Psychology of Blackjack

[airfree]

I often wonder losing streaks. Nice to be on the winning side,
Understanding the good the bad and the psychology of it all.
This is a good read.

http://www.blackjackforumonline.com/content/phsylose.html

 

[KewlJ]

I often wonder losing streaks. Nice to be on the winning side,
Understanding the good the bad and the psychology of it all.
This is a good read.

http://www.blackjackforumonline.com/content/phsylose.html

I hadn't read this before and I like it. I really like the "think of yourself as a walking casino line". I would categorize myself as 90% a type B. Back when I was on the east coast playing Atlantic City I had a 75 minute train ride to the casinos. This was perfect because it allowed me to review my play mentally, and sort of put it behind me. Even though I now have a much shorter commute, sometimes as little as 4 minutes , but usually 15 or so, I still use that time to sort of review my play, think about things I would do differently, not necessarily playing a hand, but maybe recognizing heat or concerns by pit., put the day or session behind me and move on.

So I said 90% and that is because, even though I am in my 16th year now of fulltime play, I wouldn't say I never think about an extended losing period or how far off an ATH (or how long it has been). I mean I understand the math and swings (variance). I know it will turn around, so I never have those concerns, but I would be lying if I said extended losing periods, I mean weeks heading into months, and 30, 40, 50 thousand dollars off my last ATH, don't effect me a little bit.

It is just a little different mindset or attitude when you are going good. You jump in the car excited to play each morning, but when things are going bad, it seems more like work and a Monday morning at that. And when it really begins to wear on you, you get to the point that you lose your first significant double down of the day and you immediately think "here we go again". You know it will turn around, but some of the enjoyment disappears replaced by negativity.

One of the things I do is that I track my play by EV, what I call accumulated EV. Every day. Because much more important than how far off your last ATH is where you are in relationship to 'accumulated EV'. So when you track accumulated EV, every day is a winning day. (I used to use this as my signature on forums). It really does help me. I can get home from a losing day, even a significantly losing day and add up my EV and know it was a pretty good day. And when my results come back in line with expectation.....as they always do, days like this is what makes a good year.

 

[KewlJ]

I also think there isn't enough information out there on this topic, the psychology of extended losing. Sort of an area a player has to figure out on his own. And everyone is very different in this regard. And surely worse for fulltime players (the few that are left).

We witness some players on these forums struggle with this very subject. I guess experience is the teacher here. Going through these cycles of long and deep losing periods and you either become more comfortable with them or you stop playing.

 

[LC Larry]

I suggest watching "Live at the Bike" live stream poker when asian Andy is playing. Usually in the higher stakes games. This guy has ZERO emotion win or lose no matter how big or small the pot is. This is how you need to train yourself.

 

[KewlJ]

I suggest watching "Live at the Bike" live stream poker when asian Andy is playing. Usually in the higher stakes games. This guy has ZERO emotion win or lose no matter how big or small the pot is. This is how you need to train yourself.

Not exactly the same thing LC Larry. Because Poker is played against other players, emotions are a tell, which effect whether you win or lose. So a poker player showing no emotions, doesn't mean he has no emotions, he just has to hide them to be good. Inside it could be eating him up....literally.

So learning to mask your emotions like a poker player is very different than learning to control your emotions in blackjack. Better than "control" emotions, a blackjack player should put himself in a position of understanding variance and swings and being properly bankrolled so there really aren't those emotions. Why would you have emotions over something completely normal. Now like I said not always as easily done as said.

And one more thing, once a player (BJ) gets to the point that there are no emotions because it just doesn't matter, then he has to flip a switch and start "acting" emotional at times. It's a weird cycle.