Blackjack Counting and Comps

[playersare]

like I said before, counting cards to make money and/or reduce house edge, and maximizing comps are not necessarily correlated strategies. nowhere in Rubin's "Comp City" does the author suggest that you ramp your bets relative to the count. in fact, he says that casino countermeasures like shuffling up early are BENEFICIAL to the basic strategy flat bettor because it reduces the number of hands dealt per hour.

if you're normally a green chip player and you lose a few $200 big bets in a bad session when the count is high, was that free buffet or even a weekend room still worth it? if you were unlucky enough to blow a big stack in less than an hour (definitely possible if you're backcounting), will the computer even give you enough comp credit to offset the difference? probably not. and remember that floor personnel can only give discretionary freebies based on gross wagering handle, not actual win/loss. the simple math is, you may get 10x the comps for 10x the average bet, but you do NOT have 10x the best of it in terms of actual cash win rate. therefore, flat betting your maximum tolerable amount per hand with NO additional variance is, IMO, the optimal strategy in a place like AC where counting produces little or no long-term return in of itself.

for a lower BR requirement, you can grind $1 JoB VP, exploit cash back multiplier promotions, chase progressives, AND be seen in a more positive eye by the casino, all for about the same house edge as BJ. read "The Frugal Gambler" (2nd Ed.) by Jean Scott and "Video Poker - Optimal Play" by Dan Paymar. the Max Rubin book is slightly outdated since it was written before the mass computerization of players club progams.

[HammerinHank]

Not a bad plan but it will be kind of a pain to drag you wife down to the boardwalk for meals and massage’s. Not a lot of money to be made from AC BJ. The Borg is probably the best BJ game in town and and you don't have to worry about losing the poker room because they can't 86 you. You can probably get away with quite a bit of action with a bet spread of 25-300 of you keep the sessions short as long as it’s a busy weekend with a lot of big action around. You could also back count and jump in and flat bet $100 or $200. Play the next shoe off the top and if it goes south take a bathroom break and leave you chips to keep the meter running. Then start the next shoe and play if it’s plus and walk if it’s neg. Video Poker is probably a better play just to get comps and you don’t have to worry (much) about heat.

I counted for years but when in LV I currently play enough at Mirage, B, or Wynn to get my trip comped and spend the rest of the time playing poker, unless of course there is a really good BJ opportunity in town.