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Massachusetts flattens; Who’s “irresponsible”?

Massachusetts flattens; Who's "irresponsible"?

Casinos in the great state of Massachusetts grossed $97 million in October, a flat trajectory from last year but a whopping 23.5% higher than 2019. Encore Boston Harbor led with $62.5 million (flat). MGM Springfield slipped 6% to $21.5 million, led by an 11% slide at the tables. Plainridge Park continued its upward trend, gaining 3% to $13 million. High hold enable sports books to bring in $59.5 million on handle of $556 million. Homeboy DraftKings took home 58% of the revenue, with FanDuel settling for 27%. BetMGM was way back at 7%, followed by Caesars Sportsbook (2%) and two other operators apparently too negligible to mention.

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Life is a Gamble – Joseph Merhi part 1 episode 12

Podcast – Sherriff AP episode #9

My guest this week is Joseph Merhi.  Joseph moved to Florida from a small town in Syria when he was 18 years old.  He spoke no English, but through grit and perseverance he went on to produce over 100 movies.  This is part 1 of 2.

You can reach me at [email protected], or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.

Podcast https://www.spreaker.com/user/7418966/joempt1_1

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Bally’s flags; Midwest malaise; Boardwalk blotter

That novelty factor wore off quickly for Bally’s Casino in Chicago. The good news for Bally’s Corp. is that the Medinah Temple temporary won $7.5 million last month, good for (distant) fourth place in the state, far behind Rivers Des Plaines. The bad news is for the City of Chicago itself, as the Sun Times reports that the number is “well behind city tax revenue projections for Chicago’s desperately underfunded police and firefighter pensions,” and that the data showed a dropoff from September. There’s also been a 20% decline in visitors. We warned Chicagoans that then-mayor Lori Lightfoot had absurd numbers dancing in her head. If the rescue of those pension funds relies on one casino, they’re screwed, sad to say.

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A Look at: “Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk”

Bob Dancer

Billy Walters, a legendary sports gambler, finally writes an autobiography. For those who wish to share his success at betting football and other sports, he gives the “from 30,000 feet view” of his secret sauce. He prints the factors his computer programmers take into consideration, but you’re going to have to do your own analysis and come up with your own numbers. 

Although he ended up wildly rich and successful, his life didn’t start out that way and it was a very bumpy ride. He was raised in rural Kentucky by his grandmother, and he started gambling at a very young age. He presents himself as a degenerate gambler and alcoholic going through several dozen boom-and-bust cycles until he finally got his ducks in a row. He is not at all shy about recounting his many, many failures along his road to success.

One of his “secrets” is that he performs very well under pressure — and is not afraid to go broke if he calculates the odds being in his favor. He is a very good golfer, but even better at sizing up his opponents. Hustling at pool and golf taught him many secrets for getting money out of bookies. He is very good at applying what he has learned in one circumstance and applying it in another.

The Federal Government tried to convict him numerous times throughout his life. He was able to beat all the raps — except the last one, where he was convicted for insider trading. He maintains his innocence and blames Phil Mickelson for his conviction. Walters contends that if Mickelson had testified at Walters’ trial and simply told the truth, Walters would never have been convicted.

Although Walters has nothing nice to say about Mickelson (or Steve Wynn, for that matter), this is not a sour grapes book. He did his time, and now is helping others who do not have his financial resources to beat the prison system. Still, this is just one side of it. I’m pretty sure Mickelson would have a very different take on what went down.

Although there are dozens of specific stories in this book, Walters is not a particularly good storyteller. Many of his adventures would make a good plot for a thriller, but Walters recounts the stories in a rather matter-of-fact manner.  Billy Walters was one of those gamblers that Richard and I lusted over having on our Gambling with an Edge podcast. But Walters was in prison for much of the GWAE run and didn’t do many interviews. So, we never got him on the show. Now Walters is doing more interviews promoting this book than he ever did previously.

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BLACKJACK OR PONTOON? UNDERSTANDING THE UNIQUE ASPECTS OF EACH GAME

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

AC Says: Blackjack has many variations, one of which is pontoon. This article describes the differences in the games, but doesn’t say where pontoon is played. I’ve never seen it offered in a U.S. casino, but have heard it can be found in England, and potentially in other European countries, as well as online. Michael “The Wizard of Odds” Shackleford quotes the online game’s casino edge versus the proper basic strategy as .49%, which equates with the edge for standard multiple-deck blackjack games. A variation called Australian pontoon more closely resembles Spanish 21. 

This article was written by Louis Wheeler in association with 888Casino.

Card games have always captivated the minds of players seeking entertainment and a bit of challenge. Two popular contenders in the realm of card games are Blackjack and Pontoon. Although they share similarities in their objective to beat the dealer’s hand without exceeding a certain total, they also have distinct rules…

Click to continue reading…

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I Don’t Like To Gamble

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

A gambler is in it for being in action. The risk, the thrill, the roll of the dice, the turn of a card where fate is suspended and luck hopefully prevails.

Me, I don’t like to gamble. I like to win money. Those are completely different desires and goals.

I like researching new opportunities, practicing games, learning to play correctly or even bringing my strategy cards. I like building my gambling bank from different strategies at home and from earned funds in Vegas. When I don’t know the answer, I like to contemplate and figure it out. That’s why I like VP. I can stop and start when I want. It’s not a fastest-wins game.

When I come to town on a free flight earned with points and stay in a nice resort-casino at a very low rate or on a comp, I’m already ahead $750 to $1,000.

My average out of pocket for a five-day stay is $500 to $750. And that includes airfare, rental car, hotel room, restaurant meals, a show or two, and 20 to 30 hours of advantage play.

I like to learn, plan, and take advantage of all edges — coupons, come-back offers, sign-up bonuses, bonus-points play, etc. I execute, analyze and adjust. I set win goals and loss limits. When I win it’s satisfying, a confirmation. When I lose, I either examine my play or stop.

Attitude and intention are everything. If you come to Las Vegas expecting to lose, you will. If you play to win you have a better than average chance of doing just that.

And the proof is in the wallets of you, me, and legends like Bob Dancer, Jean Scott, Anthony Curtis, and many more.

I was once told, “If you want what I have, do as I do.”

And if in the end you don’t win, you’ve had a great time and spent a quarter of what others did.

As we head into the end of the year when all those juicy LVA MRB coupons expire, I’m going to focus on ways to maximize their value in play and outline one of my favorite plays, the Fremont Street coupon run, the chance to hit as many casinos as possible in a few hours and walk away with a pile of cash. It will take more than one blog post to cover the whole run, as well as the techniques used, so hang in here. I also have a lovely Christmas coupon-karma story to end the year.

Finally, here’s to Jean Scott, who’s decided after a legendary run to step back. I in no way feel I’m filling her shoes, but I sure am grateful to be following in her footsteps. Happy trails, Jean!

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Win at Wynn; MGM roars

It went right until the last minute but there’s a deal in place between Wynn Resorts and the Culinary Union. When negotiations were gaveled finished this morning, Wynn was three hours shy of the Culinary’s 5 a.m. strike deadline. The new pact resembles those achieved with MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment, especially in two crucial (and reasonable): substantial pay increases and reduced workloads for some staff. Big Gaming beat up on labor during and after the Great Pandemic, so it was time to give something back—and it did. Kudos to them and to the Culinary for a masterfully run campaign that said ‘nay’ to the union’s naysayers, including some corporatist lickspittles at the Las Vegas Sun.

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 59: The Sky Is Falling (OK, Not Really)

Hockey Knights in Vegas: Episode 56

OMG! The VGK lost two games in a row in regulation! It’s official: The sky is falling!

Just kidding.

On Episode 59, Lindsey, Chris, and Eddie talk about the historic start to the VGK’s defense of the Stanley Cup and if anything can be taken away from the 4-2 loss to the upstart Anaheim Ducks (prior to the 4-1 loss to the L.A. Kings yesterday).

Before we get to the Anaheim loss, the crew digs deep into the VGK’s dominant 7-0 beatdown of the Colorado Avalanche last Saturday in the Fortress.

Jack Eichel heating up, Ben Hutton the father of the young Silver Knights defensemen, and a new segment called “HA HA Headlines,” the funniest news from around the NHL, round out this fast-paced episode of Hockey Knights in Vegas.

Please give it a watch, a like, and hit subscribe! A great prize pack is still up for grabs for the 200th and 250th subscribers!

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Strike (almost) averted; Durango delayed

Two down, one to go. This morning, the Culinary Union tersely announced the reaching of a tentative deal with leading employer MGM Resorts International. That’s 24 hours after the local declared it had achieved a pact with Caesars Entertainment by dint of a marathon, 20-hour bargaining session. Bleary-eyed CZR and Culinary negotiators reached an agreement at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Wynn Resorts remains the lone holdout of the Big Three, with less than 24 hours to the strike deadline and a week before Formula One comes to town. The Culinary was loaded for bear and gaming execs ultimately realized that.

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Election update: Churchill Downs loses big

No really meant no. Voters in Richmond rejected an Urban One casino two years ago by a whisker. Yesterday they buried it in a landslide. As of midnight, what was expected to be a tight race was a rout, with pro-casino forces only mustering 38% of the vote. Late polling had shown the casino ballot initiative trailing by two points. Why the dramatic, 10-point shift in the race? Was it the NASDAQ delisting of Urban One? Was it annoyance at being asked to go through a do-over campaign?

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