OK, I play on ub and have started to cash regularly. Especially the $30 game but I know there are better odds on some. Anyway, I am still pretty lucky and not really sure of a lot of bets. I have seen many of you pros and experienced players there. I am thinking of going to Laughlin or something. Would anyone discuss this with me privately or here...I was hoping for a mentor of sorts to decide whether I am ready to go live? And help me with my game? Without giving away any secrets of course.
No Substitute For Experience I say go for it. The best way to improve your game is live experience against good players. Online experience gives you a feel for some aspects of the game but can actually be detrimental if you become dependent upon the bankrolls being displayed for you. After a game you play or watch note what you observe. Ask questions. Most players don't mind, especially if they won. Ask in this forum, too. Review the available literature but don't get discouraged if you find later you made a "mistake." Don't worry if it seems overwhelming. You'll get better with each game you play, if you actively try to learn. Good luck. Let us know how you did.
eliburk You are ready! Keep your eye on the calendar for Arizona events, I see youre from Tuscan. If you have any questions about Laughlin let me know. Ill tell you, you could go up there for mini tournaments on Tues and Thurs a Avi, on Wed and Friday at Edgewater. Very cheap and good practice. Let me know if I can help.
As a fellow online player ... It occurs to me that if all your online play has been EBJ, it might be worth practicing a traditional BJT format online too. As an American, I think your choices may currently be limited to blackjack21.com. Good luck.
Laughlin tournaments are a good mini tournament to start with - they are very affordable ($15 at Edgewater and $10 at Avi) - you can win a few hundred ($700 and $750 for first) - and they have two rebuys at each place - for $5 less than the buy-ins - so - Avi plus two rebuys - $20 bucks - edgewater with two rebuys $35 - and the quality of play of the Laughlin regulars is pretty good - and - the hotels are cheap mid-week - avoid Harrah's (worst food on the River - and at the highest prices - and a schlocky operation in general) - Riverside and Edgewater are good places to stay - and you might try the River Palms - as they are hosting Rick's tourneys - also regular tournaments in Phoenix - at Casino Arizona and some of the other casinos on occasion - these are mid-week tourneys - with $100 entry fees - check out the casino web sites - and some in Tucson area - a couple of BJT members live in Tucson and Phoenix - these are never in the events calendar here it seems - so check the casinos - either their web sites or phone them - as people have said - just do it - the onbly way to learn is to play - and the live game is very different - as well as tbj being different from ebj - chip counting is an important skill - and that takes practice - also - live play is just more fun then online - don't expect to be an expert and win every tourney - (not even the experts win every time) - there is a lot to learn and luck is a big factor - just have fun - learn - improve - and you'll do ok over the long term - just remember you'll not cash more often then you'll win money -
eli: as stated by the members on this site, just get out and do it. understand, that you will not make a final table 80% of the time. i average over 40 live tourneys a month. if you can deal with not getting into the monies 80% of the time, you are ahead of the game. i will still beat myself up for not winning every tourney that i enter. yet, knowing that i will fail at a rate higher than a batter in baseball (300 being a great batting average). still, the game draws myself back daily, and three days a week, twice a day. stupid, for making this my profession? maybe!!!! all i can do is try and learn from my mistakes and refine my game. and, try and keep a level train of thought through the losing streaks. i will assure yourself that there will be prolong losing streaks that you will have accept. that, my friend might be the hardest part of this profession. best of luck
thx thank you all so much for the support - see you in laughlin and i have money at blackjack21 but just haven't found a tourney at the right time. I will try that to so I can see a regular bjt...I thought they were all elimination.
another tourney in Laughlin I think we forgot to mention that the Riverside has a bj tournament every Monday - it is accumulation and winner take all -
Dear Eliburk, Like the previous members I too would encourage you to “jump into” the world of live TBJ at one of the event that they have listed. However I do have some additional recommendations: 1. Go to blackjack21.com and play in SEVERAL of their daily BJT. They have two daily scheduled events – go to their home page and click on schedule. In addition they have a freeroll in honor of Fathers Day this Sunday. WHY? Simple. EBJ played online and traditional BJ (TBJ) aren’t just different variations of the same game they are TOTALLY different creatures (like comparing a turtle and rabbit). 2. CHIP COUNTING. This is one aspect that I cannot stress enough. I don’t care how good you are at determining the optimal bet without an accurate assessment of your opponents BR you are screwed. How to practice this “skill”? Buy some chips, stack them in different piles, stand 5-7 feet away and see how good you are. Why types of chips? Ask the people where you plan on playing as EVERY casino has different chips, most use the NCV. 3. Know the rules BEFORE you sign up. This is probably the 2nd biggest mistake I have made in my LIVE tourney career. Since you’ve cut your teeth with EBJ be shocked when surrender is NOT an option. Or another shocker, not being able to DD after splitting! There is a great example here discussing what BR2 should do in a case like this. If you don’t know. ASK, ASK ASK. Don’t assume. I made that assumption in one tournament and when I attempted to DD on my BJ on the final hand I was told I couldn’t. The loss of those extra chips on the board sealed my fate and I didn’t advance. 4. Have Fun. While this sounds silly there are, in my personal opinion, way too many people who treat a BJT like it is a life or death situation. They get tense, don’t smile, don’t laugh, don’t talk and all of a sudden you feel the tension in the air. Believe it or not when you play in an environment like that it WILL affect YOUR game. Instead of placing a max bet when you feel it’s necessary you’ll tense up and play more conservative than usual. (Well at least I did for the first time) 5. Finally – have a plan and stick to it. Know in advance YOUR style and strategy. Will you be BR1 going into hand 20? Will you be content to only be ½ max bet BEHIND on hand 22? Are you going to correlate to the player to your right? WHATEVER your goal – know it before. Just as many sports articles discuss athletes seeing their shots/swings/catches in their minds BEFORE it happens do the same with your betting. As a personal note I too learned TBJ by first playing on Global Player than I made the switch to EBJ, becoming somewhat proficient BEFORE my first live TBJ. The biggest difference between EBJ and TBJT is the pace and speed of the game. If all you’ve even played is EBJ and you immediately switch to TBJT you will be SHOCKED. Having said all that best of luck, team up with some of the regulars who play in Laughlin and make plans to be there for the TBJPA in August where some of the nicest people will be happy to take your money (I mean give you tips). LOL (Just to clarify that last sentence is a JOKE!)
I look forward to meeting some of you in August. I will definitely try the blackjack21 since I have asked to get my money out and have not heard back - I have $100 to spend !
