Blackjack, can you win without counting?

[chicagoY]

I posted a question yesterday about the Gregorian System. I guess the reason that I checked it out was that I know I lack the Ungarian ability to count cards. Flat out, is blackjack always -EV if you don't count? I know surrender would help but I've never been to a casino that had it. Is there anybody here who wins without counting?
Thanks, last time I bother you guys.

[playersare]

without counting, you would have to exploit casino promotions such as match plays, free ace coupons or the extremely rare 2-to-1 on blackjack deals in order to overcome house edge at virtually every casino in america, in addition to having good starting rules. you can also cut your edge down by placing bets for other players at the same table if they choose not to do it themselves, such as buying profitable double downs and splits (make sure you get back both your original bet and the winnings if it hits, of course).

the Barona casino in San Diego has a well-known single deck game with a house edge of only 0.02%, with $100 minimum bets. the only BJ game I'm aware of that is mathematically +EV to the player right off the bat is the Horseshoe in Bossier City, Louisiana. their single deck stands on soft 17 and allows doubling after splitting, which will make YOU about +0.14% on all bets in the long run ($25 bet minimum).

most of the "good" shoe-based games will have a house edge between 0.25% and 0.50%, which is really not that much once you factor in comps. just learning perfect basic strategy will make you better than 99% of the people who play this game, so start with that and then see if counting makes sense for your financial and/or entertainment goals. you'll find that if you understand why counting works in the first place, it's really not hard to learn and put into practice.

[SNOWBALL]

how much time have you spent learning how to count? You might not want to quit before you give it more effort.

And to answer your question: yes. If you can manage to see the dealer's hole card, you can win without counting.

[chicagoY]

Thanks a lot for the advice guys. I imagine more than a few people take the hike to Bossier City.

[Tom1975]

At .14%, if you bet $25/hand and get in 100 hands/hour, you'll average a whopping $3.50/hour.

[Thythe]

[ QUOTE ]
At .14%, if you bet $25/hand and get in 100 hands/hour, you'll average a whopping $3.50/hour.

[/ QUOTE ]

Time to quit my job and move on out to Louisiana.

[DonkeyKongThe3rd]

Or you can bet $250 a hand and push that rate up to $35/hour.

Playing headsup with a fast dealer could probably get you up to 200 hands an hour.

I would imagine you would be backed off from this game fairly quickly though, even if you don't count.

[AlienBoy]

There is a non-counting system called depth charging (based on current deck penetration).

The other way to win blackjack without counting is to take all the money in your blackjack bankroll and put it in a Roth IRA, invested in an index fund...


AB

[Saint_D]

[ QUOTE ]
I posted a question yesterday about the Gregorian System. I guess the reason that I checked it out was that I know I lack the Ungarian ability to count cards. Flat out, is blackjack always -EV if you don't count? I know surrender would help but I've never been to a casino that had it. Is there anybody here who wins without counting?
Thanks, last time I bother you guys.

[/ QUOTE ]

Counting with a simple system is easy compared to memorizing the basic strategy chart. How could you be able to do the first and not the second?
(I have learning disabilities that make memorizing the chart basically a lost cause.)

-D

[ChrisV]

[ QUOTE ]
Or you can bet $250 a hand and push that rate up to $35/hour.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah. And to get a decently low ROR, you'd only need a bankroll of like $75,000 or so.