Rhythm and blues

5 February 2019

By Frank Scoblete

My mentor, the Captain, about whom I’ve written six books, had a very simple theory concerning how to structure your playing day at the casinos. This theory was meant to not only save your money but, perhaps, to save your sanity.

“It’s rhythm and blues. You must not vary your normal routine very much. Your body and mind are in a habit formation for each and every day. If you vary that rhythm significantly you might find you are thrown off. Nothing can be worse when you are risking your money at casino games than not to be yourself. The less sleep, the less your mind functions optimally. You want to be in a normal rhythm. If not, you will likely experience the blues.” — Interview for Chance and Circumstance

For the past 29 years I have put into play what he said. I get up around the same time as normal – about 5 a.m., I’ll go for a walk or swim for about an hour, come back to the room and shower, then play about an hour at craps and after that it is breakfast time.

Figure about an hour for breakfast. I take my time because I enjoy reading the newspaper if I am alone, or I enjoy conversations with a friend or two during the meal. (I don’t generally hang out with a big crowd.)

Then another hour or so at craps or, in the past, blackjack. Blackjack games are not quite as good as they used to be, thus craps tends to dominate my play. I take a break and do some people watching. which is my chance to talk to other players about the games they play. I’m always looking for quotes and systems others like to play. You can get a lot of material from other players.

Then comes lunch followed by a short stretch at a game. About 2 p.m. is nap time. Another session at about 4 p.m. and that is usually it for the day. It is dinner in a fine restaurant and usually a show afterwards and back in bed by at least 10 o’clock.

In the 1990s when my wife, the Beautiful AP, and I were a blackjack team, she was my constant companion and we both followed our basic normal schedules. However, once our youngest son graduated college she retired from the casino life, a life she never really liked. (You can read about our adventures and methods of play in I Am a Card Counter: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Blackjack.)

At home those time frames above are about the same, except instead of playing I will work on my writing assignments. My rhythm is easily thrown off. I like my habits. I don’t want to think about when and how I brush my teeth, I’d rather be thinking about something else. Tooth-brushing is merely a day-by-day habit.

Why does the Captain maintain that his recommendation is the best way to handle the casino? I don’t think anyone would postulate that anyone else can handle the 24/7 pace of a casino. It’s not a human pace. A person’s body and mind are geared to a different type of day. Drinking and playing at all hours cannot help you. It is more likely, as the time rushes on, a player’s decisions become worse and worse; the amount the player wagers can become more and more. Disaster can await such a player

The casinos have the edge and the longer you play, the better it is for the casino’s edge to cut away at your bankroll. It really doesn’t matter what game you play or even how low the house edge is, ultimately the casino will defeat you. That is not written in the stars but in the math.

I have heard people say that they really don’t remember the night before or the entire day before once they hit about 24 hours’ worth of straight play. If a person is on a vacation what is the point of missing memories? “Hey, I went on a great vacation. I wish I could tell you about it but I don’t remember most of it.”

Movies such as The Hangover, while quite funny, do not translate into fun times in real life when you ask yourself, “I did what last night? How long was I playing?”

Now, some players might say, “Well, it is possible that a person playing outrageous hours might win.”

Yes, it is possible, but I would put a bet on all the players who are playing a considerable number of hours that the majority, perhaps the overwhelming majority, of these players will be losers. If they can’t remember yesterday, their bankrolls probably won’t be around to remember it either.

I think the Captain’s concepts hold up. They have for me for almost three decades of steady play.

As the Captain said, “If its not rhythm, you’ll have the blues.” I think we should all take his advice seriously.

Visit Frank’s website at www.frankscoblete.com. Frank Scoblete’s latest books are Confessions of a Wayward Catholic; I Am a Dice Controller: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Craps, and I Am a Card Counter: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Blackjack. Available from Amazon.com, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and at bookstores.