The mechanics of card counting are easy. Read a book (or online forum), practice a bit, make sure you are properly bankrolled...and play. I think a monkey can be taught the mechanics of card counting. But, success or failure as a card counter is really about handling emotions. And it is easy to handle emotions when you are winning. The real test comes when you are losing. And I mean really losing. Hundred of hours or tens of thousands of rounds played. That is when you find out if you have what it takes.
There are two kinds of long losing periods. One is an extended losing period, weeks/months, hundreds of hours, usually involving a significant period of losing and usually a slow rebound. At the end of hundreds of hours (or 10's of thousands of rounds) you are basically right where you started. The second isn't so much losing as just a very long stagnant period. Again, you play hundreds of hours and you are basically exactly where you started. You just feel like you are stuck in the mud, spinning your wheels and not going anywhere.
Once you learn to handle these two scenarios, then you are really on your way.
And it is not easy. Despite reading about these periods, you aren't prepared them. It's something you have to go through. It plays with your mind. You question everything you know. And then you come out the other side and all is well again. After a few times of going through this, you think nothing of it.
My current blackjack partner, who is also my brother, just ended his 3rd year of play. First year almost doesn't count because he was playing low limit levels for experience (and a little money). Last year, his first real year, playing green to black stakes, he made 60k over the first 6 months, which was more than double expectation (EV). The last half of the year, he was basically even....I think he made a thousand bucks or something like that. This year (2017), he sort of went along just about expectation, or slightly ahead all year. No major swings either way. Just a nice steady climb. That is pretty easy to handle. The only little bit of adversity he has experienced was that second half of last year (2016), when he basically was even for 6 months, but coming on the heals of a super strong (above expectation) first half of year, that too is pretty easy to take.
While I am not wishing one of these negative 6 month swings on him, I do want to see how he handles it (and try to help in through it). He, just like any other card counter, has to get through a couple of these before he is really on his way.
There are two kinds of long losing periods. One is an extended losing period, weeks/months, hundreds of hours, usually involving a significant period of losing and usually a slow rebound. At the end of hundreds of hours (or 10's of thousands of rounds) you are basically right where you started. The second isn't so much losing as just a very long stagnant period. Again, you play hundreds of hours and you are basically exactly where you started. You just feel like you are stuck in the mud, spinning your wheels and not going anywhere.
Once you learn to handle these two scenarios, then you are really on your way.And it is not easy. Despite reading about these periods, you aren't prepared them. It's something you have to go through. It plays with your mind. You question everything you know. And then you come out the other side and all is well again. After a few times of going through this, you think nothing of it.
My current blackjack partner, who is also my brother, just ended his 3rd year of play. First year almost doesn't count because he was playing low limit levels for experience (and a little money). Last year, his first real year, playing green to black stakes, he made 60k over the first 6 months, which was more than double expectation (EV). The last half of the year, he was basically even....I think he made a thousand bucks or something like that. This year (2017), he sort of went along just about expectation, or slightly ahead all year. No major swings either way. Just a nice steady climb. That is pretty easy to handle.
The only little bit of adversity he has experienced was that second half of last year (2016), when he basically was even for 6 months, but coming on the heals of a super strong (above expectation) first half of year, that too is pretty easy to take. While I am not wishing one of these negative 6 month swings on him, I do want to see how he handles it (and try to help in through it). He, just like any other card counter, has to get through a couple of these before he is really on his way.
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