Finally met an AP....

[ZeeBabar]

Finally decided to take up an offer from an AP (seen him on BJ21) and met him in person. Nicest guy, period. Learned how much I don’t know and how badly I compromise at the tables. Great time, though on a really awful buffet.

He was my opposite, half my age and quite bold in his approach and play. Basically, he follows the deviations. I saw pics of him splitting 10’s. In one high count, he ended up with 7 hands as he kept splitting tens, some $300 on each hand. Dealer ended up having, I think a 9 under his 6 and then busting. Saw a couple of others where he split 10’s to 4+ hands. He just feels that outside of perhaps, Las Vegas, the pit thinks he is an idiot for splitting 10’s.

He also thought I should follow the deviations, double on A,8 as it’s BS. I often don’t do it for fear of heat.

You Talking about fear of heat, he does not seem to give a shit. In places where I thought I would stand out playing Green Chips, especially at small town casinos or odd hours, he plays 2 x $100 or more.

He also is able to keep meticulous records. I mention a casino, he scrolls through on his phone, looks at what appears to be an excel sheet, tells exactly how he did at that casino in his last visit as well as overall. He seems to have played all over the country, maybe backed off hundreds of times.

I left in awe of him. Luckily, he has offered to give me tips if I let him know the state I was visiting. I was apprehensive about meeting an AP but this was good. I don’t think he gets on this forum much but if he does, THANKS. He has inspired me.

Lessons I learned....I don’t have a $75k bankroll if I am taking $5-7k on my trips, use a max bet of only $200, get uncomfortable if I am down $3k. I got to stop worrying about ploppies when BS calls for an Ace,8 double or be scared of backoffs. I don’t know that Zi am comfortable splitting 10’s, though.

[21forme]

Haven't we been telling you these things all along?

[BJGenius007]

Haven't we been telling you these things all along?

In person it means business. Not someone trolling him.

[DSchles]

Finally decided to take up an offer from an AP (seen him on BJ21) and met him in person. Nicest guy, period. Learned how much I don’t know and how badly I compromise at the tables. Great time, though on a really awful buffet.

He was my opposite, half my age and quite bold in his approach and play. Basically, he follows the deviations. I saw pics of him splitting 10’s. In one high count, he ended up with 7 hands as he kept splitting tens, some $300 on each hand. Dealer ended up having, I think a 9 under his 6 and then busting. Saw a couple of others where he split 10’s to 4+ hands. He just feels that outside of perhaps, Las Vegas, the pit thinks he is an idiot for splitting 10’s.

He also thought I should follow the deviations, double on A,8 as it’s BS. I often don’t do it for fear of heat.

You Talking about fear of heat, he does not seem to give a shit. In places where I thought I would stand out playing Green Chips, especially at small town casinos or odd hours, he plays 2 x $100 or more.

He also is able to keep meticulous records. I mention a casino, he scrolls through on his phone, looks at what appears to be an excel sheet, tells exactly how he did at that casino in his last visit as well as overall. He seems to have played all over the country, maybe backed off hundreds of times.

I left in awe of him. Luckily, he has offered to give me tips if I let him know the state I was visiting. I was apprehensive about meeting an AP but this was good. I don’t think he gets on this forum much but if he does, THANKS. He has inspired me.

Lessons I learned....I don’t have a $75k bankroll if I am taking $5-7k on my trips, use a max bet of only $200, get uncomfortable if I am down $3k. I got to stop worrying about ploppies when BS calls for an Ace,8 double or be scared of backoffs. I don’t know that Zi am comfortable splitting 10’s, though.

Really strange. You've been told every single thing you wrote about 100 times each by some of the keenest minds in the world on this board. But you had to meet a total stranger, whom you know for five minutes, to all of a sudden see the light? How unbelievably weird.

It's just a little bit frightening how your mind works.

Don

[MJGolf]

Really strange. You've been told every single thing you wrote about 100 times each by some of the keenest minds in the world on this board. But you had to meet a total stranger, whom you know for five minutes, to all of a sudden see the light? How unbelievably weird.

It's just a little bit frightening how your mind works.

Don

Or he could just buy and read/study your book. It would cost him around the same as the "horrible buffet" and make/save him much more..............

[Wave]

Really strange. You've been told every single thing you wrote about 100 times each by some of the keenest minds in the world on this board. But you had to meet a total stranger, whom you know for five minutes, to all of a sudden see the light? How unbelievably weird.

It's just a little bit frightening how your mind works.

Don

C'mon Don, you know different people learn differently. How they learn is not important, but that they learn is. Maybe you (and others) could give Z a break once in a while and congratulate him when he actually does learn something. Lighten up a little...if you don't know already, you should know that, in general, positive reinforcement is more effective than negative reinforcement.

Congrats Z, keep trying to learn and improve your game!

[21forme]

Wave - if that's the case, Zee should sign up for Colin's bootcamp. I'm sure Colin has a special price for Zee

[Overkill]

Great job, Zee, stepping out of your comfort zone! I was hoping you wouldnt continue to 'go it alone.'

And thanks for telling us about your visit with the AP.

[DSchles]

C'mon Don, you know different people learn differently. How they learn is not important, but that they learn is. Maybe you (and others) could give Z a break once in a while and congratulate him when he actually does learn something. Lighten up a little...if you don't know already, you should know that, in general, positive reinforcement is more effective than negative reinforcement.

Congrats Z, keep trying to learn and improve your game!

This is a joke, right? You actually want people to take your answer seriously? Give me a break!

Don

[ZeeBabar]

Really strange. You've been told every single thing you wrote about 100 times each by some of the keenest minds in the world on this board. But you had to meet a total stranger, whom you know for five minutes, to all of a sudden see the light? How unbelievably weird.

It's just a little bit frightening how your mind works.

Don

Don, insight does not, by itself, change behavior. A frugal personality, years of living on White Castle sandwiches, broke to the point where I had to shoplift a loaf of bread and jelly and eat just that till my next paycheck, I had learnt to be cheap. Getting over it and risking money does not come easy.

I know the mistakes I make, post it and get scolded on forums and it helps for short periods. Not much different from someone who knows he should not drink but falls off the wagon time and time again. I go back to old habits. However, I have moved from red chips to Green, went from playing $20 to $60 to $25 to $200.

I had heard from AP’s on this forum but seeing pictures, seeing records, hearing stories in person was a great experience. My brothers and people who know me call me a “wuss”, a softie, gentle, etc. However, playing this game requires a ruthlessness at times with a willingness to risk.

Its hard for me.

[DSchles]

You needed to have read MANY more books than you have.

Don

[Banker]

I think Zee just described what the guy did compared to what he does. I do not think he mentioned that he necessarily is going to learn from him.

[stringer]

I enjoy Zee's anecdotes and his perspective on things. In its own way I think it helps everyone on the forum. It makes others think about things and perhaps reflect on their own games and how to make them more powerful. I just had a look at my BJ shelf and there are about 70 books there. But, I would never say that I know everything about BJ and certain key variants.I want to offer my thanks to Zee for making the forum vibrant and interesting. Perhaps there are some out there, less experienced, that might hesitate to make some posts for fear of being "attacked". I am quite honestly shocked at the level of incivility of some members of this forum... but that is a subject for another day...…