Tilting on blackjack (nice little read for anybody who fancies one)

Discopig

Does anybody else do this?

I played FT(no casino games) before I switched to sky last week, my first deposit was £12.50, which I turned into £170 in around 5 hours, but not at the poker table. I would play 0.5/0.10 (just trying my luck to double up a few times before I make a bankroll deposit) and I did it, turned 12quid into 40quid at the tables...

And then I noticed it, blackjack, but being the devil I am, it didnt say "blackjack" to me, it said "doubleup" 8^)

 

So 40quid turned into 70quid on the blackjack table, I sit down at 0.04/0.08, 70quid turns to 85quid, I have an out of body exerience and before I know it I'm sitting at the black jack table, 85quid turns to 120quid...

I'm happy, £12 to £120 in a few hours (in a consistent situation, this is not bad at all by anybodys standards), so I'm back at the poker tables, 120 goes to 140, blackjack 140 goes to 170, at this stage I'm shooting for the moon.

So, I sit at 0.05/0.10 20quid max buy in, I lose it on a little bad run...

BLACKJACK, bj promised to get my 20quid back in 10seconds, woops, now I'm on 130, rebet x2, now I'm on 90, new bet: £90, dealer has picture card, I am dealt 9/3, I have no choice, hit, queen bust.

Thats not what we call going on tilt, that just what we call "being an idiot", its not like I just had an evil badbeat and I'm chasing a loss, I mean come on, I deposit 12quid.

So I deposit 70quid and promise myself not to play blackjack, that promise was broken within seconds and before I know it my bankroll is 0, again.

So that was last week, I took a week off to spend some time with this girl I've been chatting to lately(hit the jackpot on that one, twice)... Anyway so tonight is tonight, I log on my computer, and test my discipline at sky again, deposit 50quid, that turns to 70quid within a few hands on 0.05/0.10, then half way through my laughable thought of dedicating myself to building a bankroll on sky... I find myself yet again sitting at the blackjack table again, computer says NO and I go bust.

So, so so so, I'm gonna take a break for a few days, meditate my mind for a while and think about my goals on sky poker, and when I turn, I WILL PLAY POKER, AND I WILL, BUILD MY **POKERRRR* BANKROLL!!! And I WILL NOT, PLAY, BLACKJACK!

Goethe

As it so happens, Blackjack isn't such a bad choice of casino table game if you want to play games of chance for money. It carries the lowest house edge of any table game in the casino (just around half a percent if played tightly), and can in fact be played at a small advantage if you study the game and know how (although not online). The maths are relatively straight-forward to analyse the game, and IMHO the variance element is much less extreme and more predictable than in poker, as it's only the randomness of the cards being dealt that impacts upon it - provided of course that you play strict basic strategy and don't fly by the seat of your pants.

If you've dropped a load playing BJ, I suspect you've probably been over-betting each hand, and not made the mathematically optimum decisions in hitting, standing, doubling etc. Not doing so will mean you're probably playing with a 2.5%+ disadvantage to the house, which doesn't sound much but is then getting close the the house edge of the dreaded roulette wheel.

Perhaps the moral of the story is not to play games of chance that you (not you personally) haven't studied and don't fully understand. The difference seems to be poker, where no amount of study and effort to improve seems to have any impact on my results of late. In actual fact, I'm going to stop referring to the ups and downs of the game as "variance" - as any statistician will tell, within reasonable margins of error mathematical variance can be calculated and also predicted with pretty high levels of confidence. Not sure that's the case with this game where there are just too many variables to determine anything with any degree of accuracy. What's the EV and standard deviation for calling two 25BB raises on the flop and the turn with 75o whilst chasing an inside straight? Answers on a postcard please . . . . .

CrazyBen23

I heard you can make sky block you from having access to skyvegas, sounds like it might be worth you doing it

Discopig

In Response to Re: Tilting on blackjack (nice little read for anybody who fancies one):

I heard you can make sky block you from having access to skyvegas, sounds like it might be worth you doing it
Posted by CrazyBen23

I'll be calling sky later in the day to request this.

AMYBR

I do this ALL THE TIME LOL.

It really is a huge temptation.  The fact that you saw such a good return the first time you did it will make it extra hard next time.  Just have to make a very concious choice not to do it and block it by phoning as you say.

The way I try to see it is that you have all these interactive roulette/blackjack late night shows now.  This must show just how good an earner it is for the casino's and online providers.  Otherwise why would they all bother.
I once lost £1100 in about 25mins, while waiting for a £50 MTT to open....

Discopig

So I just made the call and I no longer have access to sky vegas, I'm now restricted for 5 years, which is fantastic.

splashies

In Response to Re: Tilting on blackjack (nice little read for anybody who fancies one):

So I just made the call and I no longer have access to sky vegas, I'm now restricted for 5 years, which is fantastic.
Posted by Discopig

I too self ecxluded myself from sky vegas. It's too tempting to play especially when tilted/drunk. I now only play blackjack in casino's, which is much more fun than playing online anyway.

BARBIE59

ya done it plenty of times ive learnt my lesson, after bout 40 odd times lol banned mysely from sky vegas for 5 years just play poker now its the way forward

nagrom

Been there and done it.. too many times. It's amazing how you're mind works when you're losing. SOmething used to tell me that it would be easy and quicker to get it back at BJ, couldn't be further from the truth. Self exclusion FTW, I'm such a degen.