I was recently in London visiting friends and to do a little work and of course to play a little Blackjack. Due to severe time constraints, (I was only there for 5 days), I was only able to play briefly and played at a casino in the Piccadilly Circus area. My experience was great as it always is and wish I could have played more. The casino personnel were awesome and incredibly hospitable. Now this is something you should always expect but these people clearly went over and above. I will definitely be returning on my next trip there.
While playing there I was exposed, I guess I could say, with two players from the opposite end of the spectrum, a common theme or feeling that I have had when I play pretty much anywhere. It was a Saturday mid afternoon and the casino wasn’t overly busy and I joined a table that had one other player. He was around 30 I assume, but must confess I am terrible when judging ages. Very pleasant. He knew his basic strategy very well, was playing strong, seemed relaxed and just enjoying himself.
Then someone else joined the table. You could feel the immediate sense of desperation from this person who was highly stressed. The entire mood of the table lessened as all eyes were on the new person. It was like a premonition of a train wreck that was about to occur. We were not wrong.
This person bet large for a 25-pound minimum limit and had about 300 to 600-pounds on each hand. There were 3 side bets available with each hand and this person had about 75 pounds on each one. I didn’t even check to see what the side bets actually were as my experience has always indicated that they are not worth even a casual bet. This persons play on the actual blackjack hand, which of course was not their main focus, was not great. Yes, I am being polite here, as basic strategy was followed about 60% of the time. The losses mounted but this person didn’t seem to care and the desperation mounted.
At one point I was dealt a pair of 7’s against a dealer 8. This person in a stern voice looked at me and stated that I should split my hand. I was polite and just smiled but the other player at the table quickly jumped in to say that this was not a very wise move with a large grin on his face. The original player soon left the table and said to me that it was nice to play with someone that knew what they were doing. I smiled graciously and returned the compliment. I couldn’t help but feel that he left due to the third player. After a few more disastrous hands, the player on “tilt” left as well.
So what can we learn from this. To me, like playing in North America, there appears to be a wide range in how people play and with what emotions they bring to the table. Like in this example, the one player was throwing a lot of money around in a manner I would call reckless. No forethought on strategy, no gameplan, limited Knowledge on the game, obsessed with the side bets, and full of negative emotions. This is stereotypical of the type of players the casinos want. This player could be player of the month to the casino eyes but unfortunately there are many more to compete for this distinction. I felt, like I often do, that I should somehow take these people aside and talk to them but as usual they are highly emotional and who knows where that conversation would lead to. I wish I had one of my books with me to give this person. Anyway, I enjoyed my time and did meet a nice competent player who was a pleasure to play beside.
I think it may be good for each reader to be reflective on their own play. Are you more like the first player, in control and confident about their game, or the second player where you could sense the waves of desperation and negative emotion emulating from them. Maybe you are somewhere in between these extremes and if so, get a copy of my book and learn the gameplan within and your casino experience will be much more enjoyable knowing that you are in complete control of your money and your game.
In conclusion I should not have been surprised but it was a little coincidental to witness players from opposite ends of the spectrum at the only table I played. Not so comforting to know that the poor players are everywhere as are the competent ones. Not to be overshadowed, the casino personnel were excellent. When I go back to London I will definitely be back there to play.
To everyone, Play smart with the proper Knowledge of the game and the Discipline to follow a successful game plan as I have outlined
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