I enjoy blackjack, it is therapy for me. I am a numbers guy so I enjoy the premise of the game and probability basis, knowing exactly what I'll do in every hand but not knowing the outcome of each hand. It is social, engaging and interesting but not difficult, a perfect get-away period for me from a stressful life (work. family, etc). So my purpose in playing is stress relief, escape and to have fun, not necessarily to make lots of money. I have card counted for a period of time and can do it well but it robs me of why I play. Yes the money is nice, but I find to like going to work, and I don't need another job ( I have 2 already).
Given all this I have adopted to following rules the last 6 months to maximize enjoyment, minimize stress.
- I play 2-3 times a week for between 1 and 4 hours depending on time availability but i know going in how long I'll play.
- I follow Basic Strategy 100%, no deviations - most sessions are 100% perfect according to Basic Strategy.
- I bet a straight $15 every hand - I don't vary my bet - but take full advantage of splits/double opportunities per Basic Strategy guidelines. This save me from being pegged as a counter by a hyper active pit crew.
- I only bring $200 with me to a session and if I lose that I leave early
- I do not cap my upside though, if a good night I allow it to climb (have recently had a few $500-$600 win nights) till my time limit is up.
- I'll walk away from an extended cold table and play a different one
- I play a 6 deck game with pretty decent rules (single deck game here is a 6:5 BJ payout so I avoid it - but 6 deck is 3:2 and the other rules are generally good)
- I stay positive and optimistic in every hand, never getting negative and I avoid negative people and dealers. My best win nights are nights I have a fun positive table to play with.
My goal was to have a hobby that I can do to have fun, release stress, and be entertained while spending less than I would playing golf or some other hobby. But after 6 months following this strategy, I find I am actually up just over $2k in total, and have been up from the start. I have good and back streaks for sure but generally have a winning session 60% of the time and given my self imposed downside limit, I never have a big loss in any one session but have had some relatively bigger wins.
So my question for the board: Am I just getting lucky or can I continue to stay on the plus side?
Given all this I have adopted to following rules the last 6 months to maximize enjoyment, minimize stress.
- I play 2-3 times a week for between 1 and 4 hours depending on time availability but i know going in how long I'll play.
- I follow Basic Strategy 100%, no deviations - most sessions are 100% perfect according to Basic Strategy.
- I bet a straight $15 every hand - I don't vary my bet - but take full advantage of splits/double opportunities per Basic Strategy guidelines. This save me from being pegged as a counter by a hyper active pit crew.
- I only bring $200 with me to a session and if I lose that I leave early
- I do not cap my upside though, if a good night I allow it to climb (have recently had a few $500-$600 win nights) till my time limit is up.
- I'll walk away from an extended cold table and play a different one
- I play a 6 deck game with pretty decent rules (single deck game here is a 6:5 BJ payout so I avoid it - but 6 deck is 3:2 and the other rules are generally good)
- I stay positive and optimistic in every hand, never getting negative and I avoid negative people and dealers. My best win nights are nights I have a fun positive table to play with.
My goal was to have a hobby that I can do to have fun, release stress, and be entertained while spending less than I would playing golf or some other hobby. But after 6 months following this strategy, I find I am actually up just over $2k in total, and have been up from the start. I have good and back streaks for sure but generally have a winning session 60% of the time and given my self imposed downside limit, I never have a big loss in any one session but have had some relatively bigger wins.
So my question for the board: Am I just getting lucky or can I continue to stay on the plus side?