Greetings, Gambling with an Edge and LasVegasAdvisor.com readers, and welcome to my first blog post. You might have caught some of my answers on Question of the Day. I also recently guest hosted an episode of the GWAE podcast with Richard Munchkin and Bob Dancer.
I’m what most people refer to as a pit boss. I’m also an advantage player. Following the example of Lawrence Revere, Bill Zender, and Max Rubin, I know what it’s like both in front of and behind the curtain. I’m here to try to bridge the gap between two sides of a long-fought war.
To me and my like-minded colleagues (though admittedly, we’re only a few), it isn’t, or shouldn’t be, a war. It’s more like a football game—two teams of professionals who meet on occasion to compare skills. Both sides put in intense practice and preparation and sure, the heat of the battle can get intense at times, but when the day is done, mutual respect is a thing of beauty. For example, in the casinos where I was picked off rather quickly, instead of being upset about it, life was much easier when I shook it off, told myself, “Those guys are good,” and moved on.
It’s always advantageous to understand what’s going on over on the other sideline. In this column, you’ll get a rare look at things from the perspective of the table-games personnel. In my career, I’ve been involved in all facets of the pit. I started as a pit clerk, making players cards and entering ratings into the computer. I moved on to be a dealer, naturally talented if you’ll allow a touch of horn-tooting. From there, I learned the ins and outs of the supervisor role, including counting cards. Now I stand as a relief manager for one of the largest gaming companies in the world.
If you’re wondering whether or not I still play blackjack, the answer is no. My job, along with other projects, such as LVA and GWAE, leave little time for the pleasures of blackjack.
Oh, and did I mention I’ve been barred from just about every casino in the country?
The main reason I don’t play anymore probably won’t surprise many of you who’ve heard year in and year out that you should get your stories published. I told myself that if I ever did write a book, I’d no longer play, or at least take a long hiatus. I’m proud to report that the book has been written and is in the Huntington Press pipeline, and it has lots of great stories from both the casino and the player sides of the fence.
Until and hopefully after that time, I’ll be right here, pulling back the curtain, sharing knowledge, experience, and good stories. My hope is that what you read in this blog will give you additional perspective and maybe even a little extra advantage. If you’re going to gamble, gamble with an edge!
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Look forward to what should be some interesting stories.
Joe P
Welcome! I enjoyed your report on Nobu. I WILL pay attention to “the man behind the curtain.” LOL
Back in my card-counting days, I encountered death-glare heat for spreading 1 to 2 units, and utter indifference for spreading 1 to 80 units. It varied from casino to casino, from shift to shift within a casino, and from one floorman to another on a given shift. Sometimes, I thought that whether I would be allowed to play unmolested depended on whether the pit boss had gotten laid last night or not.
I found that it really helped to be friendly and engaging with the pit vipers, er, personnel. The one thing that will definitely get you scrutinized, if not tossed, is dressing and acting like some nerd from MIT who is trying to get the casino to pay his tuition. Luckily for me, I found counting so easy–probably from my days as a bridge player–that I was able to act like Joe Semi-drunk Tourist who had left his brain in the glove compartment but not his wallet.
I was wondering how you, on the Dark Side, identified and treated APs and what levels of action you allowed before outing them/backing them off/drawing your death ray and reducing them to their component atoms. What level of toleration were you told by your bosses to exercise?
(As an example, in the 1980s, I frequented the Horseshoe because I was told flat out by several pit bosses, “As long as your maximum bet is $25 or lower, we don’t give a shit WHAT you do.” So I spread 1-25 and made a modest living. Good times!)
I welcome comments, feedback, and questions. Kevin, unfortunately, there’s no definite equation that equals success. It is a good question, though. I did write a piece about it that I will post soon and hopefully give you the insight you’re looking for.
Hopefully in the near future Andrew can put up a post that simply says “The book is published!”
I love books like these. Max Rubin comes to mind.
I will definitely buy a copy!
Thanks for that comment. Much appreciated. That would definitely be news worthy of being shared with the GWAE readers. Thanks for reading!
I have a question. Please indulge me. I have played casino Black Jack for 40 years and done ok. I don’t count cards or have a “system”. I usually play the table minimum and employ Basic Strategy. There are three ways the game can go. All for the Dealer, Back and forth, or the Player gets a hot streak. I wait and hope for the hot streak (if ever) increase my bets, and get out with a modest or moderate win.
If you count cards, A, you must vary your bets enough to be obvious to the house and if your winning, they ask you to leave. B, If you count and the Deck gets “Rich with high cards” does it not get rich for the Dealer as well thereby making null any preceived advantage to the player? so no gain?
When the count is high, yes the dealer can get the cards as well. But the dealer must play his hand the same way no matter how high the count is. The player varies his playing decisions based on the count. When the count is high, you’ll see a lot more dealer busts, and because you know the count is high, you’ll stay on your hand and still be in action. Also when the count is high, there will be more blackjacks. While the dealer can also get them, the player is paid 3:2 for them, giving them the advantage.
It’s far more complicated than that, obviously, but that’s the gist of it.
I consider myself a moderate AP. Spend much of the winter in LV, but only go to a casino about once a week. Otherwise, it’s too much like work.
Never been banned, but watched someone at my table get barred. He was doing about what I was doing but was way too greedy with his spread. Also, made a spectacle of himself. Meanwhile, I continued to joke with the dealer and pit boss, tip the dealer, and have a good time.
The other person at my table got banned quickly,. I played for several more hours, and eventually my wife and I got comped for a great steak dinner, plus a nice table profit.
By the way, I risk way more on the stock market each day, than I would ever risk in a casino. They are both forms form of “gambling with an edge”.