A lesson in how NOT to clear a blackjack bonus

Deposited $200 into bethedealer for their $200 bonus. Played a few sessions a day for a week, flat betting $5 every time. Somehow built the $400 into over $900 getting the required points and was doing a little bit of cover play because people have said they are quick to ban whores. I was planning to quit the next time I got busted down to $900 and then cash it out. Then at $905, these 14 hands occurred.

$905 - Bet $5
Player - 11-double-14
Dealer - 6-9-14-18

(now obviously I just wanted to get back up to $900 as fast as possible and be done with it)

$895 - Bet $5
Player - 13-stand
Dealer - 5-15-17

(down $10 now? urgh, I don't have time for this... oh well... martingale can't go wrong with THIS much money)

$890 - Bet $10
Player - 13-stand
Dealer - 2-12-19

$880 - Bet $20
Player - 20
Dealer - 3-11-21

$860 - Bet $40
Player - 10-double-18
Dealer - 9-20

$780 - Bet $80
Player - 12-14-stand
Dealer - 3-7-17

$700 - Bet $100 (Max bet for table)
Player - 20
Dealer - 18

(but I couldn't recover my senses and stop here... no no... I'm only one bet away from being "even" again)

$800 - Bet $100
Player - A-7-15-22
Dealer - 10-5

$700 - Bet $100
Player - 11-double-12
Dealer - 6-13-14-17

$500 - Bet $100
Player - 14-24
Dealer - 7-15

$400 - Bet $100
Player - 4-6-16-25
Dealer - 9-13

$300 - Bet $100
Player - 17
Dealer - 10-19

$200 - Bet $100
Player - 10
Dealer - 10-A

$100 - Bet $100
Player - 14-stand
Dealer - 3-10-20

$0

So in short, don't ever be a readily tilting [censored] like myself. NEVER go above the minimum bet under any circumstances. It's the path to certain doom.

ISSCKM

[Recliner]

*** You are ignoring this user ***

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*** You are ignoring this user ***

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Of all 96 viewers you're doing the worst job so far, dickweed.

[Webster]

YUP - they saw YOU coming LOL

I was at one place and flat betting - I hit the requited points and had lost the bonus and 1/2 of my purchased. Tried to cash out but they said I needed $700.

I KNEW they were wrong because I keep REAL good records. BUT played $700 more and lost a little more. Tried to cash out - nope - I need $300 more.

Now I Was pissed and wanted out of that POS place.

Played vid poker and hit a Royal - cashed out for $1200. LOL

[gila]

I had covered the play through and was up around $600 playing jacks or better VP. I figured I would play a few more hands for "fun". $600 later I realized that jacks or better VP is a rather addicting game.

You rock for posting that. I know it may seem trivial, but it really makes me feel better to know I'm not the only fooligan.

[OrianasDaad]

Nice job. Not many people have the stones to assess what they do (and have done) honestly.

It's an important lesson that you hear over and over, but many can't comprehend until they experience it. Some, irrationally, don't even then. I'm willing to bet that you won't forget. Nice post.

[Luxorr]

$0

WOW, I sure do know that feeling.

Makes me feel a little better to know that someone else also has a habit of blackjack TILTING.I thought I was the only one.I have since deleted all casino software from my computer..

[BigDave]

**** man, I can count at least $2,000 gone from just tring to get off of X95 or X90 to a nice even number to withdraw, only to never get there. You are not alone. And now when I quit at X95, I still feel like a vaginamcginesteen even though I know it is the right thing to do.

A couple things though, seriously. You have to set a goal and a target before you start playing. Have at least something in mind so when you are done you can get the hell out and feel good about it.

If you are running good and you want to set a new target for yourself after you hit WR, you also need to make a "Get the **** out of dodge" limit so you can preserve your win and not go tilt like you did.

[Piers]

My advice is bet as big as you can without loosing of EV; Typically half or a quarter of your current bankroll. This reduces the average amount of the play through as well increasing your hourly rate.

Of course most of the time you will loose your buy in, but that will add cover to your +EV activities.

Thanks Lux and Dave. Such helpful posts from both of you.

I think I would have finished just fine with the goals I had if doubling and splitting weren't allowed. I always seem to fall into and lose those situations right at X05. My big problem is my fixation on the aesthetics of it all. I'm very obsessive-compulsive about my round numbers (I just cashed out 599.40 from Bet365 to level out the 100.60 in my neteller account, for example). It's a personality trait that I simply must learn to overcome...

On another note, I've played tens of thousands of hands of BJ by now and I doubt I've ever lost 13/14 in a row like that. RIGGEDZ0RZ!

[jzpiano14]

Courtesy,

Keep your head up and learn from your mistake, yours cost u $900 dollars, not a cheap price, but cheaper than mine /images/graemlins/frown.gif. To make sure it doesn't happen again, remember that feeling when you saw ur account balance at $0. Good Luck

JZ

[joeski19]

I had BJ tilt to the tune of $300 once. I felt like such a douce afterwards. I don't tilt anymore I just pretend in my head that I bet $100. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[hhughes]

I dont remember which casino it was, but tilted away about $500 a while back. And had the WR done, but thought Id do some cover play...at $.50 in the account after about 25 hands, I remind myself now to not do that ever again, even if Im stuck.

Its a hard lesson to learn, but one I now can look back on and use to keep from doing again.

Excellent post, wished I had done the same...was too busy kicking myself for a couple of days.... /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[kiemo]

I had almost the exact same result doing the Starluck bonus
a few years ago.

22 hands - 19 lost, 2 pushes, 1 won.

I was pretty much doing Martingale too and really drive the dagger in, the one hand I won was in the middle of the streak and for some reason I had dropped back to the minimum bet and hit a BJ.

Looking back I laugh, but that day I was fuming!

[aargh57]

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On another note, I've played tens of thousands of hands of BJ by now and I doubt I've ever lost 13/14 in a row like that. RIGGEDZ0RZ!

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Wouldn't you expect to lose that many in a row at some point after playing 10's of thousands of hands? If you would've done it betting $5 maybe you wouldn't have remembered it is all.

[aargh57]

This is a little off topic, but how easy is it to get banned here. Since I did their initial sign up bonus I've noticed they run a lot of +EV bonuses for the site. Any experience as to how much cover play to play here?

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I had BJ tilt to the tune of $300 once. I felt like such a douce afterwards. I don't tilt anymore I just pretend in my head that I bet $100. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]Exact same number for me. Happened way back in May or so when I was new to the whole casino whoring thing. Made me so depressed I didn't touch the computer for a week. Learnt my lesson, that's for sure.

[krimson]

Good ole martingale, never fails...

[Homer]

You only wagered $960 extra. That's only about $5 in lost EV, so obviously the cover play in and of itself is not the issue here. The issue is that you (most likely) bet well above your bankroll in terms of being able to withstand the variance. Why bet $100/hand now when you had been flat betting $5/hand earlier? Once the bonus is cleared, you're playing with *your* own money and are purely gambling. I know you know all this, but it can't hurt to hear the same information from a different angle.

[pokerpro2000]

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You only wagered $960 extra. That's only about $5 in lost EV, so obviously the cover play in and of itself is not the issue here. The issue is that you (most likely) bet well above your bankroll in terms of being able to withstand the variance. Why bet $100/hand now when you had been flat betting $5/hand earlier? Once the bonus is cleared, you're playing with *your* own money and are purely gambling. I know you know all this, but it can't hurt to hear the same information from a different angle.

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I don't think you lost any money at all. You are playing with your own money, which is called cover play. So basically no harm done. In the long run it will all even out. We have all heard of extra winnings from cover play, too.

[gila]

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In the long run it will all even out. We have all heard of extra winnings from cover play, too.

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In the long run it(cover play) will most surely NOT even out. If it would, casinos would not offer blackjack in the form we all know and love. Do you see why?