I don't know what to do anymore guys.. I hit a pretty bad shoe a couple of days ago rather than go home I lost it all.
I still want to be a APer.. unfortunately I am currently broke again... Plus I feel I am starting to become more of a compulsive gambler
than an APER... I would just like to know if any of my fellow aper struggle with the addiction part of the game... Because I do and I am starting to
think about quiting for good
From your words alone, I can tell you are probably distraught right now. Don't do anything rash and/or stupid.
You aren't thinking straight, and should avoid being anywhere inside a casino right now.
I think its high time for you to get home or somewhere safe any way you can. Its time to swallow your pride and really consider all your options.
If its any consolation, what you're encountering is not rare at all. Your first priority should be to head home safely.
Last edited by Roswell Crash Survivor; 12-23-2011 at 03:57 AM.
I would take a long serious break from the game, maybe return in 6-12 months with a clear head.
Your problem is most likely that you are too emotionally tied to your money. If you return to the game, you must disconnect yourself from your bankroll, and see it as a tool, rather than cold hard cash.
All the best and good luck.
I'm not sure what your definition of compulsive gambling is but I certainly don't consider my blackjack play as gambling. I know APs who consider themselves compulsive in the sense that they would rather play blackjack than do anything else but they don't throw caution to the wind while playing.Originally Posted by sickcalla
Taking a break can't hurt. Use that time to review every aspect of your game. Are you steaming? Drinking? Playing poor games? Do you play with a sufficient bankroll and are you spreading your bets properly?
You must be prepared for the inevitable losses. If you're not, then you probably shouldn't be playing until that changes.
One shoe wiped out your BR! hmmm, how many max bets is your BR? I too have struggled
with big loses. One thing I do now is to never lose more than 10 max bets at any one session.
Even if the count is huge, if I am 10 max bets down I quit for the session. I'm only human and
I must keep my emotions at bay. It sounds as if you were steaming. That is not good. When
I am getting really pissed, do I think my count is still sound? My decisions solid? If the emotions
is not part of an act then they can effect ones hard work. Also, do you think the dealer can
get a slug of high cards behind the cut card on purpose? If so, and you have a huge count, you
are still at a disadvantage. Just because your count is high doesn't mean you are going to win.
High counts mean two things: (1) you have slightly the best of it; and (2) you are betting many times more than you normally do. Slightly the best of it can mean losing losing many times more than you win in the short run. It is little consolation when you're losing it that if you just have sufficient bankroll and you continue putting your cash on the line you will eventually come out on top. But that's the long and the short of it. If really bad luck strikes, you're just another statistical outlier. Anyway, that's how I see it.
Aslan!! Hope all is going great with you! My question to you is this. How far do you take a high count
that is killin you? I mean, just because the count is high do you always continue until your count
goes down or is there a time when enough is enough?
Just to reiterate what RCS said, getting home safely is first and foremost. And, as for next steps...well, perhaps this is a good opportunity to take some time and re-evaluate what you're doing and what you want to do. Being an AP isn't all fun and games, unfortunately...
As for how far to go with a high count. I say you should continue playing a high count for as long as your bankroll and your head can sustain it. Once you lose either, it's time to take off or at least take a break. (It goes without saying, but if you're in a place that might be cheating, leave immediately.)
If you have sufficient bankroll, you take it. I mean, after all, all your playing is treading water more or less waiting for that big wave (long plus count) to come in. You ride it- sometimes you look like a movie star-- sometimes you "wipe out." I can't begin to tell you how many times the plus count was killing me and the last few rounds got it all back.
In that regard, I know what you are talking about, and I have no science to back it up. Sometimes the cards seem to be against you. We know that a normal dealer shuffle does not cause a random distribution of the cards; it takes seven passes to do that. We also know that a shoe can be set up so that the house or player wins no matter what boneheaded or smart plays are made (look up information on "coolers"). It makes me wonder, if the cards ever get to such a state as to cause you to lose most of the hands, will the lack of truly random shuffling possibly cause them to remain in that deadly configuration for several shoes? I am just throwing that out there-- I don't have a shred of evidence to support it. Call it ploppy or voodoo, but I have been known to change tables when thing go badly enough south in terms of hand winning ability shoe after shoe, but mind you, never in the middle of a plus count, only after the fact.
Last edited by Aslan; 12-23-2011 at 11:29 AM.
I'm not clear...you had a pretty bad shoe and your entire bankroll was wiped out as a result? Sounds like you are overestimating the bankroll needed to play games with thin edges (like shoe games) or underestimating your risk of ruin. If you are taking out any profits from when you win your risk of ruin is almost guaranteed unless your kelly fraction is absolutely tiny. If your bankroll is on the lean side you have to play higher edge lower risk games or special promotions.
Otherwise, even if you have an edge, you are still just gambling.
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