Hi all... I have traditionally played only poker, but lately have learned to count Blackjack and have played a few sessions at my local casino (mostly for the challenge as the rules / penetration are pretty sucky here and I don't have the bankroll to attempt to get serious).

In any case, I have noticed a couple of things that seem a bit odd to me, hence my questions (by the way I was playing at a 6 deck shoe, 10 min, 200 max table):

1) Last night, there was one guy (definitely not a counter) that asked to see the burn card every shuffle. And to my surprise, they showed it to the table after notifying the floor. Is this common among most casinos? I am guessing that it would not be advisable for a counter to ask to see it?

2) There is a button next to the shoe that the dealer hits after all bets have been placed and before dealing the hand. I aked about it, and the floor told me that it is because "people were complaining that they weren't being rated properly and it tracks everyone's bets". So, it seems they have RFID in the chips and the button is the signal to read the bets in the circle. Is this really for rating purposes? Or is this part of a system to detect counters?

3) More of a general question about counting: Is there any way that I can estimate what my specific edge is based on the rules of the game I play, my counting system (high/low), penetration, and spread? Is there any software for this or website that has a calculator? I am trying to decide whether to play the shoe games or the pitch games, but the pitch games only allow doubling on 10 or 11...

Let me try:

1) Some casinos will show, others will not. If you are counting, it is not worth the additional heat to see one card.

2) What is the name of the system they are using? Some are for rating purposes, others also can help detect counters.

3) www.wizardofodds.com

Thanks for the response. I love the Wizard of Odds website. While he does post house edge for specific games, he always assumes basic strategy. I am wondering if there's a way to figure my edge assuming hi/low counting based on penetration and spread... It may require simulation, but if not, I would love to find a calculator...

your advantage increases .5% with each TC level.

1)It doesn't matter,nobody give a sh*t about 1 card

2)Both,but RFID alone can not detect card counting

3)You need a simulator to do that,google qfit.com

1.) If you can find a dealer who will do this, consider yourself fortunate and add it to the count, but don't ask for it. That will draw extra heat on you for sure.

2.) If they have RFID in the chips they could for sure be tracking bet sizing, which is one key thing pits look for in card counters. It all depends on how much the pit is paying attention as far as how bad that is for the counters is concerned.

3.) "Professional Blackjack" by Stanford Wong has a pretty good series of tables determing edge for various rules and show sizes regarding the hi-lo system. It's also a must have for any aspiring counter.

the key to increasing your bet is to look like a gambler. say youre playing $25 a hand and you want to up your bet to $200. dont do it all in one step. like if you lose a hand when the counts in your favor. then double up your bet. you win a hand with the count in your favor. let it ride. you lose, double up again to win it back or if you win let it ride.

did you see the movie about blackjack ? 21

1) In my experience, it's rare. But I'm limited to Oklahoma casinos right now. I never ask for it, it doesn't matter much unless it's an A, and only marginally otherwise.

2) I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't do ****.

3) www.wizardofodds.com

mehh

Pick someone to respond to -- the discussion is not "mehh" ...

Source?

I'm interested in calculating a changing house edge as various cards come out; not relevant to a standard system but very interesting.

http://www.averagejoeblackjack.com/acetencount.html


Card 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
Effects .38 .44 .55 .69 .46 .28 0 -.18 -.51 -.61

Note - you do not want to use the ace to ten count. Hilo is fine, just fine, but if you want more go w/ Zen.