Last time I touched on the fact that actual casino experience is vital. Theory is all well and good but in some instances then theory is difficult to replicate in a live environment. Poker is one such example and despite reading hundreds of poker books, they never quite replicate what you face both live and online.
Even though you may think that blackjack is straight forward and that winning should be straight forward if you can follow basic and implement a counting strategy……life isn’t that simple. Using poker once again as an analogy then it is a bit like knowing good solid poker principles like position, hand values, bankroll management and such. These are all good things to know but yet will not make you an automatic winner in a poker game.
You will need other “skills” that can only be derived from playing. Casino blackjack is the same and it will seem strange to you to be card counting in a real game with casino staff watching you. When the time comes to increase your bet and the croupier is watching you and maybe an Inspector as well then it isn’t easy to do something that you know that if it was to be detected that you would be prevented from playing.
And also, if wagering money is something new to you then nothing can really prepare you for the times when you have substantial bets at risk. It is all too easy to watch what happens on these hands instead of doing what you should be doing and that is to keep the count at all times. You will need to be able to interact with casino staff so that you do not look like a counter and this isn’t easy at first. I was fortunate in that I never had to overcome this obstacle because I had practiced counting for years as a croupier on the inside.
