The Long RUn
So many interesting and valid points have been brought up here by pros and/or seasoned players of whom I respect their thoughts and insights into this subject. Things touched on include superstition, "playing like a ploppy", selective memory factor, what the count is doing, math and the long run, standard fluctuation factors, keeping your cool and not thinking you are invincible during positive swings and things turning right around in a hurry.
Superstition and playing like a ploppy
Gamblers are very superstitious. Heck, even some pit people and dealers are very superstitious. The professional is different and evaluates everything based on proven mathematical formula and statistical data. SystemsTrader is right... 100% right. Every move I make is based on mathematical evaluation but---if anything is "out of place" and I am up against "the dealer from hell" as depicted in the original post and there is no significant reason for staying such as a count starting to perk up a bit, I will have a tendency to bail and "regroup".
Well mixed cards with no appreciable count for many shoes in a row
21ForMe mentions walking away in a good count but the standard bill of fare in facing off with "the dealer from hell" is having a count that steadily hovers around neutral or only slightly better than neutral. Walking away in a good count is absurd but a good count is very few and far between when taking on "the dealer from hell". More often than not, the count is nothing spectacular but not bad enough to warrant wonging out, so you linger on with "the dealer from hell" long enough to see a severe beating. I see this sort of stagnation along with a steady, thorough beating and yes, I am likely to take a break, take a walk, change it up, etc.
Ups and downs that are part of normal fluctuation
SystemsTrader notes normal fluctuation factors. Playing against "the dealer from hell" is anything but normal though. When the dealer slams out every hand to leave you winning two hands out of the entire shoe in heads up and even throws in slamming out four blackjacks in a row just for good measure, this is ANYTHING BUT NORMAL! This is an aberration. I have never played roulette but how often do you see the number 29 pop up four or five times in a row? That would undoubtedly be called anything but normal. I can and have dealt with normal and expected fluctuation factors... it's normal and I am used to it. When I see the telltale signs of "the dealer from hell", I often carefully evaluate the situation a little more closely and am perfectly willing to wander for greener pastures. It's not the only table in town, so why not look for something a bit more promising?
Math and the long run
SDPadres pointed out the math and the long run and this is true. The only way to overcome a bout with the dealer from hell is to play perfectly, maximize use of optimal betting based on count, devote time and have a sufficient bankroll. Math and the long run are EVERYTHING. That's why I figured you as an ideal candidate to throw your thoughts out there on this subject, Callipygian... your mathematical analysis expertise thrown onto this "voodoo" sort of subject. As a matter of fact I was wondering if the original post should have gone into "general" or "voodoo"!
Dealing with swings rationally
With regard to dealing with normal fluctuations and even that rare occurrence of a bout with "the dealer from hell", those common sense things come into play (playing perfectly, optimized betting based on TC, time devoted, sufficient bankroll) and I think it was AutoMonkey? that mentioned about dealing with positive swings rationally also and not allowing yourself to think you are "bullet proof" or "invincible". I play full time, normally 4 or 5 days a week and the last few weeks have been very unusual for me. I've been banging out to the tune of nearly 8 units an hour steadily. This is fairly weird and whacked out, since I know what my averages work out to for years in a row due to detailed notes and logs, for instance in the year of 2008 I averaged 1.7 units per hour for the entire year. I know for a fact I am not invincible and I am not bullet proof, so I am not willing to overbet my bankroll due to any short term positive fluctuation. Oddly enough, during this last few weeks of incredibly good fortune I encountered one particular instance of "the dealer from hell" in which I took a beating, the count was doing nothing special and hovering about neutral... all those "tell tale" signs. Before it got too far I took a break, took a stroll and went back at it using---You guessed it!--->Perfect play strategy, optimal betting based on count, put the time in and of course had enough cash to insure I was going to be okay no matter what. Was it voodoo to walk away from "the dealer from hell"? Maybe, but I'm glad I did.
Selective memory
Enduring a seemingly endless battle against "the dealer from hell" sticks in your mind just the way that recreational players will claim that others poor or improper play is adversely affecting them in some fashion, when in fact it's a wash and the other player's mistakes are just as likely to help you as they are to hurt you, only the recreational player's "selective memory" has a tendency to only recall the times when the other player's boneheaded move hurt them. An episode with "the dealer from hell" can leave you shell-shocked and provide "selective memory" regardless of overall otherwise good performance. The experience is not pleasant but provides valuable data for understanding the "recipe for running into the dealer from hell", consisting of some of the things I and others mentioned such as:
-The dealer that you know well and play with often gives you a "heads up" that they are incredibly hot today and are slaughtering everyone in their path (this in itself is of no matter and will not prevent me from playing but will give me a sense of caution).
-The count is staying near neutral, not warranting any ramping up but not going low enough that wonging out appears to be necessary but in the meantime, the dealer can get nothing but 20, 21 or perhaps back to back blackjacks and you get 12-16 EVERY SINGLE HAND and happen to break every single time you hit your garbage hand. The icing on the cake is that even though you break when hitting so much as a 12, the dealer can flawlessly pull a 5 on top of every 16 they hit.
Yes, I have taken a break, walked away, changed it up, whatever when this has occurred and these factors all fall into place. I felt I made the right move and that looking for premium conditions or at least better conditions upon making my exodus from "the dealer from hell" allowed a break and was the right move. No, I am not going to call that dominatrix though!!! I saw this show on television where this 7 foot tall amazon dominatrix chick was abusing the hell out of some guy... "Was this enjoyable to him somehow?", I was thinking. I think it was on "Spike TV"...
The pros answers here dictate logic and common sense. Those crazy swings and fluctuations are normal... but running into that once in a blue moon "dealer from hell" is not an ordinary or everyday occurrence just like seeing the number 29 show up on a roulette wheel five times in a row isn't as a comparison and as other pros and seasoned players here have pointed out, the only way to overcome this "bump in the road" of running into "the dealer from hell is to play perfectly, play perfect strategy, utilize optimum betting based on TC, devote the time to achieve the long run, have the bankroll to account for crazy fluctuations and keep ROR to absolute minimum and...for me... to recognize the tell tale signs of "Oh hell here we go and I am here with the dealer from hell who is having their lucky day" and perhaps exercise that option to take a little break in the action.