What went wrong?

[21~4~Me]

Hi, I'm new here so forgive me if I'm in the wrong spot, etc. Here is my situation:
I'm a young (44) stay-at-home grandmother. I have no major responsibilities so I have all the free time in the world. A new casino (on the river) opened up a couple months ago and I started going every day sometimes twice a day, once in the afternoon and then through the night (4 a.m. closing time) I don't always catch the afternoon but usually catch the night time.
I started with a couple of hundred dollars, all told, right around $500. I was doing this for 2-3 weeks and never once walked out of there without a large amount of money, in that time frame I had accumulated $5,000.00 +
I would keep a thousand cash in my purse at all times and stashed the rest at home in a drawer. I'm sure it's been said many times, but I was saving the winnings to pay off my debt (credit card, medical etc) which the amount that I had roughly covered half of my debt.
Just to back up for a bit, I always start out with a $10 bet, if that is won I let the entire $20 ride, if the next hand is won, I add $5 and I keep doing that until it gets busted out. The highest it ever got was $140 before being busted out. I play the exact same way every time. I follow basic strategy to the letter 99% of the time. I have absolutely no fear, scared money never wins, I make my hands exactly as I am supposed to whether there is $10 out there or $100, doesn't matter and all the while ignoring those who don't know basic strategy piss and moan about me splitting 9's or whatever/doubling etc.
Here is where my question comes in. I was playing BJ+3 one day, having carried off numerous "pumpkins" (orange $500 chips) from this table. I was up $300 and I had a whole spread of split cards that doubled etc on the table, all totaled over $200. An idiot next to me decided to get froggy and doubled down on 7 (4 & 3) he got a 4 and the dealer made a winning hand (don't remember what the exact was but it would have been a bust if the hand wouldn't have been doubled). I was so mad I secretly cussed him up and down and then did a lot of pissing and moaning about the bad play to my family. This happens right at the same time my family is starting to say, "how are you doing that? How can you keep winning, how much money do you have etc."
Now, me being the most superstitious person I know, I just knew it was because I had gotten greedy and upset over the stupid move and because my family was now talking too much about my money that they jinxed me. From that moment when I had that big loss I have lost every since. Oh it goes up and down, I went into "high limit" room once and turned $500 into $2,500.
I quickly gave up on trying to "get back" all of that money and just started fresh but I have not been able to turn it around to get anywhere near were I was or to even have a thousand stashed.
Now all kidding aside I know the whole jinxed thing doesn't fly but what happened and please tell me if, by playing the way I play and bet can I do it again? My family just says beginners luck etc. but I don't believe that for a minute. I know how to play. For a while there the pit bosses were watching me so closely to see if I was counting and one even came right out and ask me was I counting. No I wasn't. I have never even attempted to count cards. Now they all know me and love me (I'm told that I'm fun to play with and can get the whole table into having fun.) It may sound crazy but there are regulars that always want to play at whatever table I play at. One woman even wanted my phone number so that she could be there when I was (weird stalker like weirdo)
It boils down to this and I apologize for the length but I am having the time of my life. I play for hours without a worry in the world, well, until the money ran dry:cry: I don't think about how sick I am (cancer) or any of the other million things to worry about. I have met a ton of nice people. I just love to play cards; I love to play blackjack. I really love the BJ+3 where you make a 3-card poker hand. At first I thought it was a sucker bet but watching it and your betting and it can really pay off.
And lastly, I want this to be my income. I don't need tons. Just enough to get out of debt (eventually) plenty to play with etc.
Aside from the fact that I have learned some incredibly large lessons on being a complete idiot and letting my money go back, what else can I do?
**What have I done wrong?
**What could I or should I change?
**Is there a better or faster way to make the money other than how I do it now? (I never make squirrelly bets; I stick to my betting plan.)
I don't expect do all this in a "few" days, I'm very serious and in it for a long haul.
I truly appreciate any input/advice you can give me. Again, sorry for the length
R

 

[SystemsTrader]

Oh boy! What went wrong? well you are what advantage players call a ploppy. Sorry for the harsh words, but you are nothing more than the typical gambler who got lucky at the start and gave it all back because the house edge eventually caught up to you. If earning a living to pay off your debts is important to you then I suggest you get a job. Seriously its the best way to pay off your debts and earn an income.

But since you seem to enjoy playing the game then maybe you should learn to count cards. You are not going to make an income at this by hoping to get lucky. That's the lottery mentality. Start with the FAQ section on this board and read Qfits book Modern Blackjack. Its a free online book available at http://www.qfit.com and stop playing that sucker bet, I mean side bet 21+3.

 

[21forme]

I don't like the userid you chose

 

[Lonesome Gambler]

The best advice I can give is to stop playing. If you're gambling to pay debt, you're on a dangerous path. There is a statistical edge against the player in all casino games, and playing 99% basic strategy in 21 won't change that. The more you play, the more you'll eventually lose in the long run. It's easy to get ahead a few times and feel like you're onto something, but I assure you that you are not. The best thing to do would be to forget about gambling for anything other than fun, and to pay your debt off by more reasonable methods, like getting a part-time job. Trust me, you'll be glad you made the decision later. Good luck!

 

[Sucker]

I don't like the userid you chose

At first glance, I thought it WAS you; pulling a prank. I'm still not convinced that it's not SOMEONE using an alt.

I'm going to assume that the OP is on the level; so:

**What have I done wrong?

It appears that you've gone into this with the erroneous assumption that luck plays a role in the long term; that somehow you're a "lucky" person. This belief is EXTREMELY common in the gambling world, and probably more than 90% of all gamblers are ensnared by this trap. Indeed, this phenomenon is the whole reason that casinos exist. The casinos know this, and play this up to the hilt; in their advertising and other promotional ploys.

**What could I or should I change?

You MUST stop making bets when the house has the advantage. The two main ways to accomplish this are: 1) Learn to count cards; 2) Never enter a casino again.

**Is there a better or faster way to make the money other than how I do it now? (I never make squirrelly bets; I stick to my betting plan.)

I can't possibly count the better or faster ways to make money. Sitting on your back porch and hoping for money to fall out of the sky is better and faster than how you're doing it now.

From the tone of this post, it appears that you MAY be already in the early stages of an addiction. If this is so, then NO amount of reasoning or cajoling from any of US, or from your family, or from anyone ELSE will do any good. If you're locked in the grip of this terrible disease, then it will have to run it's course, which all too often ends in not only loss of money, but in loss of livelihood, friends; and family. It can even result in imprisonment, and DEATH!

Also from your grammar, spelling, and other choice of words; it's obvious that you possess at LEAST a higher than average degree of intelligence. Believe it or not; people with high intelligence are MORE susceptible to compulsive behavior than others, although psychologists disagree on WHY this is so.

Hopefully, you will at least CONSIDER the advice that's being offered by the people on this forum. Many of us have "Been there, done that".

May God bless you.

 

[Mr. T]

Grandma, young grandma at 44. Nothing went wrong.
You went to the casino and you gambled away about $500. Happens to people all the time. You had a nice run of good luck early on and then it is pay back time at the casino. That is how the casino manage to keep their lights on and pay their staff.
Cannot advice you on getting hold of another $500 and going back to the casino again.

 

[sagefr0g]

your families right, beginners luck

...
**What have I done wrong?

except for virtually perfect basic strategy, everything you did.

**What could I or should I change?

only gamble with an advantage

**Is there a better or faster way to make the money other than how I do it now?

that's kind of obvious, isn't it? the answer is yes.

(I never make squirrelly bets; I stick to my betting plan.)

wrong, every bet that you have made has been squirrely.

I don't expect do all this in a "few" days, I'm very serious and in it for a long haul.

serious is good as opposed to being the life of the table.
six years of being serious for me now and i've only managed to make a small dent in knowing what it takes to get at the money in casinos.
what ever, if that's what you want you've come to the right place.
so probably this stuff isn't the answer to your financial situation, sorry.

 

[Automatic Monkey]

My first thought- if you are sick with cancer the last thing you need is the stress and dirtiness of a casino. You might as well crawl around in a sewer with rats. Get out and stay out!

Second thought- everything everyone said here is correct. You are not playing with an advantage, and although it is possible that you could repeat a string of good luck, it is far more likely you will not and lose all of your money. There is no easy way to beat blackjack or any game in the casino and unless you are willing to dedicate a lot of study and bankroll to the task, you have yet another reason to stay out of the casino.

 

[21~4~Me]

Screw it. Forget I ask

Apparently I came across only as a stupid addict that needs to get a job. Having been told how stupid I am, I shouldn't even bother answering but here goes. I didn't ever come across as some hand ringing, shaking addict HAVING to make a living here, I said that I would LIKE, like to pay off bills. I also stated that I have no responsibilities and that I have cancer and that I was having fun and
You know what, I am not even going to waste any more time here. This is the first time that I have went to a board for advice and instead of being given some solid information you bash me. You tell me how bad I did and instead of something actually useful you tell me how stupid and pathetic I am.
Gosh golly gee I better step aside and let you pros breeze by me because apparently you went from birth to perfect unlike a moron like me who has to start somewhere and has to make mistakes along the way.
Whatever.
I'm just sorry I gave anyone a chance to chop someone up like you did. I should have known better.
I will say though, SystemsTrader at least pointed me to some things to read, thank you.
Oh and one last thing, I couldn't really give a crap less that you don't like my name 21forme. Deal with it.

 

[21~4~Me]

Re-read my words

My first thought- if you are sick with cancer the last thing you need is the stress and dirtiness of a casino. You might as well crawl around in a sewer with rats. Get out and stay out!

First of all I said that a BRAND NEW casino opened up. This is one of the nicest casinos that I have been in and that includes Vegas. So your sewer rat comment is way off base.
Secondly I said that I have fun, that would mean that I am NOT having STRESS from being there.

 

[RJT]

Apparently I came across only as a stupid addict that needs to get a job. Having been told how stupid I am, I shouldn't even bother answering but here goes. I didn't ever come across as some hand ringing, shaking addict HAVING to make a living here, I said that I would LIKE, like to pay off bills. I also stated that I have no responsibilities and that I have cancer and that I was having fun and
You know what, I am not even going to waste any more time here. This is the first time that I have went to a board for advice and instead of being given some solid information you bash me. You tell me how bad I did and instead of something actually useful you tell me how stupid and pathetic I am.
Gosh golly gee I better step aside and let you pros breeze by me because apparently you went from birth to perfect unlike a moron like me who has to start somewhere and has to make mistakes along the way.
Whatever.
I'm just sorry I gave anyone a chance to chop someone up like you did. I should have known better.
I will say though, SystemsTrader at least pointed me to some things to read, thank you.
Oh and one last thing, I couldn't really give a crap less that you don't like my name 21forme. Deal with it.

And what a vastly over dramatic and intensely defensive response that was. I don't think one person who replied to you did anything but answer your questions in a polite and helpful fashion. The reality here isn't that anyone was nasty to you, it's simply that the truth wasn't what you wanted to hear.
While at times there can be a poster hierarchy to message boards on every subject - including this one - one of the major positive aspects of this board is the number of posters who are open and willing to help newbies and the less experienced alongside the number of people who are trying to learn and willing to share their experiences.
Now if you care to get your granny knickers out of a twist, calm down and actually listen to the advice given by the posters with more patience than me you might actually learn something about where to start if you're serious about winning.

RJT

 

[Sonny]

..and yes, books to read and a betting system would have been fantastic.

The sticky threads in the Card Counting forum would be a good place to start:

Frequently Asked Questions
An Introduction to Card Counting (Please Read Before Posting New Threads)
Free Counting Resources On Web
My final conclusion on card-counting

The sticky thread at the top of the Voodoo Forum will help you recognize betting systems that are not effective. We are here to answer any questions you have.

-Sonny-

 

[Lonesome Gambler]

Well, don't expect any help after your response to the people genuinely trying to give you good advice in this thread. I think you misunderstood what everyone here is telling you, which is not that you're stupid or that you've done something bad, but simply that casinos have a statistical advantage over gamblers and that there is no way to count on winning money to pay debt by gambling, unless you're an advantage player: someone that uses methods to obtain an edge over the house.

Again, understand that you are not being talked down to here. People are simply trying to help you from putting yourself in an almost certainly bad position. You can choose whether or not to follow the good advice that's been given to you, but don't accuse people here of not trying to be helpful.

 

[KenSmith]

Personal attacks removed from this thread. Please let's keep it civil.

 

[Sucker]

I myself clearly and purposefully stated that you may be in the the early throes of compulsive gambling. After reading your responses; it now appears that you may be in the classic denial stage. IF (and notice I said IF) you DO have a gambling problem; it's an illness; no more a character flaw than an affliction with cancer is a character flaw.

And I certainly didn't tell you how "stupid" you are; indeed quite the opposite. If anyone here DID say such a thing, then Ken did exactly the right thing by removing the post in question.

 

[RJT]

And I certainly didn't tell you how "stupid" you are; indeed quite the opposite. If anyone here DID say such a thing, then Ken did exactly the right thing by removing the post in question.

Nobody did say - as far as i can tell - that 21~4~me was stupid - there were some very personal attacks made however. I think this has all got a little blown out of proportion anyway - everyone just needs to chill a bit. Frankly 21~4~me doesn't understand how seriously the posters here take playing properly and as such has taken their comments as condesending when that was never the intention.
21~4~me - check out Sonny's post, it's got all the information you need.

RJT.

 

[Lonesome Gambler]

And although I believe it appeared in a removed post, the term "bellend" always has me cracking up. Ah, British put-downs...

 

[b jay cobbson]

Give him hell granny

Oh and one last thing, I couldn't really give a crap less that you don't like my name 21forme. Deal with it.

ROTFLMAO

Jay Cobbson

 

[zengrifter]

Apparently I came across only as a stupid addict that needs to get a job. Having been told how stupid I am, I shouldn't even bother answering but here goes. I didn't ever come across as some hand ringing, shaking addict HAVING to make a living here, I said that I would LIKE, like to pay off bills. I also stated that I have no responsibilities and that I have cancer and that I was having fun and
You know what, I am not even going to waste any more time here. This is the first time that I have went to a board for advice and instead of being given some solid information you bash me. You tell me how bad I did and instead of something actually useful you tell me how stupid and pathetic I am.
Gosh golly gee I better step aside and let you pros breeze by me because apparently you went from birth to perfect unlike a moron like me who has to start somewhere and has to make mistakes along the way.
Whatever.
I'm just sorry I gave anyone a chance to chop someone up like you did. I should have known better.
I will say though, SystemsTrader at least pointed me to some things to read, thank you.
Oh and one last thing, I couldn't really give a crap less that you don't like my name 21forme. Deal with it.

Don't mind them, gramps. Do you know correct basic strategy? zg

 

[aslan]

First of all I said that a BRAND NEW casino opened up. This is one of the nicest casinos that I have been in and that includes Vegas. So your sewer rat comment is way off base.
Secondly I said that I have fun, that would mean that I am NOT having STRESS from being there.

You need to calm down and listen. You see people bashing you. On the contrary, they are confronting you with the truth, which whether you know it or not is the biggest favor you could ever hope for. It doesn't feel good to be told that what you thought was smart is really a sure way to lose your money. But what I saw was that people here actually took a liking to you and were trying to steer you away from disaster.

I heard good advice--learn how to count. If you don't follow that, you will continue playing a losing game. There are plenty of resources right here on this site to get you started with a simple counting system. With your natural brightness you will not have any trouble learning to count with accuracy. Instead of cursing the day you asked for advice, take the advice given and run with it.

People here will be happy to assist you as you learn the ins and outs of advantage play. Take it from me--I learned most of what I know from the helpful assistance of people here. They have saved me a ton of trouble and dead end streets. They may disagree on certain fine points, but they are all on the same page when it comes to the basics, and basics is what you need at this point.

You've done really well in learning basic strategy, which is the first step in becoming an advantaged player. But if you stop there, you will never have a winning game.

Now on the other side of the coin, being a winning advantage player is not simple mechanics and there are serious risks. To get to the level where you reliably make money, you will have to dedicate a handsome amount of bankroll and achieve a consistent level of performance even under some very trying circumstances. Because you will be young and immature in counting, you will be susceptible to all the dangers and pitfalls of this form of advantage play. You can actually lose a lot of money trying to get it right. Trust me, many try it, but few master it. So, you have to ask yourself, do you really want to put yourself through all this, or would you rather just go on enjoying playing blackjack and accepting the fact that over the long haul you will lose money, but you will have a good time doing it, because you enjoy the game and you enjoy the people you meet at the tables.

It's really up to you. Making money from casinos could not be an easy task or everyone and his brother would be doing it. The fact is, some casinos cost several billion dollars just to build (the Bellagio cost $5 billion) and they can afford that kind of investment because it is next to impossible to beat them. They can be beaten--but don't fool yourself that it will be easy. Even the best card counters are subject to serious gambling risk in the short run. I suggest you study and count the cost before you make a decision. There are several books advertised on this site that can educate you as to what you are up against. The people who post here can do the rest.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide. I am glad you posted here and I hope you stick around and get to know us better. You are really welcome here, even though you may feel we have a strange way of showing it.