One of the biggest obstacles keeping most Blackjack players from improving their game is that they aren't realistic about their current skill level. It is human nature to overrate ourselves and few of us are very objective in analyzing our flaws. A large number of tourists think they play basic strategy accurately. They may even have read a book or bought a laminated card intended to teach them the correct method.
Yet in the fast-paced environment of the casino, what little they learned often melts away in the heat of battle. They never quite embedded proper strategy into their brain so it became second nature. Instead, they use some combination of correct plays and hunches. For example, they are told to always hit 16 against the dealer's face card, so they dutifully comply, only to bust out three times in a row. Inevitably, the next time the tourist receives the dreaded 16, he gives up on basic strategy and stands.
Selective Memory
Like some mythical monsters, selective memory rears its ugly head in many shapes and forms. The above illustration of hitting stiffs is fairly common, as players tend to remember big hands or jackpots they won. They often give themselves the credit for Five Card wins and blame outside sources for their losses. When you don't hit a stiff, it is more temporarily gratifying since you do stay alive longer. But over the long run you are paying a high price for that short-term pleasure.
The best example of selective memory comes from huge wins. Often when I'm introduced as a high-stakes blackjack player to someone new, the first question I get asked is "What was the most you ever won in one day?" A much better question would be "What is the most you ever lost in one day?" This is because experienced pros vividly remember the days when everything came unglued much more than the great trips. These disasters can even be beneficial since they temper one's outlook and help to keep a sober perspective of the overall picture.
The Biggest Wins
However, tourists typically display much more selective memory of their ups and downs in gambling. After I politely decline to answer their question about my biggest wins I am often subjected to their highly detailed story of some big slot jackpot they hit or that one magic evening at the Casino table where all the cards fell perfectly and they couldn't lose.
The point here is not that I'm a magnet for attracting the most boring and long-winded people at every cocktail party I attend. It's that usually the big wins stand out to people. I'm always slightly amused by these tales, and I often follow up with an innocent question of how they have done overall. Most invariably look me straight in the eye and say they are ahead.
This obviously cannot be the case, or Donald Trump would have to get a real job. Possibly the worst thing that happens to these players is when they have that one big killer day at the tables. The absolute worst thing is to win big on your first trip. Then you feel bulletproof. You always remember how easy it 'was and tend to overlook all the losing trips. But even huge jackpots can be squandered away if you play long enough.
