People say that AP is stressful. What gets you stressed when playing BJ or other games? Is it that you have big money on the table? Is it losing that money that's stressful? Or losing in general? Or maybe getting heat or threat that you may encounter heat? The fact that the rent is due, you rely on the game as your source of income, and been having a losing month(s)?
One AP traveled to a Central American country to play, only to be quickly barred. He was recognized almost immediately. Got to play a bit as the shift manager called the casino manager at home, and he got out of bed to go in and personally bar him. Actually, I think it was out of respect.Originally Posted by Solo player
"I don't think outside the box; I think of what I can do with the box." - Henri Matisse
AP is stressful. Air travel. Sleeping in hotels. Irregular eating and sleeping schedules. Long periods of losing. An environment filled with negativity (and smoke). The hunt for decent games and opportunities. Backoffs/barrings and the cat and mouse game we are forced to play. The risks involved with carrying large amounts of money.
You have to find a way to manage the stress or you will have both a short career and life.
At the top of my personal list is air travel. Some people enjoy it. Not I. I find air travel days to be very draining. Similarly for hotel living. Some people find this really exciting in short bursts. Not I. I spent a couple years of spending 2 or 3 nights in a hotel earlier in my career and it didn't take long for that excitement phase to wear off. I will take my own bed, surrounded by my own belonging anytime. Even over a nice suite at Wynn. But that's just me. I manage these, my biggest issues by limiting my travel and when I do I like to incorporate short car trips as much as possible. Irregular sleeping and eating habits, I am still working on. I try to maintain as regular a schedule as possible, but in this business, playing different shifts is a requirement.
Backoffs/barrings and the cat and mouse game. I have adopted a style that minimizes this aspect.
The negative environment of the casino and people, both dealer pit and patrons, doesn't bother me at all. I often find amusement and entertainment in the situations. The risks involved with carrying large amounts of money is a concern and should be a concern. Always adopting new ideas for maximum protection.
Probably the two issues that I do find most stressful are long periods of losing and sometimes the hunt for decent opportunities. Losing doesn't bother me. Even big losses. But long periods of losing does. I am talking several months of playing most days. It is a cumulative effect. Frustration and negative feelings build. It's something I am trying to work on. One of the ways I try to deal with long down periods is that as my signature states, I try to measure things in terms of EV rather than actual results. But this too has a downside. I try to generate several hundred dollars of EV per day, but some days you go out and play a rotation of stores and just can't find much. An empty casino with several floor people standing around. Crowded tables with slow dealer and players playing side bets. Too many fills and/or chip countdowns by the pit people. Lousy penetration. You can't seem to find any of the many regular dealers that know know offer a decent game. For some reason you run into all the wrong pit people that you are trying to avoid. Days where after 4 hours and visits to 7 or 8 different casinos, you have managed to play 2 short sessions and have 20 bucks in EV. I guess no matter what you do in life you can find stress. Even things you enjoy. Gotta find a way to deal with it and have a happy place to escape for a bit when you can't seem to.
I never find playing BJ stressful, it was always just a great competition, and as such was enjoyable. If there ever was stress it was generated by other players wisecracking about my play, and that could quickly turn into something very ugly with my hair trigger temper. The travelling was always great, until the Bed, Blood Sucking, epidemic, which has curtailed my travel to nearly zero, and that is stressful!
When I cannot get on a BJ table, or in a casino where barred from playing BJ, I have been playing a fair amount of NL hold-em,,,and I do find That very, very, stressful.
O
We all view (and handle) stress differently. You can't always walk away from it but it's usually a good choice when you can because of health risk issues. Better yet, avoid getting in stressful situations as much as possible. Though they can't be eliminated, we usually do have a certain amount of control that can be quite beneficial.
Age and exposure tend to make us a little smarter when confronted by many of these things.
As for AP stress, I try to have the mindset that bad happenings are just as possible as good ones at all times. I remind myself that I play a winning game which assures a good end result and that is a "healthy" thought.
muffdiver
Some people are stress-prone. Others less so.
Physiologically and psychologically they produce abundant
cortisol / epinephrine via their sympathetic nervous system.
You know who you are.
For those individuals, A P, like Air Traffic Control, is NOT recommended.
I am a part time AP so playing blackjack for me is not stresfull at all. I have a job which allows me to live well, so since even big losing streaks have no effect in my life I can play relaxed and with no worries. Being so I wouldnt be able to answer your question, but once, talking to a full time AP, I asked him what was his life quality like, since being AP is probably the only job in the world where at the end of the month you can actually lose money you already had earned. He told me the following:
"I think of myself as an independant consultant professional. Every month I have to pay the office rent, my secretarys salary, telephone bills, etc. If that month that consultant doesnt provide any services he would have to pay all that overhead with his own money, thus, he would be losing money. So being an AP is not that different than being an independant professional who depends on his own sales to survive..."
Well... of course the analogue was longer and much better explained. My english is not good enough to tell it properly, but I think you can get the point.
If its helpful for you or not I dont know, but apparently this way of thinking helped this guy.
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