Fairly disappointing day

[jbuck]

Went to the local store today for a couple hours of play and went down 30 units. Had a couple of amazing shoes, but overall, couldn't catch a break - even the guy sitting next to me was disgusted at how "lucky" the dealer was.
The dealer was nice enough but commented on me standing on a three card 16 against her 10 up card and when she busted said "I wouldn't have played that that way but you pulled it off" (TC of 4 at the time).
The other comment she made was when RC was 15 and TC was 5 and I split nines against her six. She got lucky on that one and ended up with a soft 20, cleaning everyone out at the table. Adding insult to injury, she said "that's almost as bad as splitting a pair of tens, you just don't do that". Apparently, she doesn't know basic strategy...

[counter19]

That's kind of a rude dealer I would say. Unsolicited coaching is irritating enough when you are winning, but when you are losing it is just rude. Certainly not the way to get tips, kicking a player while he is down.
A few weeks ago I experienced the worst visit that I had ever had. The cards went right around me the entire night. I watched helplessly as 4-star idiots got nonstop 20's and blackjacks during many negative counts FOR HOURS. Meanwhile all the good cards danced around me and I got stuck with all hard hands destined for a bust. It was the worst visit that I had ever had by far. On the plus side, this was the first time that I had ever lost at this joint so it was nice to clock in a loss for longevity purposes.
I have since won the last five times in a row that I have played and recuperated all my losses and then some. Ahhh… variance.
Hang in there. We're in it for the long haul.

[ZenKinG]

OP, I just hope you are properly bankrolled. Stick with it, doesn't matter if you lose now or for multiple weeks and months. It will turn around, I mean thats what the math says right?

If you are properly bankrolled for your spread and how much you bet and are playing correctly, stick with it, you'll be fine. Also take a step back always when you lose and see if you actually played flawlessly. Also did you play at your peak? Or were you sluggish and tired, perhaps you just left your job and wanted to try a little blackjack that night? Did you feel confident with the RC that night or were there potentially any distractions that might've caused you to lose it, even for a second? Was your TC division spot on, or did you find yourself guessing a little bit? Always ask yourself questions after a loss, if everything is fine, then keep playing

[jbuck]

Thanks so much guys for the encouragement, it really helps. I was probably not at my peak but it seemed that on every deal, the dealer showed an upcard of 10 or Ace - it was a tough couple of hours. I checked other tables but they're doing remodeling and cutting down on the BJ tables for a period of time. I'm going to hit a different store this weekend to see if things turn around.
Once again, many thanks! (bow)

[jbuck]

OP, I just hope you are properly bankrolled.

Yes sir! I have a replenishable BR, $1k/week if I feel like it but typically only take $1.5k on any given day to the store (twice per month at most as I have a 9-5). It's very nice doubling the buy-in but that hasn't been happening lately.

[ZenKinG]

very nice.. 1k a week is a nice replenishable bankroll. keep at it.

By the way, get the negative out of your head of always thinking the dealer is getting a 10 or ace or always the best cards. In my experience staying positive at the table and going in positive before you play is of extreme importance, and you'll notice it in your results. People that stay negative and think negative a lot while playing, will start relying at times on hunches and instincts and not following the correct index play or bet and also can start affecting your mental aspect and you start to feel like you're in a rush to get your money back and you become irritated at the table and stop having fun and being calm, and that's the beginning of the demise of a counter. Think positive, because when you start thinking negative, it can start affecting your play.

[biggg]

If you make 1k a week to add to your BR you should probably start bringing more than 1.5k. I would bring a minimum of 10 max bets and really you want 15-20.

Also depending on the store you shouldn't be playing many negative counts. Find a new table.

Finally I love it nowadays when people criticize my play. If these clueless idiots who know nothing about the game think my play is bad that is great for me, that means they won't think I'm a pro. Plus they'll lose more to the casino or cause the other players to lose more, which means the casino will make more and not tighten up the games. And I just love to talk about how much I have lost or how I really shouldn't be in the casino anymore but am trying to win it back especially when the floor is around.

[jbuck]

Awesome feedback guys - thanks a lot! And, you're exactly right, I should've tried to find another table when I was hitting those neutral and negative shoes. My learning continues!