How do you handle really bad luck?
- Thread starter cyclist
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Understand completely, Flash. I personally followed Option #2 and just kept playing. The result was I became continually poorer and poorer. This weekend was an out of town trip with the plan to play as much as possible over the weekend and that I did, but I just kept losing. (Played at multiple stores, not really much difference any place, just variance I suppose). I was just curious what others did in the same situation.
LovinItAll
Well-Known Member
Wow. That 'one' under 'I have a session loss limit' is me.
Maybe it's because I live in Vegas and can drive 10 minutes and be home if I'm getting slaughtered? If I've lost my 'session bankroll', I've taken a pretty good lickin' - watching a movie with my woman is definitely +(mental)EV at that point. Can't ever remember tilting at BJ (can't say the same about poker), but I know that a session beating as described leaves me in no mood to continue, and there aren't any statistics that support any reason to continue playing.
Maybe it's because I live in Vegas and can drive 10 minutes and be home if I'm getting slaughtered? If I've lost my 'session bankroll', I've taken a pretty good lickin' - watching a movie with my woman is definitely +(mental)EV at that point. Can't ever remember tilting at BJ (can't say the same about poker), but I know that a session beating as described leaves me in no mood to continue, and there aren't any statistics that support any reason to continue playing.
LovinItAll
Well-Known Member
For me, it isn't about being upset/angry (as I said, I can't remember tilting playing BJ). I can't say, though, that I feel the same after sitting through a massive loss as I do booking a really nice win.FLASH1296 said:
If it's going as badly as the OP suggested, I chalk it up to 'not my night' and go home. I'm not going to kick the dog when I walk in the door or anything. If I traveled to play, I might answer differently.
blackchipjim
Well-Known Member
lucky ducky?
I get into the fetal postion and suck my thumb alot after a good beat down. I find that if I go out into the woods where nobody is around and let out a primal scream I feal much better afterwards. Negative variance is a killer and it's hard to accept if it lasts a long time. Being on the upside of the Bell curve is great but it's not realistic in this activity.
I get into the fetal postion and suck my thumb alot after a good beat down. I find that if I go out into the woods where nobody is around and let out a primal scream I feal much better afterwards. Negative variance is a killer and it's hard to accept if it lasts a long time. Being on the upside of the Bell curve is great but it's not realistic in this activity.
blackriver
Well-Known Member
i dont really do any of these things. if im losing bad i try to just laugh and act like its funny. if its a serious ammount of money to you then your playing over your head. you arent supposed to be able to play games for a living an i dont feel bad for you having a downswing, they are expected. i think the odds are something like >99% of the time you will be in "downswing" relative to some past point. suck it up and stop crying, your probably luckier than 99% of people tht have ever been born. ( if you seem me being mad or angry at a bj table 9 times out of 10 its its bcause i feel like it would look weird if i wasnt or for some other motive. )
counting (and poker) is easy, your "wage" is what you are being compensated for dealing with variance. if you were really so smart youd be the best chess player in the world and still make no money. instead your moderately smart and be glad you get some money for it at all
counting (and poker) is easy, your "wage" is what you are being compensated for dealing with variance. if you were really so smart youd be the best chess player in the world and still make no money. instead your moderately smart and be glad you get some money for it at all
Solo player
Well-Known Member
Blackjack is one continuous session that never ends. If I'm getting hammered at the tables yeah I'll take a break. But it does not change my approach the next time I sit down and play.
Zero
Well-Known Member
I answered "I keep playing for as long as I had intended..." since that's what I usually do. Whether I'm up or down for the session, I figure I'm still "earning" ~25 cents per hand. But I will not start a new shoe (or enter a shoe if I'm wonging in) with less than 8 max bets. My worst early experience was having to walk away from a RC=23 shoe (TC > 6) because I ran out of money (losing max bet after max bet as the count kept climbing). I've also been known to play "just one more shoe" if I felt I could get back to even in one shoe. Psychologically, I feel better if I don't leave the casino with less money than I entered with. I've still got some growing to do there.
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paddywhack
Well-Known Member
I quit once to keep from generating a CTR. What a terrible session that was.moo321 said:
Friendo
Well-Known Member
Think of it like alcohol
Once I have calmed down from a bad streak, I don't care about losing: my goal is to get as many bets out as possible at the right time and within the constraints dictated by risk of ruin.
That said, I will stop if I think anger or frustration is affecting my concentration. After Wonging in to a juicy shoe and then losing a healthy number of max bets, including several double downs, I try to put thoughts of the beating aside and ask myself "Is this affecting my concentration?
If the answer is Yes, or even Maybe, I step away for a half an hour.
It's much the same as with alcohol. If you suspect it could be affecting your counting, you should stop playing until you're sober.
This is not about luck. It's about watching your emotions, and admitting when they're getting to you.
I don't have a problem with steaming - I can soldier on for hours in the face of any bad beat - but short-term disbelief at bad breaks, and sometimes extremely good ones, affects my ability to keep the count and make the right plays.
Once I have calmed down from a bad streak, I don't care about losing: my goal is to get as many bets out as possible at the right time and within the constraints dictated by risk of ruin.
That said, I will stop if I think anger or frustration is affecting my concentration. After Wonging in to a juicy shoe and then losing a healthy number of max bets, including several double downs, I try to put thoughts of the beating aside and ask myself "Is this affecting my concentration?
If the answer is Yes, or even Maybe, I step away for a half an hour.
It's much the same as with alcohol. If you suspect it could be affecting your counting, you should stop playing until you're sober.
This is not about luck. It's about watching your emotions, and admitting when they're getting to you.
I don't have a problem with steaming - I can soldier on for hours in the face of any bad beat - but short-term disbelief at bad breaks, and sometimes extremely good ones, affects my ability to keep the count and make the right plays.
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Two trips ago, I got creamed and lost my entire trip bankroll despite being up a nice amount initially as Ferret can attest to so yeah I wasn't a happy camper. However I knew it was just variance in the long run so I took my licking like a man and came back even more determined to beat the snot out of the casino. I did just that and made most of what I lost back so the moral of the story is you have to have short term memory and not let the bad variance affect you.
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Cardcounter
Well-Known Member
A good thing to do when you are losing is go up to the pit boss say I lost X amount of dollars. I like to do it especially when I lost $300 or more. Than ask for a comp to the restaurant and get them to write you a ticket for some free food. That cost you a lot in gambling loses.
Gamblor
Well-Known Member
Yep, and another good thing about losing is casinos love you again - or at they don't despise you as much.
Not too long ago my biggest concern was I was winning too much consistently at some of the places I was playing. A nasty losing streak solved that "problem" :cry: Well got a nice mother's day dinner for mom. No other way I'm springing for 90$ lobsters
Not too long ago my biggest concern was I was winning too much consistently at some of the places I was playing. A nasty losing streak solved that "problem" :cry: Well got a nice mother's day dinner for mom. No other way I'm springing for 90$ lobsters
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Cardcounter
Well-Known Member
Asking for comps when you are losing serves two purposes one to get free stuff and the second to bring attention to your loses. I want to bring maximum attention to my loses and minimum attention to my wins.