aslan
Well-Known Member
This was maybe the worst trip I've had to AC. Sorry, but I don't think the AC games are readily beatable, except maybe by team play (keyword: readily). Even then I have my doubts. Yes, you can go to AC and everything goes your way, but that's not a true test. I've had a load of experience there over the past six months, and it is a grind.
This last trip started at the Borgata. The pen was atrocious. 2 1/2 decks and more. Probably not beatable by counting alone--better get your rabbit's foot out. I played seventeen hours and came up a measly $350 ahead. What a grind. Wong all you want, with poor pen you have a better chance with craps or other table games, because when you do find a good count, it will generally only last nanoseconds. But I did manage to stay ahead because I remembered advice on the forum that you need to spread really high to beat these AC games. So even with 20X and 25X spreads in this $5 min game, I only managed a $350 win. I'll never play this game again.
I followed 21forme's advice and headed over to Trump Plaza. There the pen was great, only a deck or slightly more much of the time. So with great pen I was prepared for some really good play. Let me tell you, whoever said that 6- and 8-deck games were a roller coaster had a gift for understatement. Over and over the same thing happened, I held my own for the most part during the flat betting stage, sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, but when the count got really good, I ramped on up only to find myself consistently losing in the big betting situations. After several hours I was down $2,700, but managed to bring it back in a few lucky positive counts to negative $500, betting two hands at up to $200 a hand ($15 min) and even once, three hands at $300 each. The cards were so bad, that one shoe the dealer made 21 the first four hands in a row. I felt strangely moved to wong out, which I did. The other two players lost about 20 of 21 of the next hands (that's an approximation). Everyone was besides themselves, stunned. We insisted the dealer reshuffle before the shoe was over, which the pit agreed to let her do.
If that wasn't bad enough, then up popped the devil. Sorry sir, we're closing this table to bring in new cards. So, tired and bleary eyed, wired with red bull and coffee, I moved to another table where I was greeted by the fastest dealer on earth, or anywhere else for that matter. I was just too tired to keep up, although I don't think I played badly. Just couldn't win a hand. All night I had been unable to hit hardly any stiff. I came to believe that you are supposed to bust 49 out of 50 times with 12 through 16. This table was even worse. If I didn't bust a stiff hand I can't remember it. It's as if only the dealer is allowed to make these hands, while players must bust--it's the rule! Anyway, I lost heavily, moved to $25 table, and found it impossible to win more then a hand here and there, and vitually never when the big bucks were bet. Players were saying it was because they had just changed to new cards. I don't know anything about that. Is it possible?
Wonging means absolutely nothing when you consistently lose in positive counts. Up and down you go, but unfortunately, there were more downs than ups.
After this sad experience, I was down to my last $2,000 or so. I wasn't steaming or anything, but I wanted to see if I could quickly win some of my BR back before I left AC. I was going to try again at BJ, but my partner said he had to leave soon. He suggested that the way I had been taking a beating at BJ, and because we didn't have much time left, why not make a couple of bets on the roulette wheel. I know what a lousy bet roulette is, but I figured it was about as close to even money for two or three bets as you can get. I know, the 0 and 00 are hugh, but I figured they counted more in the long run than two or three bets. I joked, just watch 00 come up the first time I bet a color. lol
Anyway, I bet $1.000 on black and won. Then I bet $500 on black and won. Last, I bet $500 on red and won. Worse than an 8 to 1 shot counting the house edge. It's really sad when you win easily in 5 minutes, half of what you lost in a grueling 12 hour bout with the odds in your favor. For those of you who don't know me, I seldom gamble per se, and have even given up playing slots completely. I figured I wouldn't feel any worse if I lost the $1,000 than I already felt from the beating I took at BJ. And if I won, it would be a real shot in the arm. (Please, no lectures on the stupidity of playing roulette--it was the only positive aspect of the entire trip. It was as much for entertainment as anything.)
Now I'm thinking what am I going to do differently next week? I figure I will play a $25 game for a couple of hours at a time. The days of long sessions are over for me--you have my word. Probably things will go better than today, but you never know. I'm willing to give it a few more shots. But I am beginning to think that winning at AC 6-deck games, even with good pen, is at best a real gamble, and that one better be prepared for one heck of a roller coaster ride. Those of you who have had no problem with these games, I think you have been lucky. Either that, or I have been very unlucky. Mostly I win in AC, but never without a battle and often with the possibility of going bust.
I think the shorter sessions, one to two hours, will be a real plus, because BJ is becoming a drag. And I'm sure things will turn around--I've won a lot more times than I've lost. Also, I'm going to stop hanging in there until things turn around. That tends to make the losses bigger than the wins on a bad day, although I know in principle it is all one long continuous game.
Your comments would be appreciated.
This last trip started at the Borgata. The pen was atrocious. 2 1/2 decks and more. Probably not beatable by counting alone--better get your rabbit's foot out. I played seventeen hours and came up a measly $350 ahead. What a grind. Wong all you want, with poor pen you have a better chance with craps or other table games, because when you do find a good count, it will generally only last nanoseconds. But I did manage to stay ahead because I remembered advice on the forum that you need to spread really high to beat these AC games. So even with 20X and 25X spreads in this $5 min game, I only managed a $350 win. I'll never play this game again.
I followed 21forme's advice and headed over to Trump Plaza. There the pen was great, only a deck or slightly more much of the time. So with great pen I was prepared for some really good play. Let me tell you, whoever said that 6- and 8-deck games were a roller coaster had a gift for understatement. Over and over the same thing happened, I held my own for the most part during the flat betting stage, sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, but when the count got really good, I ramped on up only to find myself consistently losing in the big betting situations. After several hours I was down $2,700, but managed to bring it back in a few lucky positive counts to negative $500, betting two hands at up to $200 a hand ($15 min) and even once, three hands at $300 each. The cards were so bad, that one shoe the dealer made 21 the first four hands in a row. I felt strangely moved to wong out, which I did. The other two players lost about 20 of 21 of the next hands (that's an approximation). Everyone was besides themselves, stunned. We insisted the dealer reshuffle before the shoe was over, which the pit agreed to let her do.
If that wasn't bad enough, then up popped the devil. Sorry sir, we're closing this table to bring in new cards. So, tired and bleary eyed, wired with red bull and coffee, I moved to another table where I was greeted by the fastest dealer on earth, or anywhere else for that matter. I was just too tired to keep up, although I don't think I played badly. Just couldn't win a hand. All night I had been unable to hit hardly any stiff. I came to believe that you are supposed to bust 49 out of 50 times with 12 through 16. This table was even worse. If I didn't bust a stiff hand I can't remember it. It's as if only the dealer is allowed to make these hands, while players must bust--it's the rule! Anyway, I lost heavily, moved to $25 table, and found it impossible to win more then a hand here and there, and vitually never when the big bucks were bet. Players were saying it was because they had just changed to new cards. I don't know anything about that. Is it possible?
Wonging means absolutely nothing when you consistently lose in positive counts. Up and down you go, but unfortunately, there were more downs than ups.
After this sad experience, I was down to my last $2,000 or so. I wasn't steaming or anything, but I wanted to see if I could quickly win some of my BR back before I left AC. I was going to try again at BJ, but my partner said he had to leave soon. He suggested that the way I had been taking a beating at BJ, and because we didn't have much time left, why not make a couple of bets on the roulette wheel. I know what a lousy bet roulette is, but I figured it was about as close to even money for two or three bets as you can get. I know, the 0 and 00 are hugh, but I figured they counted more in the long run than two or three bets. I joked, just watch 00 come up the first time I bet a color. lol
Anyway, I bet $1.000 on black and won. Then I bet $500 on black and won. Last, I bet $500 on red and won. Worse than an 8 to 1 shot counting the house edge. It's really sad when you win easily in 5 minutes, half of what you lost in a grueling 12 hour bout with the odds in your favor. For those of you who don't know me, I seldom gamble per se, and have even given up playing slots completely. I figured I wouldn't feel any worse if I lost the $1,000 than I already felt from the beating I took at BJ. And if I won, it would be a real shot in the arm. (Please, no lectures on the stupidity of playing roulette--it was the only positive aspect of the entire trip. It was as much for entertainment as anything.)
Now I'm thinking what am I going to do differently next week? I figure I will play a $25 game for a couple of hours at a time. The days of long sessions are over for me--you have my word. Probably things will go better than today, but you never know. I'm willing to give it a few more shots. But I am beginning to think that winning at AC 6-deck games, even with good pen, is at best a real gamble, and that one better be prepared for one heck of a roller coaster ride. Those of you who have had no problem with these games, I think you have been lucky. Either that, or I have been very unlucky. Mostly I win in AC, but never without a battle and often with the possibility of going bust.
I think the shorter sessions, one to two hours, will be a real plus, because BJ is becoming a drag. And I'm sure things will turn around--I've won a lot more times than I've lost. Also, I'm going to stop hanging in there until things turn around. That tends to make the losses bigger than the wins on a bad day, although I know in principle it is all one long continuous game.
Your comments would be appreciated.
