more importantly, I really had no idea how I was going to play. I don’t care if you are the best player in the world; you need to plan the details of the trip. This doesn’t mean a day-by-day itinerary. However, you need to know at least what tables you will be hitting and exactly how much you will be betting at each level of advantage.

Casino Mistakes

Those were my mistakes. The casinos made one mistake. They were idiots to kick me out. Had they let me continue to play, I would have surely lost my bankroll. Frankly, casinos are not very good at the determination of which card counters can cause them damage.

Thinking my win meant something – Empirical evidence means evidence gleaned from experience only. Say that you go to George Burns's doctor. George Burns lived a century and smoked cigars constantly. Should his doctor advise you to smoke for long life? Empirical evidence would say yes. Winning the first time is dangerous as it can convince you that you know what you are doing. Probably one-third of people who use progression systems win the first time, since about that many people win the first time, and can be easily convinced they have a winning system. Progression-system books are filled with empirical evidence and their ads are filled with quotes from anonymous winners. All meaningless. I did return with more confidence than I should have. But I wasn’t ready to claim that I had a new career.

Not realizing I had a problem – I knew that I had a problem with longevity. It was not acceptable to be tossed from three casinos in one trip — particularly my favorite. Something had to be done. Fortunately, there was a solution. I had read Revere’s book on the trip home. So, the first thing I did (after throwing my winnings on the bed and staring at it) was to call Revere. I made an appointment to visit him at his home in Las Vegas, and took my second trip a week later.

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger