From August 1999 thru March 2000 I found myself going to the same Indian casino 3-5 times per week never taking more than $50 with me. On each and every occassion bar none, I walked away with a minimum of $1000, often more, but since I was going so frequently, I found myself walking away from hot tables with the attitude, there's always tomorrow so no need to be greedy. I reiterate that not once during that time did I ever lose or just break even. I was playing 6 deck shoes, face up, usually playing 3rd base and winning everything. I couldn't make a bad play.
I became so prolific at BJ that I soon had a following and without ever reading up on the subject began to see patterns and making my own rulesets. I started playing multiple hands at table stakes. I began to expound to the onlookers what my strategies were. Eventually the casino brought me into a back room with 10 six deck shoes and had me play out all of them. They were checking to see if I could count to a six deck shoe. I explained I had merely began to notice patterns in how the cards fell and it seemed very natural and I wasn't trying to do anything nefarious. They decided I was just uncannily lucky, but also recommended I stop voicing my strategies to onlookers. Meanwhile I was welcome to play because I was (in their words) "Good for PR" as I am a joyfully loud player telling jokes, laughing, having a great time, congratulating others on their wins, commiserating with others losses, and being on a first name basis with just about everybody.
I was seeing patterns in the cards. I anticipated dealer cards, I knew if the dealer was going to bust or not and I started playing to bust the dealer, rather than make my hand. This worked great and caused tables to fill up the moment I took 3rd base. I racked up player points good towards rooms and meals like crazy...alomst $10,000 worth in just that 6 months. During this same time I also won several jackpots in the poker room and hit $50 bets on Black 17 on roulette twice in a row. I believed I was unbeatable. Realize, those other games were just for a break, BJ is my game, so I really started to think I'd been suddenly blessed or had had "the epiphany".
One day, I did what I think may have been the turning point. I committed what I consider to be the ultimate gamblers sin. I professed to being bored because every hand was a win. There were never losses. I may have jinxed myself right there, at the risk of sounding superstitious, which I actually am not.
Since that time, I've had no better luck than anyone else. I've had good days and bad, and the bad are really bad....being beaten over and over while showing 20s, 19s, etc. Now I'm starting to believe that I underwent the worlds best good luck streak and count my blessings, or that I "had it" and somehow lost it. I'd like to believe I'm just in a slump, but the best thing I learned is how to walk away.
I still go up once a week with $20. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, sometimes I break even. The rulesets I made up no longer work. My ability to guess the dealers hand seems to be only 50%. I guess my best skill right now is walking away without going to the ATM when I lose, and walking away when that little voice inside says its time to go even though I'm winning.
I'd sure like some feedback on if I was just incredibly lucky 3-5 days per week for 6 months straight, or if I actually did figure something out and am just in a slump, or what....
