kewljason said:
I am not real big on the whole "act" thing, 21, and frankly, I am not that good at it.
I know a lot of regular players place a great deal of importance on it for longevity purposes, but I don't go that route. As you know, I prefer to just hit and run and move around a lot. Very little camo. Very little 'act'. It has served me well to date. I think this mindset came about because I played mostly in AC for my first 5+ years, with a small rotation of casinos, playing frequently many times a week at the same store often against the same dealers and floor people. It is kind of hard to pull off pretending to be a first time player week after week after week in the company of the same people. I think that type of 'phoneyism' is probably even more suspicious.
I agree with everything except your term, "phoneyism." A good actor could pull off a consistently lucky ploppy just as well as you just act yourself. Just because it doesn't fit your
modus operandi or has not been needed in the places you play, does not mean it would not serve others well. There are more options than than playing a "first time player." Many a ploppy has been playing all his life and is still just as miserable a player.
I generally act as a good basic strategy player, but not so good that I don't have to ask the dealer what to do from time to time. That seems to serve me well. I do tend to stay calm and collected, but that is my natural personality anyway. Sometimes, however, when I want to bet large amounts during a plus count, I will pretend to be extremely nervous about the outcome in a ploppy way. Yesterday, I had bet $80, won and wanted to bet $160 on the next hand (+10 KO count). I acted like I was indecisive about betting "so much" at a $10 table, and the pit suit came up behind me and said to me, "Let it ride!" whereupon I pushed it all in plus a dollar chip on top for the dealer's tip if I happened to win. I turned to the pit and thanked him for his encouragement, since I was a bit wary about betting so much, which I referred to as "all in." I won, colored up and threw the dealer the two dollar chips. Everyone was happy, the dealer for a tip, the pit suit for smartly advising a patron to bet boldly and win, and me, for obvious reasons. Later last night, the same pit suit came over by me just as I got a blackjack. I asked him to stick around, since it seemed like every time he came near me I would win. He appreciated that remark, but he did not stay (thankfully).