First session: Sat down to play with a guy I know from Bally's and another lady (who I did not know) .They were having a terrible go of it - the lady exclaiming that she had lost 7 hands in a row. They asked for a shuffle as I assumed they wanted me to "change their luck" by buying in. Dealer shuffled and things started off well for me, winning the first three hands with the gentleman then riding the usual blackjack roller coaster and the lady at 3rd base continuing her downward spiral. After one shoe I was even but the lady was out. I started shoe number two with a blackjack, pressed it up and won and then took a seat on the blackjack roller coaster...however, when I hit the upswing again...I took a break
Trip: +500
Second session: The pre-dinner session was 2 shoes - the first one being nothing to write home about. The second shoe is where it got interesting: first hand was a split A,A — first A was a 10; second A was a 6; dealer had a 2, turns over a 3, deals a 2, then another 2, then an 3 then BAM a Queen - nice start to the shoe. a few hands later I was dealt a K,Q with 200 up - dealer had a 5, then 6 then 3 then A then BAM a 6 UGHHHHHHHH! after that I hit a couple of doubles and ended the shoe +900 for the session and +1400 for the trip
Third session: I sat down to a newly opened table, sitting through the traditional washing of the cards - another guy sat down with a nice chip stack of about 20k and he proceeded to bet between 100 and 300 a hand with the worst basic strategy of all time. at one point he was dealt 6,6 versus dealer 5. he decides to stay - the dealer makes her hand and I proceed to lose the next 10 hands - of course, there is no magic order to the cards and people always say you never remember when someone's mistakes help you but it always, at least on the surface, appears that these plays never help the table lol
after all, the worst I could've done is still lose the next 10 hands of the shoe (I suppose each could have been a double or split LOL). the shoe ended and I had lost 1k so the trip was now only +400
I played another shoe and got back to where I was and went to bed - Trip is still +1400
Fourth session: Sat down for about 3/4 of a shoe - Started with a blackjack and Pressed the 150 and got 8,8 versus dealer 8
First 8 dealt a 3 doubled got a 10 for 21;
Second 8 got a 2 doubled got an Ace for 21
Went up and down for a few hands then hit another blackjack - Won 900 that shoe - Trip at that point was +2300
Last evening session: I ran into one of those sessions that defy logic, lost the first 5 hands, Ran up and down, mostly down and ended the shoe as it began...I lost the final 5 hands as follows:
10,9 v dealer 6 - dealer goes 6, 5, 9
Ace, 9 v dealer 2 - dealer goes 2, 4, 7, 8
8,3 v dealer 10 - I double and get the 8 for 19 - dealer has 10, K
5,4 v dealer 6 - I double and get the 10 for 19 - dealer goes 6, 5, Q
9,9 v dealer 3 - split first 9 dealt 10 for 19; second 9 dealt 7 for 16 - dealer goes 3, 7, Ace
session was down 1400k Trip +900
Extra late night session: Ran up and down for about an hour worth of shoes - Won 200-250 per shoe average during that time - won back 1100 that session-Trip +2k at that point and went to bed
Good morning session: Sat down and played 1 hand and left as the guy at the table with me refused to double his Ace,7 versus a 6 as an "18 is a good enough hand - GOODBYE!
Next table: Horrifically bad session for two shoes - I won 7 hands in two shoes...all of which were either a blackjack or 21 - I lost 10 doubles and a splits lost 2k that shoe Trip was then -100
Took a brief respite so as not to go on full tilt - Sat down with an affable gentleman and proceeded to lose the first 8 hands plus one double - I weathered the storm and actually ended that shoe winning 100 - I proceeded to slowly but surely get a few key doubles and splits here and there throughout the course of 4 shoes picked up 1100
Trip ends +1k