I'm competitive by nature. I don't like to lose. Any tips on how to keep emotions in check when you lose the hands/sessions you should have won?
FerrisB
Remember the hands you should have lost but you won. They happen with the same frequency.
I really am not sure what you are talking about. There are no hands you should have won. You can find yourself in a strong position and lose just like you can find yourself in a weak position and win but there are no hands you should win. If you trust the math you know as long as you don't do something stupid like get emotional you will approach EV after enough play. Every bet you made at each bet level has the same expectation. In the long run you will win a percentage of the total bet for each advantage betting bin. You are going to win a lot of bets and lose a lot of bets but for the total number of bets you will come close to expectation and just making the bets properly is logging positive expectation. Multiply the number of bets made by expectation is where you will be after enough hands. Just remember that what you are doing is about the long run results. The short run is just noise so don't worry about it.
What are you defining a hand you were supposed to win??? A hand where you have 10/10 and the 1 other player at the table has 14v dealer showing a 6 and they hit to pull a face and the dealer turns and has a ten under and pulls a 5?Originally Posted by FerrisB
If this is one of your many definitions of 'hands/sessions you should've won', I'd suggest you stop counting your chickens before they hatch..
However, there are things you can do to control 'bad beats' (if you would call it that) a little more:
1.) sit at a table and cop an attitude when they make bad plays (obviously an act).
2.) play only heads up
3.) hype the dealer up(if they know BS) and make it a point to have the dealer tell the idiot(s) every time the other players are making BS mistakes (tip $1-$2 bucks and throw a comment out there like "Paul is a good dealer, he'll help you out next time").
4.) suck it up and watch them lose their $, as you are sitting at the table playing only neutral or +TCs.
Be creative & good card,
Oc2
There is no glory in practice, but without practice there is no glory . -Unknown
In all honesty emotions are part of the game.. I wont go into my recent experience (YET!) but just don't even think of stepping foot in a casino when you are feeling some type of way, especially if your playing part time with a replinishable roll that you look at as if it 'doesn't matter'. If you are mid session and do 1 think that isn't your norm just leave...
There is no glory in practice, but without practice there is no glory . -Unknown
Thanks for the feedback. My frustrations come when the count is very high. I have a double down hand. The dealer is showing a 5 or 6. I get exactly what I want (a 10 valued card) and the dealer makes a hand and beats me. Or the count is high and I'm sitting on a 19 and the dealer is showing a 7. The dealer then turns his/her hand into a 20 and beats me. And when these types of experiences just happen all night long and the dealer seems to be making every hand possible and you don't get a break.
I recognize that the opposite happens also. I have what looks like a crappy hand and am able to make it into a winning hand. And it happens over and over again. I know the variance plays out. That this is not a sprint but a marathon. I guess I just needed to rant.
Thanks for listening.
Rant away, I empathize totally. I seem to lose every hand at a super high count, I bust on 12 nearly three quarters of the time on the next card, and can never draw a picture card when I get eleven and double. It just happens time after time after time after time after time.
I.... feel so right doing the Wong thing!!! 9-5! 9-5! 9-5! Every king that screws her makes me feel alive!!
I've got several brothers, played sports my entire life, and been told more times than I can count that I'm too competitive... Here's the easiest thing to understand how to keep your emotions in check when playing blackjack:
Every session is a winning session. If you're playing a winning game then you have a positive expectation in every game. Sure, you might have variance and fall a standard deviation above or below, but you know that if you do that a million times in a row you are GUARANTEED TO WIN. Thus, every session you play you're essentially adding dollars and change to a big pot at the end of a rainbow. When you reach enough hours/hands to get to the long run, you'll be awarded that pot of gold.
Thus, every session you play, is a winning session regardless of the nightly outcome (so long as you're playing a WINNING game).
edit - You must also understand that just because the count is high DOESN'T MEAN you're a big favorite to win the hand! You win at the game because:
1) You get paid 150% for your blackjacks (the higher the count the more likely), the dealer does not.
2) You're allowed to split your cards, adding more money to the table, in positive situations (the higher the count the more positive)... the dealer can not.
3) You're allowed to double down, adding more money to the table in positive situations (the higher the count the more positive)... the dealer can not.
4) The dealer will bust 'slightly' more often in higher counts because they MUST hit 16, where as you do not.
The simple fact that the TC is +10 means little in relation to win% though because the dealer is just another hand in the game. He's just as likely as you to get dealt a 20 or blackjack. You win because of these other factors.
Last edited by Romes; 11-23-2015 at 09:35 AM.
That's entirely another topic though =)... with other strategies such as rat holing, playing without a card, playing with someone else's card, playing periodically on different days/shifts/etc, etc...A substantial win 10 times in a row at the same place is almost a GUARANTEE you'll get bounced.
A while back, when casinos were less competent in their vigilance vs. Card Counters, I was
backed off after winning ¼ million dollars in 6 months.
I stayed away for 15 months, changed my appearance, and got fresh fictitious Identification,
and backed my action down to half of what it was. I promptly won 14 consecutive sessions -
keeping wins under $1,000 per session. I got 86'd again. So, I "rinse and repeat" --
down to $25 tables and after a few months - along came a guy with my photo, who promptly
summoned the State Police. My spouse and I were harassed, threatened, and detained for two
hours.
In retrospect, I should have crafted a history of sessions where I had small losses.
The games were oh so sweet.
NOTE: The market for (High Quality fictitious I.D.) has disappeared; no doubt due to terrorism.
Intellectually, a person can understand all the points made by Romes, Moses, Orangechip2 and others. However, understanding does not change behavior or emotions. Only extensive experience and time can make it easier. Some days your 9,2 or 8.3 double always lands an ace and you lose and your hitting a 12 gets you a ten and bust. Its just the nature of the beast. Some days the count is negative and you tell yourself that when I lose the bet, I will leave but you keep winning round after round in a negative count. Just be patient and keep on playing.
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