tiring — exhausting by the end of the day. You cannot play when overly tired. You will make mistakes. The advantage that you enjoy in Blackjack is very slim and can be destroyed with too many errors.

No concept of risk/Incorrect expectations – I understood the part about advantage. I did not think enough about variance. Given my bankroll and betting, I could easily have been wiped out in five minutes. Frankly, I was lucky to make it eleven days without losing my entire bankroll. I have talked to hundreds of beginning card counters over the years and believe the vast majority bet far too much for their bankrolls. If your bankroll is replenishable, that is, you can easily get another bankroll if you wipe out, you have a lot more leeway. However, you have to be prepared to lose what you consider to be your bankroll. I am afraid that many card-counting books tend to leave the reader with exaggerated expectations. This is also the fault of the reader, but any explanation of counting must hammer home the understanding that a consistent, smooth gain is not a part of Blackjack.

Poor record keeping – I meticulously kept records of my wins and losses. My interest was in my bankroll. Important, but not nearly enough data. You need to keep a record of casinos, shifts, rules, penetration, dealers, session length, max bet, contacts with staff, expenses, unusual events, and other data that you will find important depending on your playing style.

Admitting I was counting – Dumb. But I was obvious anyhow. The large number of obvious card counters at the Horseshoe lowered my paranoia level. Paranoia can be valuable. These days you certainly cannot deny that you have heard of card counting. Everyone has. On occasion, a dealer may ask you if you are counting. This is a bit trickier. The dealer’s motive is often not negative. She may count and may ask simply out of curiosity. Generally I will give an answer like “I used to many years ago, but it’s too boring.” Or “I tried it once and it doesn’t work.” Or just “It’s a scam.”

Desperate catch-up moves – When your bankroll is low, it may make sense to reduce your betting. It certainly does not make sense to increase your betting. But it is a gambler’s tendency to try to “bang” one’s way back — to take large risks in an attempt to recover losses quickly. This is sometimes called “steaming.” A brief story.

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger