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.