Q+A about the Shooter Article

As with most of us, I want to remember how Las Vegas so powerfully and thoughtfully reacted to the mass shooting of OneOctober. I don’t want to give the shooter any publicity – in fact I never mention his name. However, I do want to answer questions that arose after an article recently appeared on the front page of our local newspaper, one that contained some details of a reporter’s personal interview with Brad and me.

I usually ignore questions and comments from people who seem to always have a negative agenda. The Internet is overrun with unhappy maladjusted writers and posters who have to put other people down so they can puff themselves up, and unfortunately the gambling community is not immune from these malcontents. But most of the questions I get are friendly in nature, and I am always happy to respond to those who are sincerely and politely trying to seek accurate and/or helpful information.

Here are some of the facts that will help you understand the complexity of this media interaction, the problems and issues I have faced for many years with TV, radio, and newspaper contact. Most interviewers are not gamblers themselves, so they are trying to present a story on a subject they must write “cold,” with no personal experience. And the time element is usually so abbreviated that I can only touch on the basics, with no chance to explain exceptions or flesh out the details. Fortunately, this reporter who interviewed Brad and me had the whole day and, most importantly, the deep desire to “get it right” even though he was new in town and had absolutely no casino experience.

We visited two different casinos and I showed him examples of both low-level recreational choices and explained high-level skilled selections. There was no photographer with us during this time, so I don’t know the details of when or where the photos that accompanied the article were taken.

Some gamblers reading this article made a common mistake that I have warned about for years, that is, drawing quick conclusions about other gamblers without complete information. They look at a below-100% paytable being played and jump to the conclusion that the player is doing a negative play. They don’t know what bump they are getting for multiple points, what mailer bounce-back free play they receive, or what special bonus they are qualifying for. They don’t know the goals or parameters  of a particular session. And it is not just newbies that make this mistake; we can forgive them because they are still learning and don’t know the finer points of VP play. However, it is often the very skilled and experienced gamblers who love to play the one-upmanship game, looking for vague “implies” or stretched “infers” to support their fanciful conclusions.

When you read the article you will not see everything I said over a period of many hours – I can talk pretty fast and furious when I am “teaching.”  And you must remember that I did not write this article. The reporter did use some exact quotes, but he also had to “summarize” in his own words what I said on many topics. The main ideas he put in the article were quite accurate, particularly when he explained skilled play as picking good games and adding the extra casino benefits. Most importantly, the purpose of the interview was not how to learn to become a successful high-roller. The reporter just wanted to get a feel for high-limit gambling – how one could put through so much money through a machine in such a short time. He felt – correctly so – that most recreational gamblers who played at lower levels really didn’t understand higher-level play – not just the luxurious comps that came but also the extreme risk involved.

I talked to him a lot about volatility, but couldn’t magically will that day’s results to give him a good example. It was just a lucky happening that I had a roller coaster ride he could actually watch in real time. And as a side benefit, the small victory in the end was a perfect way to end the interview. The reporter was caught up in our enthusiasm as we played – Brad and I love multi-line VP and I guess it showed.  But he started worrying when we were in a long losing streak; I had to assure him that this was a common experience and we had a big enough bankroll to plow through them as long as our energy level held up.  However, even with no money of his own at risk, I think when we finally got back up with a small win he was more excited than we were!