BlackJackHack
Well-Known Member
Frankly, I'm not big on trip reports. I have benefited in the past from the advice of others on this and other forums, however, and thought others might find this interesting.
For some time, I had contemplated transitioning from $25 to $100 units. Intellectually, I could think of no reason not to do it. I have a very substantial bankroll, and my game is solid after three years (not full-time by any means, but much more than a casual hobby) of success at green-level play. I recently took the plunge.
I played a mix of 2D and 6D games, wonging out of the 6D games at all TCs below -1 (I use the Uston APC, but the TC is not a lot different than hi-lo).
I started play at 6pm on Day 1, and finished at 10pm on Day 4 - roughly a 72-hour period.
Even though I had experienced the usual fluctuations of green chip play, I was NOT emotionally prepared for this. Throughout my trip, I experienced +/- fluctuations of $3k-5k per hour.
Between 6pm on Day 1 and 4pm on day 2 (less than 24 hours), and in only about 6 hours of play, I lost $12k. As a green chipper, I had NEVER lost more than $5k in 24 hours, and now I had lost $12k in just 6 hours of play. While I knew that this was well within the normal range of statistical expectation, I was really depressed.
I had brought a cash bankroll of $15k. At 4pm on Day 2, I pulled another $2k from a brokerage account (that permits $2k daily ATM withdrawals). I would have to wait until the morning of Day 3 before I could further replenish my trip bankroll when the banks opened. There was a very high possibility of tapping out my $17k (of which only $5k remained) before I could get to the bank on Day 3!
I played a few green chip sessions on the evening of Day 2, both because of concern about my depleted cash bankroll, and to help myself relax. I had a couple of moderate (green chip-size) wins, and quickly returned to black play, and had some more wins, including a $3500 win. Overnight on Day 2-Day 3, I won back around $6k. I had cut my loss in half.
On the afternoon of Day 3, I had a small (a $1000 win is pretty small at black play) win. Then I had a session where I lost about $5000 in an hour --- back down to around -$10k for the trip.
Fortunately, the flux turned good on the evening of Day 3, and during the day on Day 4. I had a string of modest ($1000-2000) wins, and finished with a $3k win (in an hour) in the evening.
After logging in my results in Excel on the plane, I determined I finished ahead $350 for the trip. That would be a nice result for a red chipper. For a black chip player, clearly anything +/- $1000 for a 3 day trip should be looked at as "break even." I would win or lose $1000 in the blink of an eye.
I get very emotional when I think about this trip. It was certainly gratifying to dig myself out of a $12k hole (even though I am well aware that there is no such thing as a "trip" or a "session," it is virtually impossible for a human being not to think in such terms). On the other hand, I was really a wreck until well after I got home.
For some time, I had contemplated transitioning from $25 to $100 units. Intellectually, I could think of no reason not to do it. I have a very substantial bankroll, and my game is solid after three years (not full-time by any means, but much more than a casual hobby) of success at green-level play. I recently took the plunge.
I played a mix of 2D and 6D games, wonging out of the 6D games at all TCs below -1 (I use the Uston APC, but the TC is not a lot different than hi-lo).
I started play at 6pm on Day 1, and finished at 10pm on Day 4 - roughly a 72-hour period.
Even though I had experienced the usual fluctuations of green chip play, I was NOT emotionally prepared for this. Throughout my trip, I experienced +/- fluctuations of $3k-5k per hour.
Between 6pm on Day 1 and 4pm on day 2 (less than 24 hours), and in only about 6 hours of play, I lost $12k. As a green chipper, I had NEVER lost more than $5k in 24 hours, and now I had lost $12k in just 6 hours of play. While I knew that this was well within the normal range of statistical expectation, I was really depressed.
I had brought a cash bankroll of $15k. At 4pm on Day 2, I pulled another $2k from a brokerage account (that permits $2k daily ATM withdrawals). I would have to wait until the morning of Day 3 before I could further replenish my trip bankroll when the banks opened. There was a very high possibility of tapping out my $17k (of which only $5k remained) before I could get to the bank on Day 3!
I played a few green chip sessions on the evening of Day 2, both because of concern about my depleted cash bankroll, and to help myself relax. I had a couple of moderate (green chip-size) wins, and quickly returned to black play, and had some more wins, including a $3500 win. Overnight on Day 2-Day 3, I won back around $6k. I had cut my loss in half.
On the afternoon of Day 3, I had a small (a $1000 win is pretty small at black play) win. Then I had a session where I lost about $5000 in an hour --- back down to around -$10k for the trip.
Fortunately, the flux turned good on the evening of Day 3, and during the day on Day 4. I had a string of modest ($1000-2000) wins, and finished with a $3k win (in an hour) in the evening.
After logging in my results in Excel on the plane, I determined I finished ahead $350 for the trip. That would be a nice result for a red chipper. For a black chip player, clearly anything +/- $1000 for a 3 day trip should be looked at as "break even." I would win or lose $1000 in the blink of an eye.
I get very emotional when I think about this trip. It was certainly gratifying to dig myself out of a $12k hole (even though I am well aware that there is no such thing as a "trip" or a "session," it is virtually impossible for a human being not to think in such terms). On the other hand, I was really a wreck until well after I got home.
