A day in the life of a professional blackjack player.

June 29, 2015.

The day started at 12:00am, as most days do. For me, it started with me online, with a little flaming troll type thing. That's was a new one for me.

6am. Up early. 90 degrees. (that's not a good low temperature) Skimmed the pool. Took a nice swim. Ate some Frosted flakes out back by the pool as I watched the news.

8am - 1pm was on line, WoV among others, discussing previous nights tolling event and trying to dispense some BJ wisdom, that someone might benefit from. I did manage to squeeze in some record keeping as we get close to closing out first half of year.

1pm-2pm. Dozed off in the recliner.

2pm -3pm. Another hour of online entertainment at WoV.

3:15pm-5:00pm 108 degrees. Played 23 rounds of blackjack (about $1/rd EV) at a small local casino, then ate dinner at the buffet, where I had a consumed too much dessert.

5:30-8pm. A few more hours of very unproductive posting on several BJ/gambling related sites.

20+ hours in and basically, nothing productive. $23 in EV (actual results = loss of $37.50), but I am hoping to close strong.....maybe take another swim sometime in the next couple hours, now that the sun is down.

Quote: kewlj

June 29, 2015.

The day started at 12:00am, as most days do. For me, it started with me online, with a little flaming troll type thing. That's was a new one for me.

6am. Up early. 90 degrees. (that's not a good low temperature) Skimmed the pool. Took a nice swim. Ate some Frosted flakes out back by the pool as I watched the news.

8am - 1pm was on line, WoV among others, discussing previous nights tolling event and trying to dispense some BJ wisdom, that someone might benefit from. I did manage to squeeze in some record keeping as we get close to closing out first half of year.

1pm-2pm. Dozed off in the recliner.

2pm -3pm. Another hour of online entertainment at WoV.

3:15pm-5:00pm 108 degrees. Played 23 rounds of blackjack (about $1/rd EV) at a small local casino, then ate dinner at the buffet, where I had a consumed too much dessert.

5:30-8pm. A few more hours of very unproductive posting on several BJ/gambling related sites.

20+ hours in and basically, nothing productive. $23 in EV (actual results = loss of $37.50), but I am hoping to close strong.....maybe take another swim sometime in the next couple hours, now that the sun is down.

You need to get a life.
Way too much time online.
-EV

It's a tough life but someone's gotta do it. All this sitting on butt is getting tiring. Ya know in that period from late June unt mid-late August when it's 100 by like ten am it can be pretty difficult to find the motivation to go out and play much, especially if you're also going through a period where the results have been a little stagnant lately.

Quote: mcallister3200

It's a tough life but someone's gotta do it. All this sitting on butt is getting tiring. Ya know in that period from late June unt mid-late August when it's 100 by like ten am it can be pretty difficult to find the motivation to go out and play much, especially if you're also going through a period where the results have been a little stagnant lately.

Yep, I've gone through that in the past AND blamed it on that. Just last summer as a matter of fact. But this year, I am having a nice year, well at least actual results-wise I am having a nice year in both BJ and supplemental AP categories. EV-wise, I am off, but actual results are real strong. So I can't blame it on stagnant results this year....BUT I'll come up with something to blame it on.

I am hoping to really pick things up in the second half of the year, especially when summer is over, which in Vegas is about November. :)

- No drugs
- No hookers
- No executive suites
+ Blackjack

This is not like the hangover scene when Zach galifinakis counts cards!

I saw the trolling last night. Very comedic!

Your day seems nice but some beer needs to be added to make it perfect.

Quote: djatc

- No drugs
- No hookers
- No executive suites
+ Blackjack

This is not like the hangover scene when Zach galifinakis counts cards!

Yeah, because we all know how accurately Hollywood portrays things. :)

Here's a couple things off the top of my head:

World's Greatest Blackjack Book, that Zach read and was holding introduces the Hi-opt1 count, which is a very weak count and particularly ineffective in shoe games like they were playing. It really is only effective for single/double deck when you side count Aces.

The rainman dressed Zack and matching Bradley Cooper descended the escalator at Caesar's where they were staying and proceeded to play at a blackjack table with big "R" logos for betting circles. The "R" logos used at Riviera where the scene was shot. LOL

Umm...didn't somebody split 5's against a dealer 10. Yeah that's a card counting move. There is no circumstance where you would ever split 5's, except maybe if you saw dealers hole card.

And what about the chickens in the suite? They never explained or even hinted about where the chickens came from. :/

Quote: MissEye

I saw the trolling last night. Very comedic!

Your day seems nice but some beer needs to be added to make it perfect.

hum...I will take that under advisement, MissEye. :)

Quote: kewlj

...Umm...didn't somebody split 5's against a dealer 10. Yeah that's a card counting move. There is no circumstance where you would ever split 5's, except maybe if you saw dealers hole card.

Incorrect. Now if we saw the next card to be dealt, maybe :-)

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Incorrect. Now if we saw the next card to be dealt, maybe :-)

Yeah your probably right. I guess if you saw the next card was a 5 or 6, there would be no sense in doubling or hitting, so you might split. But still not a card counting move as they lead you to believe.

If memory serves me, the dealer flipped a hole card of 6 and then busted. I don't recall what the next card out of the shoe (the second card on the first split 5) was.

One advantage of a 24 hour town is that "the day" is arbitrary for everyone. Most casinos start their day at 4:00am because its just too darn frenetic at midnight.

>it started with me online,
Yeah, same here. I start out with requests from my various "patients" (no, I ain't no doc), requests from people with missing relatives or relatives believed lost at sea, etc.

>6am. Up early. 90 degrees. (that's not a good low temperature)
whoa there!! Is it a good temperature to alter the turnout at an early bingo game so as to provide you with an advantage play there?
> Skimmed the pool. Took a nice swim.
No pool service? If I got into a pool the headlines would be something about tsunami in vegas.
>Ate some Frosted flakes out back by the pool as I watched the news.
I used to love frosted flakes now they put be to sleep; so too does the news. Noting new has happened in forty years.

>3:15pm-5:00pm 108 degrees. Played 23 rounds of blackjack (about $1/rd EV) at a small local casino,
Leisurely rate of play I assume. drove? walked, bus? keep records you have to bill your shoe leather to your bJ expenses.

>then ate dinner at the buffet, where I had a consumed too much dessert.
comped, I hope. Note: we all eat too much dessert.

>20+ hours in and basically, nothing productive.
NO. only that three to five stint was "in"... talking about bJ aint making a living at it unless you get paid for what you say.
Playing bj for your own account is what a professional bj player does.

Quote: kewlj

Yeah, because we all know how accurately Hollywood portrays things. :)

There are many people who believe the movie more then your write up... which is kinda funny.

The wonderful life of AP is fun but for those who don't know about it:

You get to travel to exotic locations! - within 24 hour notice, and you have to book the flight, change plans around, and find a rental car as well as a hotel. Figure out who can take care of your free play, also see if any comps need to be used ASAP so you don't miss out. Most of the time a very short notice flight means you are on a connecting flight, so have fun at TSA in McCarran, getting on the plane, reaching destination 1, deplaning, running over to plane 2, etc until you get to your destination. Don't forget to pick up the rental car, oh and there's always a line, no matter what time you go.

You get to stay at wonderful locations and 5 star rooms! - sometimes if you had previous play at a location you MIGHT get a comp, but if not you're usually stuck at fleabag motel number 23556 near the casino. Also most of these fleabag rooms don't have HDTV, clean rooms (lol), a working shower (this sucks to the maximum), no safe (gg safekeeping money), and Bob Dancer is usually munching on continental breakfast even though he's not staying at the motel :( If you can pull a room comp it's pretty nice, since you can play where you stay (N/A for counters probably.)

Wine and dine at the steakhouse every night! - I usually end up at fast food location 94520 near the motel since I'm too lazy. Also see above for comps. I try to eat at Subway or Chipotle since they have some inkling of healthy food. If there is a lot of time I can usually find a nice local place, or get a comp at the casino. But the comp system is very weird at some places, where you will have $200 in comps but it must be used all at one restaurant.... so now you have to plan a nice expensive dinner for one day, but what about the other days?

PRINT MONEY ON AP! - We've had healthy advantages (30%+) and still lost money. Sometimes things come up where you literally can't lose, but we find a way ;( Assuming nobody bothers you while playing. No matter how safe you think a play is there is always the 0.1% chance you could get tossed out, not to mention a promotion can change on a dime (I'm sure Revel was like this) if they feel they are getting beat up pretty bad. Expected value is the amount you will make OVER TIME, even something with a big edge. Until the long run your actual results may vary.

Beautiful women on both arms courtesy of the casino! - no comment....

Quote: kewlj

20+ hours in and basically, nothing productive. $23 in EV (actual results = loss of $37.50), but I am hoping to close strong.....maybe take another swim sometime in the next couple hours, now that the sun is down.

Yup. This a man posting this, we can all
relate. A woman would be too humiliated
to admit she was a sloth for a whole day.
Gay or straight, we all have certain things
in common. Men are lazy as hell..

I certainly am. I have thousands of black
raspberries this year, growing wild on the
property. My wife wants me to pick them
so she can make jam for her elderly parents.
Say what? I don't eat jam, you pick them.
I'm in deep trouble..

Quote: EvenBob

Yup. This a man posting this, we can all
relate. A woman would be too humiliated
to admit she was a sloth for a whole day.
Gay or straight, we all have certain things
in common. Men are lazy as hell..

I certainly am. I have thousands of black
raspberries this year, growing wild on the
property. My wife wants me to pick them
so she can make jam for her elderly parents.
Say what? I don't eat jam, you pick them.
I'm in deep trouble..

Does anyone know the difference between jam and jelly?

Quote: sodawater

Does anyone know the difference between jam and jelly?

I always thought jelly had no visible fruit bodies, but jam always does.

Quote: odiousgambit

I always thought jelly had no visible fruit bodies, but jam always does.

They are very similar but jelly is strained thru cheesecloth or something to remove most solids.

Quote: kewlj

Yeah, because we all know how accurately Hollywood portrays things. :)

Here's a couple things off the top of my head:

World's Greatest Blackjack Book, that Zach read and was holding introduces the Hi-opt1 count, which is a very weak count and particularly ineffective in shoe games like they were playing. It really is only effective for single/double deck when you side count Aces.

The rainman dressed Zack and matching Bradley Cooper descended the escalator at Caesar's where they were staying and proceeded to play at a blackjack table with big "R" logos for betting circles. The "R" logos used at Riviera where the scene was shot. LOL

Umm...didn't somebody split 5's against a dealer 10. Yeah that's a card counting move. There is no circumstance where you would ever split 5's, except maybe if you saw dealers hole card.

And what about the chickens in the suite? They never explained or even hinted about where the chickens came from. :/

Clearly you do not understand cover play. lol

Quote: DRich

Clearly you do not understand cover play. lol

I'm pretty sure the split 5s was a 2 layer joke.

To the lay people, they think he is so smart for making a crazy play that no one makes.

To the card counters, they realize there is no reason to ever do this, which adds to the ridiculousness of the scene (cue in laughter). The split 5s is actually just a satire of splitting 10s, which is a card counter move

Quote: Avincow

I'm pretty sure the split 5s was a 2 layer joke.

To the lay people, they think he is so smart for making a crazy play that no one makes.

To the card counters, they realize there is no reason to ever do this, which adds to the ridiculousness of the scene (cue in laughter). The split 5s is actually just a satire of splitting 10s, which is a card counter move

Correct, but take care not to get your jelly caught up in your impending jam...

Quote: sodawater

Does anyone know the difference between jam and jelly?

I know. I discussed this with my girlfriend many, many years ago

[Me]- Do you know the difference between jam and jelly?

[Girlfriend]- No. What's the difference?

[Me]- I can't jelly my penis in your mouth.

** Am I going to get suspended for answering sodawater's question? If yes, I'm sorry I posted it.

All I know is the difference between a buffalo and a bison...

...you can't wash your hands in a buffalo. EY OH!

Quote: djatc

There are many people who believe the movie more then your write up... which is kinda funny.

The wonderful life of AP is fun but for those who don't know about it:

You get to travel to exotic locations! - within 24 hour notice, and you have to book the flight, change plans around, and find a rental car as well as a hotel. Figure out who can take care of your free play, also see if any comps need to be used ASAP so you don't miss out. Most of the time a very short notice flight means you are on a connecting flight, so have fun at TSA in McCarran, getting on the plane, reaching destination 1, deplaning, running over to plane 2, etc until you get to your destination. Don't forget to pick up the rental car, oh and there's always a line, no matter what time you go.

You get to stay at wonderful locations and 5 star rooms! - sometimes if you had previous play at a location you MIGHT get a comp, but if not you're usually stuck at fleabag motel number 23556 near the casino. Also most of these fleabag rooms don't have HDTV, clean rooms (lol), a working shower (this sucks to the maximum), no safe (gg safekeeping money), and Bob Dancer is usually munching on continental breakfast even though he's not staying at the motel :( If you can pull a room comp it's pretty nice, since you can play where you stay (N/A for counters probably.)

Wine and dine at the steakhouse every night! - I usually end up at fast food location 94520 near the motel since I'm too lazy. Also see above for comps. I try to eat at Subway or Chipotle since they have some inkling of healthy food. If there is a lot of time I can usually find a nice local place, or get a comp at the casino. But the comp system is very weird at some places, where you will have $200 in comps but it must be used all at one restaurant.... so now you have to plan a nice expensive dinner for one day, but what about the other days?

PRINT MONEY ON AP! - We've had healthy advantages (30%+) and still lost money. Sometimes things come up where you literally can't lose, but we find a way ;( Assuming nobody bothers you while playing. No matter how safe you think a play is there is always the 0.1% chance you could get tossed out, not to mention a promotion can change on a dime (I'm sure Revel was like this) if they feel they are getting beat up pretty bad. Expected value is the amount you will make OVER TIME, even something with a big edge. Until the long run your actual results may vary.

Beautiful women on both arms courtesy of the casino! - no comment....

This is pure greatness.

Quote: HowMany

I know. I discussed this with my girlfriend many, many years ago

[Me]- Do you know the difference between jam and jelly?

[Girlfriend]- No. What's the difference?



** Am I going to get suspended for answering sodawater's question? If yes, I'm sorry I posted it.

If I had said that, which I never would, I believe that there would be a good chance that I would be suspended. Although enforcement of it may vary, Forum Rule 6 is quite clear.

If you have concerns you can always delete or edit a post. If you do so I'll be happy to follow suit and delete it from this post as well.

Quote: 1BB

Quote: HowMany

I know. I discussed this with my girlfriend many, many years ago

[Me]- Do you know the difference between jam and jelly?

[Girlfriend]- No. What's the difference?

[Me]- I can't jelly my penis in your mouth.

** Am I going to get suspended for answering sodawater's question? If yes, I'm sorry I posted it.

If I had said that, which I never would, I believe that there would be a good chance that I would be suspended. Although enforcement of it may vary, Forum Rule 6 is quite clear.

If you have concerns you can always delete or edit a post. If you do so I'll be happy to follow suit and delete it from this post as well.

The good old quote it so it can't be deleted without a trail of evidence left behind trick.

Quote: AxelWolf

The good old quote it so it can't be deleted without a trail of evidence left behind trick.

rascally!

Quote: HowMany

I know. I discussed this with my girlfriend many, many years ago

[Me]- Do you know the difference between jam and jelly?

[Girlfriend]- No. What's the difference?

[Me]- I can't jelly my penis in your mouth.

** Am I going to get suspended for answering sodawater's question? If yes, I'm sorry I posted it.

Insert (yes, a really bad pun) K-Y Jelly joke here.

Quote: AxelWolf

Quote: 1BB

Quote: HowMany

I know. I discussed this with my girlfriend many, many years ago

[Me]- Do you know the difference between jam and jelly?

[Girlfriend]- No. What's the difference?

[Me]- I can't jelly my penis in your mouth.

** Am I going to get suspended for answering sodawater's question? If yes, I'm sorry I posted it.

If I had said that, which I never would, I believe that there would be a good chance that I would be suspended. Although enforcement of it may vary, Forum Rule 6 is quite clear.

If you have concerns you can always delete or edit a post. If you do so I'll be happy to follow suit and delete it from this post as well.

The good old quote it so it can't be deleted without a trail of evidence left behind trick.

I didn't feel right quoting it so I deleted it from my post. Anyone else?

Im disappointed they took out th joke thread.

Quote: EvenBob

A woman would be too humiliated to admit she was a sloth for a whole day.

Nonsense. a woman's goal is to be a pampered, bon-bon eating sloth every day.

>My wife wants me to pick them so she can make jam for her elderly parents.
Say what? I don't eat jam, you pick them. ......I'm in deep trouble..

Please let the wizard have "your digits" so that we can arrange an appropriately worded headstone for you.

Quote: HowMany

I know. I discussed this with my girlfriend many, many years ago

[Me]- Do you know the difference between jam and jelly?

[Girlfriend]- No. What's the difference?

[Me]- I can't jelly my penis in your mouth.

** Am I going to get suspended for answering sodawater's question? If yes, I'm sorry I posted it.

How did i not see this, thats hilarious.