 $200,000 Challenge
Aug 2, 2008 starting bankroll $14,860
Due to my lackluster performance yesterday I decided to come back and count cards one last time at the Turning Stone,
wasn't a great idea. I was a bit paranoid as I believe the staff was picking up on my wonging, and I was really hesitant
about being so choosy for a table. All the blackjack tables are in a fairly small area at the Stone so it's not like
you can roam from blackjcack section to blackjack section, counting cards along the way when you are spotted in one area.
I ended up sitting at tables without great counts and just in general was a little too spooked to play. I ended up winning
about $80 and vowing that this would be my last trip to the Stone. Besides this I've been notified that google has picked
up on my blog for 'turning stone card counting' so if I keep posting they may start to crack down on counters which will be
good for nobody. So it's good bye Turning Stone. Thanks for the cash! ;) I would expect another blog in another few weeks,
I have actually played another session since writing this but I've decided to delay post until I've counted a few sessions at a casino to minimize exposure.
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Aug 2, 2008 starting bankroll $14,630
I came back to the Turning Stone, planning on one last big win and then moving on to another casino. I counted cards
as usual from the back (I realize this will not last much longer at the Turning Stone, let alone anyplace else) before
hopping in on a 17. I battled for nearly 3 hours before leaving the table down $100. I moved on to another methodical
dealer who had dealt up a sweet 16 count, and managed to get up $330 for this session before walking. As I wonged
it again I noticed that I was starting to get the eye and I took off, up $230 for the day.
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July 20, 2008 starting bankroll .. $13,510
Back for some more blackjack at 6:30 am! The players at the blackjack tables were like a serious all star team
this morning. Most had been up all night drinking and I came to the table with shades and a slight sway to play the
part. I wonged it until I had a +14 table to play, and this time I played a spread of $10 to $80. After a very short
cold streak I started to feel that I might have upset the blackjack gods by prematurely upping the ante, but I stood
my ground and was rewarded with 2 blackjacks and several double down victories as the count stayed high. I played at
this table through a dealer switch and 1.5 hours, and ended up $460. I got up and scoped the place out for a half hour
before landing on a $10 table with a +15 count. Over about two hours I ended up $660 more up!! I realize I am playing
with math but at this point it was more superstition of tempting fate that fatigue that caused me to quit. I left
the blackjack tables at Turning Stone up $1120.
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July 17, 2008 starting bankroll .. $13,160
I wasn't planning on being back in the casino until next weekend but I had Aces and Tens dancing in my head,
dreaming of blackjack and I couldn't stay away. I came in around midnight, and the tables were bare. I wonged it with some
hesitation (normally there are usually a few people standing behind the players) but after forty five
minutes or so settled at a table with an 11 count. After battling for about 3 hours I managed to win $350,
went and slept in my car and drove 4 hours to be at work for 8am!!
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July 13, 2008 starting bankroll .. $12,400
Wonged it (counted cards from behind the players) like crazy coming in. Nearly 45 minutes before I found a $5 table,
at which point I won $300 over the span of two hours. After taking a break of 45 minutes, it was back to fishing for a
high count. After maybe 30 minutes I on a table with a 14 count, and took another $460 over the course of 2.5 hours. This brought
my total to 1860 for the weekend and that was all for me. I am hoping my stamina will build up, really was
fatigued today and was having trouble staying focused after the long day yesterday.
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July 12, 2008 starting pot .. $11,300
It is been a long and eventful span of time since my last blog entry, I promised myself I would wait until I hit a cold
streak before posting and since my last outing was a bit of a down turn I am back to update you on my blackjack card counting epic journey
to the big money. My last writing saw me at the Turning Stone casino a few months back where I was able to count cards on the
stealth to rake in approx $1300, or 13% return on my pot of $10,000. It felt good to win this much cash counting cards but I was a long way off from
my goal of $200,000 so I wasn't about to rest on my laurels. On July 12th I decided to make another go at the Turning Stone
blackjack tables, and I vowed that this time I was going in without the rookie jitters that may have held me back a bit
in my first counting session at the Stone. I came in at around 9:30am and Wonged it from behind (stood back and counted
cards from behind for those of you not familiar with blackjack lingo), until I had a solid 13 count to start play. Once again
I played my bets cautiously, with a spread of $5 - $40 per bet. Luckily I hit blackjack twice on my first half deck, along with
winning three times on double downs! My luck was great for about an hour which saw me up $500 dollars. As I had only
started with $200 it looked like I had hit the jackpot. I stayed at this table for nearly 2.5 hours and ended up walking away up nearly $700.
I shamelessly wonged it for another 30 or 40 minutes before stepping into a count of 15 and upping my winnings to nearly $1100! I was so
happy leaving the table I even tipped the dealer $10, even though I know this is a cardinal sin when counting cards. (unless trying to throw off detection)
I continued play at this table for a total of two hours, before deciding my stamina was running low and deciding to call it a day. I am still
a bit cautious about getting caught, and while the Turning Stone is a relatively small casino and I don't believe they have the best eye for counters,
$1100 means alot more to them than to Harrahs or one of the bigger casinos in Vegas.
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June 26, 2008
This blog will cover my attempt to convert a $10,000 base into $200,000 using Hi-Low Card Counting. I have played basic strategy blackjack for the past 10 or 11 years, and this run will be my first real attempt to make any serious amount of money off the game of blackjack. I gained interest in counting cards approx. 2 years ago, and in the time since have experimented
with multiple counting methods including Zen, Hi-Low, and Red Seven (K.O.). I have found the Hi-Low Count to be by far most effective for me, in terms of me being able to remain accurate for long stretches and most effective in terms of bottom line profitability. I have been a fairly consistant winner but due to lack of bankroll along with a lack of motivation this is my first
real attempt at winning "the chicken dinner". This effort is being sponsored by realdealblackjack.com, and the deal is this:
They are fronting me $9,000, and I am putting up $1,000 of my own money for a $10,000 bankroll. My mission is to convert this into $200,000, using Hi-Low card counting by end of 2008. When I reach $200k I take a $50K cut from the pot and we part ways with a handshake. I have been perfecting my counting with "Real Deal Blackjack: Learn to Count" training software, which has been graciously
been provided to me by the people at realdealblackjack.com and which is conveniently for sale at this site. There are no trust issues as I have known some of my benefactors for some time through various business endeavours.
After coming to an arrangement with Real Deal Blackjack I set out to come up with a plan of attack. I decided that this mission would involve rotating between 9 or 10 casinos in order to thwart detection, initially going at at solo and eventually bringing on a few partners if I come across the right players (or some guys I have on the bench come through and come up to the required skill level).
Before my first session I spent approximatley 100 hours practicing high-low card counting using the "Real Deal Blackjack: Learn to Count" training software, alternating between 'real time' and 'session play' training modes. On June 2, 2008 I strolled into The Turning Stone Casino in Verona NY, beginning my mission to win $200K. I chose The Turning Stone as a starting point for several reasons. Reason number
one is that this casino is extremely low key, and I know I could be exceptionally brash with backcounting (Wonging), table hopping, and my spread as they likely don't encounter too may counters. Secondly I knew that I could start with a small spread ($5 tables). The tables are never so crowded that it is impossible to table hop either, which means I can be choosy about the conditions (and counts) that I am playing
under.
...and so my journey began at a $5 table in upstate New York around 8am. I scoped out a few blackjack tables before beginning play, settled in on a +12 count. Two hours later I was up $240 before stopping for a coffee and some mental rest, walking away from a -4 count. After a 30 min. break I hopped on another table at +12 and was up and down for 30 min or so until the deck turned hot. For the rest of the day I bounced from
table to table, back counting all the way and at 1 am I folded, up $1,325. This brings my bankroll to $11,325. I consider this to be a pretty successful day considering I was working off of a $5 increment, by myself. Stay tuned...should have another posting up in the next 2 weeks or so.
D.
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Beginning May 1, this space will hold a counting blog. It will follow the attempt of a counter to turn $10,000 into $200,000 at various casinos across the country. This counter will use a Hi-Lo count, and will give an in depth account of each playing session when he is finished at each casino. We are expecting approximatley one blog per week containing session details beginning May 1. Blogs will continue until the $200,000 goal is reached or the initial $10,000 is lost. This blogger is being sponsored by realdealblackjack.com and is using Real Deal Blackjack: Learn to Count software in his preparation.
http://www.countingcardsblackjack.com
http://www.championshipblackjack.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/million_prog_summary.shtml
http://www.championshipblackjack.com/
http://www.onlineblackjackodds.com/blackjack/card-counting/
http://www.championshipblackjack.com/
http://www.blackjackhero.com/blackjack/strategy/card-counting/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_counting
http://www.countingcardsblackjack.com/
http://theamericanscene.com/2008/04/02/hate-the-game-not-the-player
http://www.playorgambleonline.com
http://www.casinoopenusa.org/
http://www.online-casinos-789.com/
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last modified
February 5, 2008 - 04:04
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