LAST NIGHT’S BLACKJACK Ok when I last wrote herein, the trip was +4K. things got a bit crazy after that.
I sat down to play and actually won the first few hands — I set a 5k goal and thought I’d be there shortly. - Alas, It was not to be…now, I know other players’ actions at the table have no long term bearing on EV, but, in the short term, it can hurt like a bitch!
The first inkling, and I use that term loosely, that Mr. fist base was clueless was that he was dealt a 3,2 V dealer 9 — he hit and was dealt a 6 for an 11 — he waved it off — the dealer asked him three times if he wanted to stand, also informing him that he had an 11 and could not bust…he replied “I know how to play the game” and things moved on — for that hand, the dealer, poetically, made a 5 card 21 - It was then that Mr. first base began alternating between one and two hands every hand — Being thoroughly annoyed, I switched tables.
At the next table, I ran into a dealer who was hotter than Barstow in August. I won only 3 hands in a 6D shoe! The 4K I was once up had dwindled to +1k. I decided to yet again switch tables. My first three hands at the new game were all double downs, and that merely meant I would lose three hands for the price of six. By the end of the shoe, I had lost the entire 4K I was winning. It was at this time that I felt a bit “tilty” – reaching into my original bankroll and throwing some good money after bad, quickly losing another 1k - At this point, my friend began texting me about dinner and partying — I told him the situation and he prognosticated that he would be flying solo for the evening. I thought he was correct, but the blackjack gods began to smile upon me. A new shoe began and I had 300 on the felt…I was dealt 7,7 v dealer 6: first 7 dealt a 4 and doubled for a 19; second 7 dealt a 2 and doubled for a 19 - dealer 6, turns over a 5 (GULP!), draws another 5 then draws a Jack! a YUUUUUGE swing - I was now back on the positive side of things at +200
over the next 10 minutes, I was dealt 4 blackjacks, 2 more winning splits and 2 winning double downs - by the time next shoe ended, I was once again 3k to the good and as it stood, the trip is +3k and I am about to sit down at my table for the first round of the blackjack tournament (update on the partying portion of the evening to follow)
Blackjack TOURNAMENT:
At my table there was a player who decided he would talk non-stop the entire time, commenting on every single hand – ANNOYING! the tournament structure was 20 hands with the top 2 chip count from each table advancing to the second round - I lost the first 8 hands, pushed a hand, won a hand, then lost the next 7 hands - To paraphrase Hobbes, my stay in the tournament was nasty, short and brutish
AFTERNOON BLACKJACK SESSION RANT:
Sat down to a 2D game where there was only one other player – a few others joined the roller coaster along the way and, for about an hour, we all played at the full table - As the final hand of a shuffle ended, I announced that I was just running quickly to the restroom while the shuffle happened - I was gone less than 90 seconds and, upon my return, the dealer had just dealt the first card of the shoe - I enquired of the table why they did not wait for me — nobody would answer nor even look at me — the dealer sheepishly stated that “they wanted to keep the game going” — I looked to the Pit Boss who rolled his eyes sympathetically - I grabbed my chips, leaned over the table and said “F*** all of you and hope you all lose every last cent!”
I proceeded to another table and played a 6D shuffle - The trip is still +3k
LATE AFTERNOON MINI-SESSION: I played what amounted to half a shoe and caught a nice little run – nothing really to write home (or here) about, other than regaining another 1k - Trip is +4K
dinner break——-F***I just lost 23 of 25 hands Enough said for this portion of the trip report Trip is +2100
It appears as if the blackjack demons that haunted me throughout 2015 have risen from the dead (Can demons rise from the dead?) Over the past hour of play, I lost EVERY SINGLE DOUBLE DOWN - I lost all that I was up- Trip is even
ANY PORT IN A STORM: Long story short, I played for about 4 hours this evening – including the above sessions that devolved into my going from +4K to even - However, some elaboration is necessary as I played through horrific shoes, along with others at the table, wherein the best runs for the players were pushing 3 hands in a row instead of losing - Nothing we did worked — at one point, the lady next to me, playing 2 hands, was dealt a blackjack on each one — mere seconds later, the dealers up card of a Queen turned into a blackjack of its own – that’s how these shoes went - Slowly but surely, over the course of the night, my table mates dropped like flies–all lamenting that they “should’ve left an hour ago” — I, too, felt the sting of the cards as I had lost another 1k beyond losing all my winnings - It was not until moments ago, when I was the only one left at the table, that I was able to capitalize on a run, getting 1k of the bankroll back plus another 500
So, as of right now, the once proud number of +4K has settled back down to +500 Sweet dreams.