Probably every month, some rookie counter posts online about some horrendous loss, and then says, “I wonder if I was cheated.” Hmm, you’re playing a game that with perfect execution is a super-marginal grind, and in any other scenario is negative or just pure variance, so what did you really expect to happen? What does Occam’s Razor say? The debate often turns to whether or not a casino would risk losing its gaming license (ha!), or whether or not you can hear seconds being dealt (Knish certainly can). Continue reading How Casinos Cheat, Part I: The Last Mechanic, WMDs, and Dr. Kervorkian
Author: James Grosjean
How We Do It: Going through an Airport
I remember where I was on 9/11 (or 20010911, as a programmer would write it)—I had pulled an all-nighter playing and scouting Vegas, and I was just settling into my cozy bed at the Budget Inn downtown, across from the Greyhound bus station. On the TV I saw the live footage of the smoking World Trade Center buildings, before the second tower was hit. In my hometown, Continue reading How We Do It: Going through an Airport
Blackjacknesia
My old BP “Santi” made a comment about one of our fabulous comeback wins, a quality game where we were down to the felt—no chips, no cash, no time. Well, almost. We had a little cash, a little time, and a big edge. It really was a phenomenal comeback, a fun time, and a happy memory, except for one thing. I don’t really remember it. Continue reading Blackjacknesia
Negative Variance, Juicy Count Games, and Ishniae (sp?)
In a previous post, I criticized the loser’s mentality of counters. The belief that hardening oneself to pain is a necessary and advisable part of the AP career is counterproductive. Many counters spend ridiculous amounts of time and emotional energy trying to answer the question, “How unlucky was I?” Instead of calculating how many standard deviations “below EV” you were, why not spend your time and effort trying to raise your edge? This message was lost or not well received by the counters reading my blog. Continue reading Negative Variance, Juicy Count Games, and Ishniae (sp?)
What’s Your Biggest Win?
A writer for a Vegas-themed website emailed me that question. It’s a question I’ve been asked before, and it’s a fair question, I suppose, but one that is difficult to answer (answer for the opposite question below!). In my case, just divulging the amount of the win would provide sufficient identifying information to compromise the participants and consequently the play itself. Continue reading What’s Your Biggest Win?
How We Do It: Handing Off a Seat
In this first post in the “How We Do It” series, I would like to discuss an extremely important task, nay, skill, that card counters have never even considered, but which my crew faces on a near-daily basis:
Michael Sam, Meritocracy, and … Gambling!
I admit it—I am putty in the hands of the mind-shaping juggernaut that is ESPN. By the time I wake up in the morning, the same episode of SportsCenter has been burned into my subconscious three times. (Thank goodness I don’t sleep late, or it would be twelve times.)
So, like millions of Americans, I followed the recent NFL Draft with bated breath, as if the fortunes of Jadeveon Clowney, Johnny Manziel, and Michael Sam have any significant impact on my life.
He Beat Me—Straight Up …
As I promised, I’ll now reveal my favorite gambling movie. There are a few “classics” that I haven’t seen, but I doubt that they can supplant my favorite.
“Doctor, it hurts when I do THIS”
“Well don’t do that!” the good doctor quips. I have always found this joke entertaining, not so much for the wisecracking humor, but for the subtle wisdom therein. Note that the doctor’s advice is not “I’ll prescribe some medical marijuana for you,” or “You need to learn to live with the pain,” or “You need a thicker skin.” Steeling oneself to endure pain is an unhealthy practice (pain is a message to you), and yet suffering card counters constantly prescribe this regimen to each other.
The Best Gambling Movie of All Time–Not!
A friend recently forced me to watch the movie “Casino” for the first time. You may be shocked that a professional gambler wouldn’t have already seen “Casino” twenty times, but Hollywoodizations of what we do for a living aren’t always so appealing. Besides, we be werkin’ all the time! It turns out that “Casino” is not a gambling movie; it’s “Goodfellas” in a casino (with the same movie director, screen writer, and cast!). So, it didn’t come close to unseating our #1 gambling movie (guess what that is!), but “Casino” still contained some valuable lessons for the modern casino AP: