Winning: hit and run or grinding it out

shinyam

Well-Known Member
I was up $2500 today, but lost it all back. I am furious with myself. Did I do the right thing to continue playing? My understanding is that the more you play the more you make. However, I am beginning to wonder if I should just leave if I make a certain amount (say $500), whether I make that in an hour or even minutes.
 

Pro21

Well-Known Member
Your decision should be made on game conditions and heat conditions. If you still had a good game you should keep playing. When you lost it all back if you still had a good game you should keep playing. Add up what you won or lost on Dec 31st of each year. The more hours you played, the more you should win.
 

johndoe

Well-Known Member
Pro21 is absolutely right. You're actually slightly more likely to win more money in that subsequent period of play.
 

itakeyourmoney

Well-Known Member
If you're up $2500 after one session you're likely going to lose about $2,400 of that in a later session (this is just a guess as I don't know what your EV is). But like they said, keep playing if it's mathematically in your favor to do so.
 
Shinyam

shinyam said:
I was up $2500 today, but lost it all back. I am furious with myself. Did I do the right thing to continue playing? My understanding is that the more you play the more you make. However, I am beginning to wonder if I should just leave if I make a certain amount (say $500), whether I make that in an hour or even minutes.
What Pro and JD said are correct. However, you must consider your psychological "comfort zone" and you are the only one who can get a read on that. That fact that you are "furious with yourself" and the emotional turmoil attached to that can affect your future play as it is now affecting your life.



If you make a decision that your "comfort zone" is $500 a day or $10,000 a day than follow that personal rule. You are doing that because psychologically that is what you need to do, no shame there. The casino wants you to think you must win big, big winners= big bettors,= big losers. Unless you are a skilled AP.

What is your return on a $10,000 CD nowadays???? For an entire year about $375.....so if you invest $2000 in a fine BJ game, play for 5 hours, and walk up $500, $1000, not a bad return.;)

Your feelings are understandable, not unique, accept them, move on, and do not ever repeat that same mistake. Stay in your psychological "comfort zone" and have a happy life.:)

As to me personally... I would never walk away from a *winning* situation.

CP
 

1357111317

Well-Known Member
itakeyourmoney said:
If you're up $2500 after one session you're likely going to lose about $2,400 of that in a later session (this is just a guess as I don't know what your EV is). But like they said, keep playing if it's mathematically in your favor to do so.
You are learning but you have a ways to go. Your last session has no effect on the next session. Your last 10 sessions have no effect on your next session. Nothing in the past can influence the future, in terms of blackjack anyways.
 

sagefr0g

Well-Known Member
shinyam said:
I was up $2500 today, but lost it all back. I am furious with myself.
just my guess but i doubt if most pro advantage players would be furious with themselves over the matter, maybe, but more likely they might have been upset somewhat over the situation even though they realize those sort of ups and downs are just part of the business, just it's human nature to be somewhat upset over such situations.
well maybe if they didn't play properly, then they might get furious with themselves.
do you know the kind of variance that you can expect for the game you are playing, betting at the level you are betting for your count system?
knowing what to expect and comparing that to what happens over a given number of hands might help you make decisions regarding these sort of matters.
Did I do the right thing to continue playing?
are you a pro AP? then yes you probably did the right thing as long as you was playing with an advantage.
if your not a pro AP, then maybe only you can answer that question. i mean it's not like a recreational player seeking an advantage necessarily has to try and get in as many hands of advantage play as possible. maybe you have some goals in mind, reach them and your happy, sort of thing. like CP was saying, one's personal psychology could well be a valid factor.
My understanding is that the more you play the more you make.
that is how it should work out if your playing with an advantage, but it is possible to go thousands and thousands of hands and still end up being behind even if you are playing with an advantage.
However, I am beginning to wonder if I should just leave if I make a certain amount (say $500), whether I make that in an hour or even minutes.
so that would be shooting for a goal, sort of thing. it's not the worst thing in the world to do that. thing is though you might find your self in for a real roller coaster ride bankroll wise over time. then as you alluded you'd maybe not be getting as many hands in at advantage, the net result being you'd be slowed down in getting to your N0, the point where you just might always realize your expected value or better.
well that said consider this link:
http://www.blackjackincolor.com/useless1.htm
 
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