Please help!!!!!

[megancolynn]

Please answer the following questions:
Regarding to counting.
1. What is the worst thing that has happened to you?
2. What is the best thing that has happened to you?
3. What is a common misconception about you/the group?
4. What would someone have to do to get kicked out of the group?
5. What effect has being in the group effected your life?
6. What are your feelings about the group?
7. What is your favorite thing about it?
8. How long to you plan to continue with the group?
9. What's the biggest profit you have made?
10. What is the most you have lost?

 

[megancolynn]

Also. The biggest profit/loss are optional. You don't have to answer if you're uncomfortable with it. Thank you.

 

[Midwestern]

Please answer the following questions:
Regarding to counting.
1. What is the worst thing that has happened to you?
2. What is the best thing that has happened to you?
3. What is a common misconception about you/the group?
4. What would someone have to do to get kicked out of the group?
5. What effect has being in the group effected your life?
6. What are your feelings about the group?
7. What is your favorite thing about it?
8. How long to you plan to continue with the group?
9. What's the biggest profit you have made?
10. What is the most you have lost?

1. Worst thing -- Nothing really bad has happened to me. never been kicked out of a casino or backed off-yet. Never been falsely arrested or backroomed, but i'm sure you can find people on here with cool stories like that. Zengrifter definitely has that kind of history and he detailed it in an interview that's on this site

2. When i first got into card counting, my girlfriend, mom and dad all thought that i had a gambling problem because i was reading so many books on blackjack. They didn't think i could actually win. Then we went to a wedding in atlantic city and i won $1700 in two hours right in front of them. They believe me now and they know its not a gambling problem, but instead its a hobby., just as much as playing the guitar or playing golf.

3. the biggest misconception about card counters is that we're cheating, or that card counting is illegal. it is NOT illegal in any sort, and it is NOT cheating to use your brain while playing a card game. We may be unwelcome guests if a casino finds out we're too good for them, but it's not illegal in any way.

4. For someone to get kicked out, they would have to rat out someone else's identity as a counter. That would do it for me. Otherwise i think this is a pretty inclusive group.

5. I like this hobby and i have made alot more money in this hobby than i used to from playing golf. I wouldnt say it's affected my life in a substantial way however. Blackjack is not who i am, its just one of the things I do.

6. I have lots of respect for the guys who've been doing it properly and successfully for years and years. Longevity is one of the hardest things to achieve in card counting. I have lots of respect for the mathematical and analytical skillsets that these guys have as well. Alot of the big bettors have balls of steel who can bet 1,000 a hand as well. That is pretty impressive.

7. My favorite thing about it is the fact that you can beat the casino at their own game. I love it when i get good enough at something that i can beat the game. It makes me feel smart. =) I also like that the community is actually pretty close-knit and willing to help each other out on websites like these. I wouldn't have learned as much as i know had it not been for a few key individuals who were willing to share info and experiences.

8. I plan to AP for the rest of my life. Honestly, once you learn the right skills, you never lose them. Yes you can get rusty if you don't practice, but the basic knowledge will stay with you forever. I want to build my bankroll to about 50k-60k so that i have significant profits from a minimal number of hours played per month. I don't plan on ever going pro, but i plan on having a significant "side-income" from blackjack over the years to come, in the realm of 25,000-50,000 per year.

9. Biggest short term profitable swing: +2700 in 24 hours. I bet $5 minimum and $100 maximum.

10. Biggest short term loss - Down $750 in one shoe. (that's about 15 minutes).

 

[LovinItAll]

Please answer the following questions:
Regarding to counting.
1. What is the worst thing that has happened to you?
2. What is the best thing that has happened to you?
3. What is a common misconception about you/the group?
4. What would someone have to do to get kicked out of the group?
5. What effect has being in the group effected your life?
6. What are your feelings about the group?
7. What is your favorite thing about it?
8. How long to you plan to continue with the group?
9. What's the biggest profit you have made?
10. What is the most you have lost?

My AP 'career' began playing poker and other games besides BJ many, many years ago, so I'll throw in some comments from then as well:

1. Worst Thing: (Poker) Discovering I was in a game where cheating was involved and not having any recourse other than to leave....down, of course. (BJ) Nothing I would consider 'bad' has ever happened. Even a curable STD so graciously given to me by a cocktail waitress was worth it - she was oh-so-hot!

2. Best: Excluding winning, I've been lucky enough to meet a couple of individuals I would have never met otherwise, and the relationships turned fortuitous both monetarily and emotionally.

3. Misconceptions: Prior to BJ, the notion that I was a gambler. That was dispelled before playing BJ, so the people that matter most understood my AP BJ play from the start.

4. Kicked Out: Don't have a 'group', so I'm not sure.

5. Affect/Effect: Don't even have to think about this - AP has made me a more patient human being.

6. Feelings About The Group: To me, there are two groups

- Those that talk about playing or that play so infrequently that I don't consider them APs
- Those that actually play

The former is like any other group that has all sorts of theories/models/ideas about the subject. Some are good, some are bad, but they'll never know what it's like to walk the walk.

The latter is like any other group that participates in the activity. Some are good, some are bad, and the activity itself won't change their core being.

7. Favorite Thing: Removing money from the equation, the same 'freedoms' being self-employed offered (not many, but they really count). Like self-employment, it sounds a lot better than it really is, but if you are successful, the freedoms one enjoys are unparalleled (not to be confused with having to work less - that's for employees).

8. How Long Will I Continue: Until I get bored. Not the same boredom that comes with the territory - the other boredom!

9. Biggest 'Profit': Knowing that I've learned a skill that most people who enter a casino will never learn.

10. Most Lost: Money aside, I haven't lost anything!

Best ~ L.I.A.

 

[Solo player]

cheating

Quote: 1. Worst Thing: (Poker) Discovering I was in a game where cheating was involved and not having any recourse other than to leave....down, of course.

Was this at major casino or a private game. I don't play poker at all but it seems to me that there could be a lot of cheating or fleeceing of tourists up and down the strip by employing small teams?

 

[tthree]

Please answer the following questions:
Regarding to counting.
1. What is the worst thing that has happened to you?
2. What is the best thing that has happened to you?
3. What is a common misconception about you/the group?
4. What would someone have to do to get kicked out of the group?
5. What effect has being in the group effected your life?
6. What are your feelings about the group?
7. What is your favorite thing about it?
8. How long to you plan to continue with the group?
9. What's the biggest profit you have made?
10. What is the most you have lost?

1) The count quickly had me betting max bet in an 8 deck shoe. It stayed at max bet count for all but the last hand or 2. I got nothing but stiffs against dealer T or Aces. I lost every hand but the last one at double my min bet.

2) I split to 8 hands with 2 doubles getting exactly all the money I had with me on the table without doubling for less and the dealer busted so I won every bet.

3) Most peoples stories are way better than their games. I have watched many supposed APs who se play showed they could talk the talk but not walk the walk.

4) Attract unwanted attention.

5) Not much. It is either a secret or a shared interest.

6) I am really puzzled by this group idea. My experience as an AP is it is not a social club.

9) For a session. About 150 to 200 units. I remember how much I cashed out but not my buy in. That would depend on how many times i had to reach for more money. I was buying in at 10 units at a time.

10) I am not a professional. Ive lost all I was carrying. About 60 units.

 

[LovinItAll]

I like this hobby and i have made alot more money in this hobby than i used to from playing golf.

I wish I could say that. For me, golf was cut short due to injury, but:

My golfing 'overhead' was considerable. By the time equipment, dues, travel, etc. were calculated, it was an expensive game, BUT...I had the 'luxury' of playing with some well-heeled guys. Over any given weekend, the swings were many thousands of dollars. The one thing I could bank on, though, was the fact that if I played my game, I was usually going to win that day, not in the 'long run'.

Aside from loss due to death or from having my children being grown and not living at home, I can't imagine missing anything more than I miss golf. (Hmm...that sounds pretty pathetic).

I have lots of respect for the guys who've been doing it properly and successfully for years and years.

Or for anyone that does anything successfully over the long term, right? To me, they all share a similar skill, and it's one I don't understand why more people don't possess.

Best ~ L.I.A.

 

[LovinItAll]

Quote: 1. Worst Thing: (Poker) Discovering I was in a game where cheating was involved and not having any recourse other than to leave....down, of course.

Was this at major casino or a private game. I don't play poker at all but it seems to me that there could be a lot of cheating or fleeceing of tourists up and down the strip by employing small teams?

It was in a private game more than 20 years ago. The worst part (aside from being stuck about $3k by the time I figured it out) was that I knew - and liked - the players who were cheating. It was a 'jading' experience, but the lesson was worth the price of admission.

As you pointed out, colluding in a 'legit' game does happen in casinos, though most big card rooms are, very generally, 'safe'. I've found that regular higher stakes players have a pretty keen sixth-sense. As for smaller games, those that would fleece the average tourist are petty little ****ers.

Take care ~ L.I.A.

 

[tthree]

I was playing low limit poker at the Green Valley Ranch in Vegas. After playing many hours straight the guy next to me says, I have no idea what you have by how you are betting. I must have had a puzzled look when I responded, If you could tell what I have then I am doing something wrong.

The advantage is I know when I am bluffing and it is way less than they think.

 

[The Chaperone]

What 'group' is the OP talking about?

 

[megancolynn]

Card counters

What 'group' is the OP talking about?

 

[LovinItAll]

I was playing low limit poker at the Green Valley Ranch in Vegas. After playing many hours straight the guy next to me says, I have no idea what you have by how you are betting. I must have had a puzzled look when I responded, If you could tell what I have then I am doing something wrong.

The advantage is I know when I am bluffing and it is way less than they think.

That's funny. Not saying you, but a lot of poker players bluff far less than they should (some almost never, excluding semi's). Years ago, I remember reading a poker book that addressed the issue. I liked the advice. I paraphrase (as it relates to pure bluffing ~8% of the time in NLHE):

"When your second card hits the felt, look at the second hand on your watch. If it is between two predetermined numbers, it's 'time' to bluff. As long as you look at your watch every hand, the strategy can't be exploited, even if your opponents know what you're doing (unless they happen to know your target watch numbers)."

It's a great way for an extremely tight player to loosen up and will get them quickly used to playing blanks. If they struggle with this concept, poker is probably not the best choice in their AP arsenal.

Wishing everyone the nuts ~ L.I.A.

P.S. Mention this at a B&M table and watch/listen to a few players call you crazy. Very +EV, especially if some decide to start trying it right then

 

[tthree]

I hate to bluff but you have to be unpredictable in your play or you are in trouble. A lot of my bluffs are situational. Like nobody bets the flop that I hit weak. I bet fourth street to feel everyone out. The river pairs fourth street bingo I represent trips. Enough situations pop up, there are many others, that I dont have to decide to bluff out of the blue to often. You need just enough to get the calls on your good hands. You can not be predictable. Someone commented I always checked after getting a really strong hand on the flop. I had been wondering why he always seemed to know when I really nailed the flop. I thanked him for pointing out the one place I was predictable. I wasnt predictable any more.

 

[paddywhack]

Aside from loss due to death or from having my children being grown and not living at home, I can't imagine missing anything more than I miss golf. (Hmm...that sounds pretty pathetic).

Not to me LIA. I'd feel the same way

 

[LovinItAll]

I hate to bluff but you have to be unpredictable in your play or you are in trouble. A lot of my bluffs are situational. Like nobody bets the flop that I hit weak. I bet fourth street to feel everyone out. The river pairs fourth street bingo I represent trips. Enough situations pop up, there are many others, that I dont have to decide to bluff out of the blue to often. You need just enough to get the calls on your good hands. You can not be predictable. Someone commented I always checked after getting a really strong hand on the flop. I had been wondering why he always seemed to know when I really nailed the flop. I thanked him for pointing out the one place I was predictable. I wasnt predictable any more.

Gus Hansen wrote a book that chronicled his play, hand-by-hand, through a tournament that he won. Not exactly a literary masterpiece, but for insight on how a professional LAG player thinks, it's a good choice. It's a quick read (with a lot of exclamation points), but worth the paperback price.

His plays with rags (not as many as one might think, but still there) are very well thought out, and his overall situational awareness (excluding math) is incredible. His math skills are exactly what you'd expect from a pro.

At the end of the book, I think he gives a breakdown of his starting hands for the entire tournament. His range from nearly every position is quite wide, to say the least.

Over And Out on the poker talk...sorry.

Best ~ L.I.A.