I'm a newbie, but I've practiced for months with Casino Verite. I'm sure that I'm playing correctly: strategy, counting and bet spreads. I'm playing a 6 deck game at a reputable casino, no surrender, RSA, DAS, hit S17, the penetration is 70%.

I have a 5G bankroll, but take only $500 with me each time I play (frequency is 3 times a wk for varied amounts of time). I'm betting $10 minimum bet, with a spread of 1-6. I'm using the Hi-Lo count. I do not split hands.

I began with a $404 loss, then built to +$1,172 (not including my buy-in), then another losing streak took me down to +$87, now I'm back up to +$674.

My question is this: Are these types of swings common?