So today was yet another day of counting cards where I got to play with some idiot ploppies. I feel the need to rant about it, so bear with me!

A ploppy is an everyday blackjack gambler who 'plops' themselves on a stool around the table in the 'hope' of winning. They do not count cards and normally have no idea about basic strategy.

Now don't get me wrong when you read this. I don't hate ploppies, after all they keep casinos in business. It's just painful to watch them make not only incorrect, but plainly stupid plays and it's more than annoying when their bad play ruins my hands (even though I know that in the end it will average out and should ignore it). I'm so used to having the tables all to myself most of the time (no I don't get heat), that I've gotten used to playing really fast. The more hands I can fit in, the more my average hourly earnings. This is one of my secrets to growing my bankroll faster than is expected.

So here I was, just starting a third shoe. Finally the true count goes high enough for me to start ramping the bets and it's still early in the shoe. All of a sudden, a ploppy arrives at the table (no, he wasn't back counting), slightly drunk and fumbles for some cash. Last thing I want to do is share my high count with some know nothing ploppy.

He takes first base and the dealer deals him in. He gets an A, I get a 6, and the dealer a 10! I can't help but feel gutted that this ploppy stole my blackjack just when I ramped my bet. I also ended up losing the hand. The arrival of the ploppy, funnily enough, leads to a winning streak for him, and a losing streak for me with a nice high true count, so my bankroll was diminishing quickly.

Now, as a card counter, I know that I should ignore ALL ploppy plays. In the long run, it is going to have no effect on my earnings. Just chalk it up to variance and forget about it. But in the here and now, it's hard to ignore.

The ploppy started to build a nice stack of $5 chips and increased his bets, thinking his luck was in. A small 5 hand losing streak wiped him out, and he was gone! Thank god. Bye Bye ploppy.

But the night wasn't over yet. I was quickly joined by 4 young gents on a night on the town. I had sat myself in third base by this time, so was last in the action. The last of the young gents fancied himself a bit of a know it all. He would hit a 14 against a 4, stick on 15 against a 9, etc etc. All wrong plays according to Basic Strategy dummy! But what really made me laugh is when he turned to his friend and said "See all those 10's? That means we won't win the next hand". Little did he realise the true count was upto +3 by this stage.

The arrival of the new ploppies started another losing streak as their bad plays turned winning hands into losing ones for me. (Yes, yes! I know, ignore it - it's part of variance - it will all be good in the end).

But wait there's more! Next came the drunk player. You know what I'm talking about. So inebriated, he barely knows what he's doing. This was the last straw, after playing 2 hands where I had to wait 5 mins each time for him to make a decision, I just had to get up and leave. After all, time is money.

I ended the night up 2.5 units. So at least something came out of it.

I was back at my local haunt tonight playing heads up against the dealer. It was one of those up and down struggles with some huge swings and some high true counts. At one point during the evening I was down about 80 units ($400), but was feeling calm and relaxed. I was confident in feeling that it was just one of those swings that I've become so accustomed to.

But it did make me think back to the very first time I lost money playing blackjack. It was nearly a year ago, I was still a newbie and hadn't fully mastered counting cards yet. I just went to the casino with my limited skills to see what it felt like. I only had a $100 lining my pocket and needless to say it quickly disappeared. At the time I felt devastated. $100 may be small change to many people, but not to me at the time. The thought that I'd thrown the money away for nothing chilled me to the very bones.

Yet here I am a year on. $400 down and not even a wrinkle of doubt crosses my forehead. The dealers notice my bored expression. They must be thinking "lucky bastard to be throwing money like that without a care in the world, I'm glad it's me cleaning him out!".

You see. I have experience on my side now. I know that this is part of the dance that we call counting cards. Sometimes you'll win, sometimes you'll lose. I've got to the point now that I'm relying entirely on my winnings to support my blackjack bankroll. I know that in the end I'm going to come out ahead, numbers are on my side.

Have I become immune to the fear? Definitely not. I still get nervous every time the dealer turns over their next card. Is it going to bust them, or are they going to get another unlikely 21. I've seen some crazy streaks in my time. Another losing streak like the one I suffered in February could wipe my bankroll out entirely. My bankroll is not that big that it can support itself indefinitely (cause I had to spend a large portion on some unforeseen expenses). But I do not rely on card counting to support myself. I have a day job as well as other investments and business interests. Blackjack is a part time job/hobby for me.

So what is it that I really fear? That I am becoming the degenerate gambler that I pretend to be so many nights. Counting cards requires a great deal of will power and self restraint. Something that comes easier to some than other. As long as I can keep blackjack only a small part of my life I think I'll be fine though.

Anyway, this weekend has ended up being extremely profitable for me. I ended up with an amazing winning streak on a high count (winning over 10 hands in a row, double handed with doubles, splits, blackjacks the works!). Considering I'm back at the lower limits, my takings for this weekend were a smidge over $1,500. Why didn't I get this streak when I had jumped up to the high level? That's life eh?

Back to work tomorrow. Will be another couple of weeks before I can hit the tables again.