The Blackjack Apprenticeship Podcast

Joe748 and SD1 are back for a new mailbag episode to answer more questions from socials and the BJA community! They're discussing bankroll expectations, heat management, chip cashouts, wonging, ID requests, bet sizing, and whether advanced count systems are worth learning. Emphasizing that many decisions are situational: the mathematically optimal play is not always the best real-world move once heat, bankroll size, longevity, and casino relationships are considered. 

Catch the guys in video as well on the BJA Youtube channel!

Colin and Joe748 sit down with BJA member Jaw5reaker to talk about how he went from a rough first Vegas trip to winning over $100,000 counting cards in less than 300 hours. They get into his early training, what changed after joining BJA, learning to handle backoffs, bankroll decisions, playing above EV, splitting 10s, sleeping cheap on the road, and why the human side of advantage play matters once the technical game is solid.

This is also available as a video podcast on the Blackjack Apprenticeship YouTube channel!

Colin, SD1, and Joe748 discuss professional card counting income, burnout, team play, finding Stand 17 games, “flow of the cards” myths, superstitions, wonging in and out, and how new players should get started. They compare solo play and team play, emphasizing that teams can pool bankrolls and reduce variance but also create trust, conflict, and accounting problems. The guys also push back against superstition and bad gambler logic, stressing that card counting depends on math, perfect execution, strong tools, and a reliable support network.

Editor note: The ByrnenDownTheHouse and ScottCao episode is in fact members only, but you can celebrate with Byrnen when he crossed 1 million dollar mark in BJA121 on Spotify or Apple. 

Joe748 and SD1 talk with Australian advantage player DoubleAny2, who explains how he adapted when continuous shufflers made traditional blackjack harder to beat in Australia. He describes finding a major edge in electronic blackjack machines by combining card counting with creative ways to estimate deck depth, exploit promotions, and avoid attention, ultimately winning well over $700,000. The conversation also highlights how valuable it can be to look for unconventional opportunities outside standard casino table games.

This is actually a video interview.

Colin sits down with Max Rubin who share stories from a lifetime in gambling, tracing his path from growing up around casino cheating to becoming one of the most respected figures in advantage play. He talks about learning legal advantage techniques, discovering how casinos overvalued player losses in their comp systems, and turning that insight into the ideas behind Comp City. Max tells wild stories about comp hustling, roulette and blackjack teams, shuffle tracking, sound plays, casino countermeasures, and the culture of both advantage players and casino operators. 

This is also available in video on the BJA YouTube channel!

Steven Bridges is a UK-based professional Street Magician turned Blackjack Card Counter. We had the pleasure of meeting Steven back in 2018 when he attended one of our Blackjack Bootcamps. Since then, he has taken on the exciting challenge of going from beginner to pro in the world of professional card counting. Steven has documented the entire process from the beginning training to getting kicked out of casinos in his video series “Beat the Odds.” Steven takes us behind the scenes discussing the ups and downs of the journey, techniques, & strategies he's employed to become a successful Card Counter.

Watch the video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDGqlb-weEI 

Follow Steven's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@stevenbridges

Joe748 and SD1 interview “Fish,” a surveillance agent with an AP background, about how casinos actually identify and evaluate card counters. Fish explains that most surveillance departments focus heavily on table games, mispays, weak dealers, and obvious AP indicators like refusing a name, taking key deviations such as insurance, mid-shoe buy-ins, and unusual chip behavior. He also describes how rundown decisions work, how much weight casinos give to flyers and facial recognition, and why many common camouflage tactics do not buy players nearly as much time as they think.

How do the trials of a married card counting duo compare to the endeavors of the typical solo card counter? Joining Colin and Joe748 are BJA member Flewster and his wife and they discuss: The heat difference between husband and wife, The flexibility of full time, The effect of card counting on their marriage, Getting in local hours, Second thoughts after losing half their bankroll, and more!

SD1 and Joe748 are joined by Colin to answer questions about bankroll requirements, optimal playing conditions, and advanced strategy decisions in card counting. The discussion covers whether a $10K bankroll is realistic, why bet spreads—not just deviations—drive most of a counter’s profit, and how casino conditions like table crowding or payout rules dramatically affect expected value. They also discuss practical tactics for maximizing EV, preserving local casinos, and avoiding unnecessary heat.

Colin, SD1, and Joe748 talk with Blackjack Hall of Famer Darryl Purpose about how he got his start in card counting as a teenager after reading Beat the Dealer, eventually joining Ken Houston’s blackjack team. Darryl shares stories from decades of advantage play, including team dynamics, international trips, and memorable casino moments. The conversation also covers how blackjack has changed over the years and why understanding expected value and longevity is key for successful advantage players.