Had a humbling experience in Windsor Canada the other night. Sat down with a group of my friends, and imagine my delight when we hit three very plus shoes in a row. (75% penetration, $15 minimum, DAS, RSA, Double on any number, stand on hard 17) Anyway, using the AO II count, turned $200 into $1000 after only three shoes. Did I leave? NO...I watched to see what the next shoe would do. My friends left after making some money. I was thrilled to see an immediate large plus deck. There were three other people playing, and miraculously they all left after about six hands. Got mad about all the small cards I guess. Anyway, left me to play by my lonesome with a +30 deck after about 1/2 to 3/4 of a deck dealt. So, I play $30, and eventually get to the max of my spread ($125 - an 8:1 spread) Well, like a dummy I made two major mistakes. I didn't play multiple holes even though it was only me and the dealer. I just kept plunking that much money down and watching the dealer beat my hard 18 with a better hard 20. Also, didn't vary my betting strategy. I continued to play perfect BS and make no adjustments for the abundance of 10's throughout. Finished the shoe because it stayed so plus throughout, but learned a valuable lesson as a new player...I had an incredible session, and should have walked when I could have. Staying for the proverbial "one more shoe" turned my $800 in profit (I think pretty good for a small fry) into "only" $250. I'm not complaining, because the session was still a positive one, but it was a harsh lesson in the fickleness of the blackjack gods. No counting system or positive deck is a sure thing, no matter how inticing it may look.
