Sapu Tangan Trading System

1. Salah satu kelas besar bahan dengan sifat mekanik dan optik yang sangat bervariasi yang memadat dari keadaan cair tanpa kristalisasi, biasanya dibuat dengan silikat silikat dengan oksida borat, oksida aluminium, atau pentoksida fosfor, umumnya keras, rapuh, dan transparan. Atau tembus pandang, dan dianggap sebagai cairan super dingin daripada padatan asli. 2. Sesuatu yang terbuat dari kaca atau bahan transparan atau tembus lainnya, terutama: a. Sebuah kapal minum D. Jendela atau kaca jendela. E. Rangkaian lembaran plastik transparan yang diamankan secara vertikal di atas papan di banyak arena es. Sebuah. Kacamata Sepasang lensa yang dipasang di bingkai yang terang, digunakan untuk memperbaiki penglihatan yang salah atau melindungi mata. B. Sering gelas gelas teropong atau lapangan. C. Sebuah perangkat, seperti monocle atau spyglass, yang mengandung lensa atau lensa dan digunakan sebagai alat bantu untuk penglihatan. 4. Kuantitas yang terkandung dalam wadah minum segelas. Benda yang terbuat dari gelas pecah belah. 1. Dibuat atau terdiri dari kaca. 2. Philip, lahir tahun 1937, komposer A. S. Bahan transparan atau tembus yang tidak memiliki struktur kristal dan biasanya pecah atau mudah pecah. Hal ini dibuat dengan mencairkan silikat, seperti pasir, dengan soda dan kapur. Soda menyebabkan partikel silikat menyatu, dan kapur bertindak sebagai penstabil. Tahukah Anda Windows, layar televisi, dan kacamata semuanya memanfaatkan fakta bahwa kita bisa melihat melalui kaca. Seperti pasir biasa, kaca terbuat dari silikon dioksida. Tetapi jika terbuat dari bahan kimia yang sama, mengapa pasir tidak mungkin dilihat dan kaca menjadi transparan Sifat kaca tembus pandang yang mengejutkan ada pada fakta menakjubkan lainnya: meski kaca keras, tidak benar-benar padam. Beberapa ilmuwan menganggap kaca sebagai cairan beku, sementara yang lain berbicara tentang kaca sebagai jenis padat yang tidak teratur. Kaca demikian berbeda dari apa yang biasanya kita anggap baik sebagai zat padat atau cairan. Alih-alih memiliki pengaturan tertata masalah yang paling sulit, struktur mikroskopik dari kaca menyerupai cairan, terjebak dalam waktu. Interior padatan sejati memiliki batas yang menyebarkan cahaya, menyebabkannya terpental. Kaca seperti cairan yang kekurangan batas ini memungkinkan cahaya masuk. Secangkir adalah wadah kecil bundar, biasanya dengan pegangan, dari mana Anda meminum minuman panas seperti teh dan kopi. Bila Anda tidak memegang cangkir, Anda biasanya mengistirahatkannya di piring kecil. John meletakkan cangkir dan piringnya di atas meja kopi. Secangkir juga merupakan unit pengukuran yang digunakan dalam memasak. Campur empat cangkir tepung dengan sedikit garam. Kaca adalah wadah yang terbuat dari kaca dan digunakan untuk minuman dingin. Aku meletakkan gelasku dan berdiri. Dia menuangkan segelas jus Ellen. Cangkir adalah cangkir besar dalam dengan sisi lurus dan pegangan, digunakan untuk minuman panas. Anda tidak mengistirahatkan cangkir di piring kecil. Dia menyendokkan kopi instan ke dalam dua cangkir. 4. wadah dan isi Anda bisa menggunakan cangkir. kaca . Dan mug untuk membicarakan kontainer atau isinya. Aku menjatuhkan cangkir itu dan itu pecah. Minum delapan gelas air putih sehari. 1. Bahan transparan yang keras dan mudah pecah. Botolnya terbuat dari kaca (juga kata sifat) botol kaca. Glas vidro sklo sklenn das Glas, Glas-. Glas glasvidrio klaas lasi verre staklo sayuran kaca gler vetro di vetro stiklas stiklinis stikls stikla - kaca glas kaca kieliszek. Szklanka Vidro (dedin) stikl sklo sklen steklo staklo glas cam thu tinh 2. objek berongga yang biasanya tinggi terbuat dari kaca, digunakan untuk minum. Ada enam gelas di baki sherry-glasses. Glas copo sklenice das Glas glas vaso. Copa klaas juomalasi verre aa pohr gelas glas bicchiere stiklin gliser gelas glas kaca lustro copo pahar pohr (ik) kozarec aa glas bardak. Kadeh ci cc, ci ly 3. (juga kaca mata) cermin. Spiel espelho zrcadlo der Spiegel spejl espejo peegel peili glace. Miroir ogledalo, zrcalo tkr cermin spegill specchio veidrodis spogulis cermin spiegel speil barometr espelho oglind zrkadlo ogledalo ogledalo spegel ayna, gng soi 4. barometer, atau tekanan atmosfir yang ditunjukkan oleh satu. Kaca jatuh. Barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer Barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer Barometer barometer Barometer Barometer barometer barometer barometer barometer biometina kacamata kacamata jamak. Brille culos brle die Brille briller. Gafas prillid lasit lunettes naoale szemveg kacamata gleraugu occhiali akiniai brilles cermin mata bril briller szklanka culos ochelari okuliare oala naoari glasgon gzlk knh eo mt jumlah gelas minum yang akan dipegang. Tuang ke dalam dua gelas air. Glasvol copo cheio sklenice (pln) das Glasvoll glas vaso klaasitis lasillinen verre puna aa pohrnyi segelas glasfilli bicchiere stiklin glze (k mrvienba) gelas penuh glas glass szklanka copo cheio pahar (plin) pohr poln kozarec puna aa glas bir bardak dolusu. Lng mt cc nc cha c 1. tidak menunjukkan ekspresi apapun. Tatapan kaca. Glaserige vtreo skeln, apatick glasig udtryksls glasagtig vidrioso klaasistunud lasinen vitreux staklast veges hampa, tanpa ekspresi sviplaus, dauflegur vitreo stiklinis stiklains stvs kosong glazig glassaktig. Uttrykksls szklisty () vtreo sticlos sklen steklen, srep bezizraajan glasartad, stel ifadesiz, bo, n 2. seperti gelas. Sebuah laut yang berkaca-kaca. Penahan, spielgladde cristalino jako zrcadlo klar glasagtig vtreo. Cristalino klaasjas, peegelsile lasimainen uni comme un miroir staklen vegszer seperti cermin spegilslttur cristallino. Trasparente stiklinis (par parat virsmu) gluds spogugluds berkaca-kaca glasachtig speilblank. glassklar szklisty Cristalino ca oglinda ako zrkadlo prozoren, prosojen staklast spegelblank cam gibi, nh gng glasagtigheid Brilho sklovitost mati Klarheit glasagtighed, vidriosidad, aspecto Cristalino klaasitaolisus lasimaisuus aspek vitreux prozirnost vegszersg Sifat seperti kaca e - sem lkist gleri vetrosit trasparenza lygumas, iraikos nebuvimas stiklainums gludums Sifat yang berkaca-kaca glazigheid, glasachtigheid glassaktighet szklisto brilho aspek sticlos sklovitos steklenost bezizraajnost glasaktighet, glansighet cama benzerlik ifadesizlik vn glasses. Artinya kacamata, jamak: Kacamata bacanya rusak. Tapi sepasang kacamata mengambil kata kerja tunggal: Sepasang kacamata telah ditemukan. N. Vidrio, pembesar kristal lente de aumento. Blackjack Mimpi Terbesar dan Kerugian Terbesar: Pemain pada Fluktuasi Nilai dan Fleksibel Tokoh mereka: Kisah Sejati Dari Palung Blackjack Oleh Tobaksa, Tommy Hyland, Taylor James, Dan Paymar, Pro21, Dustin D. Marks, Satu Lagi Sepatu, Bob Loeb, Abbot Avarissa, Bill Haywood, Anthony Curtis, JC, Cizef, Max Rubin, James Grosjean, John Brahms, Moe Cash (Dari Blackjack Forum XXI 3, Fall 2001) 169 Blackjack Forum 2001 Penghitung kartu baru sering tercengang oleh Apa yang mereka anggap sebagai fluktuasi fluktuasi keuangan yang pasti. Baru-baru ini saya mengirim email ke sekelompok pemain lama, beberapa penjudi profesional, beberapa penulis, beberapa diketahui, beberapa tidak, dan bertanya kepada mereka apakah mereka memiliki cerita berkesan tentang kemenangan atau kerugian yang dapat mereka bagikan dengan pembaca Forum Blackjack. Saya menghubungi penghitung kartu, pelacak shuffle, pemain tim blackjack, pemain kartu hole, pemain komputer blackjack tersembunyi masa lalu, pemain poker video, pemain turnamen, bettors olahraga, penjudi internet, penipu comp dan kupon, dan bahkan penipu yang diakui. Jika Anda pikir Anda memiliki fluktuasi atau kemungkinan dua kali lipat, dengarkan apa yang beberapa orang katakan Arnold Snyder Seratus ribu dolar. Terbilang, dengan setiap nol, dan sebuah dolar besar masuk ke depan thats 100.000,00 Ketika saya mulai bermain blackjack, memenangkan seratus ribu adalah patokannya. Jika sudah, Anda seorang profesional. Setiap amatir bisa memenangkan seribu, atau sepuluh. Itu adalah fluktuasi. Seratus engkau bekerja. Butuh waktu lama, biasanya beberapa tahun untuk memenangkan seratus ribu. Begitu menang, kami tahu bahwa Anda tidak perlu khawatir akan pergi tanpa henti-hentinya. Minta maaf, Malcolm, sebuah perlengkapan flamboyan di adegan blackjack, memenangkannya dalam waktu sedikit lebih dari setahun. Sayangnya, rekan setimnya kehilangan 100.000 pada tahun yang sama. QuotWoody, quotor quota memenangkan 140.000 masa pakai, dan telah menghemat 160.000 kuota (Woody juga telah berinvestasi dalam memenangkan bank.) Telah memenangkan 160.000, dan saya telah menghemat 1.40.quot Selama bertahun-tahun, bankroll semakin besar, dan fluktuasi Lebih besar juga Namun, seratus ribu itu seratus ribu. Pada akhir 1980-an, permainan terhebat di dunia sedang ditangani di Korea. Kasino Walker Hill di Seoul cukup sopan, dan pada umumnya tidak akan menghalangi Anda sampai Anda bangun dari meja, tapi barlah yang mereka inginkan. Setelah dilarang, mengingat bahwa orang lain di kasino itu orang Asia, sulit untuk menyelinap kembali ke pintu dan berbaur. Sebuah tim teman dan keluarga membuat diri mereka dilarang, tapi salah satu dari mereka menghasilkan ide bagus. Sebagian besar pengunjung Walker Hills adalah orang Jepang. Diperkirakan bos Korea tidak akan pernah bisa memerankan pemain Jepang. Mengapa tidak merekrut beberapa orang Jepang, dan melatih mereka sebagai Gorilla BPs Mengapa tidak melakukan ini dengan baik sehingga satu setengah tahun kemudian, pada musim semi tahun 1988, Walker Hill membatasi penyebaran taruhan salah satu pemain kami (Rocky, the Worlds Greatest BP ), Dan juga mengubah peraturan yang telah membuat tempat itu begitu menarik. Jadi pada bulan Mei 1988 saya terbang ke Pusan, Korea, untuk mencoba Paradise Beach Casino untuk ukurannya. Meskipun saya telah memanggil drama untuk tim selama lebih dari setahun, ini adalah pertama kalinya saya di Korea bersama saudara laki-laki saya, Pro21. Setelah akhir pekan yang dramatis (lihat akun Pro21 di tempat lain dalam edisi ini untuk rinciannya), dia terbang kembali ke Amerika Serikat, sementara saya kembali ke Seoul untuk berkeliaran di sekitar apartemen tim. (Satu cara yang baik untuk dipekerjakan untuk perjalanan berikutnya, dengan memilih PC lepas lainnya (bermain penelepon), sudah berada di sana, 8000 mil jauhnya, yang menghemat tiket pesawat tim.) Setiap beberapa minggu, sepanjang musim panas, satu detik PC akan tiba, BP di belakangnya. Kami bermain dari Jumat malam sampai Minggu sore, karena kasino itu kosong selama seminggu. PC perlu tidur beberapa jam di antara shift, tapi kami mengerjakan tugas berat tanpa henti. Rocky mengatur catatan: 39 jam di meja dalam periode 44 jam. Hanya satu alasan lagi dia adalah BP Terbesar di Dunia. Akhirnya datang sebuah perjalanan dimana terjadi hal buruk. Kasino memutuskan bahwa Rocky menang terlalu banyak, dan menelepon Walker Hill untuk melihat apakah mereka mengenalnya. (Mungkin tidak membantu hal itu bahwa bos Yakuza yang pernah saya jalani di Seoul kehilangan 50.000 orang bermain dengan kami suatu sore, dan mulai menjerit bahwa itu semua adalah kesalahan Rockys karena dia mengutipnya seperti orang Amerika) Tidak lama setelah mereka bertahan Menelepon, dari Rocky terbatas pada penyebaran taruhan 100.000 300.000 won. (Sekitar US150-450, dengan batas tabel dua juta won). Untuk ukuran yang baik, mereka membatasi saya juga. Tapi aku hanya bertaruh seratus ribu wonquot quotDoesnt matter. Mulai sekarang, 100.000 sampai 300.000.quot Itulah akhir dari itu, pikirku, sampai sebulan kemudian sebuah telepon memberitahukan bahwa PC dan BP akan tiba di akhir minggu ini. QuotWhere kita akanquote quotPusan. quot quotNot with mequot Apakah saya benar-benar telah dilarang Yah, tidak juga, tapi saya yakin kasino tidak akan mentolerir saya. QuotYoull akan bekerja dengan Darryl. Dia belum pernah ke Pusan ​​tahun ini. Dan, Anda akan memiliki BP baru. Dia tidak pernah berada di sana. Dia tidak pernah ada dimana-mana. Tidak pernah berada di kasino dalam hidupnya. Bagaimanapun, tidak ada orang lain yang bisa diutus. Pertanyaan Dan Jumat malam, sementara Steve, BP baru kami, melapor ke Pantai Paradise, dan Darryl masuk ke kamar kami di seberang jalan di Green Pantai (hanya 40 malam), saya membuka sebuah meja di casino. quotYou YouYouquot The Shift Manager melambaikan jari di bawah hidung saya saat dia mencoba memikirkan kata bahasa Inggris lainnya untuk meneriak saya. Anda seratus ribu tiga ratus ribu senit Oh, dan karena saya sedang bermain kepala, saya harus bermain tiga tangan sampai seseorang bergabung dengan saya. Sebagai satu-satunya pelanggan, mungkin aku adalah pusat perhatian, tapi karena saya adalah penghitung kartu Amerika yang jahat, saya lebih dari itu. Manajer itu mengumpulkan semua atasan, dan setiap penyalur, menjajarkannya, dan membuat mereka menghafal mukaku, pori pori. Aku tersenyum lemah, dan berdoa keras untuk mendapatkan kartu buruk. Tentu, saya menggambar lebih banyak naturals daripada sesi kehidupan saya. Setelah 45 menit, taruhan datar, saya naik 65 taruhan, sekitar US10, 000. Aku pergi sebelum pergantian shift, 30 pasang mata melotot ke belakangku. Di pagi hari, di akhir pemakaman, saya memasukkan penampilan saya selanjutnya. Cerita yang sama, dialog yang sama, sedikit berbeda cor. Kali ini, saya hanya memenangkan 35 taruhan. Mereka tidak menghentikan saya bermain, jadi sejam kemudian saya kembali untuk shift hari, dan sesi pertama saya bersama BP. Bagi Pemain Besar yang seluruh pengalaman kasinonya terbatas pada sesinya bersama Darryl pada malam sebelumnya, Steve melakukannya dengan cukup baik. Dia tidak cukup berbaur dengan orang Jepang lainnya (mereka semua adalah pemimpin suku Yakuza, dan dia adalah koki sushi), tapi dia mengikuti isyarat dengan baik, tanpa keraguan, atau ketertarikan yang berlebihan pada tangan dan keripik saya. Kami bermain selama 6 jam, dan menang perlahan tapi pasti. Seiring pergeseran, kecepatan meningkat. Pemain lainnya mulai mengikuti taruhan Steves, menekan saat ia menekan, mundur saat ia mundur. Dealer berkewajiban, dengan memutar es dingin. Dia mulai putus, bergandengan tangan. Karena pemain Jepang hampir tidak pernah mematahkan (mungkin itu kartu bust dealer, dan yang lainnya tidak akan pernah memaafkan mereka), semua orang menang. Setelah 6 jam, saya mengirim Steve dari meja. Dengan dia pergi, yang lain segera pergi. Dia telah memenangkan empat puluh setengah juta won. Saya telah mengambil satu juta setengah lagi. Pemain lain yang menumpuk telah menuai dua puluh delapan juta lebih. Meja itu turun tujuh puluh juta, atau hampir persis seperti sihir 100.000. Banyak yang menang terlalu banyak. Tiga bos ada di sana, kerusakannya terlalu berat untuk dikaji. Mereka menatapku untuk bersimpati, dan aku berkewajiban: quotYoure benar Orang Jepang itu adalah pemain paling beruntung yang pernah saya lihat. Mereka mengangguk, terguncang. Keringat meneteskan air mata dari tiga pasang alis. Banyak yang terlalu banyak bicara Swing dan kuburan banyak yang bisa dibicarakan, tapi di pesawat ke Seoul Darryl berkokok. Steve telah memenangkan dua puluh juta won lagi. Kami menghabiskan waktu di Seoul, sementara Steve langsung pergi dari Pusan ​​ke Jepang, untuk mengunjungi keluarga. Jumat depan, kami kembali ke TKP. Steve dan saya melakukan sedikit kerusakan dalam semalam, tapi Sabtu siang, Darryl membawanya ke dua puluh juta kemenangan lagi. Cinta hari itu shift Kami tidak pernah bermain lebih dari satu jam pada Sabtu malam, saat keran datang. Steve dilepas dari permainan, untuk berunding dengan Manajer Kasino sendiri. Sepuluh menit berlalu, lalu dua puluh. Akhirnya, Steve dan bosnya kembali. Steve mencoba untuk tidak menatapku, tapi matanya terus tergelincir ke samping sementara dia mengumpulkan keripiknya untuk pergi keluar. Dia sangat ketakutan. Tentu saja, ini adalah perjalanan pertama anak-anak ke kantor dekan Tap Tap Bos berada di pundakku. QuotYesquot quotI ingin berbicara dengan Anda. Kuota kuota, setelah sepatunya. Tidak, apapun yang ingin dia katakan padaku tidak sabar menunggu. Kami pergi ke kantornya, dan dia sopan, tapi teguh. Aku bukan lagi tamu terhormat Paradise Beach Casino. Bisakah saya pergi ke tempat lain di benua lain, mungkin Kembali ke Seoul, kami membawa Steve berkeliling, dan menunjukkan kepadanya pesona setelan sutra Itaewon dan gadis-gadis bar, yang keduanya bisa disesuaikan dengan kebutuhan hanya 100. Dan Senin pagi, sudah waktunya untuk mengirim Dia pulang QuotHeres 5000. Thats all you can carry out of Korea. quot quotWhat do II do with all this moneyquot quotThe money Saya mengantar Anda tadi malam Untuk belanja, dan aem aneka itu datang ke 350, jadi ketika Anda pergi ke LA, Craig berutang Anda yang lain 1650.quot quotBut apa yang saya lakukan dengan 5000quot Jadi saya jelaskan. QuotWe menang 98 juta won. Olimpiade bulan depan, tapi yang diraih pada steroid. Perdagangannya di bawah 700 sekarang. Anda mendapatkan 5 setelah biaya, yang berhasil mencapai 140.000, jadi akhir Anda adalah 7000. Anda mendapatkan 5.000, ditambah uangnya tadi malam, ditambah apa pun Craig berutang Anda saat Anda kembali. Saya tidak yakin apakah ini yang saya duga ketika mereka menjelaskan Kembali ke LA, mereka tidak mengatakan kepadanya bahwa dia bisa memenangkan banyak uang ini. Sampai sekarang hanya keripik saja. Tiba-tiba, itu uang sungguhan. Apa yang akan kita lakukan ini lagi? "" Baiklah, bicaralah pada mereka saat Anda pergi ke LA. quot Biarkan mereka menjelaskan kepadanya bahwa karir blackjack-nya telah berakhir, hanya satu setengah minggu setelah dimulai. Mungkin singkat, tapi saya yakin Steve akan menerima berita itu seperti seorang profesional. Lagi pula, hed memenangkan hidupnya seratus ribu. Tommy Hyland Kemenangan saya yang paling berkesan mungkin sekitar 15 tahun yang lalu di Atlantic City. Saya adalah bagian dari sebuah proyek besar yang melibatkan 25 - 30 orang dan sebanyak 10 atau 12 pada permainan tertentu. Untuk membuat cerita panjang pendek, proyek ini mengeksploitasi dealer yang berjalan dengan cara tertentu dan kami meminta setiap dealer di tempat itu untuk melihat apakah mereka memenuhi persyaratan kami. Meski game ini sangat menguntungkan mengingat kondisi yang tepat, hanya ada sedikit dealer di setiap kasino yang bisa dimainkan. Kami juga perlu bermain kepala untuk taruhan yang sangat tinggi. Jauh dan jauh, dealer terbaik di kasino ini adalah seorang pria kulit hitam yang besar dan ramah dengan nama quotRosie. quot Sayangnya untuk kami, dia dikuburkan jauh di dalam sebuah meja yang penuh sesak. Dengan demikian, opengroup pembuka kami harus memulai tugas berat untuk membersihkan meja. Tugas mereka adalah untuk membuat semua pelanggan reguler keluar dari meja, lalu pergi bersama-sama tanpa sepatah kata pun yang tidak biasa. BP kami, yang telah membuktikan dirinya sebagai pengisap besar, kemudian akan datang dan meminta agar meja kosong ini dijadikan permainan pribadi. Quotopenersquot kami melakukan banyak hal untuk mendapatkan pemain reguler dari tabel target kami. Beberapa contoh yang saya ingat adalah: (1) mereka akan membuat komentar kasar yang mengkritik permainan pemain reguler, lalu membagi diri mereka sendiri dan tertawa jika penyalur membuat tangannya dan menyapu meja. (2) Kami minum cerutu dan pakaian khusus yang sangat busuk. (3) Pelanggan yang sangat keras kepala biasanya tidak akan mendapatkan minuman yang tumpah pada mereka. Sebagian besar waktu kami menjadwalkan permainan, karena satu dan lain hal, kami gagal mendapatkannya. Banyak kali menikah memiliki 10 atau lebih orang menghabiskan 4 atau 5 jam dan semua menikah mendapatkan untuk usaha kita akan cukup banyak EV negatif. Tapi pada malam ini, segalanya berjalan dengan baik. Kami berhasil merebut meja, menekan BP kami, lalu menang sekitar 140.000. Kami telah mengalahkan Rosie sebelumnya untuk beberapa kemenangan berukuran sedang sehingga kami pikir mengantri menunggu beberapa saat sebelum mencoba untuk memainkannya lagi. Tapi kami tidak pernah mendapat kesempatan. Ketika proyek kami berakhir sekitar 6 bulan kemudian, dia masih berada di tempat yang semaksimal setiap malam sejak kemenangan besar kami THE BIG ENAM WHEEL. Kehilangan saya yang paling berkesan adalah di awal tahun 80an. Saya baru saja bergabung dengan empat orang yang sangat tajam yang mengajari saya untuk mengacak-acak lagu. Mungkin karena saya sudah agak terkenal di komunitas blackjack saat ini, mereka tidak membuat saya melakukan pengujian ketat yang bisa dilakukan oleh seorang rekrutan baru. Mereka cukup banyak menunjukkan beberapa barang dan membuatku kehilangan. Saya telah memenangkan cukup banyak uang dalam karir saya sejauh ini hanya menghitung langsung, jadi bayangkan betapa saya akan menang sekarang karena saya adalah seorang pembalap SHUFFLE yang saya ikuti ke Fremont, di semua tempat, dan di tempat 5 Atau 6 hari, saya berhasil menurunkan 75.000 atau 100.000. Bos Fremont gembira dengan nasib baik mereka, tapi agak bingung mengapa orang kaya seperti saya memilih Fremont untuk berjudi, bukan di tempat yang sedikit lebih bagus seperti Istana Caesars atau MGM. Saya menjelaskan bahwa saya lebih memilih tempat kecil yang ramah seperti Fremont dimana saya diperlakukan seperti seseorang yang spesial. Sementara mengelola untuk mempertahankan penampilan di Fremont, saya hancur karena kerugian saya meningkat, terutama karena saya ingin menang untuk rekan tim baru saya. Mereka telah menunjukkan banyak kepercayaan pada diri saya dan saya membalasnya dengan catatan kerugian. Sayangnya untuk Fremont, tepat pada saat mereka mungkin merencanakan kemewahan untuk menghabiskan rezeki nomplok mereka (mungkin furnitur ruangan dengan kenop yang masih terpasang atau bola lampu yang benar-benar memancarkan cahaya), air pasang berpaling. Saya memenangkan uang saya kembali dan telah berhasil terus memenangkan beberapa dolar di tahun-tahun sejak saat itu. Darryl Tujuan Pada musim dingin tahun 1983 tim blackjack saya sedang bereksperimen dengan teknologi baru. Ini melibatkan komputer, tersembunyi di sepatu kami, dioperasikan oleh jari kaki kami. Komputer ini didukung oleh baterai lithium yang terikat pada pergelangan kaki kami dan dihubungkan oleh kabel yang mengalir melalui selangkangan kami. Kami memberi tahu komputer kartu apa yang sedang dimainkan dan bagaimana tepatnya deknya dikocok, dan komputer memberitahu kami berapa banyak untuk bertaruh dan bagaimana memainkan tangan melalui tapper di dasar kaki kami. Karena saya cukup terkenal di Nevada saat itu kami perlu mengecek keampuhan sistem di tempat lain. Mungkin kita juga bisa menghasilkan sedikit uang. Itulah yang membawa kami ke Leicester, Inggris. Masalahnya dengan kami berjudi di kasino di Leicester adalah tidak ada alasan yang baik untuk orang yang tidak tinggal di sana pada bulan Februari. Wisatawan. Hampir tidak ada cover cover sell di mid-England yang dingin. Penjudi rekreasi Mengapa tidak pergi ke Las Vegas satu jam dari rumah kita dengan pesawat Saat ditanya, apa yang dua orang Amerika lakukan di Leicester pada Februariquot yang kita katakan, quotAh. Memainkan festival rakyat di Enderby. Dan ah Mengunjungi factoryware SOCK (Ya, itu) Ada dua kasino di Leicester saat itu. Annabelles adalah orang yang akhirnya kami mainkan. Saat kami mulai menang, mereka mulai berkeringat. Itu adalah kemenangan kecil (sekitar 10.000) tapi tampaknya cukup bagi Annabelles untuk mewaspadai permainan kami. Ketika kami berhenti dan mencoba untuk menguangkan chip kami, mereka mengatakan kepada kami bahwa mereka tidak memiliki banyak uang dan meminta kami untuk kembali keesokan harinya. APA. Ini luar biasa dalam semua tahun-tahun kita bermain di bawah PERNAH pernah diminta untuk kembali keesokan harinya dan mengambil kemenangan kita Ketika kita menimbulkan bau busuk, mereka menawarkan untuk memberi kita cek. KANAN. Kami menyimpan chipnya. Kami tidak tahu apa yang harus dibuat dari quotdont yang memiliki cerita tunai itu mungkin memang benar, atau mungkin mereka ada pada kami dan akan memberi kami waktu yang sulit untuk mendapatkan uang kami. Kami berbicara panjang dan keras malam itu tentang strategi yang benar keesokan harinya dan akhirnya memutuskan untuk mengenakan komputer ke kasino. (Sebenarnya, saya memakai komputer Nicholas, yang merupakan pemain kelas dunia dengan haknya sendiri, hanya mengawasi kemajuan konsep komputer bagi para investor di Las Vegas.) Rencana kami adalah Id Cash mengeluarkan chip dan Nicholas akan duduk di meja blackjack dan melihat apakah ada unsur penting dari permainan itu yang berubah. (Mereka punya) Jika semuanya sudah dingin, kita mungkin sudah bermain lagi. Sebelum kami masuk ke dalam kasino, saya melihat selembar kertas di dalam mobil dengan catatan dari sesi sebelumnya di kasino-kasino Inggris lainnya. Bukan jenis penjudi kasual yang ada. Aku melipatnya dan memasukkannya ke dalam pembungkus kacang. Ini ternyata menjadi langkah yang bagus, dan keputusan untuk memakai komputer ternyata PERFECT, karena kakiku (di mana komputer itu) adalah satu-satunya tempat yang mereka tidak akhirnya mencari Jadi kami berjalan ke kasino yang Nicholas tuju Meja dan saya pergi ke kasir. Seorang pria meminta saya untuk ikut dengan dia, dia punya beberapa pertanyaan. Diminta datang ke ruang belakang telah banyak terjadi di Nevada dan tempat lain, dan tak terduga. SEBAGIANNYA, bagaimanapun, kami TIDAK memiliki perangkat elektronik yang mungkin ilegal di tubuh kami. (Kami tidak tahu bagaimana sistem hukum memperlakukan komputer. Mungkin tidak ada preseden, tidak ada undang-undang, seperti LSD di tahun 60an.) Kami berharap TIDAK tahu apa-apa tentang legalitasnya dalam perjalanan ini. Kami telah memutuskan bahwa jika kita berada dalam situasi ini dengan komputer di tubuh kita, kita tidak akan mengatakan apapun dan meminta untuk menemui seorang pengacara. Tak lama setelah tiba di ruang belakang, Nicholas, setelah mengetahui bahwa permainan telah diubah, dibawa ke ruangan yang sama. Orang yang membawa saya ke sana melayangkan lencana Scotland Yard Mereka memisahkan kami untuk mendapatkan cerita kami. Istirahat pertama kami adalah kami berdua memutuskan secara independen bahwa lebih baik berbicara dengan Mr. Scotland Yard dan orang-orang kasino. Kami berdua memecahkan kode keheningan dan mencoba membujuk kami keluar dari situ. Manajer kasino bertanya apakah saya seorang penjudi profesional. Saya bilang, quotNo, saya seorang pengusaha kadang-kadang penyanyi rakyat. quot quotWhere Anda bekerja keras dia bertanya. Saya membuat sebuah nama sebuah perusahaan. QuotWhats nomor telepon saya membuat nomor telepon. Dia mengangkat telepon dan memutar nomornya. Saat itulah seorang rekannya masuk ke ruangan dan dia menutup telepon. Ketika percakapan ini selesai dilakukan, Mr. Scotland Yard dan asistennya membawa kami ke mobil kami dan menggeledahnya dengan sempurna, hanya menemukan bungkus kacang yang empuk. Mereka membawa kami ke kamar hotel kami dan mulai melihat-lihat. Mr Scotland Yard melihat kasus gitar saya dia bertanya apakah saya memiliki Tommy Gun di dalamnya. Kita tertawa. Dia tetap melihat. Nicholas dan saya tahu bahwa hanya ada satu hal di ruangan itu yang tidak kami inginkan dari mereka melihat KASUS BRIEF. Kasus singkatnya memiliki baterai cadangan dan catatan kabel dari deck-deck kartu kasino sebelumnya, dan lain-lain. Mereka tampak di mana-mana. Di bawah tempat tidur. Antara kasur. Di bawah handuk di kamar mandi. Nicholas dan aku mencoba untuk tidak melihat kasus singkat itu, dan tidak MENGHINDARI melihat kasus singkat itu. Kami sedang berbicara dengan Mr. Scotland Yard dan asistennya sepanjang waktu. Pada saat mereka selesai melihat ke mana-mana, mereka sedikit banyak berada di pihak kita, bertanya-tanya mengapa Annabelles akan membuat keributan seperti itu karena beberapa orang Amerika memenangkan sedikit uang. Lalu salah satu dari mereka melihat kasus singkat itu dan bertanya, "Apa yang tertulis di sini," Nicholas menjawab. Dia berjalan mendekat dan dengan santai mengangkat penutupnya. Tapi saat itu dia sudah cukup yakin bahwa semua ada di atas dan atas dan tidak melihat kabel yang menatapnya tepat, atau tidak menyangka mereka terlalu memikirkan apa pun. Dia menutup kasus singkat itu dan meminta maaf karena telah mengganggu kami. Kami memberi tahu teman baru kami bahwa itu bukan kesalahan mereka dan selamat hari. Mereka membawa kami kembali ke Annabelles, di mana kasino memberi kami uang tunai untuk chip kami. Kami melompat ke dalam mobil, langsung menuju Dover dan naik feri berikutnya dari Inggris. Dan Paymar Saya sering mendengar cerita tentang seseorang yang memukul royal flushes dari belakang ke belakang, tapi saya belum pernah melihatnya terjadi. Namun, saya telah mengalami dua bangsawan dalam satu sesi latihan dua kali dalam 12 tahun yang telah saya mainkan dengan video poker. Yang pertama ada di Stratosphere. Saya telah memainkan mesin 106 Jacks atau Better selama sekitar dua jam saat saya mencapai kerajaan. Sambil menunggu bayar tangan, saya mulai bermain mesin yang berdekatan. Kira-kira lima menit setelah yang pertama dibayar, saya memukul kerajaan di mesin lain. Pelayan slot sangat ramah dan membayarnya sangat cepat dua kali. Waktu lainnya ada di Plaza di pusat kota Las Vegas. Saya telah bermain Deuces Wild di bar Keno hanya sekitar setengah jam ketika saya tiba di sebuah klub kerajaan di klub-klub. Istri saya sedang bermain di tempat lain di kasino, jadi saya menghubungi dia di telepon seluler kami dan memegangi telepon saya dekat dengan speaker mesin sehingga dia bisa mendengar musiknya. Mereka datang untuk membayar saya dengan cukup cepat, tapi gadis perubahan itu selesai menghitung pada usia 1000. Saya hanya menahan di mana dan berkata, quotWell, jangan berhenti di sana. Baik Baik dia dan petugas slot menatap saya dengan ekspresi bingung, jadi Saya menunjuk ke kaca pada mesin yang bertuliskan, quotWin 1175 untuk Royal Flush tanpa kartu liar. quot Mereka dengan malu-malu mengambil kembali posisi 1000 dan kembali beberapa menit kemudian dengan jumlah penuh. Sementara itu, istriku ikut bergabung dengan saya di bar, jadi saya terus bermain. Kira-kira setengah jam kemudian, saya mendapatkan kerajaan lain di mesin yang sama. Kali ini butuh waktu hampir setengah jam untuk kembali dengan uang itu. Saya menduga mereka sedang meninjau ulang kaset keamanan untuk mengetahui apakah saya mengganggu mesin, tapi tidak ada yang dikatakan. Aku tidak tip juga pada yang satu karena penundaan yang lama. Ada satu contoh lain dari dua bangsawan terkenal. Ini tidak dalam sesi bermain yang sama sebenarnya mereka berada di sekitar lima minggu, tapi yang penting dari mereka adalah mereka datang dengan cara yang sama. Dalam kedua kasus tersebut, saya ditangani dengan x-x-Q-K-A di mana Q-K-A adalah semua klub, dan saya mendapat 10 dan J klub dalam undian dengan nilai sekuensial 12.500. (Ini terjadi di Texas Station pada awal tahun 1996 ketika mereka memiliki bank dengan mesin pembayaran penuh Deuces Wild dengan Royal Reversible mereka.) Kini kerajaan sekuensial sangat langka (sekitar satu dari 60 bangsawan), sehingga mendapatkan satu pun menakjubkan. Untuk mendapatkan dua dalam lima minggu satu sama lain hampir tidak dapat dipercaya. Tapi kenyataan bahwa mereka datang dengan cara yang persis sama pasti membuat seseorang bertanya-tanya. Kedua kali mereka membayar saya tanpa masalah, tapi beberapa hari setelah jadwal pembayaran kedua pada permainan dipotong sesuai jadwal yang umum. Ketika saya kuliah, saya bertemu dengan seorang dokter gigi di sebuah bar pada suatu malam. Selama beberapa pertandingan backgammon dia mengatakan kepada saya bahwa dia baru saja kembali dari Las Vegas. Dia sangat bersemangat karena tidak hanya membayar semua pengeluarannya termasuk penerbangan pesawatnya, tapi dia telah memenangkan beberapa ribu dolar untuk boot. Kukatakan padanya bahwa pada akhirnya kasino itu akan mengeluarkan semua biaya itu, dan uangnya dibiayai. Bukan dari saya mereka biasa. Saya menghitung kartu. quot Ini adalah pertama kalinya saya mendengar tentang menghitung kartu. Bagi seseorang yang senang bermain kartu ini terdengar terlalu bagus untuk menjadi kenyataan. Dia merekomendasikan sebuah buku, Playing Blackjack As A Business, oleh Lawrence Revere, dan keesokan harinya saya memesannya secara khusus di toko buku lokal saya. Setelah buku itu datang saya menghabiskan banyak waktu mempelajari grafik. Saya belajar strategi dasar ke belakang dan ke depan. Turun di ruang bawah tanah saya akan menangani sendiri. Segera saya tahu perbedaan antara strategi dek tunggal dan beberapa deck. Saya tahu tentang quotdouble setelah split, quot dan quotsoft 17.quot Sekarang yang saya butuhkan adalah menunggu ulang tahun saya untuk berusia 21. Ketika ulang tahun saya datang, saya memesan sebuah paket ke Vegas sebagai hadiah untuk diri saya sendiri. Saya akan membelikan saya tiket pesawat dan empat hari tiga malam di Capri Capri yang indah. Flamingo Capri biasa duduk di tempat Istana Kekaisaran sekarang dan tempat itu benar-benar sebuah tempat pembuangan sampah. Saya berusia legal dan tepat di tengah strip. Lihatlah ke Vegas mdash sini aku datang. Di akhir perjalanan saya di depan 220. Saya telah membayar untuk perjalanan dan memiliki beberapa perubahan tersisa. Saya ingat dengan sangat jelas, berpikir, Pak, jika saya bisa melakukan ini hanya dengan strategi dasar, pikirkan saja berapa banyak yang akan saya lakukan ketika saya belajar menghitung mundur, saya melihat kembali sekarang dan menertawakan naif saya, tapi ini adalah saat yang sangat penting dalam hidupku. It caused me to move to Las Vegas after college, and led to my playing professionally for 25 years. Invariably every professional gambler is asked, quotWhats the most youve wonquot or quotWhats the most youve lostquot Im not sure this is the most of either, but this is the story I usually tell. In the late 80s my team was playing a lot in Korea. On one particular trip I was going to play with my brother in Pusan. We arrived on a Friday and that first night after we both played we got back to the hotel room to compare notes. We had won just over 100,000. Elated I called my teammates back in the States and told them we had hit our target on the first night out. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, my brother and I proceeded to lose the entire 100,000 ending up even for the weekend. People might think this was quite a tragedy but in reality this was probably the best weekend I ever had. The reason was because of the way our team was structured. At that time we had a target of 100,000. When the target was hit the money would be split, 50 to the investors and 50 to the players. The players share was based on how many hours each player had played on that bank. Since this was a new bank I was the only player with any hours. (My brother was an employee of the team and worked for a salary.) When I called my teammates on Friday night it meant that I personally had a payday of about 60,000 (including my share as an investor). The 100,000 loss went onto the next bank. All in all it wasnt a bad weekends work. Dustin Marks It seems like a long time ago. I had a lot more hair and a lot less belly. It was a time before all the crap that currently overruns the pits: automatic shuffling machines, biotech, and computers. I was working as a 21 dealer somewhere in the great state of Nevada, and I was doing what I did best: ripping and tearing. All those hours of standing dead at the table gave me time to dream up new methods of making sure the casinos had less money to count. One of my favorite moves I conjured up was a method of stacking an agent a double down hand from a new deck of cards. If there were a Hall of Fame for cheating moves, this masterpiece would definitely be in the running. I always felt stacking a Blackjack from a new deck was too dangerous. Even a pit boss with no electrical activity above the neckline might come out of his comatose state if a player bet the limit and got a snapper on the first round of a new deck. I managed to get on swing shift where it was normal to open a game at the start of the shift. When opening a game, the floorman brings a sealed deck of cards to the table. I would run down the cards and then shuffle. As I shuffled I stacked the double down hand. I would then spread the cards and wait. Now, waiting is not my strong suit. (I think this will bring a hint of a smile across a certain face from the past.) You see if anyone else sits at the table the stack is ruined. I didnt want a square to spoil all my hard work. Human nature is a funny thing. Most squares will not sit down at a game if there are no players. To make sure, I had a look on my face like I was about to projectile puke. (One lady tripped over a chair trying to get away from me. I guess I was convincing). This technique was needed, especially with this agent Im going to tell you about. After what seemed to be an eternity, my agent came to the game. Uncle B was an older gentleman who looked like he was lost. I dont think this was an act. During large team plays, we had to assign someone to watch Uncle B, otherwise he would disappear. There was nothing worse than when we had a play set up and saw Uncle B in the wrong pit as he looked for us. (Well, I guess I exaggerate. Having a little old lady scream, quotHey the dealer didnt shuffle the cards, the uninteresting gentleman is wearing a computer under his jacket, and the guy at the bar is a BP waiting for the signal. quot Yeah, that would be worse) After five years of living in Vegas he would still ask, quotWhere is that damn Dunesquot But this is what made Uncle B such a good BP he was above suspicion. Anyway, Uncle B dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out an enormous wad of C-notes. He made a table limit bet. I shuffled the deck, retained the stack, and set a brief where Uncle B needed to insert the cut card. Even though Uncle B was old, he nailed the brief with ease as he took a drag off his cigarette. To make it look good I asked, quotDo you want to play it or do you want changequot His answer was always the same, quotPlay it dealer. quot I called quotmoney playsquot and a boss waddled over. I dealt, Uncle B turned over his cards, looked disgusted, and went back into his pocket pulling out more hundred-dollar bills. He peeled off 10 C-notes and I dealt him his double down card. I turned my hole card over and hit out to a 20. Perfect. I turned over Uncle Bs double down card, a paint, giving him 21. My fingers danced over to a stack of black chips and I paid him. He gathered up our winnings, looked me in the eye and said as he always said, quotThank you dealer, quot and disappeared into the night. The boss asked, quotDo you know who that wasquot By now I had been whacking the joints long enough to know stupidity was about to rear its ugly head. I looked at him and said, quotNo sir, I dont who that non-toking old fart is. quot The boss gave me a dirty look and retorted, quotHe is one of the best poker players in Vegas. quot Now, Uncle B never played a lick of poker in his life. This is just another example of a boss with a single-digit I. Q. fronting off about something he knows nothing about. So the boss thought old Uncle B is a great poker player taking a one-time shot at the blackjack table. Great I felt like saying to the boss, quotI tell you what pal, you let Uncle B take a shot at my table everyday because he is going to win every time. quot If you ever see some old guy walking around looking lost and if he gets up from a game and says, quotThank you dealer, quot its better than even money thats Uncle B. Tell him Dustin wants to know quotWhere is that damn Dunesquot A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I had read a few books about counting, had the drill down, and with a tiny bankroll, was making a few bucks. I hadnt yet graduated to Blackjack Forum or gotten to know serious blackjack players. It was on a family trip to a Wisconsin water park that, lo and behold, the Native American casino was about three miles from our hotel. Obviously, I had to check it out. The crowded six-deck tables were filled with tourists itching to throw away their money and Wisconsin locals, itching to win the grand prize at the nightly drawing mdash a wheel of cheese. (And they say that the expansion of gambling hasnt brought benefits to the new gaming locales) The first shoe was erratic, winning a few, losing a few. At one point we all have stiffs against the dealers small card, and one of the players stalls the game, announcing one of my favorite idiotic blackjack truisms: Somebody has to take a card or well all lose. Of course, nobody takes a card and we all lose. Oh, well. The count goes up and Im raising my bet after two decks. I catch small cards on my soft doubles and win these hands, keeping me in the game. The count keeps going up, ending with about a 20 running count when the cut card comes out with a deck and a half remaining in the pack. Im about even. The next shoe is more of the same. Im losing a little and the count is still rising. By the end of the shoe, the running count is over 20 again. The third shoe has a constantly rising count again, and halfway through it my wife is ready to go, as Im still losing. quotWe cant leave now, quot I tell her. quotThe true count is 5.quot We keep playing, losing more, and the running count is 25 when this shoe ends. Im starting to get a little suspicious (DUH), but I want to play one more shoe. Once again, theres a constantly rising count, and I keep wanting to play just one more hand to see those high cards that should be coming, but never arrive. I quit playing with a moderate loss (it was only moderate because my stakes were so low then). I stand behind the table and watch the low cards continue until the end of that shoe, and backcount the next shoe, which again has a constantly rising count. I hadnt yet figured out the odds of five consecutive shoes with constantly rising counts, ending over 20, but I told my wife I didnt think they were dealing an honest game. Later, I figure out that this is a one-in-a-million phenomenon in an honest, random game. Three months later I discover the blackjack publications, and read reports about casinos that have removed many high cards from their shoe games. I guess you do need to know more than just how to count cards. A little knowledge is a profitable thing. Double deck, morning hit-and-run in downtown LV. Play until count is strong, spread real large, and boogie. Im going to hit six or seven casinos in about an hour and a half, and am at a 10 double-deck table at the Fremont. Im spreading from the 10 minimum, hoping to get to a top bet of 120 or even 150. Playing for about 20 minutes with another guy who is betting 100 a hand, and hes losing big time. Soon he starts steaming and bets 200 loses two consecutive hands. Dealer shuffles. I notice the yellow fingernails on the other guy, the three half cigarettes in the ash tray, and the one live cigarette. Still, he lights another cigarette. After the shuffle, the steamer comes out with 300 cash. quotMoney plays, quot and he loses. Three hundred in cash again, and he loses that hand. Four hundred cash and he loses, then another 400 loss. Then two more losses at 500 each. Finally he empties his wallet of the last 600 and puts it in the betting square. At this point, there is about one deck left, a plus count of 4 or 5, probably the last hand before the shuffle. I put out a bet of 125. The steamer gets a pair of aces, I get two small cards, and the dealer has a 5 up. He looks at his pair of aces, looks at the dealers 5, and asks to go to get some more money. quotWherequot asks the dealer. quotAt my hotel, quot the steamer says, quotits just across the street. quot The dealer says, quotThat will take too long, and I cant wait. Youll have to play the hand. quot My mind is racing. Splitting aces against a 5 has an advantage of over 60 under normal circumstances. At a count of 5, that has to be close to70. quotWAITquot I scream in a voice that feels like they can hear it in the Horseshoe, Golden Nugget, and Four Queens at the other three corners of this intersection. I turn to the Steamer, and say, quotYou dont want to hit that 2 you need it to be an eleven. Split the aces and I I will buy one of them. quot He looks at the dealer and the pit boss, who came running over when she heard me shouting. The dealer shrugs his shoulder, the pit boss winces, and I take 600 out of my wallet and put it next to the Steamers 600. Time slows down in my mind. The dealer splits the Aces, and kisses each one with paint. I play out my hand, and the dealer busts. 725 profit on one hand. I love this town Abbot Avarissa: Once upon a Time, the good Sister Statistica and I made a Pilgrimage to the Shrines of Fortune in the Land of Tunica. At one Point I went into the High-Stakes Chapel at Ballseys to prey. I knew the Sister was in the Casino, but our Plans had been rather vague as to just what we would do there. As I was initially the only Preyer in the whole Chapel, the Pit Viper. Thou knowest the one who looketh as though he doeth naught but lift weights when he is not leaning against the Offering Table. was scrutinizing my every card as I preyed at DD. Needless to say, there was not much I could do to play to Advantage. Suddenly, the Sister appeared and approached the Single Deck Game right behind his Back. She portrayed the very Image of Imbecility, calling the Cards beforehand, babbling constantly etc. The Pit Vipers Attention was focused entirely on me, however, and I could tell that this most admirable Nun perceived this Fact also. Consequently, as I could see out of the Corner of Mine Eye, she proceeded to start spreading multiple Green on Multiple Hands, collected her Reward of about 400 in five minutes, and left, as I did also shortly thereafter when some Ploppies arrived.9I had always suspected that the Church had established Sexism for some good Reason. Now I know why.9 Bill Haywood: Choosing my most memorable win is easy its the one that launched my career as an online gambler. Like most land-based counters, I had heard of Internet casinos but remained highly suspicious. Then one day on impulse, I surfed a wave by the name of Omni Casino, which offered a 20 cash bonus for a 20 deposit. Coming to terms with the likelihood of loss, I whipped out a credit card and gave them the number. The first few hands were wins, so I increased the bets. Rather quickly, five dollar bets became ten, then quarters, and soon even a few hundred dollar bets. A 20 experiment suddenly involved real money. The balance ran up to more than 1,000, then I cashed out after dropping back to 900. Well that was amusing, but money does not drop from the sky. Not expecting to ever see such a huge sum, I kept no vigil at the mailbox. But lo, about two weeks later, an envelope from some place called Cryptologic in Canada showed up, and in it was a 900 check that did not bounce. Hmmm. From there, I began seriously pursuing bonuses offered on the Internet and regularly found offers of 20 on a 1,000 deposit, and even more. A basic strategy blackjack player can last a long time before using up a 20 edge. As long as one can stop playing before going broke, it was genuinely easy money. I eventually raked in tens of thousands of dollars and got a book out of it. A pretty good win My worst gambling experience also involved the Internet, but it was truly surreal. Based on the exposure of my book, I was solicited to join an online sports betting team headed by a person I will call Cabron (a Spanish word). I had previously heard of the individual and some material written by him revealed a very mathematically oriented mind, hopefully interested in long-term gain through collaboration rather than quickie ripoffs. The team made money from the bonuses offered by sports books, and from arbitrage betting. Arbitrage bets are placed when two sportsbooks offer different odds on the same game betting both sides can gain a modest profit. The more sportsbooks with deposits, the more opportunities there are for comparing lines, hence it lends itself to team play. Another source of team profits was referral bonuses. Books routinely give you a 10 bonus on the deposits of friends you refer. An important implication of this is that team members became known as associates of Cabron. Anyway, I took the plunge and joined up. Coordination required a great deal of time on the phone, but things moved along. Team members money quickly became intermingled, my money going through Cabrons account, his coming through mine or another teammate. I received and cashed checks. After a time, we began having trouble getting paid by a couple of places, Ill call them book Red and book Yellow. As luck would have it, the wind blew lots of the arbitrage money into my account in Yellow Book. There was 14,000 of team money in the account, 10,000 was my share. We believed the books simply had cash flow problems, so whomever squeaked the loudest would get a partial payment from time to time. Requesting withdrawals became a chore, requiring real inventiveness to get past the phone answerers, and even then it was just a variation of quotI promise the check really will go out this time. quot A disaster, but also something that comes with the territory. Before moving further into this Byzantine tale, you must know that different online sportsbooks often get their software from the same developer. Our slow-paying sports books Red and Yellow were such an example. They had entirely different owners, but they were both beholden to the same software firm, and it held the plug. The software company also handled the sportsbooks cash processing. More time and phone calls passed into the void. The next development was that Red Book was bought up by a bigger company. This was good news. Books usually slow-pay because they are broke, so a new owner would hopefully pay off the scores of people stuck in Red. Meanwhile, Yellow Book still wasnt paying. After weeks of our bothering them, Cabron up and called one day to say that Yellow had flatly told him they would never pay. That was odd. Not that theyd rip us off, but that theyd say so. According to Cabron, the software company had ordered Yellow not to pay us. quotWhat was the reason they gavequot says I. Cabron mumbled something about chargebacks and changed the subject. This set my antennae tingling. Chargebacks are the bane of online gambling mdash its when a customer tells the credit card company not to pay a merchant, for one reason or another. Banks routinely agree to do this on transactions that do not have hard-copy signatures, i. e. phone and net. This is probably the single biggest expense to online gambling houses. I recalled that some time previously, Cabron had mentioned that Red Book (before it was sold) was so hopeless, hed have to do chargebacks. (This wasnt an option in Yellow Book. Western Union.) Suspicious about what was going on, I began asking Cabron a series of questions. These queries came days apart, popping up one-at-a-time in the middle of other subjects. It went something like this: Blah, blah, blah, quotoh by the way, how much were the chargebacks to Red Bookquot 26,000 was the answer. That was all the deposits he had made in a year-and-a-half, possibly understandable under the circumstances, but still far more than what he was owed. After a time, another nonchalant question, quothow did that Red Book business end up, did they ever payquot He said yes, the new owners paid in full. A couple weeks later, the clincher: quotdid you stop those chargebacks to Red Bookquot quotNo. quot Now it was out. The reason the software company demanded that Yellow Book freeze the funds was because Red Book had been ripped off for an astounding 26,000. Yellow Book was holding 10,000 of mine because Cabron never reversed the chargebacks. I was a known associate of Cabron and they assumed it was all his money and I was just a beard. As an old-time Tammany boss of Manhattan once said, quottheres honest graft, and theres dishonest graft, quot and this was definitely the latter. He made a 26,000 score, screwed up the rest of the team, and was refusing to take responsibility for it. On top of that, I was now thoroughly blacklisted casinos refused my deposits and it was all Cabrons fault. quotI know, quot he said, quotand Im deeply, deeply sorry. quot Well, that certainly clarified the situation. The only alternative was militant action, which wasnt worth it, and might not work. (The one upside was that my household got a new catch-phrase: quotWhat My dishes have gone so long that they stink Im deeply, deeply, sorry. quot) But the weird part is still coming. A few weeks later, the software company that froze my funds was sold. The new management told Yellow Book that its accounts were its own, and it could make its own decision on seizing money for Red Book. Ting, magic. Yellow began taking my calls again and cheerfully worked out a process for paying. Their finances were tough and the money did not come all at once, in fact it took awhile. But amazingly enough, I eventually got back the entire 10k. So much for the chargebacks being an excuse to steal funds. In the end, I did not lose a cent in the whole project, in fact, I came out 1k ahead. The only costs were the hours and hours of my life span and a pound of flesh. And I am still blacklisted. Me, Bill Haywood, the guy who literally wrote the book on Internet gambling, has been almost completely driven from his chosen sub-profession. There you have it, two tales of winning and losing, neatly bookending the rise and collapse of an Internet gambling career. Although this involved the Internet, not land blackjack, it has a lot to say about team play in general. The same issues of trust, honor, and bizarre mishaps come into play in a blackjack team. The problem is not that an associate may disappear out the back exit presumably anyone who can count can avoid the crudest thieves. Whats needed are partners who remain trustworthy during disasters. Honesty is easy when everyones making money, the real test of character is how a person reacts when the unpredictable calamity strikes, and it is certain to. Team gambling presents an odd irony. The whole activity is devoted to grubbing as much filthy lucre as possible, but comity requires members who value their connection to other human beings far more than money. When a meteor strikes, are your colleagues likely to remain open and free of artifice, or will they turn inward, submerging themselves in a monologue of self-serving rationalizations Some character flaws do not show up right away. Watch for tells, and fold early. Anthony Curtis Biggest Win: Ive had a number of big single-day wins due to my heavy participation in tournaments in the 80s and 90s. Tournaments are very high-variance endeavors, which lead to lots of small - and medium-range losses, while you wait for a few gonzo wins that make up for them. The biggest of those wins, for me, came in a crap tournament at Caesars Palace in Atlantic City. I believe the entry-fee was 2,500, and live-money buy-ins were 1,500 per round. This wasnt one of those tournaments during which I felt particularly in control of the situation. I played relatively non-spectacularly through the qualifying rounds, and barely squeaked through the semis for a spot on the final table. The buy-in at the last table was 2,500 and there were 12 players. To throw a little wrinkle into things, a Caesars boss came up to me minutes before the start of the final. He told me theyd just realized that I was a professional tournament player (not one of the high-roller suckers they actually hope to attract to these things), and that thered been discussion of disqualifying me. As it was, I would be allowed to play, but I would be watched closely for potential rules infractions. No real problem, since I had no intention but to play by the rules. The more worrisome matter was that another pro whod made the finals had drawn a very favorable (for him) position two to my left, a positional advantage that is enormous in this game. It turned out to be one of the most ramming sessions Ive ever been involved in. This was my first dice final with honest-to-goodness high-rolling dice shooters. While I had the minimum 50 on the line, six or seven of the others were betting 500-1,200 per roll. Bankrolls skyed and plunged, and I just hung around waiting for the end to make a decisive move. But something I hadnt counted on occurred: As we got closer to the end, the betting actually escalated. I was behind nine or ten players, and everyone was betting, everywhere. There was no way to get money onto the table where it wouldnt correlate with at least one person who already had more than I. We reached the end of the tournament it would continue only until the next seven-out. I was sweating hard, trying to concoct a way to have a chance. Chips were everywhereplace bets in front on the numbers, bets behind the numbers looking for the seven-out. I was amazed at this point to see that one small escape hatch had materialized: There was almost nothing on the 8. I took everything in my rack and loaded up on the 8 alone. The 8 came. I now had one shot to win by betting my entire bankroll against the 7. The pro to my left had more money and could have mimicked me. He paused, then went the other directiona correct move on his part, in that any non-seven would have given him multiple chances to win on subsequent rolls. Me I was left with my one chance and it came through when the 7 rolled. I had needed the 8 then 7, in precisely that ordera 1 in 30 shot. It happened, and I took down the prize of 125,000, my biggest single-day win (to date). Just an aside. The Caesars exec turned the color of a rotting grapefruit and ran up to me yelling about reviewing the tapes or something. I fired back with something equally foolish, Im sure. The guy who played next to me didnt have a clue about what was happening, and couldnt figure out what I was so upset about. quotChill out, man, quot he said. quotYou just wonquot Biggest Loss: This also occurred in the tournament arena, and also in Atlantic City. I had been pulled out of tournament semi-retirement to play a particularly juicy baccarat tournament with a 1 million first prize. Those doing the pulling were my tournament teammates of earlier years. As always, we would each enter and play separately, but pool results at the end. This, of course, greatly smooths the fluctuations in this very risky mode of gambling investment. I played well in this one, but an unlikely result bumped me from the finals on the last hand of the semis. I wasnt too demoralized, as teammates had made the final. Baccarat-tournament finals are long-running affairs, but it appeared to be over. One of my teammates had a lead that seemed insurmountable. For one of the few times in my career, I was ready to celebrate before the last hand. After all, there is a certain point at which probability provides the sort of cushion that allows you to feel safe in projecting a result. This was one of those times. A co-investor and I left the area for a nearby bar to toast what looked like a six-figure day for us both. We banged a few Heinekens and partied it up out of sight of the tournament gathering. When we decided to return, we were surprised to see a huge crowd surrounding the playing area. That was a bad sign, and sure enough, our player had been caught. I dont remember what I was later told, but the opponent had won something like 12 out of 14 bets. And since he was seated directly to the left of our player, his bets were all placed on an opposing side, resulting in max-bet gains (one sides win coupled with the others loss). What was amazing was that this player still had to win his last three bets to win the tournament. I watched in amazement as he did that. The sure million dollars turned into the 100,000 second place prize, and even though I still profited, my win came to less than 2,000. Having already pocketed the winners share in my head, it was a turn of events that seemed every bit the same as an actual loss of more than 100,000. I arrive in Las Vegas about 11:00 pm from the East and am pretty tired. On the agenda for tonight is to meet a team mate to pick up some cash and hit the sack. I take a taxi to his hotel, we talk for a while and its well after midnight (3:00 AM eastern) when I leave his room. Problem is Im kind of itching to play. As I am walking through the casino and talking myself into going to bed I spot a fresh shoe with a true count of 2. Its crowded but I squeeze into the last two spots and sit down. The shoe goes very positive and soon Im betting my max bet 2x1000. Happily two other players leave. This identity is only one trip old and has little play. This seems good to the bosses as I start winning steadily and they seem cool and send in a host. I really start winning and laying on the act. A small crowd gathers at this 5 table. The bosses love me too. Luckily there is now only one other player, a nice older Asian woman who is losing steadily but seems to be enjoying my winning. A couple others try to jump in but I ask them to wait and they acquiesce. Boom, boom, boom it goes and I win the last round with two blackjacks. The crowd goes wild. I walk with 17,000 plus on a 600 buy-in. Not a bad way to start a trip. Back in 1999 my buddy Calvin in Chicago was watching the Sting one night, and saw the famous past post scene. He lost track of time, and frantically phoned in a bet to his offshore. He got down on his over on the Lakers, and as they were confirming his over 201 bet, to his horror he turned the game on to see a 0-0 score 1:10 into the game. You guessed it 101-99 final. Calvin had seen the light. No more handicapping was going to occur It was past post city. For the next three weeks, every night Calvin was on the Internet pounding on the refresh button at Yahoo sports. He also was frantically switching channels on his NBA package. All to get a game with 2 missed shots to start the game (UNDER) or 2 shots made (OVER). He expected to hit around 54 with this strategy. And 54 he hit, with wild fluctuations. But storm clouds appeared. Calvin was talking slower and slower on the phone, stalling right as the games tip off. Also, he would start cursing if a foul was called right after tipoff robbing him of any information. Calvin would even past post while driving by listening to the game. Every now and then he would get confused and bet the wrong team while handling a conversation, the road, and two games on the radio switching back and forth Really, it was his driving that suffered. This place does not let Calvin bet anymore nor do they let people bet after the game starts. How much did Calvin win Just enough to pay for his extensive car bills after wrecking his car while confirming a Bulls under bet. Most devastating losses for Cizef: 1. 1996 USC 7.5 vs. Arizona State. I had gotten a bizarre mistake line from a Casino and bombed it in all weekend. I was looking at winning over 10k on this game. Imagine my pleasure at seeing the game had gone to overtime. Now, in the back of my mind I new the College game had just gone to a new OT format, but so what if it didnt end in a tie I had 7.5 points for God sakes. Circle the winner I remember seeing a Az St 42-35 OT score on the news, and laughing at all the guys who went down with USC at 6 to 6.5, and I had 7.5. OH YEAH On sports center that night I saw 48-35 OT final score on the ticker, and laughed at it. Those idiots They couldnt run bingo night at the Senior Citizen Center. You cannot win by 13 in OT Oh yes, you can. In college each team gets the ball once in OT. ASU got their TD and extra point, and then USC got their chance. The 42-35 OT score I had seen was an OT score, NOT a final OT score Flushed in the pocket the USC QB heaved the ball downfield. Incomplete pass. Except a Sun Devil (aptly named mascot) picked it up and ran 70 yards. And amazingly the zebras ruled it a fumble for the 6 point play the other way. Good bye winnings. Deal with the loss instead 2. 1998. Buffalo 3.5 NE (another outlaw line). Buffalo got hit with about 3 questionable late calls but was still up 4 with 1 minute to play. I HAD IT Except on the LAST PLAY of the game with time expired, NE got into the endzone. NE 23-Buf 21. Final. Final By rule, even with time expired an NFL team must line up for the extra point. Big deal I think. Kick that ball out of the stadium, it only counts 1 point. But I start worrying when I see ONLY the NE players coming out of the locker room. The beaten Billies are not going to show. What the heck is going to happen. The snap goes to the holder who is confused. He flips the ball to the kicker who will obviously take a knee. No, he is running parallel to the goal line and is just going out of bounds. YESSSSSSSS. TIDAK. He turns at the last minute and goes in unmolested (there wasnt a Bill within 200 yards after all). 2 point conversion. New England 25. Buff 21. LOSER. amazingly the next year at home vs. Buff NE was a 3 point favorite. I searched that weekend and could not find a 3.5 or -2.5. NE won by 3 exactly. The most I ever won in a single session was 60,000 at Caesars Tahoe, on a two hour break from the slopes, in the early 90s. Of course, that was on the heels of a 50,000 bad run the night before, but the net for the weekend was still 10K. And, as luck would have it, I got barred the next time I stayed there, not for my blackjack skills, but for being a total hog with comps. I was flying into Reno, ready to catch a limo to the lake, when I saw an old chum on the plane. We were frat bros from UNLV whod shared many a not-so-rememberable evening together in our youths and we hadnt partied with each other for a couple decades, so I invited him up for a night of revelry. We decided that wed just hang in the top-of-the-tower suitecomplete with roman columns, toilets nicer than most peoples homes, twelve TVs, the worksand had a champagne tasting festival. The two of us, count em two, had five bottles of the best they had, including Crystal Pink, Dom, and other stuff that wed never heard of that cost 500 a bottle, along with several platters of cracked crab claws, cold lobster and such and ran up an FampB bill over 2,500, which they tacked on top of the 1,250 suite. He left the next morning and I was in no shape to test my luck on the tables so I waited to dry out and got a call from a nephew in Reno who told me hed gotten married the night before. So I invited him and his bride up for dinner at Le Posh (no kidding, that was the real name of their Gucci gourmet room). We strolled in and were met by the Maitre D, who knew me well. I told him that my nephew (a 23 year-old blue collar kid, by the way) was on his honeymoon and we wanted quotone of everything and dont worry about the cost. quot He smiled as I slipped him a mallard and the waiters started to bring it on. The sommelier brought a bottle of Crystal and asked us if wed like to sample the Louis XIV brandy, which in those days was going for 75 a pop. I nodded and he cracked open a new bottle and slowly poured an ounce into a Baccarat crystal snifter, warmed it with his hands and presented to the youngster. He tossed it down in one gulp and exclaimed quotright tasty, quot so I had them leave the bottle, which we polished off between two more bottles of champagne. Im not sure what the bill was, or what we did the rest of the night, but the next morning my host called and said quotMr. R, were going to have to see some play before you can have any more comps. quot quotNo problem, quot I said. quotJust let me sober up a bit and Ill be right down. quot About five minutes later the shift boss called me and said, quotWeve been looking at you account, and wed prefer that you not play blackjack here anymore. Of course, youre welcome to play. yada, yada, yada. quot (My lifetime win on their single decks was pretty strong and my comps were beyond outrageous, even for me). I said, quotNo problem, can I get a limo back to the airportquot and he said quotNo. quot So I packed up, took a taxi back to Reno and flew home, somewhat worse for the wear, but still pretty happy with the weekend. I got a bill for the whole schmear about a week later (I wont even tell you how much, because you wouldnt believe me) and immediately didnt pay it. I called my host, reread the personal invitation hed sent me telling me that I could have quotthe run of the housequot any time I played there and threatened to take him and his bosses to the Nevada Gaming Control Board for false advertising, mail fraud and everything else I could think of if they didnt honor my comp. They did and I never played there again. James Grosjean Summer 1999. I am in Vegas with my buddy, Andy R. He has played with me before, but because he has been spending so much time on a quotlife, quot he is not an experienced enough card player to help me take down this good blackjack game I have downtown. Because the dealer rotation is quotrubberbanded, quot we will have only an hour to crack the game. Fredo is in town playing with Mike R. so on Friday, Fredo and I hit the game for 13,500. Because everyone knows about this game, there is pressure to hit it again soon, while it is still there. Since I have never had heat at this joint, I am still clean as a spotter. We need a new bettor, though. Mike assures me that he is clean as a Big Player there, so the plan is for me to meet Mike at the joint when the graveyard dealers start at 4 a. m. Though we played until about 1 a. m. the night before, Andy and I show up on time at 4 a. m. I see no signs of Mike, so Andy and I sit at the bar to wait and take in the atmosphere. The place is dark, as always. The volume is turned down on the slot machines. As I point out things to Andy, it is as if we are watching a black-and-white movie that we have seen before. The lifeless characters on the screen cannot hear as we discuss their scripted destinies: quotSee that dealer Thats our girl. Shes giving it up to the center seat. See that guy sitting at her table Thats The Acrobat. Hes the first spotter I ever met. quot With that The Acrobat looks over and smiles at me across the casino floor. He is a truly charming man, and the only character in color in this unfolding drama. quotSee the old man sitting by the slot machine over there He knows whats going on he likes to watch. quot The Acrobat looks at me again. He has vacated the center seat, the quotluckyquot seat at this table. He is offering the seat to me. I am honored by his generosity and respect. I shake my head to indicate that I am not going to play, and he slides back to the middle to go to work. I know he isnt going to bet enough to kill the game, so I stick to the plan, which is to wait for Mike to bet this game. After the dealers hour ends, The Acrobat leaves the table, and talks to another player I dont recognize. I see Mike has entered the joint, so I know our game will be on in about fifteen minutes when the dealer returns from break. I walk by The Acrobat, and he says, quotJames, come to the coffee shop. Meet my friend. quot We chat in the bathroom next to the coffee shop. I tell him that I cant join him, because I am going to play the next set. I invite him to come play with us: quotIn about fifteen minutes its going to get really hot in here, but youre welcome to join us. You know the signalsquot He nods, but he doesnt look interested. I think his partner wants to make a run at it, but I sense that The Acrobat wants no part of it. I go back upstairs to the gaming floor. Counting The Acrobat, his friend, Andy, Mike, Old Man, and me, there are six people in this hole in the world, at almost 6 a. m. in the morning, because a dealer is flashing her hole card. The gamblers go about their business of losing money. The bosses go about their business of standing around pretending to know it all. The brooding ambiance is, I think, one of the reasons that counters wax nostalgic about this place. But why anyone would count here is a mystery to me. 6 a. m. Game time. The dealer walks up to a dead 5 table. I immediately take the lucky seat in the center. With military precision, Mike materializes out of nowhere and plops two gray 500 chips in the third-base betting circle. We have the chips from yesterday, so no time is wasted buying in. Immediately, Mike moves to lock down the game: quotCan we make this a 25 tablequot The boss changes the sign. An unknown man sits down to my left in spot 5. He is apparently also registered in the hole-carding convention. A civilian sits down in spot 1, and leaves after a few hands. With an hour or less to work, we cant afford these slowdowns. This is where experience is critical. Mike knows exactly what to do: quotCan we make this a 100 tablequot Again the limit is raised. I am grandfathered in at 5, and Unknown Man is betting 25, his grandfathered level. Andy is standing behind me to the right, and Old Man is standing behind me to the left, so my backside is fully protected. The boss knows Mike on sight, and believes him to be a counter, but we arent afraid of being ratted out, because we have something on this pit critter. The dealers English is weak, so her ability to communicate with her superiors is limited. Unknown Man is apparently unable to intercept my signals to Mike. The table is locked down. It is a perfect game. Mike receives many pat hands, and catches some lucky breaks, and starts pressing his bets. A fill of 4000 in black is brought quickly, but is obviously insufficient to cover our action. Old Man mutters in my ear: quotMake them bring the gray. Theres no limit to how much you can win. This dealer she hates seeing players win. quot The second fill includes the gray 500 chips. As the session nears the end, Mikes bet has reached 4000. The dealer gets tapped out, and we play a few minutes with the new dealer. Mike bets 500 per hand as cover, and is fortunate to receive several pat 20s and a blackjack. When Mike finally loses a hand, he quits, ahead 27,000 after 50 minutes of play. This is the most efficient play I have ever experienced. In 90 minutes over two sessions, we have taken 40,500 off the game. (Mike isnt thrilled to cut Fredo in on the 27,000, but that is the agreement, so we each receive a third of the 40,500. I dont think Mike realizes that if we chop each session half-half, he still would receive 13,500, Fredo would receive 6750, while I would receive 20,250.) I still have some of the chips from that session, just in case. Fall 1999. I am about to embark on a trip overseas for a family get-together. I figure therell be enough time to stop off in Vegas. Theres always enough time. I arrange to meet up with Andy R. a lifelong friend from home. I give him the standard last-minute instruction: quotIf Im not at the airport when you arrive, you know where to find me. quot I hit the Strip a bit before noon and go straight to the table. Sure enough, the game is there. Boy, is it there. I plop my travel bag on the floor and settle in. With a bit of luck, Ill have expenses covered by the time Andy arrives in an hour. Andy would allow me to exceed the table maximum of 500 by adding another spot. Or, if I want to bet less than 500, it will lower my variance to have the action spread over two spots. Andy would also make the play look goodtwo buddies out gambling. In return, he gets a free roll on my bankroll and experience. The real benefit to Andy is the dream vacation in Vegas16 hours a day walking around with me. I have done well at this game in the previous months, and have accumulated 24,00048 white chipsfor this session. My bankroll has grown enough that I am ready to make a run at it. I start slow, feeling out the dealer and the pit with some 100 bets, and creeping up to 200. No problem. I am ahead 1000-1500, but getting anxious, as Andy has not yet arrived. I cant afford to leave the table. To spend an hour picking him up would cost a few hundred dollars in expected earnings, and more importantly, Id probably lose the quotluckyquot seat that I need to spot the hole card. As competence would have it, Andy walks up to the table with his bag. I give him the signal to follow me away from the table, so we can review the game plan: quotOur edge is about 3.48286, but this is a risky game. We can get hurt. Its probably better if I take the risk. quot He agrees that if we lose, I will stomach the entire amount. I dont specify what will happen if we win. At the end of the play, I will give him whatever I consider fair. I am not about to waste time on hypothetical scenarios right now. Enough talk. I slip him four chips to start. I start betting 500 per hand, and he bets 300 per hand for me. We have no cash buy-in, and no player-rating cards. Even with our higher bet level, the dealers style is unchanged. This game is as soft as they come. The boss watches casually from a distance. It is a perfect game. Except that we are losing. And losing. And losing. I keep funneling chips to Andy, and pulling more white ones out of my pocket. After about two hours, the guy in the third-base seat, who has been betting 50-100 per hand, notices that the dealer is handling my payoffs from the center column of the chip rack. He looks over and tells me, quotYoure betting 500 per hand I thought you were betting 5.quot Its no wonder civilians never notice hole-card games. A special host comes to offer us whatever it is that hosts offer. I take her business card, but ignore her otherwise. The shift boss comes through the pit. I can tell from the look in his eyes that he knows nothing about the game. I dont think he even knows whether this is normal or not, but he is more puzzled than concerned. After all, the rack now has an entire extra stack of 10,000 in white chips. But the game is not over. The chips keep flowing into the rack. There is nothing that can be done. The information is perfect. I have had sessions where I have won over 80 bets in this game (but betting only 100). Why couldnt I get that monster session now, when I am betting 800 per roundI dont know what is going through Andys mind. Im sure he is relieved that he agreed to let me take the risk. Im sure he feels some sympathy as he watches my blood flow into the rack. Perhaps he feels the bite of reality. He has heard about some of my losses, but has never witnessed anything other than success at the tables. (Profits from cards should be added to the list that includes sausages and laws.) For my part, I feel a sense of nonsensical inevitabilitythat the only possible outcome of this game is for me to walk away with nothing. I cant say much about the hands, except that the dealer always edges me out, pulling quotmiraclesquot on the last card. When the dealer has weak hands, I cant capitalize. It is the exact misery that everyone who has ever played this game has experienced. As 7 p. m. approaches, the dealers shift is nearing an end, as is my supply of chips. I finally place my last bet, then throw out my last black chip to complete the hand, and lose. I look at the rack. I have made a run at it. Most big losses are accompanied by large cash buy-ins or markers. The strange thing about this session is that I brought all the chips to the table. The rack now holds 24,000 in extra white chips, a poignant reminder of the devastation of the afternoon. I tell Andy to get a quotfreequot room by giving up his ID, while I remain quotMr. Refusal. quot As we walk away from the table, I tell Andy, quotThats why its better that I take the loss. quot John Brahms In Malaysia, I was busy playing overunder 13. On one particular hand, I gave the signal for quotall in, quot which means cover every betting square, including the four not controlled by me or my friend, with table maximum wagers, in order to wager on the overunder for the table max. We had 3000 at risk on the various blackjack hands and 3600 at risk on the overunder. We had a full-time supervisor hawking our table as well as a gallery of customers behind the table because of the large size of our wagers. All hands at the table were stiffs, including the dealer. The dealer hit to 17, then hit again and busted. A very large cheer rose from our table. Then, with the supervisor looking on, the dealer began cutting into the wagers to pay them off. But by the time the dealer got to the second hand, one girl in the gallery exclaimed, quotbut he hit 17quot The dealer looked down, burned the offending extra card, then began sweeping the chips into the tray. My friend unleashed a barrage of the choicest Hokkien swear words known to exist, and the girl slunk away. I lamented the loss of a 6000 dealer error, which would have ranked as my largest ever, and had to get ready for the next round, another quotall-in. quot OneMoreShoe I arrived at my favorite casino and found a seat at a well cut 50 minimum, 6-deck game. The first shoe was uneventful and when the count went south mid-way through, I took a lamer and a restroom break. I came back in time for the next shoe, which was unproductive with a positive count, causing me to lose hand after hand. I was down about 3,000 when the cards finally turned and while spreading to 2 hands of 600 I turned a profit of 400 by the end of the shoe.9 For the next shoe, I had to make a decision to play or not and if I decided to play, what bet should I place for the beginning of the shoe. Since I was only ahead 400 and I only showed my maximum bet for part of one shoe, I decided to play one more shoe, so I came off the top with one spot of 200.9I couldnt stop winning and soon the count was going up as well so I started parlaying and chipping up. I had to surrender one hand along the way and with about half the shoe to go, the remaining players at the table decided to drop out, leaving a high count shoe all to myself I kept on winning and chipping up. On the 3rd hand from the end, I lost an 800 bet, which was my only total hand loss of the shoe. I pushed out another 800 for the next hand and won. I knew that the next round would be the last of the shoe, so I left 800 on the spot. Then said: quotOh what the hellquot for all to hear and added two black chips for a nice even 1,000 bet (the count was Hi-Lo true of 7). As luck would have it, I was dealt an Ace, 2 against the dealer 5 Without hesitation, I slid another pile of 10 black chips out there for the double, knowing full well that I was probably still not a favorite to win and furthermore, figuring that I would grab a 10 to have 2,000 riding on a stiff hand. Of course, I did receive a 10, but the dealer dutifully broke by flipping a 10 in the hole and drawing another 10 I colored up with a 5,800 win in less than three shoes of play, 5,400 coming in one high count shoe of a lifetime Moe Cash: To survive as a card counter with a limited bankroll its critical not to overbet. Once a small casino ran a bonus hour five times a day. Blackjacks paid double any 21 paid three for two, and every conceivable good rule was in force. They used a single deck with strip rules and dealt a fair game. I lost every bonus hour for three days. Then I wanted to show that I was just a gambler. I flat-bet table max (500) for two hours, never leaving the table. Though the rules were good, I didnt deserve to win 59 bets and yes, I still got kicked out. Fluctuation rules. 9824 To learn how much to bet to limit fluctuations and maximize your win rate, see Blackbelt in Blackjack by Arnold Snyder. To run simulations of different betting strategies, we recommend Casino Verite Blackjack Software . To read more about professional gambling experiences, see the Blackjack Forum Professional Gambling Library