Thanks KJ for Sharing

[Midwest Player]

I would like to thank you for sharing your 2014 blackjack results with Norm's blackjack community. There is little to no advantage for you to share, but it surely gives me some insight into the difficulties of playing full time blackjack.

My playing year for 2014 has also ended, and it was kind of a roller coaster of a year. It started out pretty good, but in the spring I had a terrible trip to Wendover and went four figures into the red wiping out all my blackjack winnings for the year. This was my low point for the year, but after a couple of weeks I was back in the black again. Then in late summer had another terrible down swing and came within only $238 of going in the red again. However, the year ended on a high note for me. I won 18 out of the last 21 days I played, and one of those losses was only $40.

I may post more detailed results over on BJ21 green chip. I have not decided yet since everyone says it is stupid to post ones results, but I sure do enjoy reading about how others have done for the year.

[KJ]

You are correct, Midwest Player, there is no advantage to sharing one's results. There also is no real advantage to sharing one's experiences good or bad. And many in the community, whether here or BJ21, knowing that there is little +EV, share very little. Not to single him out but 21forme is a perfect example. I understand that thought process and that is fine.

But, I really believe I owe any limited success I have enjoyed and technically everything I own and/or am worth at this point in time, to my participation on these sites, Here, Ken's site before this, BJ21, and to a lesser extent Wizards site. The point at which I started participating, which at the time was Ken's site, is the exact point that my game really improved and my results improved 10 fold. That is not a coincidence. Many members shared their experience and wisdom with me. Sometimes not understanding, I would fight them on different points and they would take the time to fight right back and explain things again for the fourth or fifth time until it sunk in to my thick skull. And eventually it usually did.

So as time went on I vowed to give back and share my experiences and what little I know, with newer members, so I have shared my experiences and results good and bad in the hopes that it can benefit some others, especially newer players. But at times, I also vow (over and over) to get away from participating too much. This year, having had what I call an under-achieving year as far as results, I though it very important to share my results yet again, because I want anyone just starting out or thinking of playing fulltime, to see what that can mean (in a bad year). There seem to be too many members that come into this with very unrealistic expectations.

But there are a number of players, who seem to be realizing those types of results, what I refer to as unrealistic expectations, so, I don't know. Maybe it is me, who is out of touch with what kind of ceiling there is to annual results solely from card counting and still be able to achieve some sort of longevity doing so. Maybe it is time for me to just shut up and listen.

[Jabberwocky]

Totally focus your action on the strongest games while avoiding the weakies and the swings will manage themselves. That's the greatest lesson I've ever learned and it has been my bankroll's salvation.

[21forme]

Not to single him out but 21forme is a perfect example.

You just did

Midwest Player - Over the years, I have ID'd four APs by their forum handles, simply from their providing too much information in forum posts. KJ isn't one of them, but I suspect if I ever did see him at the tables, I'd be able to pick him out.

[Joss]

I also want to thank KJ for starting that thread. As a new counter it was a very interesting read.

[PhillyNewbie]

Also wanna pipe in here and say, thanks KJ! I dont post often, but I have read, I think, everything you have written here and at bjinfo, and learned a ton. Nothing but admiration for anyone who started out like you, with a TINY bankroll and parlayed it into a full-time career. As Ive told several members here, you are my hero, and I wanna be in the same position one day Your story could be a great movie.

[ZeeBabar]

I learnt a lot from the posts here and at GC. Through the different philosophies and methods folks use, I knew my options and what style of play suited my personality. Reading KJ's posts as well as reading Barfakel's two books made up of his trip reports helped me realize the huge variance and losses that can hit you but if you persevered, you will eventually come out ahead.

in my case, I even posted my early mistakes (doubling for less when I had a max bet out, leaving a positive deck after losing a few consecutive max bets, not splitting 9's against an 8, etc) and was blasted on GC, told to quit, and such but I saw lessons in most of the responses.

In in my most recent posts following a Las Vegas trip, I learned of my errors in dealing with heat.

[moo321]

Totally focus your action on the strongest games while avoiding the weakies and the swings will manage themselves. That's the greatest lesson I've ever learned and it has been my bankroll's salvation.

Excellent advice.

I would add that sometimes winrate with a standard spread is not the only measure of a "good" vs. "bad" game.

[Halbruno]

Any chance KJ will share this year?

[ZenMaster_Flash]

" ... you will eventually come out ahead."

NO. You may come out ahead !

[ZenMaster_Flash]

"not splitting 9's against an 8."

I believe that it is in Peter Griffins book of gambling essays,
though the book's name escapes me at this moment), that
a failure to split 9's vs. an 8 ~ is the costliest
Basic Strategy error that one is likely to ever see.

[Marlene]

It's right up there with 99 vs 4,5,6 and 88 vs 5,6,7. Of course, always splitting Aces almost goes without saying. No. You don't need your previous years snapshot of profit or loss in your mind. Let alone someone else's.

Splitting aces goes without saying unless you are talking about ENHC

[ZenMaster_Flash]

Look again as to what I posted ... "costliest error that one is likely to ever see."

Have you ever seen anyone fail to split Aces, or Eights vs. a stiff ?

Failure to split 9's vs 8 is the COSTLIEST common error.