not a big deal to most, perhaps, but...

I recently had my first $1K+ day. I don't play all that often yet, and I don't bank hugely, but it was a good day. I continue to consider myself a cautious, small-stakes player so this was an event for me. I'm coming along.

The best single play of the day was getting 66 dealt against dealer 6, split, worked one up to 18, the other hit 5, doubled and hit 21, and dealer went bust. It was the kind of pleasant, kinda dramatic play that I have looked forward to.

The downside is that a few days later, on the advice of a friend, I experimented with another casino a bit farther away with electronic video BJ machines. Ouch. I don't know how they mess with the simulated shoe in such systems, but based on calculations for how often I should see, for example, an N-hand losing streak, for N = [3..8] (a topic I saw also recently discussed in the General forum)...well, let's just say that the casino in question is in dire financial straits, and they seem to be giving themselves a substantial extra edge. I have wondered whether such monkeywrenching is legal, or limited, and especially whether it's monitored by the gaming commission. Anyhow, I don't know, and I don't much care, but I won't be back there again until they have real tables and human dealers. There is an important intellectual/emotional component to handling chips and chatting with dealers, and I don't care to play without those, even disregarding the apparent evil of the machines themselves.

I don't know how they mess with the simulated shoe in such systems, but based on calculations for how often I should see, for example, an N-hand losing streak, for N = [3..8] (a topic I saw also recently discussed in the General forum)...well, let's just say that the casino in question is in dire financial straits, and they seem to be giving themselves a substantial extra edge. I have wondered whether such monkeywrenching is legal, or limited, and especially whether it's monitored by the gaming commission. Anyhow, I don't know, and I don't much care, but I won't be back there again until they have real tables and human dealers. There is an important intellectual/emotional component to handling chips and chatting with dealers, and I don't care to play without those, even disregarding the apparent evil of the machines themselves.

I don't see what is so important about handling chips or chatting with dealers.

I sit in front of computer screens all day as it is; one reason for playing BJ is to do something human that isn't math-related. And far from being distracting, the social aspects keep the game moving for me.

Different strokes and all that.

Playing the electronic BJ machine was a friend's suggestion, as I said. I didn't think it was an especially good idea, and I guess I was right. Ick. The loss will be recovered easily next time I play.

But don't get me wrong. I'm actually a real, honest-to-goodness mathematician, trained and degreed and the whole schmeer, did undergrad on a double academic scholarship with a diploma that says "...with Honors in..." and then did later graduate work in closely allied fields. Since those long-ago days, ... well, let's just say I'm an engineer, which means I take mathematicians' understandings of natural processes and then I design stuff that operates comfortably within those understandings. I'm working with my 6th generation of a BJ math context that interests me expressly because there is too much pain, slowness, aggravation, expense, and error-prone-ness toward the goal of reaching a positive result. What I'm aiming for is a way to make gains while not having to work so @#$% hard. (And it's all my dad's fault.) It's working out OK so far.

Anyhow, counting as such didn't begin until the mid-20th century, Baldwin et al, 1957. But statistical analysis neither began nor ended in the 20th century, and there is actually a number of interesting statistical threads running through a BJ game. I've learned to pull on a couple of those threads in interesting ways. So I'm working on enhancing methods in odd directions.

My wife is a statistical psychologist who tells me that, if the diagnosis had existed when I was little, I would have been a hands-down Asberger's Syndrome kid, "high-functioning autism" and so forth. The consequence is that, even being open and chatty with most people most of the time, I often struggle with social situations so playing BJ at a table is valuable to me.

Did i miss something? Why don't you count cards? Or do you count? If you dont you should....and it should be super easy i would think considering your backgrouund..
And a thousand dollar day is a big deal to most...It is a lovely day for me when that happens... which is gettting rarer and rarer these days..

Machinist

Did i miss something? Why don't you count cards? Or do you count? If you dont you should....and it should be super easy i would think considering your backgrouund..
And a thousand dollar day is a big deal to most...It is a lovely day for me when that happens... which is gettting rarer and rarer these days..

Machinist

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! Is it really 1010? Where did 09 go? crap i knew i was working to hard!!!!
I quit!!!

Machinist

.... I'm working with my 6th generation of a BJ math context that interests me expressly because there is too much pain, slowness, aggravation, expense, and error-prone-ness toward the goal of reaching a positive result. What I'm aiming for is a way to make gains while not having to work so @#$% hard. ....