bad fluctuations

I went to foxwoods the other day and took a beating. While wonging in and out I managed to get up just over a hundred bucks while the count was low but once it went sky high they gave me a beating. I kept pushing out the big money (well big money for me lol) and the low cards just kept coming out. In the end I lost 375 dollars out of my 5000 dollar BR in just under 4 hours of play. It sucked. Now I am sitting here second guessing myself and wondering if I should take a bj seminar. I know im not rushing myself I have been playing with my dad for months now keeping the count betting properly and even deviating from basic strategy when necesary. Anbody know if this type of loss is normal? Wish it could be like the movies where winning is easy lol. Well best of luck to everyone else out there. I think ill go give it another try next week.

"In the end I lost 375 dollars out of my 5000 dollar BR in just under 4 hours of play."

If this type of loss weren't routine, there would be no reason for the $5K bankroll. It's not just supposed to sit there, you know? In fact, $5K is pretty thin, nowadays. I hope you have $2 to $5 minimums in your casino.

"Anbody know if this type of loss is normal?"

I don't know all the details of your game and spread, but offhand I'd say an $800 loss wouldn't be abnormal for 4 hours play on a $5K roll. At $375 -- you're just getting your feet wet.

After you have your first $1,000 win, maybe you'll feel better. ;)

ETF

Your result is not only normal, it is not in any way so much as remarkable.

The mathematical reality is that there is NO True Count at which you are more likely to win than you are to lose your next hand.

You need to understand that your advantage in Card Counting comes solely from the following three (3) sources:

1. Increased Blackjacks
2. Increased success at Double-Downs
3. Increased success at Splits

That is it! It is always significantly more likely that you will lose your next bet than you are to win it.

You need a very large Bankroll to play this game with an acceptable and manageable Risk-of-Ruin.

Hey Flash, I always appreciate sound advice. Especially of the non-complex brief type as yours here. You have a talent for simplifying the seemingly complicated. I love your 3 main dudes:

1 Increased Blackjacks
2 Increased success at Double-downs
3 Increased success at Splits

That's a great formula for success, obviously. Now, taken that we here all play perfect BS, and that we all count, spread & play reasonably well without getting backed off much, here is the question that needs a magic answer:
How can we consistently achieve a substantial increase for those dudes? Thanks again NB

nt

You wrote: "The mathematical reality is that there is NO True Count at which you are more likely to win than you are to lose your next hand."

Because Foxwoods offers surrender, the above statement is true, but I wonder if you meant it to hinge on the surrender aspect, because, if surrender is NOT offered, then the statement is incorrect.

Without surrender, at a shoe game, using Hi-Lo, you win more hands than you lose (we exclude pushes) once the TC equals or exceeds +5.

Don

I am glad you provided that one glaring distinction. I was beginning to sweat. The rules really do make or break this game.

... by my posting.

As Don S. has pointed out. my statement re: Never being favored to win the following hand was patently wrong.

Please excuse me for this.

,,, you managed to spell "embarrassed" right, which few people do (along with "accommodate"), so all is not lost, and I give you credit for that! :-)

Don

Hey Flash,

Electric Kid felt he was a laughing stock for a while, and now you felt embarrassed. Forget about it quick, you two guys. None of us is perfect anyway, no big deal. You got full marks from Don for your spell test anyway. And full marks from me for having the guts to have a very good go at something here. Now, would your spellcheck have scored a tick for this tough one:

haemorrhage (is it correct?)
In any case it's great to have the Coach ever-lurking nearby to keep us on our toes. We never know when He will appear, which is alluring, is it not? Here is a quote I spotted... NB

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but rising every time we fall. Confucius

you're just being an asshole, or you're just really out of it, more than myself.