Newsgroups: rec.gambling
Subject: Interesting (?) System to take advantage of winning streaks
From: venkataraman@misvms.bpa.arizona.edu (Remesh Venkataraman)
Date: 21 Dec 1992 14:05 MST  
Distribution: world,local
Organization: University of Arizona MIS Department
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

I was up in Laughlin this past weekend and there was a fellow trying to sell
other players on the table to use his system.  

First the "system",

You start out with one unit. If you win the first hand then you play the next
hand with one unit. Now if you win this hand then you go ahead and increase
your bet by one unit.  If you win this hand too, then you increase your bet
by another unit and so on.  His argument (with me since I was the only one
not convinced, I am still not,) was that using his system you are trying to
take advantage of the winning streaks when they happen.  The stopping point
using his system was a loss. 

Now I started thinking about this "system" and it struck me that if you can
deal with the agony of losing a big prize after having  won eight or nine in a row
then it is better than flat betting using basic strategy since
you are betting the casino's money on your winning streaks and you are betting
the minimum (which is what you would bet anyway) otherwise. 


At a full or nearly full table (which is what you can get at low minimums
most of the time) and the count seldom goes and remains positive this does
seem like a decent system.  But then again after four days of counting and 
blackjack my mind is in no state to think. Would someone please
explain what is right or wrong with this system ? If there is anything right
with this system is there anyway of combining it with "traditional" systems 
i.e. counting.


And now for the obligatory trip and condition report from Laughlin.

Day 1

Gold River

SD, DOA, S17, no DAS, decent penetration

$3 minimum tables available most of the time.  Friendly dealers.

Lost 30 units in my first hour of play at a table with four players.  Gained
it all back and about 20 units more playing head on with a dealer at another
table. (that was the last time I won anything playing head on).

Pioneer

Same rules as Gold River. $2 tables available all the time. 

This place is empty during the evening hours and crowded after midnight,  go
figure. Well anyway gave back most of my winnings and then decided to take a 
walk. I should have walked away, but since I hadn't been to a casino in a long
time, I came back.  Big mistake :-).  Played one on one with a dealer and lost
60 units in less than two hours. I was using the Red 7's counting method but
I guess I was taught a lesson in how high the variance is in this game and how
it can rear its ugly face especially when you are playing one on one with a 
dealer.

Well, this is already getting a little longer than I wanted it to.  But let me
conclude by saying that I finally realized how draining card counting can be
and the role of variance.  Net profit for the trip 15 units.  

One final note, I thought the gold river was extremelly liberal on comps.  Consi
dering that I was always playing the minimum tables, I got all my food comped
for all four days.  Four-five hours of $3 min bets got me these comps.  Would
the more experienced people on the net call that liberal ?

Thanks,
-ramesh
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