You're going to need a thicker skin ...

if you want to keep and grow your bankroll.

Since Bootlegger's untimely departure, bj21 really hasn't had a very warm welcome wagon willing to dole out kinder and gentler guidance with unlimited patience. Having said that, The Chaperone's internet persona can be relied upon to give experienced and valuable advice--usually in a parsimonious package. The same can not be said for many others that you will encounter in your AP pursuits--mostly, but not entirely, irl. When you get a curt response here that feels like an insult, the first thing you should probably do is ask yourself if you have done enough reading and research prior to opening yourself up to such a comment.

If you have not read every single POM prior to making a post here, you have made a rookie mistake. If you have not read every single post by DD' prior to considering any type of team play, you have made a mistake imo. There are tons of posts here that have asked the same questions that many new members ask. Is it any wonder that members who have been here for years might become a bit frustrated and short if a new guy begins immediately and relentlessly asking the same questions that have been asked and answered here numerous times?

As far as trusting someone completely, if you read enough here, you will find players whose bankroll has been significantly pilfered by numerous types of people they trusted: spouse, SO, ex-, mentor, "trainee", partner, teammate, team captain, even strippers. What's the world coming to when a stripper can't be trusted? That isn't to say that it will happen to you, but it does happen. Those players obviously never thought it would happen to them. An AP with a bankroll sometimes resembles a young person on the way to the altar.

If you are going to be a successful AP, your skin will have to be thick enough to withstand far more than a perceived slight on the internet. Counting cards in bj is simple. Almost anyone with the proper motivation can learn to do it in a relatively short time. It is everything else involved that is tough. Someone who takes every comment and behavior personally will have a very difficult AP trail ahead of him. Even if they manage to turn a profit, it likely won't be an enjoyable trip.