Ace-in-Space
02-16-2006, 03:43 AM
Monday
I only got about 3 or 4 hours of sleep after the late poker session so after attending the morning meeting I decided to go back to the hotel to catch some z's before sheduled dinner at my convention (which starts around 7:30) Went downstairs about an hour before dinner and decided to kill some time playing BJ at a $25 min. table (double deck.) I understand the theory and have read about 5 BJ books so I know the basic strategy and the simple counting system. Although I don't vary my bets enough to take advantage of the situation when the count is fairly positive like the true BJ pros (I am also pretty slopping on count. I do prefer double deck to 6 decks.
I was sitting in the middle in a 3 handed table betting $25 to $40 range with an old guy at 3rd base. He seems to know what he is doing. I had a bad run of cards (95, J3, etc.) and was down instantly. As you know, unlike poker you have to play EVERY hand in BJ. Then this old guy made a bad mistake (I think he has been playing at the table for a while.) I couldn't see his down cards at the time but he hit a forth card 4 and a fifth card 4 (I forget what his 3rd card was.) But it turned out he hit the last 4 when he had 18! (he didn't know he busted until the dealer turned his hand over. It turned out if he had not misadded the the dealer would have taken that 4 and busted (dealer had a 10 showing and turned over 2 and hit an 8 for a 20. It should have been 12+4+8 bust). I had 19 so I lost that hand. After that things never improved and I got up to go to dinner losing $400 (although I am still up $300 on the trip thanks from the $700 profit from poker on the previous night.)
After dinner I decided to give BJ another to see if I could recoup my $400 back. I wandered in front of a table where a single player was heads up against the dealer and sat down at 3rd base. Again, it didn't start out well. Then I got 2 BJ in a row on $30 bets. On 2nd time (as in the first time the dealer paid me like $36. I said wait a minute, shouldn't I be paid $45? The dealer said BJ only pays 6 to 5 since it is single deck. Doh! No wonder the table is so empty (I have never played in a single deck game since they changed the rule to reduce the payout from 3 to 2 to 6 to 5. I blame myself for not paying attention. I played a few more hands and left the table a $300 loser (now I am even on the trip.)
Now I am getting a little annoyed. As you know, Ace is normally a pretty cool customer and almost never, never goes on tilt. Now he (I want to switch to the 3rd person, for an instant, a la Bob Dole) does something he has never attempted in his life before.(Cliffhanger, to be continue in Part 3).
I only got about 3 or 4 hours of sleep after the late poker session so after attending the morning meeting I decided to go back to the hotel to catch some z's before sheduled dinner at my convention (which starts around 7:30) Went downstairs about an hour before dinner and decided to kill some time playing BJ at a $25 min. table (double deck.) I understand the theory and have read about 5 BJ books so I know the basic strategy and the simple counting system. Although I don't vary my bets enough to take advantage of the situation when the count is fairly positive like the true BJ pros (I am also pretty slopping on count. I do prefer double deck to 6 decks.
I was sitting in the middle in a 3 handed table betting $25 to $40 range with an old guy at 3rd base. He seems to know what he is doing. I had a bad run of cards (95, J3, etc.) and was down instantly. As you know, unlike poker you have to play EVERY hand in BJ. Then this old guy made a bad mistake (I think he has been playing at the table for a while.) I couldn't see his down cards at the time but he hit a forth card 4 and a fifth card 4 (I forget what his 3rd card was.) But it turned out he hit the last 4 when he had 18! (he didn't know he busted until the dealer turned his hand over. It turned out if he had not misadded the the dealer would have taken that 4 and busted (dealer had a 10 showing and turned over 2 and hit an 8 for a 20. It should have been 12+4+8 bust). I had 19 so I lost that hand. After that things never improved and I got up to go to dinner losing $400 (although I am still up $300 on the trip thanks from the $700 profit from poker on the previous night.)
After dinner I decided to give BJ another to see if I could recoup my $400 back. I wandered in front of a table where a single player was heads up against the dealer and sat down at 3rd base. Again, it didn't start out well. Then I got 2 BJ in a row on $30 bets. On 2nd time (as in the first time the dealer paid me like $36. I said wait a minute, shouldn't I be paid $45? The dealer said BJ only pays 6 to 5 since it is single deck. Doh! No wonder the table is so empty (I have never played in a single deck game since they changed the rule to reduce the payout from 3 to 2 to 6 to 5. I blame myself for not paying attention. I played a few more hands and left the table a $300 loser (now I am even on the trip.)
Now I am getting a little annoyed. As you know, Ace is normally a pretty cool customer and almost never, never goes on tilt. Now he (I want to switch to the 3rd person, for an instant, a la Bob Dole) does something he has never attempted in his life before.(Cliffhanger, to be continue in Part 3).