Made a dumb mistake last night

**ZeeBabar** · 07-23-2018, 04:21 AM

Freightman, thanks for explaining what prifessional Courtesy is.

**BoSox** · 07-23-2018, 06:14 AM

Originally Posted by JamesonDetroit

I'm confused; are these teammates? I'm not clear why you're condemning other counters you're unaffiliated with from wonging out and praising another for playing at a disadvantage for the sake of class (not even camouflage). Like, I would be bothered as well if I were at the table, but I can't imagine myself recommending them to do anything else if it were them asking me for advice in general (other than, perhaps, "be less obvious, for longevity"). Not trying to be adversarial, I just think I'm missing something here. It sounds like you're suggesting that you would recommend they _not_ take advantage of a scenario where they can get out of playing hands at a disadvantage, and I'm just not understanding the benefit to them of taking that advice. Which is why I'm confused; thanks for clarifying!

Professional courtesy is always required. Like not taking a seat at a table where you know a counter is already seated, and if you did not know initially, leave when you recognize that there was another CC seated or possibly when the person lets you know. If you already wonged in on a CC, the very last thing you want to do is wong out on him/her without giving the other person the first shot, as it is only fair as you imposed, to begin with. Ignoring all of the above and leaving the other CC "hung out to dry" to play through the negative count "which is better than two people wonging out at the same time" may result in the other CC subtlely INFORMING the dealer and floor to keep an eye out for you, which you were asking for whether you realize it or not. Remember it is not only about YOU, and besides you never know when you may wong into a table with a Moses type person already seated. Sorry Moses I could not pass this one up, all in good fun.

**JamesonDetroit** · 07-23-2018, 07:15 AM

Originally Posted by BoSox

Professional courtesy is always required. Like not taking a seat at a table where you know a counter is already seated, and if you did not know initially, leave when you recognize that there was another CC seated or possibly when the person lets you know. If you already wonged in on a CC, the very last thing you want to do is wong out on him/her without giving the other person the first shot, as it is only fair as you imposed, to begin with. Ignoring all of the above and leaving the other CC "hung out to dry" to play through the negative count "which is better than two people wonging out at the same time" may result in the other CC subtlely INFORMING the dealer and floor to keep an eye out for you, which you were asking for whether you realize it or not. Remember it is not only about YOU, and besides you never know when you may wong into a table with a Moses type person already seated. Sorry Moses I could not pass this one up, all in good fun.

Thank you!

**sportskirk** · 07-23-2018, 03:42 PM

I have made betting mistakes several times over the years due to my severe color blindness by betting the wrong color chip(s). Nowadays I've learned to look for the number on the chip instead of the color of the chip.

**sportskirk** · 07-23-2018, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by Freightman

I was once threatened physically for surrendering. I upset the sacred flow.

The most superstitious players I've ever played with were in South Korea many years ago. A lady on 3rd base refused to hit anytime somebody took a card she didn't think they should take. It didn't matter what here hand was: AA, 43, 65, etc. Then she would yell at the person for taking the card after the hand: "When you have 12 and dealer has 3, YOU STAY!!!"

**Tarzan** · 07-24-2018, 02:48 AM

Originally Posted by ZeeBabar

Losing count has cost me. Once, I started max betting when the count was a minus 5, luckily I won once, lost the next and shoe was over.

Zee, I don't understand how you lost count (but knew the count was -5?) and put a max bet out there. You've got me a little confused with this, possibly a wording issue. Whether it's losing the count and betting beyond the minimum, or betting anything beyond the minimum at -5, either way is really bad. At -5, you need to be thinking about taking a phone call, taking a piss, taking a moment to focus on life decisions, take something other than sitting there or even worse betting above the minimum at -5. If you lose count, you have a few choices as follows:

-Take a bathroom break or fake taking a phone call. Maybe answer some texts from your Aunt Louise in Wagon Mound, New Mexico until the next shoe starts.

-Make your best assessment of where the count is and take it from there. If you are totally lost on the count, but wish to stay at the table for other reasons, such as a shuffle tracking opportunity, drop down to flat betting minimum bets until the end of the shoe.

-If you lost count in positive territory, estimate your count to be no lower than "x", and go from there. If you lost count in negative territory, maybe do what you have to in order to mark time until the next shoe, like a text/phone break.

As far as the original post goes, one mistake isn't going to kill you, but max bets at -5 certainly will, the same mistake over and over will. Evaluate your play, critique what you did/how you did after the fact. Make a mental note of anything you were unsure on, and look it up later to verify that you were or weren't making the proper bet, the proper play, etc. If you do anything that is questionable while playing, it's likely going to raise some red flags in the back of your mind. Follow up on it and if there's an issue, correct it.

**ZeeBabar** · 07-24-2018, 05:29 AM

Originally Posted by Tarzan

Zee, I don't understand how you lost count (but knew the count was -5?) and put a max bet out there. You've got me a little confused with this, possibly a wording issue. Whether it's losing the count and betting beyond the minimum, or betting anything beyond the minimum at -5, either way is really bad. At -5, you need to be thinking about taking a phone call, taking a piss, taking a moment to focus on life decisions, take something other than sitting there or even worse betting above the minimum at -5. If you lose count, you have a few choices as follows:

-Take a bathroom break or fake taking a phone call. Maybe answer some texts from your Aunt Louise in Wagon Mound, New Mexico until the next shoe starts.

-Make your best assessment of where the count is and take it from there. If you are totally lost on the count, but wish to stay at the table for other reasons, such as a shuffle tracking opportunity, drop down to flat betting minimum bets until the end of the shoe.

-If you lost count in positive territory, estimate your count to be no lower than "x", and go from there. If you lost count in negative territory, maybe do what you have to in order to mark time until the next shoe, like a text/phone break.

As far as the original post goes, one mistake isn't going to kill you, but max bets at -5 certainly will, the same mistake over and over will. Evaluate your play, critique what you did/how you did after the fact. Make a mental note of anything you were unsure on, and look it up later to verify that you were or weren't making the proper bet, the proper play, etc. If you do anything that is questionable while playing, it's likely going to raise some red flags in the back of your mind. Follow up on it and if there's an issue, correct it.

Not hard to understand, playing tired after 6 hours of driving and a few more at casino with mostly coffee in system, I knew the count was a 5, was sure if was a positive 5. Another AP was at the table and let me know via pm that I had made that mistake.

I am sure it happens. My max bet then was $150 on a DD game.

**Tarzan** · 07-27-2018, 07:49 PM

If you're just flat out tired to the point of making errors, stop playing. Take a break. On occasions when I've been on the road far from home and there wasn't a hotel room or someplace to rest readily available, I've gone out to the car and taken a nap in the parking garage.

**BigJer** · 07-28-2018, 09:45 AM

Also, ask yourself "can I go back to my room and count down a deck of cards?" If the answer is no then you've played way too long.

**Meistro123** · 07-29-2018, 05:43 AM

I've inverted the count before, or at the very least inverted and caught it, which leads me to suspect that I've probably done it and not caught it. Mistakes are going to happen, we're human. That is one of many reasons why I love myself a fast-paced heads-up game, I find it easier to not lose count or make mistakes because it is just one continuous whole as opposed to frequent breaks in the action while plops are coffee housing or arguing with the dealer about what happened on the last round. I don't really mind a full game though, it has some advantages and for cover purposes you can't be observed to be constantly game selecting for heads up play. That got me backed off once. The most important thing is to appear exactly like a normal gambler.