Sunday's gloom & doom in Reno

[Stealth Bomber]

Dumped 140 units in 6 hrs. at four casinos. My new wife watched some of the time in dismay and shock . She would mostly just shake her head at me. Sometimes during a break, she would whisper in my ear; "Why is it that whenever you bet large, the dealer gets 20 or BJ?" I said; "Because that's just the way it goes sometimes." She says; "But it's almost every time!" She even asked me if I was possibly doing every thing backwards, that I should bet big when the small cards are coming so there would be much less chance of the D getting such perfect cards. I even had dealers feeling sorry for me. Two of them noticed that whenever I bet large, they would just clean me out with a 20 or BJ. Once when I bet max the D said; "I guess that big bet means I'm going to get a BJ". Sure enough, it happens. I had to walk off realizing the lady probably labeled me as a counter with "rotten luck". At least I won some sympathy from the pit.

It's amazing how a run of negative variance can sometimes be so relentless and ruthless in front of the new wife, especially when betting large during positive EV situations. It would be easily tolerable if it didn't affect the wife so much. I can't seem to find a way to play without her seeing the negative stuff.

I know this kind of stuff has happened to most you. I'm just a little tired I guess. I think I'll take a break for a while. I will always believe in it though, but sometimes the coin just lands the wrong way too much for too long.

 

[Automatic Monkey]

Bad luck

I hear you man, I'm the king of bad luck. Amazing how the dealer can always pull a 21 out of his ass when he needs one. It's supposed to happen 1 out of 13 times when the dealer draws. In a pig's ass, it seems, sometimes. I just went through a streak just like that.

Listen, this kind of thing is understood only by counters and not for the wife's eyes. Look how many experienced gamblers don't even understand the mathematics of counting, you can't expect the uninitiated to understand at all. When I bring my SR it's always because there's a concert she wants to see and she doesn't see any of the gory details of blackjack, not for more than 10 minutes anyway. As long as you are not doing any financial hurting as a couple she will probably not get too upset, but in general, there is a reason why the overwhelming majority of counters are men. If I were you I wouldn't let her watch unless you know you are going to win- translation- don't let her watch!

 

[All-time high]

Painful questions...

To the unknowledgeable, I just say "look at my past records", assuming you graph results, or "How big is your sample size?", when they ask silly questions based on watching a few hours play.

 

[LV Bear]

New wife? Congratulations, you work fast

From "new lady" to "new wife" in less than four months. Wow!

Best of luck to both of you.

 

[john]

sorry man

sorry about that, man. I can't say that I have ever had a day that bad. My worst day was a 96 unit loss. I haven't been doing it as long as you, though. I find that when I go with my family, I am distracted and don't do well. For this reason, I only play bj when I go by myself.

 

[revereman]

Sympathy

If you want sympathy, this is the place to come as most veteran APs have had similiar experiences. I've had the same thoughts as your wife (congrats) that maybe this whole counting thing is ass backwards. I'll win 15 minumum bets in a row because the count is negative but then get killed when the count goes way positive. Our small advantage is in the long run but sometimes the long run can seem light years away. Writing from experience, I can tell you to be very careful in dealing with the wife. This could be a very sensitive issue. Of course, every woman is different and you know yours better than any of us (well, except for the few of us here she's been seeing on the side), but if you lose, let's say $2000, she probably doesn't see that as a streak of bad luck, she sees it as a lost vacation, jewelry, whatever. My wife was/is great about my gambling because she has seen over the years that I win. My gambling losses have never affected my home financial condition and you really need to make sure that happens in your household too. Don't ever forget the first fact of married life: what's hers is hers and what's yours is hers. My wife doesn't like to see $100 and over bets, so she pretty much doesn't watch me play anymore. I give her a few hundred dollars to play video poker and three card poker and make sure I am available for meals. You're not a lone wolf anymore, and your marriage is more important than blackjack (at least, hopefully it is).
Good luck in BJ and in your marriage.

 

[Witling]

Glad to see I'm not the only one.

I'm not even a counter but I am an "above average" BJ player (according to the quiz).
This past weekend in Biloxi I was up and/or holding my own when I hit a shoe that ripped me a new one. My 2 unit bets were winners but my 4 units with a double down would get nailed. Of course the wife, when not wasting my money on slots, would be there to see the carnage.

One thing that has helped keep her criticism to a minimum is I taught her how to play BJ. She still prefers slots but at least she now knows that even when you play perfectly the cards can go against you.

 

[ZOD]

Hang in there

Hang in there. My wife doesn't much care for gambling and NEVER, EVER accompanies me on blackjack trips...until last August. I dropped a little over 200 units in 3 days and she was there to witness every freakin' hand of the gory madness.

Did she chastise me for losing that 70" HDTV? Did she lament that now we couldn't afford our planned trip to Hawaii? Did she rage that I could have bought her the emeralds she covets with the money I lost? No, no and no. She just reminded me that all I lost were plastic chips.

My wife understands. Yours will too, eventually. The math works and variance happens and hopefully we will play again tomorrow with the blessings of our significant other. So hang in there. Maybe you can impress her next time.

Best,

ZOD

 

[SammyBoy]

I Fell Your Pain Man

I had a 150 unit loss on a trip about a month ago (15 hours of play). It's amazing the thoughts that go through your head while you're getting pounded. I've run alot of sims, and by doing so I am able to see and understand that these losing streaks will happen. You just have to play through them without altering your play because it will eventually turn around. You're playing a winning game, just keep chugging along. As far as the wife goes, the worst thing you can do is show emotion after/during a losing streak. In order for her to believe that you will win in the long run she has to see that you believe it. Sometimes these losing streaks can really mess with your mind. I never let my wife know when I'm upset about a loss. I always tell her that it is part of the game and that I will eventually get it back and more. Even though I'm really pissed on the inside. I would have to say that the weakest part of my game is the emotional part of it. When I fell myself getting angry I must quit. I usually get a bite to eat or take a walk.

 

[Stealth Bomber]

Better now

Time and my BJ friends here somehow seem to heal the mind. Thanks all. I'm not dead yet. Such as my Governor would say; "I'LL BE BAUK"