Good afternoon. I am aosblackjack and I enjoy blogging my trip reports from vegas, Connecticut and Atlantic City. I normally play black chip blackjack and, when in Vegas, like to split my time between downtown and the Strip. Most will tell you I am playing a negative expectation game. However, that does not really concern me. What concerns me is having a good time, being social and getting some nice perquisites from the casinos along the way. I usually have the most fun when reporting live about my excursions to casinos…interacting with others and hearing their thoughts as well, bringing them along for the ride to make the experience even more exciting. So, welcome aboard and let’s get this train moving.

I also blog under this same screen name on wordpress and use this screen name on Twitter
I am hopeful I can both contribute and learn on these boards (I joined because I started following the Trooper's vlogs on YouTube and kept seeing references to these message boards) Although I do not know much about poker, would be nice to at least have a working knowledge thereof.

I wish everyone positive variance.

cool, I look forward to hearing your reports and if there is anything we can help you with just let us know. Have you considered learning how to count cards? It's pretty easy, and if you are playing blackjack already you might as well. Either way there is nothing wrong with just playing for fun if that is your approach also. Blackjack is a great game, very exciting, and even if you don't count it's still going to offer you some of the bests odds in the casino.

Do you have a general approach / strategy / style or do you just sort of go with the flow?

I use a very low level count (Speed Count) and use a content dependent basic strategy (basically, the following: 10,2 v 4 is a hit (stand on all other combinations of first two cards being 12) and standing on multi-card 16 v. dealer tens
If Surrender is available, Surrender 16 v. 9,tens,Ace and Surrender 15 v dealer tens)

If you would like to get some more background, my blog is aosblackjack.wordpress.com

Thank you for welcoming me.

Composition dependent basic strategy (what you call content dependent) is a decent start. It helps you understand some of how the game works. Like your T2 v 4 example from "you're basterdizing basic strategy" from your blog, the EV of hit and the EV of stand are virtually the same in this situation, which is why subtle changes in the composition of the cars that make up your 12 can shift the odds from hit to stand. And there are a lot of fuzzy decisions like this in blackjack where it really doesn't matter in the long run if you hit or standard.

I wholeheartedly agree. I enjoy the game of blackjack and the social aspect of the game as well.

I've always found that the blackjack table is a great place to chat up attractive women as well.

I hope to find out

Forgive me as I don't play blackjack very much at all but I read your blog post about the lady complaining about your basic strat and though I understand that when the count is good you stay on 16 vs 10 but with 12 against a 4 I thought that was always a stay (especially when you don't reference the count as in your post). Is there something that makes that a hit?

12 vs. 4 is extremely close between stand vs. hit. 12 vs. 4 becomes a hit when the count is < 0. I don't know where to find composition dependent strategies (and I don't really care as the edge gained is so tiny), but it makes sense that T2 vs. 4 could be a hit when 93/84/75 is a stand, as you hold two cards in your hand that you wouldn't want to draw, making the odds of drawing to as strong hand better.

A lot of the 12-16 vs a dealer bust card hands become a hit at low counts, but a lot of people prefer to get up instead of playing through highly negative counts so the indices aren't really useful.

Ah, perfect. Thanks very much for the explanation!

For a counter, any time the running count is negative you hit 12 v 4 and any time the running count is positive you stay on 12 v 4. Most variations from basic strategy are based on the true count or "count per deck remaining", but this one is so close between hit and stand even one card removed from the deck makes a difference.

I read some of your stories and enjoyed them. I go to Connecticut casinos sometimes, which is your favorite, foxwoods or Mohegan? Do you ever play Baccarat?

I see you play blackjack tournaments. What is your general approach? Cake used to have these for real money heads up online they were the nuts. You could go contra the table. Or you could bet small at the start, then if someone starts running away with it try to catch up. Or just keep an eye on stacks and then near the end start going max if u need to. I love casino game tournaments, especially if the entry is free and there's a nice prize pool, as happens sometimes. I've been comped entrance to three tournaments that I recall by casinos that thought i was some huge blackjack whale.

Just landed in Vegas - once I get settled in will be blogging

to answer your questions--I like Mohegan Sun better than Foxwoods but that is a skewed view as a friend of mine is a higher up over there

I usually tailor my tournament strategy to the table - starting out playing minimum until I see how the rest of the tables is going after a few hands and adjust accordingly


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Starbuck's for the road

nice! I've never been to Vegas. One day. Did you get a room comped? Are you staying on or off strip?

I mix it up between off strip and on strip - friends in town as well so we float around


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Welcome to my friend AoS (whom I know from WoV site)....To Vegas as well as 2 +2.

Thanks KJ


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