charr

Hi all, I will be in Vegas March 9-11 playing BJ. Any tips or info about the games there right now? Also anyone out there that would like to meet. I play mostly AC with great consistency and success. I am a long time WCB player. Ellis, will you be there? Charr

charr charr

all the details of your latest Casino trip?

Hi all, Just wanted to mention a classic move: I just got back from the taj in AC, playing green, sittting at short stop, 4 player game everybody playing BS, after 3 rounds someone says "where's all the tens?", i can't stop laughing inside, dealer has a 6 up, I have a 10-2 for 12 and the only ten on the table, two hit cards before me are low and everyone stands stiff, the dealer read is strong, without hesitation I signal hit, 3rd base player is playing black and yells "no!" and the dealer hesitates, I say "I said hit" and the dealer hits me, I catch a 6 for 18, dealer turns over 7, hits 3, 6 and breaks and 3rd base looks at me with amazement and appreciation and I say "yes?" but I think to myself "thanks Ellis". Thanks Ellis.

Well, since we spoke last I have been doing some serious studying and contemplating life as a bj pro. I have begun playing as a part-time pro and with more attention to detail and my mental state/discipline. I haven't lost a session in AC for several months now. I've been making trips and playing at least 3-4 times a month. My question is should I document my play and if so why? and what exactly should I document? One more thing, in my area here just 20 minutes away the racetrack has aquired slots including video blackjack machines which are large screen machines that display a video of a dealer and up to 5 players can sit. It is dealt by giving each player and dealer their own individual 6 deck shoe shuffled after each hand. The law states that the play of one player cannot affect the outcome for another player. Rules-dealer hits soft 17, double on any two cards, double after split, one card on split aces, late surrender, 3-2 payoff for bj, 2-1 on insurance. $5-$200 min/max in increments of $5. Do you think they are worth playing? Do machines play truely random or do they run in cycles? Any input appreciated. Anyone else have any comments?

Anyone? Waiting to hear about some interesting or bad losses.

We all don't win them all and we all have had some bad losses. Let's talk about this, what were some unforgetable losses or just bad play, discipline, money management, tilt? Sure we all lost in the beginning but what about now, are we really lose-proof?

Ellis, I thank you for assuming the role as mentor. Trust me I've made you proud over the last 18 years of nbj play! Funny after all these years of communications with you I still don't know what you look like! I was wondering HOW do you handle comp cards and ratings? Do you want to get rated all the time win or lose? Or try to hide chips as you win to give a losing impression? Is it bad to be rated ans always win? Or just never get rated and stay nameless? I usually get rated and always get free rooms, I figure that it is only helping my bottom line. But as a pro who relies on playing at the casino I'm not sure now?

Ellis and everyone, As a pro relying on the game for your income do you think we should get to know the casino personel or a particular person or be in complete stealth mode, in and out of there?? Pros / Cons?

discipline!

Thank You Ellis. Your insights and experiences continue to be so valuable to me. It's funny though, that we've never met. I too had learned not to play new cards so I'm glad you had mentioned the prep issue. Please more insights on this and any other details. I believe I will be starting on this new life in the early part of the new year. I thank you once again (for sharing your knowledge) and for allowing this to be an option for me. Well, i need to go practice so I will await another post. I hope you realize how important your posts are to us. Oh by the way, if you are ever in georgia and want to have some great golf I'll hook you up with my brother who is a club pro. Plan on any AC trips in the future? I'll be there for sure.

Ellis, Thank you for that info, it is so valuable! I too have discovered that it is easy to win from 4-6 pm. But I have always had problems in the morning around 10-11am? not sure why. also i am on the fence with new cards, i always thought they were harder to play? I can use some knowledge on that? I have been thinking that I would infact play Monday-Thursday but I see your point so perhaps Tuesday-Friday is best. I see your point that I may be setting my goals to low but I'm just trying to guarantee myself the win daily. WHAT ABOUT BAD DAYS, HOW SHOULD I DEAL WITH SEVERAL LOSSES-STOP LOSS FOR THE DAY? Ellis, let me be blunt, don't answer if you don't want to but I want to ask some hard questions that would help me greatly with your very honest answers: 1. Why did you stop if you were doing so good? What kind of income did you have yearly and for how long? Have you ever busted out your bankroll and need to start over? 2. Because of distance to the nearest casino I am now considering quitting a very easy and good state job, benifits etc.. to pursue blackjack, AM I NUTS?? I know I will make more playing blackjack and it will also allow me to pursue my other interests since I will have more time to myself or am I kidding myself? I am confident but doubt is lingering?? 3.What do you think my bankroll should be before I start this as a living? 4. ONE MORE THING-the biggest problem i have with the game or should i say with me is that after I suffer several losses in a row from bad table selection or perhaps bad play I tend to get too aggressive and try to get it back quickly-THIS IS THE ONLY TIME I LOSE. Otherwise I tend to always win. Now that I am aware of this and I'm going into pro mode I have a handle on it. Your thoughts on this? PLEASE CONTINUE TO OFFER YOUR INSIGHTS, IT IS REALLY HELPING ME DEVELOP A PLAN.

Ellis, I would really love to hear more about your days as a pro, the last few post were great because it gave validity to my thoughts of going pro. Any other details you are willing to share about the daily life. I want to hear about all of it! Was it relaxing or high tension? Were you overconfident or perhaps cautious? How about money matters-security, taxes, money managemnet away from the game? How many actual play hours did you do daily? Most impotantly what are the pitfalls of full time blackjack?? What do I need to really worry about? Again, I'm greatful to have a REAL player/teacher to learn from. Thanks. Hey Carlos, I know you intend to start soon, I hope you keep me posted on how its going. I wish you great success. If I decide to do this full time, my target date will be early in the new year. Perhaps we will be able to keep each other informed on data we accumulate. MadDog, are you playing as a fulltime pro?

KEEP IT COMING ELLIS! Those are the details I need to understand what I'm getting into and hopefully as your student bring it to a higher place. I have many questions but I'll let you finish the ones I've already asked first. Thanks again. Charlie

Thank you Ellis, That's exactly what I'm talking about, details of life as a pro. Please post more, anything about that whole life and the ups and down you dealt with. What you described here is so valuable to me because i don't know or know of any real pros. I was wondering, did you stay in AC one week at a time as a pro, how often would you be there and in what intervals. Did you pursue other interest at the same time or was that too distracting, and what kind of daily money did you earn on average/ was your goal realistic? The way I am seeing it as far as the money part, is too have a large bankroll, say $10,000 and only shoot for $300-$1000 per day by playing green and black depending on the game. If Ii make say $400 in the first 15 minutes then I'm done for the day. That seem to "guarantee" me my money on a daily basis. BUT it also will limit a possible huge win, or perhaps a major loss? This way it seems to me with my past performance that I CAN'T LOSE. I/m laughing just saying that because I truly feel I can do that if played purely for business and no fooling around. It's the rest of the time I'm concerned with? I would have to build a life living in AC. Maybe not though if I could figure a way to stay in intervals that would still maximize my winnings? But what if I do find myself losing on a given day, when should I stop for the day? If I may ask Ellis, what about your life away from blackjack? Did you have any? Relationships, family, friends, pursuits? Were these affected in some way? One more thing Ellis, do you know anyone doing it right now, I mean making thier primary income from blackjack? Or anyone who did in the past that would be willing to give me thier insight to how they did it? Thanks again, I really appreciate having your knowledge as an asset to me.