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Thread: RoR / your first few months of card counting

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    RoR / your first few months of card counting

    So I've been officially counting for 4 months now, roughly about 180 hours of play in total. I am in the red and BR is down 30%. I attribute my 2 big loses to playing under bad conditions just because I could drive there. I am now flying to better stores every other weekend (I have a full-time job) and putting in 16-20 hours play per trip. Getting it to at least black would probably take me till the end of the year.

    For those successful, did you start off getting your BR up slowly or did you get to red first and worked your way up? I am worried that I'll be one of those who tried and failed. I hope not.

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    Senior Member njrich's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BJNewbee View Post
    I attribute my 2 big loses to playing under bad conditions just because I could drive there
    What type of games?
    Beware the fury of a patient man.

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    6D H17 2deck cutoff at an indian casino. Mostly crowded.

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    My first two trips as an AP I was very much in the black. After four trips, I was well ahead of the curve. Then I had a terrible trip, followed by three breakeven trips. While I managed to generate small profits for the next few trips, my per trip average kept going down. It took me about three years- or 15 trips to get into my comfort zone. Been there for the last eight years. Every time I think about increasing my bets and putting more risk into the equation , I figure why bother. I'm exactly where I want to be, so why change. I play more for relaxation and to get away for awhile.
    Let me die in my sleep like my Grandfather.
    Not screaming in agony like his passengers.

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    That's one of the unfortunate things about counting is that even with great skill level you can still be in red after many hours playing. Without having experience and a track record of digging your way back up it can seem very discouraging i can imagine. Take the positive from this. If you started out winning maybe you would take it for granted and not look at what you are doing and how you can get better. Stay positive, reassess if there is anything you can do to improve, and maybe take a break. That is a great start playing at better games because the game you were playing was really bad.

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    I didn't put a major focus on getting good playing conditions beyond rules until halfway through my career. Once I changed my approach, I started winning at a steady pace. I still had long streaks, but I had built up enough confidence in my adjusted approach to stay the course, and sure enough, I recovered. The losing still sucks, but the recoveries gives you the confidence.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Intermediate View Post
    I didn't put a major focus on getting good playing conditions beyond rules until halfway through my career. Once I changed my approach, I started winning at a steady pace. I still had long streaks, but I had built up enough confidence in my adjusted approach to stay the course, and sure enough, I recovered. The losing still sucks, but the recoveries gives you the confidence.
    This pretty much sums it up for me. Before I came to that point I was never behind but after growing my BR 30% and convincing myself I had it down I would hit bad patch and relatively quickly lose it all back. I would then regroup and study figuring I needed to improve my nuts and bolts skills. At the same time a group of top pros took me under their wing. We would get together once a month or more and I would pick their brains and listen carefully to every word. At some point with their help I figured out the above quote. That was when my rise in BR became more steady. I needed to use a set of skillz that you couldn't learn from a book or practicing in your kitchen or on the internet.

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    Senior Member bebe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tthree View Post
    This pretty much sums it up for me. Before I came to that point I was never behind but after growing my BR 30% and convincing myself I had it down I would hit bad patch and relatively quickly lose it all back. I would then regroup and study figuring I needed to improve my nuts and bolts skills. At the same time a group of top pros took me under their wing. We would get together once a month or more and I would pick their brains and listen carefully to every word. At some point with their help I figured out the above quote. That was when my rise in BR became more steady. I needed to use a set of skillz that you couldn't learn from a book or practicing in your kitchen or on the internet.
    Dont forget to pass it down a great mentor is hard to find and the mind is a terrible thing to waste

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    BJNewbee, it's worth noting that even if you found ideal playing conditions, your BR could be down 30%. I wouldn't make the mistake of thinking your loss is just due to poor game selection (although that doesn't help). But large downswings are an inevitable part of the process.
    "There is no passion to be found playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."

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    Thanks for all the responses. It's good to hear other people's experiences. I also take time to review if there's anything I could have done better or improve from the previous trip.

    The losses do get to me sometimes. If you see me around a while longer that means I survived.

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    lost
    Last edited by NaLaAa; 05-13-2013 at 10:34 AM.

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    Senior Member njrich's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NaLaAa View Post
    lost a mini BR today :[ this must mean its either time to buy CV stuff, or modern BJ 2. which first?
    "Wasn't being disrespectful mate, just not in the "let's throw money at books and things" camp when the resource things are usually around."
    Changed your mind? That's what you told me last week.

    Buy both!
    Last edited by njrich; 05-07-2013 at 02:27 PM.
    Beware the fury of a patient man.

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    thanks

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