what am I doing wrong?

[netto]

I'm new to BJ, and have memorized and play the basic strategy without much thinking too much, but am still having problems.

Here the manifistation of the problem. Played 1x after memorizing basic and walked away $42.50 ahead on $200 taken out to play. I was as much as $700 ahead, and lost it all back. What a dumbass.

The 2nd time I played with $500 out to play, I won $335 in less than 2 hours.

The 3rd time I played with $800 out to play, and lost $85.

The 4th time, today, I played with $1,000 out and lost $920 before licking my wounds and walking away.

I'm having trouble counting when there are so many players (1st, 3rd, and 4th times), but even get lost if its just me and another person or two pops in and out of the game.

The 1st and 2nd times I didn't change tables. The 3rd and 4th I did after going through a few hundred and getting nowhere.

I do have ADHD, and am thinking that this may cause the counting problems. Does anyone know of any ways around this? I've tried counting as they're dealt. I've tried counting after everyone has 2 cards, and I can do the 2 cards better, but once people start splitting, doubling, hitting, I get lost quick.

Of course I'm pissed I didn't cash out when I was way ahead the 1st time, was psyched the 2nd time, didn't feel too bad the 3rd time since I made quite a comeback, but definitely feel like crap today.

I usually take out $200-300 when I first sit down and another 2-3 as I go.

I've done the strategy trainer and do great with that, and even some card count trainers, but it's way no the same as smokey, loud, slot-ringing, tight-seating at a real table.

Ideas?

 

[Mikeaber]

I'm sure you'll get a lot of suggestions from those who have mastered the skill of counting. But each person who takes that ambition seriously, has had to deal with exactly what you've encountered. You have to be able to ingore the distractions. You can't do that until you are counting correctly while practicing in solitude...maybe against a simulator that will deal several hands as well as the one you are playing. Once you get to that point, try playing the simulation while talking to someone on the phone. Crank up the audio system and anything else you can think of to distract you. When you can live with the distractions and still keep the correct count without being obvious about it (don't drag out an abacus) then you might think about taking the challenge to the casino again.

 

[rookie789]

card counting

netto,

I have 3 suggestions which range from free to $90;

1) count down a deck of cards over and over, starting 1 card at a time and graduate to turning 2 cards at a time and count in pairs. If you are using a hi/lo count after all cards are turned the count should be 0; cost = purchase of 1 deck of cards.

2) purchase Casino Verite (a complete BJ software training program that includes much more than counting drills, a free demo is available at qfit.com); cost = $90 for the full version, it can be purchased at the store on this site.

3) visit global_player.com as a guest and observe their 24/7 sit and go BJ tournaments. this will give you the chance to practice card counting under actual playing conditions. cost = $0

I agree with mikeaber completely that we have all gone through your frustrations and self doubts, also his assessment that when you feel more confident in your skills practice while watching TV, talking on the phone etc.

if one of your problems is converting the running count to a true count i suggest you consider using the KO unbalanced counting system. you give up basically nothing in accuracy for a much simpler system.

 

[Canceler]

Another free one

It took me 3 or 4 weeks of going to the casino twice every weekend before I could count cards at the casino. What helped me most was finding someone to play the part of the dealer. Playing against the computer definitely has its place, but practicing "live" helped me a lot.

 

[netto]

Thanks for the replies.

My last 2 trips to the casino (after this original posting) had me take $300 out of my pocket and 4 hours later walk away $1,600 ahead on the first trip.

However, my last trip had me take out $600 and lose it all.

I just don't get why there are such wide variences in my play. I seemingly do the same thing each time.

Is there any way to manage these wide swings? Out of 6 trips to the casino, I'm ahead $300+. I don't think that's so good.

 

[Canceler]

You ain't seen nuthin yet.

Large variance is a pretty inescapable feature of the game. The way you deal with it is to realize it's going to happen, and have plenty of money.

Ahead by only $300, huh? I'm afraid you don't know how lucky you are. Maybe later you'll find out! (Not meaning to be gloomy about it, or anything.)

 

[BJStanko]

Practice Practice Practice

Practice and more Practice and more and more and 5 hours every day!!!

For about 2 years!

I am not kidding!

If you want to make some money playing blackjack, you better practice for hours every day for a year and than go to casino flat bet minimum just to get used to casino atmosphere, and do that for about 3 months and than you will be ready to play winning blackjack

You can't learn to program in a month. You have to go to college for 4 years. You can't learn how to be a good electronics technician in a week it takes two years. Blackjack is the same way.

Practice, Patience, Discipline, Practice, Practice, Knowledge of math

 

[netto]

The variance continues...

Lost a little over $2000 in 2 visits to the casino, but won $1100 back on 3rd trip.

So you guys are saying this swing is normal?

I know it's going to take a while to get the counting thing down. I've gotten about 3/4 of the way through the dealable portion of the shoe before getting lost this last time.

I'm going to get Casino Verite, which was recommended here, and really get some serious practice in.

 

[Split8s]

When I visit my parents there is a casino about 6-7 minutes away, so my playing sessions usually range from 1-3 hours. Basic strategy will be correct over the long haul. In shorter sessions you will have those variations. I've sat down and did not have a win in the first ten hands and the next time I won 10 of the first 12. Sometimes the cards just seem to flow your way, the dealer busts often, and you're getting 4s, 5s and 6s when hitting the 15s and 16s. It's all part of the game. The hard part is recognizing a good streak when you're in it.

 

[Jeff Dubya]

Make sure you aren't overbetting your bankroll. This was a problem for me when I first started. If you can't recover from a bad streak over time, you may be overbetting.

Or you just have shit luck this week It happens.

 

[SweetAxtion]

You can count cards perfectly with 100% accuracy and still lose money. In fact you can lose your entire bankroll if you overbet what your bankroll can sustain when you hit a losing skid.

Professional "card counters" can lose more money than a BS player because of situations where they bet heavily during high counts and still lose.

There are many situations where a very high count sees the dealer being dealt a face card and you are saddled with 19's, and 18's or worse stiffs.

So just because you card count, it doesn't mean you will magically be able to make money. This has to be coupled with discipline, and good money management. On top of that is being able to be in control of your emotions.

As BJStanko says, this can take years of honing your skills. BJ is not a get rich scheme and shouldn't be viewed as such.