Hi Don, I have a question for you

I don't understand, I was just reading BJ ATTACK and you indicate something that just seems like a contradiction to what you have taught me and many other people.
On page 4, you said you went to Atlantic City and the count went to +2 while you were in the process of losing your 5th in a row. But, you said you did not increase your bet. You go on to say that over the years you can count on one hand the amount of times you have increased your bet after a loss. This makes absolutly no sense Don. If a person wins or loses a hand, it should never be an issue if your counting. The cards don't know you lost a hand. Why would you do that?
Believe me Don, I don't mean this in any kind of bad way. I can't put a price tag on what i've learned from you. But, this sounds like a person who is playing with their feelings or instincts which has no place in counting. I don't care if you lose 25 hands in a row. If that count is going up, you increase your bet. Period.
Anyway it just bothered me, so I thought I would mention it.

You really should read the whole book to understanmd my approach to the game. You should read Chapter 7 and the team manual. You should read Chapter 8, on cover.

Not everyone plays as carefully as I do. Some people wear barrings and having their pictures faxed all over the world as a badge of courage. That isn't my style.

To each his own. In my opinion, the single biggest giveaway of a counter is bet-jumping. I write in the book that it is anathema to me. It was Revere's credo, as well.

You have to decide what is right for you. If I were a counter-catcher, and I saw you bet the way you describe, I'd pull you up in two seconds flat.

There is no "right" answer here. But, be forewarned, if and when you get pulled up: I told you so!

Don

if you were a counter catcher you could tell if someone is counting no matter what.i can spot a counter in under 5 minutes.i dont care what cover he uses.what if you win a big double down and the count goes bad-doyou lower your bet or double it.the BEST way to jump your bet after a loss or 2 is MONEY PLAYS.you look like a addict chasing your money while you have no chips in front of you.i wish i would have used it before my last couple of barrings.i never liked money plays because it draws attention.now i love it!!

When I lose a hand and the count increases, I just mutter something like "Let's see if I can get that back on THIS hand" and up my bet. Or say something like; "OK, NOW I'm pissed...time to get serious" and increase my wager.

You'd be surprised by what value one can get from a dumb comment (save the burns, I know....I'm full of them). I think it's sufficient camo.

"GIMME ANOTHER DRINK!".......sshh,your first one.

...the instantly recognizeable D'alembert, the Martingale, the Labouchere involve bet raising after a loss. Do the players who use these methods get barred? Do they hell.

thread. Thanks for the feedback everyone. It's truly been an education. Ironically enough, on this issue no one is wrong.
Many things in Blackjack are cut and dry, but this stuff seems to be a matter of opinion.

I've been playing blackjack for 27 years. Now, you're suggesting that, when I play, it's a cinch for me to project the image of a moronic, brain-dead progressionist?

Give me a break. Do you not think that things like this have crossed my mind and been dismissed in about thirty seconds? It didn't take me 27 years to figure out that this doesn't work. Are you also the progressionist when you lose hand after hand but the count is zero, or +1? Or, didn't you think of that?

Don

Just curious... every day for 27 years? Once a week? Once a month? Once a year?
I've been playing for 32 years. Does this make me a better player than you?
You can be a great player after one year of play, and remain a lousy player after 30 years of play. Many believe that I'm the latter, so you don't have to post a rebuttal...
Cheers!
Walter

I've been playing blackjack for 27 years. Now, you're suggesting that, when I play, it's a cinch for me to project the image of a moronic, brain-dead progressionist?

Most well-known styles of negative expectation betting are negative progressions. Raising after a loss makes your betting style more closely correlated with those known styles. Case closed.

"Most well-known styles of negative expectation betting are negative progressions. Raising after a loss makes your betting style more closely correlated with those known styles. Case closed."

God, you are dense. If you raise after a loss, progression-style, only when the count is good, but don't raise after a loss when the count is neutral, or only slightly positive, then what?

Duh!!

Don

raise your bet after a win only when the count is good but you dont raise it after a win when the count is bad THEN WHAT?what about after winning a big double down and the count tanks.the bottom line is this:if the eye happens to be counting along with you and you only double your bet when the count is good or chase after a loss when the count is good you will get busted.they also notice playing deviations.the amount you bet is more important to your survival than this particular topic.i didnt start getting 86ed until i had top bets over 100.

"Most well-known styles of negative expectation betting are negative progressions. Raising after a loss makes your betting style more closely correlated with those known styles. Case closed."

God, you are dense. If you raise after a loss, progression-style, only when the count is good, but don't raise after a loss when the count is neutral, or only slightly positive, then what?

That means the correlation is less than 100%. This is a good thing. If it was 100% you would be a progressive bettor. However, by raising your bet after a loss it is clear that your betting style will have a higher % correlation with known progressions than if you do not. Therefore, it is better cover to raise your bet after a loss. This is not an issue open to any kind of debate, it is simply a fact.

In fact, I wish Don hadn't been the poster.
All I'm saying is that experience doesn't guarantee expertise.

Anyone want to try to use a different language to explain to John what I'm saying? English is obviously not his strong suit. I'd try French, but I doubt it would help.

Don

Bet-raising after a loss is more like a negative progression than not raising after a loss. This is not a difficult concept.