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Table Games How long are your blackjack sessions?

Discussion in 'Table Games' started by SW, Dec 22, 2012.

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  1. SW

    SW Well-Known Member

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    As I mention in another thread, I'm new to playing blackjack at the casino. As a new player, I'm thinking hard about just correctly playing basic blackjack strategy. I compare it to learning to drive a car. In the beginning, trying remember all the rules and how to keep the vehicle moving forward was tiring for me as a student driver. Later, those things became second nature. Only after that was I able to relax a bit and learn to drive well. I expect to be able to handle longer sessions at the blackjack table as time goes on and I gain experience. Currently, I can maintain a quality concentration level for about 1-1 1/2 hours. After that, I start getting tired and lackadaisical.

    How long are your blackjack sessions before you need to take a break and recharge?
     
  2. Steve in RI.

    Steve in RI. Low-Roller

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    Lots of factors go into it: If I'm getting my ass kicked, it might only be for 10-15 minutes. If I'm doing well, it might be for a couple of hours. My best advice would be to use your judgement. If you feel you are getting tired, and have a hard time concentrating on the correct move, its time for a break.
     
  3. merlin

    merlin MIA

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    Very rarely do I last an hour and a half, if I'm losing I'm long gone and if I'm winning I've prob left for the next place.

    Dont be afraid to sit down at a table and lose 6 or 7 in a row and leave(especially in vegas), trying to turn around that bad start rarely works... a word to the wise.
     
  4. blackjacknut

    blackjacknut VIP Whale

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    Loosing could be 15 minutes for me...winning usually 1.5 to 2 hours max, also depends upon the players at the table to.
     
  5. klawrey

    klawrey High-Roller

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    I play almost strictly blackjack in Vegas with a little pai gow here and there. Blackjack for me is get in get out (that is if you're trying to make a profit). Whether you're counting or using basic strategy, remember the longer you stay the more than house edge starts to reach into your pockets. Much more like to win 4 or 5 in a row and call it quits up money than you are to play 2 hours and end up much more than you would in the 4 or 5 quick wins.
     
  6. dfalk

    dfalk VIP Whale

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    I play BJ for the social aspect and to get hammered drunk, If I'm having a good time I can sit at the same table anywhere from 5-7 hours.
     
  7. Llew

    Llew Low-Roller

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    Once you've got the strategy down pat, you can play exhausted and drunk for hours while still keeping the count and telling fish tales about cards. The human brain is a magnificent machine and blackjack barely registers as needing any of its processing power once you've spent the small amount of time it takes to master it.
     
  8. SirSwizzlestick

    SirSwizzlestick Low-Roller

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    3 days. No food or bathroom breaks either.
     
  9. Sklem211

    Sklem211 High-Roller

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    If I'm losing, I'm outta there quickly, but if I'm winning, I can stay up to 4 hours
     
  10. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    At a single table? Typically until I'm either felted on my initial buy-in or when I'm up the amount of my buy-in or after 2 hours or so...whichever comes first.
     
    Annual Spring Trip!
  11. warpdrvr

    warpdrvr Low-Roller

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    This last time we were in town, just before Christmas, we were playing at a fun, winning table with a great group of people for about 4 1/2 hours.....then I believe they sent in a "cooler" She did not say 1 word to anybody, just dealt. She sucked the energy and fun out of the table so fast, everybody was coloring up and moving along. I think I could have stayed another couple hours if I had been having fun...

    I usually try to stay at a table for a minimum of 2 hrs, but if it's going badly it could be as little as 15 minutes
     
  12. earth-3

    earth-3 VIP Whale

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    I think your time duration is correct right now. This is if your breaking even or slightly off of your buy-in. As pointed out, time at the table is not your friend. Loosing or winning should shorten this time, provided you are in control and have the dicipline. Things like playing for comps, free drinks, a host's expectation, party time, etc.... all affect the outcome; usually to the casino's advantage. If your play is based on excietment or one of the other factors, then the time frame you play in, may be a mute point anyway.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2013
  13. Nevyn

    Nevyn VIP Whale

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    Generally I'll play for 1-2 hours a day.
     
  14. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    For me a lot of it depends on the speed of the table (e.g. how many players there are and dealer speed). I've stayed on tables for 3-4 hours that were moving along slowly, and on a fast table with just 1 or 2 people including myself I may stay only an hour or so.

    The averages people use for # hands per hour on this board tend to be much lower than casino management publications cite as the average. For instance Casino Operations Management written by the Boyd Professor of Gaming at UNLV says with 1 player its over 200 hands/hour.....3 players about 100 hands/hr.....6 players about 60 hands/hr. Its the same approximate numbers listed in various Casino Enterprise Management articles. I usually seem to play on tables with 2 others (so 3 total) and probably average 200 or so hands per session. Though I also do some really short hit-and-runs so the average may be much lower.
     
  15. ssfblue

    ssfblue Low-Roller

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    With table games (poker and BJ) I can never stay for too long--maybe 30minutes to an hour at the most--even if I am doing well. Table games are simply just not as fun to me as slot machines are, despite the fact that with a slot machine, it's the same thing over and over. If anything, I'll get up from a table and move to another one but again, I get bored easily. Or it could be that I am still getting a bit intimidated; thus, nervous at the tables by certain dealers and players.
     
  16. thedukeofdublin

    thedukeofdublin Low-Roller

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    Great point...........

    It depends on what you are there for.

    If it's profit then the old hit & run is best.................

    if it's fun you're after and look at your bankroll as spending money then you could be there for hours.

    The dealer type, fellow players & form will also contribute to your decision to leave but if at any time you find yourself getting tired or struggling to keep count (struggling is the wrong word but you will see what I mean) it's time for a seat change & a quick walk to maybe another casino to get a breath of fresh air.

    Good luck anyway...............

    We all remember our first times & for me it was about the fun:beer: & of course the drinks to aid in my search of fun:Þ
     
  17. Mr. Politics

    Mr. Politics Low-Roller

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    Most run in the 1 to 2 hour range, but during my stay I always have one mega 8-10 hour session somewhere.
     
  18. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

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    Exactly. Craps is my favorite game to play, but when I've been drinking, I start making bad decisions (pressing bets too high, throwing money on junk, etc.). On blackjack, I know basic strategy well enough that I can be totally on autopilot. I once played for close to 8 hours straight at a $25 table at the Bellagio... the "Night of a Thousand and One Gin-and-Tonics", as I call it when I relate the story to my friends.
     
  19. shanecrow99

    shanecrow99 Low-Roller

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    Just last week I was playing BJ at the Horseshoe in Bossier City, LA. It was early on a Sunday morning and not too many people were at the tables. I found an empty table with a nice dealer. I told myself that I would play till I hit felt or till I doubled my buy in. After only 8 or nine hands I had doubled my money and colored up and walked. All in about 15 minutes.

    I can't tell you how many times I have doubled my money and then just decided to keep playing anyways. It never ends well when I do that.
     
  20. parlayboy

    parlayboy Tourist

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    Things do change over time.

    I learned basic strat from an infomercial before ever playing BJ in a casino. I had it down pretty well for the game I was playing and could play for many hours from the start ( not being a drinker probably helped that ). I don't remember that it was a struggle to play it so you probably need to practice more so that "remembering" isn't what cuts your sessions short.

    I combined it with a betting progression to keep it from being monotonus. At the time $1 minimum tables were still around and when I could find one I'd sit and play "grandfathered to the $1" for many hours. 14-20 hour sessions were not at all unusual for me. 34 was my max ever. I think the varied bets kept it from being torture or too boring. The $1 mins kept the losses from ever mounting too high so I could go all day. Usually fueled by a buffet before or after. LOL

    Counting cards is a whole different story. While basic strat is second nature when I tried adding some simple counts it became too much like a JOB and gave me headaches after an hour or two. So I terminated those ideas.

    I now rarely play more than an hour a shot. With table mins on decent vig games so high ( I don't like shoe games ) and the smoke and idiots that populate most tables - and having learned that ANY adverse condition leads to NO FUN and that is what I am there for ( fun and a diversion ). I am usually "turned off" of most tables within an hour of sitting down. It used to be a lot easier to find a fun table or last at a cheap table all day. Now I go to LV about 1/4 of what I used to and play BJ about 1/10 or less - preferring sports betting and some craps. I used to play ONLY BJ my first dozen trips there. Now 6-5 crapjack and bad vig games predominate. Too bad!
     
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