Session Win Percentage

#1
I`ve been going over my stats, and I`m wondering how other card counters do in terms of what percentage of their sessions (session being defined as play at one casino) are wins. I`ve heard several numbers tossed around in books and forums over the years, but my memory is a bit fuzzy on this. I think I remember hearing that the low end would be about 55% or so? I play really short sessions for the most part. Depending on the situation, if I wong out I might not even stick around to play another shoe, so I don`t think playing this way I`ll ever get my percentage close to that high, but I might be wrong... Right now I`m winning 52.5% of sessions (there are some break evens, but I split those evenly between win/loss to make it 2 categories instead of 3). Should that number get any higher given a pretty extreme hit and run strategy? I kind of hesitated posting this, because it`s a pretty nit-picky type of thing and I know winning in the long run is all I should really worried be about. Which is true. That being said, I`m still curious whether it should get any better over time or not...
 

DSchles

Well-Known Member
#2
SplitFaceDisaster said:
I`ve been going over my stats, and I`m wondering how other card counters do in terms of what percentage of their sessions (session being defined as play at one casino) are wins. I`ve heard several numbers tossed around in books and forums over the years, but my memory is a bit fuzzy on this. I think I remember hearing that the low end would be about 55% or so? I play really short sessions for the most part. Depending on the situation, if I wong out I might not even stick around to play another shoe, so I don`t think playing this way I`ll ever get my percentage close to that high, but I might be wrong... Right now I`m winning 52.5% of sessions (there are some break evens, but I split those evenly between win/loss to make it 2 categories instead of 3). Should that number get any higher given a pretty extreme hit and run strategy? I kind of hesitated posting this, because it`s a pretty nit-picky type of thing and I know winning in the long run is all I should really worried be about. Which is true. That being said, I`m still curious whether it should get any better over time or not...
See BJA3, p. 21. Obviously you have to define "session." Once you do that, it's not too hard to answer your question. But, if you're the kind of person who ends a session depending on the results, that has an impact as well.

Don
 
#4
DSchles said:
See BJA3, p. 21. Obviously you have to define "session." Once you do that, it's not too hard to answer your question. But, if you're the kind of person who ends a session depending on the results, that has an impact as well.

Don
Thanks Don. I actually have that "Probability of being ahead after n hours of play" table typed out in my blackjack notes document where I keep important stats, etc. Very helpful information indeed. Yes, defining exactly what a "session" is to me in a really detailed way (the TC at which I wong out, how long I play or how many shoes I play before going somewhere else after not getting a good count, etc.) I`m sure I could probably crunch the numbers and figure out a more defined number of how I should be performing. I was honestly just too lazy to try to do all that! I was just wondering if any other hit and runners wanted to share theirs percentages. As far as what you were saying about results, it`s almost never about that.
 

DSchles

Well-Known Member
#7
Dave Baker said:
Over my 40 years of playing I've won around 60% of my sessions...and I keep a careful record of every one of those....
Define "session." Because it's obviously more than one hour.

Don
 
#8
They've varied from around 1hr to around 4hrs with an average being about 2hrs. And those sessions have always been at just one table. We're not graced with many playable tables in the UK, so wonging is pretty much a non-starter outside of London. In fact outside of London these days there are only 4 playable casinos. Unless you're a clever clogs and have the ability to beat machine shufflers (which I gather some can)...
 

Hell'nBack

Well-Known Member
#9
DSchles said:
See BJA3, p. 21. Obviously you have to define "session." Once you do that, it's not too hard to answer your question. But, if you're the kind of person who ends a session depending on the results, that has an impact as well.

Don
I end my playing sessions based upon the number of max bets made during those periods.
 
#10
Session win rate for 2018 was 82%
Session win rate for 2017 was 77%
Session win rate lifetime 64.6%%

By the way, 2017 was a better year than 2018 both total dollar wise and dollars per hour wise.
 

Dummy

Well-Known Member
#12
DSchles said:
Yet again, without defining what you mean by "session," these numbers don't mean much. For example, nobody wins 82% of hourly sessions.

Don
Well I would agree and disagree. It is important to define a session when you are talking about sessions. But talking about ending every session on the hour is never going to be done in a casino, so practical applications of this session data are nil. People want sim results to be as close to their casino play as possible. To get this you must sim something close to what you actually are doing in the casino.
 

psyduck

Well-Known Member
#13
DSchles said:
Yet again, without defining what you mean by "session," these numbers don't mean much. For example, nobody wins 82% of hourly sessions.

Don
LOL! There must be a way to define session so one can win 100% of them.
 

DSchles

Well-Known Member
#14
Dummy said:
Well I would agree and disagree. It is important to define a session when you are talking about sessions. But talking about ending every session on the hour is never going to be done in a casino, so practical applications of this session data are nil. People want sim results to be as close to their casino play as possible. To get this you must sim something close to what you actually are doing in the casino.
What is it that you disagree with? What did I write specifically that you disagree with?

Don
 
#15
DSchles said:
Yet again, without defining what you mean by "session," these numbers don't mean much. For example, nobody wins 82% of hourly sessions.
Don
I have defined what a session is for me many times, but maybe not on this forum. It is one day of play at a casino. For the year 2018 my shortest session was 1/2 hour, my longest session was 11 hours, and my average session was 5.97 hours.

I won $114 in my shortest session this year, and I won $151 in my longest session this year. My losing sessions are always more than my winning sessions and for 2018 that difference between average session win and average session loss was $4.06

I should say my losing sessions are always more than my winning sessions except for 2017 as I believe that was an outlier year. In 2017 my average session win was $173 more than my average session loss.
 
Last edited:

Dopple

Well-Known Member
#16
Given all other circumstances to be equal I would those playing longer sessions would have a higher percentage of wins. This is based on the probability of being ahead after x hrs information. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.
 

BoSox

Well-Known Member
#17
Dopple said:
Given all other circumstances to be equal I would those playing longer sessions would have a higher percentage of wins. This is based on the probability of being ahead after x hrs information. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.
The longer the session the less likely everything else will be equal. Conditions change quickly and far too often get worse.
 

Dummy

Well-Known Member
#18
DSchles said:
What is it that you disagree with?
I agree with your statement.
DSchles said:
What did I write specifically that you disagree with?
That it is relevant to how you would play in a casino. I don't know anyone that always quite after the same amount of time, or more accurately for what you meant the same number of rounds played.
 
Top