Well ... what a long day ... with ups and downs. Everything up until today was practice ... this was my first major outing where I was going to play seriously and with a starter bankroll.
Checking Out New Casinos
I made a last minute decision to drive further and check out 3 more land based casinos. These are more sizable, with a selection of table games. The last one was huge ... but the staff seemed unfriendly. I think all of them had blackjack tables with hand shuffled cards ... but they were also getting into higher minimum bets - meaning I need to build my bankroll to have a reasonable chance there.
Fun Slot Find
I do not like slots, but I have learned to watch certain titles that show a buildup of something (coins, bags of gold, etc) that suggest a bonus round will come soon (in some titles, it is just show and useless - for others, it can be taken somewhat seriously). In one new casino, there was a game I did not recognize, but it had what looked like a really big buildup onscreen - I decided to try it - I think I had no more than $30 in the machine and got the bonus round - an extra win for the day. This seems to happen more often than I expect - people play a machine until it is nearly ready and then leave!?
Disappointing Freebet Table
I did end up on the positive side of things today for my first real try at card counting. But two things made it difficult:
First, were the distractions - especially the casino staff. While just standing around watching and learning (or with short bursts of play), people seem to leave you alone. But to start ongoing play seems to have so many interruptions (especially waitresses asking if I am okay or if I want anything). Also, other players joining or leaving the table, dealers being switched, other staff doing casino business with the dealer, background noises from other players / games, etc. That is something I just have to get used to.
Second, and much worse, this casino (the one closest to my current location and the one I have been learning at) has the strictest limits of any of the 8 casinos I have now checked out. It was not until I sat down to play that I learned that they capped the betting very low on the side bets. One side bet was made almost useless, the other was given a lower cap, but they added a higher multiple for a colored or suited set of cards (something my counting does not predict) - I did get a single suited side bet ( 50 to 1) during play which ensured a profit at that table for the day.
So ... I think I have outgrown the little casino near me ... I will probably have to go to a more distant place ... but I get better gaming selection, and better main bets and side bets for it.
Answer to the Original Post
Yes ... some side bets can be counted and made profitable. For example, one side bet averages once in 14 hands (1 in 14 )and pays 11 to 1. That sounds bad until one finds that 75% of the times it occurs is when the count is positive. Only 1/4 of the times it occurs is when the deck is negative. So, just simply playing that side bet only when the count is positive becomes a winning strategy ... you are betting only half the time but catching 3/4's of the wins.