Don, bfb, and Parker,
Sorry to make it so difficult. I am truly trying to "get it." Being a positive expectation game makes it a different animal than what I was expecting (a 50-50 game), since sessions seem to win or lose, without regard to how + or - a deck was. Anyway... I digress. I never thought of the game that way.

Don, you stated there are a 100 reasons to end a session of playing. That is what I have been driving at the whole time, but we got sidetracked when my mathematical incompetence came up.

If the stated goal is to play as much as possible, why quit playing? We have uncovered some of those reasons: If you can't play there again due to getting barred for counting, you don't want to file the $10,000 paperwork, you get tired, you really do need to use the facilities, you need to eat, it is time to leave, the family is waiting for you. What are others besides a negative count (see below)?

My statement to kick this whole thing off was rather simple in my (simple) mind: If you cut winning sessions short for these stated (good?)reasons, are you cutting off some of your expected win? And if you are limiting the upside of a winning session, should you be concerned with cutting your losses?

I related it to stock picking where the expected outcome over the long haul is decidedly positive as well. However, people lose money in the market all the time, even over the long haul because they don't have buy and sell rules, or use poor buy and sell rules (many are related to human emotions such as greed and fear). Since we make "buy and sell" rules by deciding when to start to play blackjack and when to quit, they seemed quite parallel to me.

That is what this entire line of questioning has been about, rules to stop a session of blackjack with a PLAY ALL approach. I realize that I don't have the advantage with an even or negative count. I am willing to make waiting wagers (table minimums) until the count goes positive. It is my hope that placing larger wagers when I have the advantage will overcome the smaller, disadvantaged wagers. (e.g., if I win an 8 unit wager, I would have to lose 8 single unit wagers as waiting bets, albeit eating into my expected profits while I wait for the next advantageous opportunity.) I fully realize that playing with only positive counts is a better way to play and increase the likelihood of leaving a winner over the long haul. Perhaps someday I will have the oppotunity to pursue this method of playing.

As a recreational advantage player, I am still sorting through a couple of (many?!?) hangups and misconceptions. The discussions, lessons, and site are helping, thank you.

I will go about my homework that has been assigned and ask questions as they come up in the future. I am truly sorry for being such a blockheaded, ignorant poster.