RayMetz100: Poor man's way to risk more money?

[RayMetz100]

I'm sure someone has thought of this before, but I haven't read anything about it yet.

Since my bank is only $316, I've been limiting myself to max bets of $6, or 1/50th of my bank. This keeps me in the land of negative EV, but also allows me to keep playing with little risk. I've been making up for the negative EV by adding a few bucks to my bank before each session.

I'm wondering if I could safely spread $3 - $15 if I happened to get $60 ahead in a lucky session. Say I started with my $316 bank, and after a lucky hour, found myself at $375. Could I then safely spread $3-$15 for the remainder of the session unless my bank dropped below the $316 again, or would I be better off to just spread $3-$7 from $350-$400, then $3-$8 from $400-$450?

On one hand I'm thinking that any chance I get to play a positive EV spread, I should take. On the other hand, doing that may increase my ROR. I want to play it safe because my bank only seems to be growing at about $100/mo. At this rate, I won't have a bank capable of providing an even game, $750 with a $3-$15 spread, till January.

The other thing to consider is that while I'm starting to get confident in my counting abilities, my act is still very poor. Since 95% of my play is at two local $3 tables(different casinos) They already know me as a regular. They've seen me flat bet for 2 months of play, and now for the last couple weeks, I've been spreading a little. If all of a sudden I came in spreading $3-$15, maybe they'd ask me to quit. I don't know how I'm supposed to develop an act when they already know me by name and have written me 20+ meal comps.

I've also started to wong out of bad shoes and make $10 Pai-Gow bets while I'm waiting for a new shoe. This seems to provide a little cover, and also a nice break from counting the shoes. So far I've never seen a copy, so I think Pai-Gow is still an even game for me. Losing $10 when I get a copy seems like a cheap price to pay for the added cover and break that I'm getting. I know it would be cheaper to just wong out and watch the $3 BJ for a while, but that wouldn't be near as fun and might draw a little heat.

Ray

[Leroy Jones]

Ray,

If you have a day job, which I'm guessing you must have, can't you add money as needed to your blackjack bankroll?

Get out of the neg ev area, or spend that money on something like CV Blackjack so you can practice without losing.

Leroy

[quark]

I venture to say that spreading $3 to $6, you could walk up to the table, TELL the dealer that you have read a couple of books on Blackjack, and learned to count cards, AND they would still deal a game to you! You just present NO threat with the small spread and bankroll.

(I wouldn't actually tell them that, as you may eventually begin to play for the money!)

[RayMetz100]

> If you have a day job, which I'm guessing
> you must have, can't you add money as needed
> to your blackjack bankroll?

While I do have a great day job, my net worth is -$7,500. I currently have $4,500 in assets and $12,000 in debt. I?m 29 years old, and have bought and sold two homes already. I separated from my wife over two years ago. With a possible divorce and child support hanging over my head, having assets wouldn?t be a good thing right now. My wife and I are still on decent terms, and she?s already jealous of my new hobby?s bankroll. If it were $20,000 or something, then she?d probably divorce me just to get at it. Right now, she knows that divorcing me will cost her more than she?d gain. That?s just the way I like it.

My goal is to keep this a cheap hobby. I've added $280 to my bankroll since I've started. So far, I'm still up $36, and gotten a lot of free meals. So it's been a free hobby so far. I really don't want to add money much faster than I already have. If I had an extra $200 a month to blow, I'd be better off paying my debt off faster rather than investing it in a gambling hobby.

> Get out of the neg ev area, or spend that
> money on something like CV Blackjack so you
> can practice without losing.

Practicing on CV Blackjack alone at home doesn't sound fun to me. I like being out of the house around other people. I'd rather spend a couple bucks an hour to hang out in the casino, than sit at home playing CV Blackjack alone. Plus, if I add in my comps and the money I might be spending on booze if I wasn't playing cards, then I'm actually well into positive EV land already.

Would you loan someone money to play BJ? I wouldn't, not even myself. Giving myself $5 to $10 to go out for a night doesn?t feel like a loan to me. But if I were to take $1000 at once for BJ, then I couldn't justify it to myself.

I also don't yet have enough experience with the game or my emotions to handle the swings that betting more would bring. The other day I lost $72 in under 2 hours. I felt sick. So it's not just a bankroll and positive EV that I need. I need more experience at the table. That's something a computer game can't give.

Ray

[Andy]

Dear RayMetz100,
for one thing, please always have the best of luck on your side. and, if you lose some amount, be positive or impartial nd dont feel shy over the sum =)
I earn tens of times less than you, but i lost 190 bucks the other days (yeah, it was a lousy session, i have to admit), but i never regretted that - because that taught me a good lesson - and worth the money! (not to bet Martingale on the roulette, and, to impose cash limit to be lost in case and the sum won which makes me wanna go home and celebrate instead of going further and more likely to lose it) if you apply brains and pray for decent luck, the odds will be on your side next time.

Respectfully, Andy

[Sun Runner]

> Would you loan someone money to play BJ?

Yes .. most definitely!
Parker, want to partner up?

Ray, I find your openess re-freshing and your determination to grow your bankroll as best you can without sacrifing the child-support admirable.

SR

[RayMetz100]

> Yes .. most definitely!
> Parker, want to partner up?

While you may be willing to loan Parker money, I doubt he'd accept it. I'd even venture further to say that anyone who would accept a loan from you, you wouldn't want to partner with. Most people who are good enough to be trusted, don't need or want the loan.

> Ray, I find your openness refreshing and your
> determination to grow your bankroll as best
> you can without sacrificing the child-support
> admirable.

Thanks for the kind words.

Ray

[Scarce]

You may want to consider online gambling as a means of growing your bankroll.

> My goal is to keep this a cheap hobby. I've
> added $280 to my bankroll since I've
> started. So far, I'm still up $36, and
> gotten a lot of free meals. So it's been a
> free hobby so far. I really don't want to
> add money much faster than I already have.
> If I had an extra $200 a month to blow, I'd
> be better off paying my debt off faster
> rather than investing it in a gambling
> hobby.

> Practicing on CV Blackjack alone at home
> doesn't sound fun to me. I like being out of
> the house around other people. I'd rather
> spend a couple bucks an hour to hang out in
> the casino, than sit at home playing CV
> Blackjack alone. Plus, if I add in my comps
> and the money I might be spending on booze
> if I wasn't playing cards, then I'm actually
> well into positive EV land already.

> I also don't yet have enough experience with
> the game or my emotions to handle the swings
> that betting more would bring. The other day
> I lost $72 in under 2 hours. I felt sick. So
> it's not just a bankroll and positive EV
> that I need. I need more experience at the
> table. That's something a computer game
> can't give.

> Ray