Dopple said:
It seems like the times I lose the worst is when the count rises up to a max bet level and just keeps climbing. When I was a gambler is used to steam and bet too much. Now I am making the proper bet but these monster climbing counts quite often bite me bad. Do you have any bad memories of climbing counts that cause you to alter your play or do you just play more or less robot style?
One of the technique to combat beast mode ASM is to reduce bet spread while TC is climbing. This will reduce EV so to compensate, you may increase your bet while TC is falling. This needs AP to play at the table with more players so he or she can see if TC is climbing or falling clearly.
For example, the bet spread is 4, 8, 12, 16, 18 at hand shuffled BJ game., corresponding to the advantage points 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2% and 2.5%. (I don't list TC because different counting systems have different TC points on these advantages.) When you suspect ASM is running in clumping mode, your spread should be reduced to 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. If you can accept lower ev as the result to combat suspected ASM clumping, you don't have to increase spread when TC is falling. But if you want to maintain your level of earnings, your spread shall be increase to 6, 12, 18, 18, 18. (This assume AP uses standard 1 to 18 spread at a shoe game. as many casinos think this spread is modest for a shoe game, not exceeding the thread 20.)
The reason for the adjustment is because TC is climbing when in small card clump and TC is falling when in face card clump. Also AP should train himself to see if there is the sign of clumping after playing 1.5 decks out of 6. The sign is of 20 card sequence, if there is more than 12 cards belonging to the same type of clump (face, small or middle card), you should be alerted. The middle card clump is the most easily to spot because they only contain 8 or 9. If you have this in mind and looking for the pattern, very often, you can see 12 to 14 middle cards out of a 20 card sequence at some casinos using ASM but rarely at their hand shuffled games. This is the most clear sign of clumping because there are only 48 middle cards in the six deck shoe. If you see small card or face clump, you just stay suspicious and keep looking for more evidences even all these are circumstantial. (Middle card clumping is the more solid confirmation.)