Trip report - A tough lesson

Hi guys,

Since I posted my 1st trip report about 2 weeks ago, I have been back at the casino another 4 times and have been successfull on every session. I didn't win big but my bankroll has steadily risen.
On my last trip (#6), I did my usual routine backcounting and wonging in and out. At the end of my usual 2h session, I was down a measily 25$. I was somewhat frustrated since the dealer kept matching my hands. If I had a blackjack, the dealer also had one. If I pulled a card and hit 21, the dealer would match it. I then became impatient as I had to leave shortly and decided to sit on a table and play straight for a few hands. I made this decision in hopes of recuperating my so called loss and make a few $$$ and then leave. This was the biggest mistake I ever made. I lost hand after hand which turned out to be an extremely bad losing streak. My bust ratio was huge. After another 1.5h have passed playing basic strategy (no counting), I lost almost all my winnings to date and must now start at square one.

Looking back at what happened, I realized how "losing" a session was not acceptable to me and coupled with some impatience made matters worse.

Lessons learned:

- NEVER deviate from your game plan
- When a session is over, take your winnings or losses and come back and fight another day. Losing sessions are part of the game.
- If impatience or frustration starts to set in, quit now before emotion takes over.

I hope I can steadily recover by sticking to my original game plan once again. My confidence has been shaken but not broken.

dont sweat it, thats normal to lose your mind, and go against your own rules, you will learn from it, after a few times, but still hang in there your doing fine.

redman

I could post a number of clich�s from the movies or songs, but you learned the toughest bad beat is often self-inflicted.

Sound money management is vital for every gambler, regardless of the game or sport. Some folks like the action so much that can't walk away with a small profit or loss. The key, regardless of the chip color or bankroll size, is learning to get up from the table while you are ahead, even slightly, or before you get too deep into your bankroll.

Thanks for having the honesty to post about your painful �lessons learned�. Good luck in your future sessions; I�m sure we will be reading about your increasing bankroll soon.

As an update, I went back 2 days after my last session and made a small profit. My gameplan was followed religiously and everything went smooth. Baby steps in a positive direction ...

Thanks for the advice and comments folks.