Staying Focused After A Loss

[MidwestTom]

I have found a very big hiccup in my play. I've been putting it off for far too long, & since I plan to continue expanding my knowledge in the game now is a good time for advice.

Before I continue, yes, I know this game is a roller coaster ride but I want to know how some of you handle the situation that I CONTINUE to find myself in, here goes:

Ok, so +2TC (or more) I take my bet up 5 units (or so..) To this point I am very much on point with the count (side counting aces as well), however, the second I recieve anything other than what I'm expecting to recieve (ace/face vs. Dealer showing bust card) My mind goes haywire and I completely lose the cout.. I have tried just about everything, but as you all know, once you lose the count your advantage is gone until the next round..I play 6d so if I lose the count 1-2 decks in an I'm forced to play 2 spots (both 2x table min) to try to burn through the round.. This is typically when I start decreasing in chip stack..


BR isn't an issue at the denom I play.

Once I lose count I begin playing rather ridiculous (YES I ADMIT IT) .. Very undisciplined once I get fruatrated with losing count continuously in and out 75% of the time, UNLESS IM WINNING and getting the cards I'm expecting, then I have no problem at all continuing to count the remainder of the shoe..

Have any of you ever faced this issue or something of this sort ? It's not like I don't have the BR to back myself since I'm only playing at a red chip level, however, this issue is ongoing and if I can't correct it I will continue to plummet .

Thanks,
T

[hitthat16]

You need to do more kitchen table practice. Losing the count is not an option if you want to be any kind of good at this.

[Bodarc]

Tom, don't you think when you lose the count you should be playing basic strategy with minimum bet or either leave the table. You should not be playing 2 hands which means 4x minimum bet. You should be playing zero at that point if possible.

You have to get used to it because you are always going to lose more hands than you win so that means you will more often than not be getting those cards you don't want.

[MidwestTom]

Tom, don't you think when you lose the count you should be playing basic strategy with minimum bet or either leave the table. You should not be playing 2 hands which means 4x minimum bet. You should be playing zero at that point if possible.

You have to get used to it because you are always going to lose more hands than you win so that means you will more often than not be getting those cards you don't want.

I tend to open the second hand thinking that the shoe will get dealt out a little quicker and I will be back to playing with an advantage, opposed to playing basic strategy x2 spots ..

And good point about how "you'll always lose more hands than you win". For that reason is why I'm trying to come up with a technique that will help me stay focused on the current TC and not mind bombing myself .

[Bodarc]

You may go through 4 shoes that stay minus the entire time. You can not burn through at 4x minimum bet in hopes the next shoe will be positive.

If you have the problem of losing count with bad cards, that is all the more reason to back count and then enter when the count is right. You have no money on the table while back counting so you should not be losing the count.

As hitthat16 said, hours and hours of counting with cvcx until it is second nature.

Excuse me, that should be cvbj.

[MidwestTom]

I can count though, that's the thing. I can run down a single deck one flip at a time in 27-30 seconds, without any mistakes. However, it doesn't matter how FAST I am, I need efficiency ... I will be at a local place of mine later today and I will not participating in table talkk.. I can do it, I have to put all distractions aside and really FOCUS .. I will keep you all updated .

[Bodarc]

Good deal Tom. I'll be waiting to see how it went.

[Skull]

Hey Tom!

My father used to say that "the only time a man can lose his head is when he is at bed with his wife".

I can't tell you anything about BJ, because I am sure you know much more about it than me. But I don't see your problem as a BJ problem. You are losing your head in face of adversity. Period. And, honestly, I think I know the reason:

the second I recieve anything other than what I'm expecting to recieve (ace/face vs. Dealer showing bust card) My mind goes haywire and I completely lose the cout.

Subconsciously or not, you "think" you have CONTROL. That's the worst thing we can do in BJ and in life. We have NO control either in BJ or in life. What we can do is be prepared for all circumstances, but the moment we think we have control over any of them and the opposite of what we expect happens, we are doomed. We get frustrated and angry and thus can't think clearly.

How can you improve on that? It won't be easy. Of course, you should practice like crazy, up to the point everything BJ-related is second nature. But it won't be enough.

I am sure, if you look carefully and honestly, you will find other areas of your life where you are "losing control" in face of adversity. IMHO, what you need to do is realize and accept deeply within you that you have NEVER had ANY control in the first place.


Best of luck to you!

[Exoter175]

I have found a very big hiccup in my play. I've been putting it off for far too long, & since I plan to continue expanding my knowledge in the game now is a good time for advice.

Before I continue, yes, I know this game is a roller coaster ride but I want to know how some of you handle the situation that I CONTINUE to find myself in, here goes:

Ok, so +2TC (or more) I take my bet up 5 units (or so..) To this point I am very much on point with the count (side counting aces as well), however, the second I recieve anything other than what I'm expecting to recieve (ace/face vs. Dealer showing bust card) My mind goes haywire and I completely lose the cout.. I have tried just about everything, but as you all know, once you lose the count your advantage is gone until the next round..I play 6d so if I lose the count 1-2 decks in an I'm forced to play 2 spots (both 2x table min) to try to burn through the round.. This is typically when I start decreasing in chip stack..


BR isn't an issue at the denom I play.

Once I lose count I begin playing rather ridiculous (YES I ADMIT IT) .. Very undisciplined once I get fruatrated with losing count continuously in and out 75% of the time, UNLESS IM WINNING and getting the cards I'm expecting, then I have no problem at all continuing to count the remainder of the shoe..

Have any of you ever faced this issue or something of this sort ? It's not like I don't have the BR to back myself since I'm only playing at a red chip level, however, this issue is ongoing and if I can't correct it I will continue to plummet .

Thanks,
T

First things first, you are not alone. This would happen to me quite frequently early on for a different reason, but the whole losing track of the count thing, happened often. I knew enough from previous years of play as a basic strategy guy, to simply default back to basic strategy until either I saw way too many big carts by comparison to little cards, or until a new shoe presented itself.

That being said, do not get caught up with the count in your head if you lose it. Always revert back to the last information you gathered. Say, you had a +6RC and lost track, you remembered you saw a few more big cards than little cards. Go ahead and err on the side of caution and start back at a +2 RC or +0RC depending on how you want to approach it, and begin again. You'll obviously want to adjust your play if you really get lost, but at worst you can start your information back at zero with a mild idea of whether the count previously was positive or negative, and then adjust your play accordingly.

I will say though, you are going to benefit heavily from practice as you seem to be encountering a mental block, more than anything, and those can be overcome with practice and repetition.

You need to do more kitchen table practice. Losing the count is not an option if you want to be any kind of good at this.

Solid advice.

Tom, don't you think when you lose the count you should be playing basic strategy with minimum bet or either leave the table. You should not be playing 2 hands which means 4x minimum bet. You should be playing zero at that point if possible.

You have to get used to it because you are always going to lose more hands than you win so that means you will more often than not be getting those cards you don't want.

More solid advice, I would not advise a 2 spot approach if you've lost count and have to rely on basic strategy for your playing advice while you burn through the shoe to eat up cards. Not unless you have a monster spread while you KNOW the count. Even then, best to play it safe.

I tend to open the second hand thinking that the shoe will get dealt out a little quicker and I will be back to playing with an advantage, opposed to playing basic strategy x2 spots ..

And good point about how "you'll always lose more hands than you win". For that reason is why I'm trying to come up with a technique that will help me stay focused on the current TC and not mind bombing myself .

Practice practice practice, and avoid doing the whole second spot thing until you can get past the mental block. You're adding a lot of risk to your play by playing two positions after losing a count.

[Three]

First off you should never lose discipline and leave your game plan. If you do you aren't ready for casino play. If you can't handle talking to people then don't. If you lose count it is time to find another table or if you are near the end of the shoe play min bet until the shoe is over or you can ask for some lammers and take a bathroom break. You should never be expecting a certain card. Even the most likely card to show, a T, is more likely not to show. You do your action and react to the result with another action. Emotion should never come in other than maybe a show of emotion. You must realize some days you are just going to get killed. Time and time again the most unlikely things will occur to make you lose. If you can't handle it you aren't ready. If you can't trust the math that says its all about getting the bets down at the appropriate time. Anything can happen in the short run but you get enough hands in at a particular advantage and the results for that bet will approach expectation. That is unless of course you deviate from the plan as you have described.

[Ouchez]

Tom, so you are playing 6d and side counting aces?,, and you are losing the count often, hmmm,,,,I would say to you to switch to Hi-Lo, a simpler count that for sure gets the job done. There is also something called, Zoning, great athletes, golfers, and AP's often use this mental technique to become "One" with the game, I suggest you look into both these suggestions to stabilize your game.

Also forget about 2 spots when you go on black out, take a P break or drop to min and play basic as suggested above.

My Best,
O

[ZeeBabar]

Tom, so you are playing 6d and side counting aces?,, and you are losing the count often, hmmm,,,,I would say to you to switch to Hi-Lo, a simpler count that for sure gets the job done. There is also something called, Zoning, great athletes, golfers, and AP's often use this mental technique to become "One" with the game, I suggest you look into both these suggestions to stabilize your game.

Also forget about 2 spots when you go on black out, take a P break or drop to min and play basic as suggested above.

My Best,
O

This is exactly right. Sometimes it also helps confuse the pit when you suddenly switch to minimum bets and BS when you have lost the count and are now playing minimum bets. I lose count sometimes when pit or ploppies start a conversation. I take a bathroom break and go down to minimum.

[ohbehave]

In my opinion you don't want to make it a point to confuse the pit. Disguise what your doing, yes. Deliberately confusing them only leads to them watching more closely to figure you out if they have nothing more pressing to do. You want them to not have a care about your play so they are free to do other tasks.

Sorry for the off topic post, and ZeeBabar not trying to pick on you.