Great timing on this question (and no, all you cynics out there, this isn't a "plant" but a genuine query we received yesterday), because the blog just went live! Actually, it's been live for a few days now, but we've been keeping the blog -- the imminence of which was announced by Anthony Curtis in the last issue of the LVA newsletter -- on the down-low while we made a few minor aesthetic tweaks, and until James returned from some travels. But now, all you need to do is visit beyondnumbers.lvablog.com to check out the first post on what promises to be an extra-special new addition to the Las Vegas Advisor family.
For those to whom the name James Grosjean has little or no meaning, allow us to fill you in. James is considered by many to be the greatest living practitioner of what's come to be known as "advantage play," which is beating the casinos by legal methods. You don't have to take our word for it: Anthony Curtis was recently on a prestigious panel at a Table Games Conference attended by directors of casino operations from all over the nation, and the question was posed: "Who is currently the No. 1 advantage player in the world?" Unanimously, the response came back: James Grosjean. Or, you can check out this 2009 profile by Cigar Aficionado, aptly titled, "The Game Killer".
While there are a number of notable and revered theorists around in the gambling field, what sets James apart is the fact that he resides not in an ivory tower at some institute of higher learning, but instead makes his living as a gambler. While he's soft-spoken and by no means physically threatening, his relationship with casinos can and has been acutely adversarial, in spite of the fact that he absolutely shuns any kind of cheating and finds his (legal) advantage only in exploiting the weaknesses of the casinos.
This consistent stance, combined with his preparedness to take on battles that other pros would run from, has given Grosjean something akin to hero status among his contemporaries, although he really doesn't seek the attention at all. We could call him the Batman of Blackjack, but that wouldn't give just dues to his overall expertise in all casino games.
While some of his writings may be too esoteric or advanced for the casual gambler, James also has a great sense of humor and applies his knowledge to life in general, so we guarantee that the contents of his new blog, exclusive to Las Vegas Advisor, will be of interest and edification to anyone reading this column. We recommend highly that you check out Beyond Numbers, where he'll be posting with regularity, and feel free to post your own comments and questions. (Check out the About page for a little more information about James Grosjean and his exclusive table-game strategy cards, available only from ShopLVA.com.)
