In the early days of my game play when I didn't know as much as I do now ( still learning thankfully ) but stepping away from a really negative 2 deck, 4 deck or even more deck games is a better option when you have a limited bankroll like the amount you have. Not sure how much money you bring to your session bankroll but if you are playing at the $25.00 dollar table with a 1-6 spread and perhaps playing 2 spots you could drop as much as $600.00 over a few bad hands on a positive count which might be what happened to you. My suggestion is continue to play practice sessions, continue to save and build up your bank roll until you had $30k, then if you hit some bad variance you have enough cash so you can keep play thru it and win back that money. Just my 2 cents.. if you have the itch to play,, red chip to practice at keeping the count and still be able to look like all the other ploppies at the table who are jabbering away and drinking. Again recommend you look at the green chip strategy Ian Anderson laid out.. Might be a better option for you rather than playing double deck.. Best of luck.