Warning newcomers

[ZeeBabar]

A related idea is a quiz that folks take, say 100 questions on BJ, from BR to ROR to Bet Spreads to playing indices to handling heat etc., that can tell them where they are in the BJ game. Maybe it will discourage some who want to quit their jobs and turn pro because they had some early success. Something were a 95% score means you are ready for it full time, 85% means you can play successfully part time, 75% means you can be a recreational player with a reasonable chance to come out ahead, 65% means you might stay even after 1000 hours, some score that sAys you are a ploppy even if you think you are not!!

[MJGolf]

A related idea is a quiz that folks take, say 100 questions on BJ, from BR to ROR to Bet Spreads to playing indices to handling heat etc., that can tell them where they are in the BJ game. Maybe it will discourage some who want to quit their jobs and turn pro because they had some early success. Something were a 95% score means you are ready for it full time, 85% means you can play successfully part time, 75% means you can be a recreational player with a reasonable chance to come out ahead, 65% means you might stay even after 1000 hours, some score that sAys you are a ploppy even if you think you are not!!

Add it to that beginning counting primer thread.............If you have something in mind or set up

[KJ]

A related idea is a quiz that folks take, say 100 questions on BJ, from BR to ROR to Bet Spreads to playing indices to handling heat etc., that can tell them where they are in the BJ game. Maybe it will discourage some who want to quit their jobs and turn pro because they had some early success. Something were a 95% score means you are ready for it full time, 85% means you can play successfully part time, 75% means you can be a recreational player with a reasonable chance to come out ahead, 65% means you might stay even after 1000 hours, some score that sAys you are a ploppy even if you think you are not!!

Such a test has limited value, IMO. The actual knowledge needed to successfully card count is not that great. And you can make it as difficult or as easy as you want. I myself, am a "keep it simple" guy, as I am sure many know by now.

So much of being successful at card counting involves learning the things that aren't in a book and I am not sure a 'quiz' can accurately measure these things. You talked about handling heat and that's one such topic. But you don't learn this from a book. You learn it by experience. After a while you just begin to 'feel' the heat and you get a feel for what things are likely to cause different reactions or responses. It's more a sense than knowledge and I don't think that can be measured by a quiz.

Another such topic is the mentality of losing. No book can teach you about this. Sure books can tell you about the swings involved and the bankroll necessary to withstand such swings, but no book can really prepare you for that. No book can tell you how, you are going to react or feel when you have lost 60% of your bankroll. Can you still throw out the same big bets or do you play scared? Or do you go the other way and start betting recklessly (chasing). These are things that have to be experienced rather than learned from a book and I don't think you can measure them by a quiz.

[KJ]

I don't know how we got from a thread entitled "warning newcomers" to talking about going "pro". But since we apparently have there are 3 things necessary to attempt to play professional (via card counting). 1.) is the book knowledge of the fundamentals of card counting, and again you can make this as simple or complicated as suits you. 2.) is proper bankroll (which most players don't have...I sure as hell didn't). 3.) experience and all those things that you learn and can only learn by doing. For this reason, I think it almost mandatory to progress through recreational and part-time play, before attempting fulltime play. That is where you learn some of the things about the game and more importantly yourself that you really need to know.

And then when you are finally there, you have learned all the things you need to know about the game and more importantly, yourself, to have a chance at successful fulltime play, most players discover there are far better and easier ways to make a living, both in and out of the field of advantage play. Only those of us too stubborn or stupid stick with it and make a living by card counting.

[Blitzkrieg]

Only those of us too stubborn or stupid stick with it and make a living by card counting.

Really? I thought you enjoyed it as your chosen profession. Hey that 9 to 5 is waiting on you anytime your ready to throw in the towel. But I don't think your going to do that.

[KJ]

Really? I thought you enjoyed it as your chosen profession. Hey that 9 to 5 is waiting on you anytime your ready to throw in the towel. But I don't think your going to do that.

Yep...most of the time I do. But there are times that wear you out, mentally and physically. I think it is these times that many move on to something else, saying I can make just as much, if not more money doing something else with half the headaches.

[Blitzkrieg]

For as many years as you have been at it on BJ I suppose you would know. The thing that I find that wears on me the most is being up and playing at odd hours of the day or night just to get in a game. Then you have a sleep pattern that is all out of whack due to exhaustion and sleep deprivation. I'm just getting over a chronic condition that I've had for about 2 weeks and it still wasn't enough to keep me away from the tables even though I wasn't 100%. Now that I'm starting to feel better... I'm ready to go back and lock horns with the casino to redeem my last loss at BJ, and hopefully I put a beating on them.

[KJ]

For as many years as you have been at it on BJ I suppose you would know. The thing that I find that wears on me the most is being up and playing at odd hours of the day or night just to get in a game. Then you have a sleep pattern that is all out of whack due to exhaustion and sleep deprivation.

I haven't been at it that long. Just finishing my 11th year. Some of our members have been at it a lifetime (at least my lifetime...). But what I have been experiencing recently is that these years are all different. They don't follow a pattern. This year was particular trying for me. My current win is less than half expectation for the year. That's ok, that happens, although it's new to me. But what was really taxing is that a full 7 months into the year, playing nearly every day, 45,000+ rounds and I was in the RED for the year. At the time, I found that mentally very taxing. Just hard to be motivated to keep plugging away as you need to in this business.

As far as the odd hours, I try to minimize that. That was part of my plan when I relocated to Las Vegas. Go where the games are. Less travel. Less mixing up the shifts. I try to make it as much as I can like a regular job. I do have to play a few days a month on the night shifts, but I think I minimize it as compared to other players.

[Joss]

KJ, if you don't mind a few questions. Is it tough being able to play regularly on day shift like that? It seems like something that would get noticed after a while. Have you looked into other forms of AP in order to diversify and maybe have a larger edge?

[KJ]

KJ, if you don't mind a few questions. Is it tough being able to play regularly on day shift like that? It seems like something that would get noticed after a while. Have you looked into other forms of AP in order to diversify and maybe have a larger edge?

I play a large rotation of stores, am very vigilant about scheduling. For me, it's only partially about trying to fly under the radar and play unnoticed. I also work hard to identify and play within the tolerance or comfort levels of different casinos for different days and time of day. I have found this second part (playing within comfort levels) to be more important than trying to be invisible.

Blackjack and card counting account for about 80% of my APing and that is by choice. I played a second casino table game at an advantage for a brief period and have periodically engaged in more advanced Blackjack techniques, but found I really don't care for either.