13 April 2008 - 23:01Stanford Wong

In 1975, Stanford Wong came out with Professional Blackjack. Wong had a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University, hence his pseudonym. This book was the next big advance for card counters. Wong described his playing style, which included tablehopping shoe games to avoid playing at negative counts. As four-deck shoes were the most widely available games in Las Vegas by that time, this original approach was brilliant. The casinos looked for card counters by watching for their betting spreads. It had never occurred to the casinos that a counter might be watching a table from the aisles, waiting for an advantageous count before jumping in to bet.
The counting system Wong published was the Hi-Lo Count, and like Revere’s count, used the easy divide-by-remaining-deck(s) approach to running count adjustments. So, at last, some twelve years after Harvey Dubner had proposed the Hi-Lo count values, his system was available in a format both fully optimized with strategy indices, and presented with a simple methodology of play. Wong’s table-hopping approach to shoe games was in many ways similar to AI Francesco’s Big Player (BP) team approach, but allowed a solo card counter to attack shoe games invisibly, and without a team of spotters. This playing style has since become widely known as
Snapper: a blackjack

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1 April 2008 - 23:41I advice.

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8 March 2008 - 8:00Revere

Enough reliable old-timers have told me they witnessed such a scene that I figure there must be some truth to it. Some say Revere did this solely so that the student would have to pay for another lesson. One professional player who knew Revere disagrees. “He didn’t charge that much for lessons, especially considering his reputation. He was about as close to a legend as an author could beat that time. And he didn’t really need the money. I think he did this just to keep them on their toes, always thinking they weren’t yet perfect and had to improve. This pro feels that Revere took on students mainly because he enjoyed having company around he could tell his stories to.

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19 January 2008 - 13:28On Attorneys and Lawsuits

Card counters have been successful in bringing charges against casinos for wrongdoing, usually relating to being barred, harassed, or having had to undergo something against their will. Rulings have gone both ways. And settlements obviously can vary greatly depending on the law-suit and what each party has to gain or lose.  best blackjack strategy 

The process relating to filing a lawsuit, getting your day in court, and ultimately getting compensated, not surprisingly, can be a long and arduous one. If you do decide to step into this arena, make sure  your case in solid and you have the time and the patience to follow through where necessary. As far as legal counsel, several attorneys are available who have expertise in this area of the law. Most are located in Nevada, and can be found on the Internet or through local telephone directories. blackjack bonus offers

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19 January 2008 - 13:26If You Get Barred, Backed Off…(Part III)

Keep in mind that how you react to a circumstance might also play а role in how damaging or not a particular incident becomes. If you cause a scene, which some counters are prone to do, you’re creating a not-so-pleasant, lasting memory in the minds of casino personnel, which might not be all that beneficial twenty-four months down the line. I can say that I’ve managed to again get a game in virtually all of the casinos for blackjack where I’ve been 86′d over the years, thanks in large part to a quiet exit and the passage of time. Always think, “Will my actions or words have any adverse impact on the possibility of being able to play and win again here in this casino, sometime in the future?” If the answer to that question is “yes,” then another choice of words or an alternative course of action is likely the better choice.

The best policy is to remain calm and cool. The reason is that, after all, you are sitting in their house, playing at their tables, and winning from them in the long run. And they do have the law on their side. So a polite answer to any questions asked, along with a hasty exit, is without a doubt the most productive course of action.

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16 January 2008 - 13:22If You Get Barred, Backed Off…(Part II)

The key is showing your desire to leave once you’ve been read the Trespass Act. Even today, casino personnel might still try to get you into a backroom for interrogation, along with requesting identification and holding a picture-taking session. If you are actually being “backroomed” against your will, ask that the police be called. Then ask if you’re being arrested. If you’re not being arrested, say, “I’m leaving. Do you plan on holding me against my will?”

The long and short of it is that you should avoid being “backroomed” at all costs. In Nevada and in many other jurisdictions, if you’re barred for any reason other than misconduct, you must be asked to leave the premises before being detained. That’s your ticket - take it and leave as fast as possible. You neither have to show ID nor pose for a picture against your will. It’s only if you refuse to leave, for whatever reason, that they then can backroom you and detain you for the authorities. Or if you’ve committed a felony on the premises - which you haven’t because t card counting doesn’t qualify as one. If you’re forced against your will into a back room to either show identification or to undergo a picture-taking session, it’s probably time to consult an attorney. That’s definitely a lawsuit, and could end up being your most profitable blackjack session to date.

To be continued…

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15 January 2008 - 12:54If You Get Barred, Backed Off…(Part I)

So what do you do if the worst happens? If you’re sitting at a blackjack table and the pit boss comes over and reads you the riot act?

The best thing to do is leave the casino, immediately. If you’re being 86′d, you’ll first get an escort by casino security to the cashier’s cage to cash in your chips, followed by an escort to the nearest doorway. Say as little as possible, or say nothing at all other than that you have a desire to leave. Don’t resist - there’s no gain to be had by remaining in a casino that’s barring you from play, backing you off, or changing procedures so much that it no longer offers a game worth playing.

Going back a few years, barrings and back offs would involve hustling a card counter off into a back room and then detaining that person for some time against his or her will. Interrogations sometimes included verbal abuse, and some even became physical confrontations before the counter was then ejected from the premises. These incidents truly upheld the “wild” in Wild West, and thankfully were more prevalent in the days before major corporations owned Las Vegas. Nowadays, with law-suits as popular as they are, most major corporations have too much to lose to endorse or encourage the physical harassment of advantage players. But how any particular member of any given corporation, such as a security guard, for instance, handles himself in a heated situation depends on his character. Keep in mind, too, that not all Nevada casinos are owned by Fortune 500 companies. There are many around today that in the not-too-distant past have been slapped with six-figure law-suits from card counters seeking compensation for damages suffered as a result of harassment.

To be continued…

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