do u play well when u r tired?

Automatic Monkey said:
The primary reason I don't want to play tired is the physical and mental health risks that come from lack of sleep. It makes one overeat, for one. And I get sleep deprivation psychosis, which means I will lose my communication skills and become unable to discern verbal & non-verbal cues (such as heat) and could even have a violent outburst.
Click to expand...
GO TO BED! zg
 
Set time guidleines and play to them and stop no matter up or down. Take all the gray area out of what you do in a casino. How you play, and how long you play should all be known before you hit the floor. Discipline is all thats needed to play your best game always. Compromising your play based on chasing losses, or trying to add on wins, when you're tired is not smart. As a counter your advantage is tiny, its not hard to lose it and not even know it.
These rules will vary some if you are doing things other than just counting. Some opportunities are fleeting and you have to grab them and play them when you can. As was said before, the casinos aren't going anywhere. Play smart. There are no heroes in blackjack. No need to play through fatigue, pain, or discomfort. It proves nothing other than lack of discipline. Marathon sessions are not for straight counters, if you think it is you probably are not playing with an advantage. Even if fatigue doesn't get you the casino will. And if the tap doesn't come after sitting there playing for 12 hours, you just aren't that good and the casino wants you there.
 
I tell myself that I am playing perfectly well;
but I know that I must be lying to myself.
So … I stop playing.
 
I don't require a lot of sleep but it's not good to sit on those stools for long periods of time. I will get up and stretch during the shuffle. I like Vegas because you can at least get some exercise going from casino to casino and there's always a seat at the blackjack table.

I also don't sleep well at a casino hotel because instead of rolling over and trying to go back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night, I know I can go downstairs for more diversion until I get tired again. It wreaks havoc on sleep cycles.

However, I'm not as young as I used to be and I notice that after a 2-3 day blackjack trip, it takes me a day or two at home to recover if I don't try and maintain something closer to normal eating/sleeping patterns while I'm gone (a goal I have yet to actually achieve!).

One night a couple years ago, I knew I had been playing too long when the dealer said something as I went to double down on my hand and I realized the 11 I was doubling down on wasn't MY hand (although I was putting the double down next to my bet!) - it belonged to the guy sitting next to me. It was a clear signal to cash out and go get some sleep!
 
In the 90's I used to play marathon sessions between 22 and 25 hrs.
Generally in the same seat, playing black and earning a lot of comps.
My play was yet unpolished.
 
MAZ said:
Set time guidleines and play to them and stop no matter up or down. Take all the gray area out of what you do in a casino. How you play, and how long you play should all be known before you hit the floor.
Click to expand...

Sounds nice, but not possible when you are an experienced AP. When I walk into a casino especially in an unfamiliar venue I can never be sure what I'm going to see there, therefore I can never be sure what I'm going to do. Ever see a dealer paying 3:2 on Blackjack Switch? Not something I planned on, but I stayed until the end of her shift and missed dinner.


MAZ said:
...Marathon sessions are not for straight counters, if you think it is you probably are not playing with an advantage. Even if fatigue doesn't get you the casino will. And if the tap doesn't come after sitting there playing for 12 hours, you just aren't that good and the casino wants you there.
Click to expand...

You don't know that. A marathon session in Las Vegas can have you in any store for no longer than an hour. I also recommend getting sleep just because its unhealthy not to, but only you know if you can still play without sleep.
 
I don't want to gamble when I'm tired, sick, angry, or in a bad mood because I'm risking real money.

In fact I don't want to do anything that requires skill if I feel any of the conditions above.
 
Nice name John Galt ;) I've been sick the past few days (damn swine flu!) and putting in monster sessions. Maybe it's a bad idea, but I'm only mildly sick now and u can't argue w/ success!
 
Automatic Monkey said:
Sounds nice, but not possible when you are an experienced AP. When I walk into a casino especially in an unfamiliar venue I can never be sure what I'm going to see there, therefore I can never be sure what I'm going to do. Ever see a dealer paying 3:2 on Blackjack Switch? Not something I planned on, but I stayed until the end of her shift and missed dinner.




You don't know that. A marathon session in Las Vegas can have you in any store for no longer than an hour. I also recommend getting sleep just because its unhealthy not to, but only you know if you can still play without sleep.
Click to expand...

This is ridiculous. All good, experienced counters as a rule will know exactly what there plan is before they hit the floor. You will know your BS, counting system, indice plays, betting unit and spread, and you damn well better know what your mental capacity is to fatigue. Heat may vary from casino to casino, but how you handle it should already be somewhat planned. Your example given may be an exception to the rule, but for the overwhelming majority of instances, counters descions are predetermined before they walk onto the casino floor. And if they're not, then you're just a flying by the seat of your pants gambler.

As for marathon sessions, I was talking about planting yourself as a counter in one spot. However, it doesn't matter if you play 12 consecutive hours in one spot or 12 spots for 1 hour sessions consecutively. If you don't train to play 12 hours straight, you can't maintain your mental capacity for what you need to do for 12 hours straight. This is especially true for part time and recreational counters. You can't expect to be an iron man in an event you don't train for. Most think when they win its skill, and when they lose its variance. I have found most counters over credit what they're capable of. I think most have no idea what their mental capacity is, as long as they get their hands in. And if they win after 12 or more straight hours, they must've been spot on the whole time. Yeah right.
 
This seems like an odd discussion to me. It should go without saying that as human beings (or primates) we don't do anything as well after an extended period of time as we do when we are rested. Just because we don't "catch" ourselves making these mistakes doesn't mean they aren't happening. I play for 8+ hours over a 100 days a year and I can guarentee if I could examine the tapes of my play, that I make more mistakes in the 5th hour of play than in the 2nd and more in the 8th than in the 5th. Believe me, no one here would be any different. I certainly do agree with Maz, that people's thresholds will be different. Someone who trains and plays many 8, 10 hour shifts will be mentally stronger than someone who does this occasionally. That too should go without saying. Something along the lines of practice makes perfect....or at least better!
 
I read a book - the name of which I cannot remember - that made a very good case for losing weight and keeping fit if you plan on being a C-level executive, primarily because being physically fit allows you to be at the top of your game for longer periods of time and increases your endurance as you run circles around your competition. I would imagine the case would be the same for playing blackjack.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top