idk if you’ve updated it. What’s the best casino to play bj at on Vegas strip or close to the strip?
LOL, no one is gonna tell you that for free :p
@@morgankane961 lol why not? It’s not a secret. Just looking for a good bj shoe table that pays 3:2. This doesn’t fall under “ the game is to be sold, not told” folder
@@SAsh-zg6lnWhat you mean by "a good shoe"? If youre thinking about good rules, good pen, less heat etc, then by all means, that kind of information will be kept as secret, as should be. You can buy monthly updates on BJ21.com containing that kind of details. If youre only looking for 3:2 games then all strip casinos offer it, though their minimum will be at least $25 if youre lucky.
@@morgankane961 I mean good shoe game. As in no automatic shuffler
@@SAsh-zg6ln I dont think you will find handshuffled games at the strip. ASM is faster=more money for the casinos + avoiding the shuffletracker-issue. And again, cardcounters who have recommendations will never share it without getting something in return. Its like in any other business. Who wants to help the competition?
I guess the natural question would be,...where are the "good" blackjack games available?
All over the place! Stations casinos have a good double deck, Cromwell has a great 8 deck, to name a few. There are good games all over Vegas if you look for them. We have an entire database of casinos' blackjack rules in our Membership.
@@Blackjackapprenticeship I hear it over and over again, that for the low limits most players need, the places to go are far from the strip and downtown...the so-called 'locals casinos'. Colin, do you agree with this?
The El Cortez has the best game by far. $5 double deck 3:2
could you do a vid on the best blackjack games?
Have you heard of casino quest/ceg dealer school? They have a 10 minute challenge and it’d be cool to see you do it
I've heard of Casino Quest, but not the 10 minute challenge.
@@Blackjackapprenticeship 10 mins $300 to gain as much as you can. Counting wouldn’t come into play but the cross promotion would be dope
You know the best way not to lose at the game of blackjack?
I have the answer for you right here!
Evidently, it's a very well-kept secret, but I promise you, it cuts the house percentage down to ZERO, guaranteed!
THE ANSWER:
DON'T PLAY!
EVER!!
And wherever and whenever the dealer is standing there bored shitless, without anyone to deal to, that'll be YOU (losing ZERO percent!).
So funny. I played the Free black jack today. Kind of weird. I left the table with even money. The free split and double down came up a lot. That's how I got my money back.
"Any balackjack table where someone isn't playing basic strategy." It really sounds like you're saying when the person sitting next to me stands on 16 vs 7 I'm supposed to get up and leave. What you really mean is you make the game bad for yourself by not playing basic strategy yourself.