Before I get into this post I just want to say this is a great forum. Thank you to those that keep this site going and to the ap's that post on here often.
I've been a very quiet ap for 12+ years and this is the very first time I've ever been public about my life besides to my friends. I'm doing this because I'm in a bad spot and I thought my trials and tribulations might be of use to some of the Blackjack world out there. I fell into this game a long time ago. I was racing near AC and thought it might be fun to visit a casino for my first time. I was never a betting person so I really had no interest in casino's until this particular point in my life. I asked a gambling friend of mine what I should play, he knew I have a high iq and extremely strong math skills so he answered blackjack. He suggested I buy a book on blackjack and read it during my trip to New Jersey. I found a basic book on bj that covered bs and hi-lo and read it twice during my journey. We went racing then drove down to AC and checked in to our hotel. I hit the floor for my first time and immediately fell in love with this new world. I sat down at a low limit table and proceeded to lose $200 in a short amount of time. I think I lost just about every hand I played. I was shocked at how fast I lost but decided I just picked the wrong table to sit at. I watched for awhile, remembered what I had learned from my book and decided to try again. I went on a three day long winning streak and was dragged away from AC with a hell of lot more money than I came to town with. From that moment on I was hooked. It was so easy, Why do people work for a living? I couldn't believe this happened but I decided why not give this life a try? I gamble with my life so why not gamble with my money?
It didn't take me long to realize that my results were not typical. I've won so much money but I've lost allot too. To those that haven't learned it yet, this is a tough life. Do I regret it? No not really, I've done OK and got to travel, stay in some really nice rooms, eat some awesome food and get paid to do it. In my best years it was a running joke between my partner and I, time to go make a withdrawal!! Take a trip and get the money. Hit and run and take the casino's money. Then the bad happened. I got sick and almost died, spent the next few years on some pretty serious drugs and kept playing anyway. Even though I thought I wasn't making mistakes I'm sure I was and I lost everything. I didn't win a dime for two years. My health deteriorated to the point of not getting out of bed for 6 months. During that time I worked on my game and in January I decided to hit it again.
I arrived in AC with only thirty bb's and obviously a very high ror. During the first two days I managed to stay even, by the end of the second night I had lost half of the little I came with. Knowing I should quit and go home I decided to play anyway. I managed to catch some luck and ended up like the old days and did very well. Part of the deal I made with myself was if I did good I would come home and pay off as many debts as I could. I came home and almost payed off all of my debts. I was back and happy to be back. I was excited like a teenager on prom night. After the last several months of getting deeper and deeper in debt, in one trip I almost zeroed my debt. I even went so far to pay things off that I didn't leave myself enough to play again but lifting the wieght off my shoulders was huge. Two weeks ago I tried it again and didn't do so well. Arriving in AC with only thirty bb's again I managed to lose twenty across 3 days and came home with my tail between my legs and depression on my brain. I know better than to play with such a high ror but this has been my life for so long I don't know what else to do. To those that haven't figured it out yet, you need money to make money and without it you are playing a losing game. The numbers that get tossed around on here are for real. I sat through so many games not being able to bet like I should and in the end, losing because of it. I will survive and be back but for those that have been lucky, beware it will not last. To be successful at this game you need the proper bank roll. If you don't have it, don't play.
I've been a very quiet ap for 12+ years and this is the very first time I've ever been public about my life besides to my friends. I'm doing this because I'm in a bad spot and I thought my trials and tribulations might be of use to some of the Blackjack world out there. I fell into this game a long time ago. I was racing near AC and thought it might be fun to visit a casino for my first time. I was never a betting person so I really had no interest in casino's until this particular point in my life. I asked a gambling friend of mine what I should play, he knew I have a high iq and extremely strong math skills so he answered blackjack. He suggested I buy a book on blackjack and read it during my trip to New Jersey. I found a basic book on bj that covered bs and hi-lo and read it twice during my journey. We went racing then drove down to AC and checked in to our hotel. I hit the floor for my first time and immediately fell in love with this new world. I sat down at a low limit table and proceeded to lose $200 in a short amount of time. I think I lost just about every hand I played. I was shocked at how fast I lost but decided I just picked the wrong table to sit at. I watched for awhile, remembered what I had learned from my book and decided to try again. I went on a three day long winning streak and was dragged away from AC with a hell of lot more money than I came to town with. From that moment on I was hooked. It was so easy, Why do people work for a living? I couldn't believe this happened but I decided why not give this life a try? I gamble with my life so why not gamble with my money?
It didn't take me long to realize that my results were not typical. I've won so much money but I've lost allot too. To those that haven't learned it yet, this is a tough life. Do I regret it? No not really, I've done OK and got to travel, stay in some really nice rooms, eat some awesome food and get paid to do it. In my best years it was a running joke between my partner and I, time to go make a withdrawal!! Take a trip and get the money. Hit and run and take the casino's money. Then the bad happened. I got sick and almost died, spent the next few years on some pretty serious drugs and kept playing anyway. Even though I thought I wasn't making mistakes I'm sure I was and I lost everything. I didn't win a dime for two years. My health deteriorated to the point of not getting out of bed for 6 months. During that time I worked on my game and in January I decided to hit it again.
I arrived in AC with only thirty bb's and obviously a very high ror. During the first two days I managed to stay even, by the end of the second night I had lost half of the little I came with. Knowing I should quit and go home I decided to play anyway. I managed to catch some luck and ended up like the old days and did very well. Part of the deal I made with myself was if I did good I would come home and pay off as many debts as I could. I came home and almost payed off all of my debts. I was back and happy to be back. I was excited like a teenager on prom night. After the last several months of getting deeper and deeper in debt, in one trip I almost zeroed my debt. I even went so far to pay things off that I didn't leave myself enough to play again but lifting the wieght off my shoulders was huge. Two weeks ago I tried it again and didn't do so well. Arriving in AC with only thirty bb's again I managed to lose twenty across 3 days and came home with my tail between my legs and depression on my brain. I know better than to play with such a high ror but this has been my life for so long I don't know what else to do. To those that haven't figured it out yet, you need money to make money and without it you are playing a losing game. The numbers that get tossed around on here are for real. I sat through so many games not being able to bet like I should and in the end, losing because of it. I will survive and be back but for those that have been lucky, beware it will not last. To be successful at this game you need the proper bank roll. If you don't have it, don't play.