Blackjack Awakening: How a Blackjack Institute seminar changed my view on card counting - Part II
by David Miller

Dave introduced “Ms. M.” She had been sitting in on the seminar from the beginning. Retired from the casino industry, Ms. M has an impressive resume, having started off as a dealer and then working her way up to casino shift manager. Along the way she became a skilled card counter and adept at spotting advantage players. In fact, the first time Dave met Ms. M was when she informed Dave he could no longer play blackjack at her casino. In her defense, Dave told us it was the most polite back-off he has ever experienced. Ms. M has always had a healthy respect for card counters. She never once trespassed a card counter from casino property nor had she ever tried to intimidate an advantage player. An accomplished card counter herself, Ms. M knows all too well the skill, discipline and legitimacy of the profession. After the attendees got over their initial shock and realized Ms. M is one of the good guys, the questions poured in, one after another. Here was a rare opportunity to get the inside scoop from someone who had worked on the other side of the blackjack tables. Ms. M provided insight into the countermeasures casinos use, and she also gave us practical advice on how to blend in as just another average Joe gambler. She was pleasant, knowledgeable and articulate, and I for one am happy that Ms. M is on our side now.

After Ms. M’s enlightening Q & A, it was time to apply what we had learned. For our second practice session we were instructed to bet according to the true count, in addition to playing basic strategy and keeping track of the running count. I sat down at a blackjack table with “Gary”, a polite gentleman who hails from the South, and “Jim”, a friendly guy who sports a New England accent. I admired their focus and dedication, and I loved their enthusiasm. Although we are of different ages and from different parts of the country, all three of us were there for the same reason – to take our blackjack games to the next level. We weren’t novices by any means, but we knew our games could be stronger.

We had played a few rounds when Dave unexpectedly stepped in as the dealer. I’ll tell you what. Counting down a deck in 15 seconds or keeping the count in a casino on a busy Saturday night is nothing, not even close, to being dealt blackjack by Mike or Dave. Dave started off at moderate speed. He scooped up the cards and asked, “What’s the count?" Gary, Jim and I each had +3. Alright. We were off to a good start. Then Dave ramped up the pace even further. Wow, that was fast. Dave dealt another round. Then, in a flash, he picked up the cards, placed them in the discard tray and asked, “What’s your bet?” My head was spinning. I was in a daze. Dave looked me straight in the eye, and asked again, “What’s your bet?” All I could do was reply, "I dunno." Dave grinned and then broke down the mechanics of the true count conversion and bet calculation. I had hardly caught my breath when he began dealing the next round of cards. Dave drilled us for another 15 minutes. For each bet he explained his thought process and gave us useful shortcuts for the bet calculations. It was an intense but invaluable education.

My experience was really starting to sink in. These guys are the real deal. Period. They play with a speed, focus and accuracy I have never seen. When it comes to blackjack they have a world class reputation and I was experiencing first hand just how high they have set the bar. When Mike and Dave announced we were going to have a skills competition, I knew we would have the opportunity to see how we stacked up to the MIT Blackjack Team standard. The competition would consist of a ten question blackjack quiz, followed by a blackjack tournament and then a speed counting contest. The winner of each of the three challenges would face off in the finals. Mike would deal to the three finalists and the last person standing with the correct count would be the winner.

The ten question test was a lot of fun. It was an interesting mix of questions, all blackjack related of course. I didn’t do quite as well as I had hoped because I missed the questions that had an entertainment slant. Jim flexed his blackjack acumen and earned top score.

The blackjack tournament was awesome! I had never played in one before and I really enjoyed the format. Tournament blackjack is a completely different game. Unlike live blackjack, tournament play is player versus player and money management is crucial to finishing with the most chips. On the last round I had to split 10s to have a chance to win the table. I busted on one of the hands and got a 17 on the other. Not good enough. Gary ended up winning the blackjack tournament.

For the speed counting contest, Dave burned two cards from each person’s deck. The person who counted down his or her deck accurately with the fastest time would move on to the final table. That’s when I noticed Mike looking over my shoulder as we were about to go. It was my moment of truth but unfortunately, nerves got the best of me. When my two burn cards were flipped over to check my count, I was off by 2. That’s OK. I’ll be prepared next time around. In the final, Gary was triumphant as he was the only one who managed to keep up with Mike’s blazing fast dealing.

Reflecting on the Blackjack Institute seminar, my perspective on card counting has definitely changed. Not only was the seminar a blast; it tied everything together for me, both knowledge wise and skill wise. I finally found what I was looking for, and I also learned things I didn’t expect. I have an authoritative reference point which has opened my eyes, exposing holes in my game I had not been aware of. Looking back on my last 5 years at the blackjack tables, I had always been missing something. I had read every book on card counting under the sun, but I had struggled to put it all together in one nice, polished package. Now I know that I’m well on my way.

Part I