1. Qualquer uma de uma grande classe de materiais com propriedades mecânicas e ópticas altamente variáveis que se solidificam a partir do estado fundido sem cristalização, são tipicamente feitas por silicatos que se fundem com óxido bórico, óxido de alumínio ou pentóxido de fósforo, são geralmente duros, frágeis e transparentes Ou translúcidas, e são considerados como líquidos super-resfriados em vez de sólidos verdadeiros. 2. Algo feito de vidro ou outro material transparente ou translúcido, especialmente: a. Um recipiente bebendo. D. Uma janela ou um windowpane. E. A série de folhas de plástico transparente que são garantidos verticalmente acima das placas em muitas pistas de gelo. uma. Óculos Um par de lentes montado em um quadro leve, usado para corrigir a visão com defeito ou proteger os olhos. B. Frequentemente vidros Um binocular ou vidro de campo. C. Um dispositivo, como um monóculo ou espelho, contendo uma lente ou lentes e usado como um auxiliar de visão. 4. A quantidade contida por um copo de beber um vidro. 5. Objectos feitos de vidro de vidro. 1. feito ou consistindo do vidro. 2. Philip, nascido em 1937, compositor norte-americano. Um material transparente ou translúcido que não tem estrutura cristalina e que normalmente quebra ou quebra facilmente. Ele é feito por fusão de um silicato, como areia, com soda e cal. A soda faz com que as partículas de silicato para fundir, ea cal atua como um estabilizador. Você sabia que Windows, telas de televisão e óculos todos aproveitar o fato de que podemos ver através de vidro. Como a areia comum, o vidro é feito de dióxido de silício. Mas se eles são feitos do mesmo produto químico, por que a areia seria impossível de ver através e vidro ser transparente A surpreendente ver-através propriedade de vidro deve sua existência a outro fato surpreendente: embora vidro é difícil, não é verdadeiramente um sólido. Alguns cientistas pensam do vidro como uma espécie de líquido congelado, enquanto outros falam sobre o vidro como sendo um tipo de sólido desordenado. O vidro é assim diferente do que nós pensamos geralmente de como um sólido ou um líquido. Ao invés de ter o arranjo ordenado da maioria das matérias duras, a estrutura microscópica do vidro se assemelha a um líquido, preso no tempo. Os interiores de sólidos verdadeiros têm limites que espalham a luz, fazendo com que ele salte fora. Glasss líquido-como falta destes limites permite que a luz através. Um copo é um recipiente pequeno, redondo, geralmente com um punho, de que você beba bebidas quentes tais como o chá eo café. Quando você não está segurando um copo, você geralmente descansa em um pires. John colocou seu copo e pires na mesa de centro. Um copo é também uma unidade de medida usada na cozinha. Misture quatro xícaras de farinha com uma pitada de sal. Um copo é um recipiente feito fora do vidro e usado para bebidas frias. Coloquei meu copo e me levantei. Ele serviu Ellen com um copo de suco. Uma caneca é um copo profundo grande com lados retos e um punho, usado para bebidas quentes. Você não descansa uma caneca em um pires. Colocou café instantâneo em duas canecas. 4. recipientes e conteúdos Você pode usar copo. vidro . E caneca para falar sobre os recipientes ou seus conteúdos. Eu deixei cair o copo e ele quebrou. Beba oito copos de água por dia. 1. uma substância transparente normalmente dura e quebradiça. A garrafa é feita de vidro (também adjetivo) uma garrafa de vidro. Glas vidro sklo sklenn das Glas, Glas-. Glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass light glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass glass Szklanka. Vidro (dedin) sticl sklo sklen steklo staklo glas cam thu tinh 2. um objeto geralmente oco alto feito de vidro, usado para beber. Há seis copos na bandeja de xerez. Glas copo sklenice das Glas glas vaso. Copa, klaas, juomalasi, vidro, aa, pohr, gelas, glas, bicchiere, stiklin, glze, gelas, vidro, vidro, lustro, copo, pahar, pohr (ik) kozarec aa glas bardak. Kadeh ci cc, ci ly 3. (também espelho) um espelho. Spiel espelho zrcadlo der Spiegel spejl espejo peegel peili glace. Miroir ogledalo, zrcalo tkr cerrn spegill specchio veidrodis spogulis cermin spiegel speil barometr espelho oglind zrkadlo ogledalo ogledalo spegel ayna, gng soi 4. Um barómetro, ou a pressão atmosférica mostrada por um. O vidro está caindo. Barómetro Barómetro barómetro Barómetro Barómetro Barómetro Barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro Barómetro Barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro barómetro. Brille bruxas Brille Briller. Gafas prillid lasit lunettes naoale szemveg kacamata gleraugu occhiali akiniai brilles cerrina mata bril briller szklanka culos ochelari okuliare oala naoari glasglo gzlk knh eo mt a quantidade que um copo de beber vai realizar. Despeje em dois glassfuls de água. Glasvol copo cheio sklenice (pln) das Glasvoll glas vaso klaasitis lasilinen verre puna aa pohrnyi seglas glasfylli bicchiere stiklin glue (k mrvienba) gelas penuh vidro vidro szklanka copo cheio pahar (plin) pohr poln kozarec puna aa glas bir bardak dolusu. Lng mt cc nc cha c 1. não mostrando nenhuma expressão. Um olhar vidrado. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,. Uttrykksls szklisty () vtreo sticlos sklen steklen, srep bezizraajan glasartad, stel ifadesiz, bo, n 2. como vidro. Um mar vidrado. Helder, spielgladde cristalino jako zrcadlo klar glasagtig vtreo. Cristalino klaasjas, peegelsile lasimainen uni como um miroir staklen vegszer seperti cermin spegilslttur cristallino. Trasparente stiklinis (par dens virsmu) gluds spogugluds berkaca-kaca glasachtig speilblank. Vidro, vidro, vidro, vidro, fundo, papel de parede, papel de parede, papel de parede, papel de parede, papel de parede, papel de parede, papel de parede, papel de parede, papel de parede, papel de parede, papel de parede, papel higiénico, vidro vitrificado, Sifat yang berkaca-kaca glazigheid, glasachtigheid glassaktighet szklisto brilho aspecto sticlos sklovitos steklenost bezizraajnost glasaktighet, glansighet cama benzerlik ifadesizlik vn óculos. Que significa espetáculos, é plural: Seus óculos de leitura estão quebrados. Mas um par de óculos tem um verbo singular: Um par de óculos foi encontrado. N. Vidros e Perdedores: Contos Verdadeiros das Trincheiras de Blackjack Por Tobaksa, Tommy Hyland, Taylor James, Dan Paymar, Pro21, Dustin D. Marks, One More (Blackjack Forum XXI 3, Outono de 2001) 169 Blackjack Forum 2001 Novos contadores de cartões são muitas vezes surpreendidos por O que eles consideram ser as flutuações de cotação possíveis. Recentemente, enviei e-mails para um monte de jogadores de longa data, alguns jogadores profissionais, alguns escritores, alguns sabiam, outros não, e perguntou se eles tinham alguma história memorável de vitórias ou perdas que poderiam compartilhar com os leitores do Blackjack Forum. Entrei em contato com contadores de cartões, shuffle trackers, blackjack jogadores da equipe, jogadores de hole-card, old-time escondido blackjack jogadores de computador, jogadores de vídeo poker, torneio jogadores, apostadores desportivos, Internet apostadores, comp e coupon hustlers e até mesmo um admitidos trapaceiro. Se você acha que você tem uma flutuação quotimpossiblequot ou dois, ouvir o que alguns dos profissionais têm a dizer Arnold Snyder cem mil dólares. Espalhado, com cada zero, e um sinal grande do dólar acima da parte dianteira isso é 100.000.00 Quando eu comecei jogar o blackjack, ganhar cem mil era o ponto de referência. Se você tivesse, você era um profissional. Qualquer amador pode ganhar mil, ou dez. Isso foi uma flutuação. Cem tu era obra. Levou um longo tempo, geralmente um par de anos para ganhar cem mil. Uma vez ganhado, nós soubemos que você nunca teve que preocupar-se sobre ir quotlifetime stuck. quot (Hah) Malcolm, um dispositivo elétrico flamboyant na cena do blackjack, ganhou seu em pouco mais de um ano. Infelizmente, seus companheiros perderam 100 mil no mesmo ano. Quotwoody, um amigo mútuo, ganhou 140.000 anos de vida e economizou 160.000 (Woody também havia investido em ganhar bancos). Ganhei 160.000 e economizei 1.40. Ao longo dos anos, os fundos cresceram e as flutuações Maior também. Ainda assim, cem mil eram cem mil. No final dos anos 80, o maior jogo do mundo estava sendo negociado na Coréia. O Walker Hill Casino em Seul foi muito educado, e geralmente não bar até que você se da mesa, mas bar você. Uma vez proibido, dado que todos os outros no cassino foi asiática, foi difícil escorregar para trás na porta e mistura. Uma equipe de amigos e parentes obteve barrados, mas um deles veio com uma ótima idéia. A maioria dos clientes de Walker Hills eram japoneses. Pensa-se que os chefes coreanos nunca barriam um jogador japonês. Por que não recrutar alguns japoneses, e treiná-los como Gorila BPs Por que não realmente Isso funcionou tão bem que um ano e meio depois, na primavera de 1988, Walker Hill limitou a propagação da aposta de um dos nossos jogadores (Rocky, o Worlds Greatest BP ), E também mudou as regras que tinham feito o lugar tão atraente. Assim em maio de 1988 eu voei para baixo a Pusan, Coreia, para tentar o casino da praia do paraíso sobre para o tamanho. Embora eu estivesse chamando peças para a equipe há mais de um ano, foi a minha primeira vez na Coréia com meu irmão, Pro21. Depois de um fim de semana dramático (veja a conta de Pro21s em outra parte nesta edição para detalhes), voltou para os Estados Unidos, enquanto eu voltei para Seul para pendurar ao redor do apartamento de equipes. (Uma boa maneira de ser contratado para a próxima viagem, em preferência a outros PCs freelance (play callers), é já estar lá, 8000 milhas de distância, que salva a passagem aérea da equipe.) A cada poucas semanas, durante o verão, um segundo PC chegaria, BP no reboque. Nós tocada do sexta-feira noite até domingo à tarde, porque o cassino foi Vazio durante a semana. Os PCs precisavam dormir algumas horas entre turnos, mas trabalhávamos implacavelmente nossas BPs. Rocky estabeleceu o recorde: 39 horas na mesa em um período de 44 horas. Só mais uma razão, ele era o maior BP do mundo. Finalmente veio uma viagem onde uma coisa ruim aconteceu. O cassino decidiu que Rocky estava ganhando demais, e chamou Walker Hill para ver se eles sabiam dele. (Provavelmente não tinha ajudado a importar que um chefe de Yakuza, com quem eu tinha sido atropelado em Seul, perdeu 50.000 brincando com a gente uma tarde e começou a gritar que era tudo culpa de Rockys porque ele se apresentava como um americano) Até o telefone, de Rocky foi limitado a uma propagação de aposta de 100.000 300.000 ganhou. (Aproximadamente US150-450, com um limite de mesa de dois milhões de won). Para boa medida, eles limitaram-me também. Mas estou apenas apostando cem mil wonquot QuotDoesnt assunto. De agora em diante, 100.000 a 300.000. Isso foi o fim, pensei, até um mês depois um telefonema me informou que um PC e BP estariam chegando no final da semana. - Onde estamos indo? - Não. - Não comigo. - Se eu tivesse sido barrado? - Bem, não realmente, mas tinha certeza de que o cassino não me toleraria. Você estará trabalhando com Darryl. Ele não foi para Pusan este ano. E, você terá um novo BP. Ele nunca esteve lá. Ele nunca esteve em lugar algum. Nunca estive em um cassino em sua vida De qualquer forma, não temos mais ninguém para enviar. E assim na sexta-feira à noite, enquanto Steve, nosso novo BP, verificado na Paradise Beach, e Darryl instalados em nosso quarto do outro lado da rua no Green Praia (apenas 40 por noite), eu abri uma mesa morta no casino. quotYou YouYouquot O Shift Manager acenou um dedo sob o meu nariz enquanto ele tentava pensar em alguma outra palavra em inglês para gritar comigo. Quot Você Cem mil trezentos mil Oh, e porque eu estava jogando cabeça para cima, eu teria que jogar três mãos até que alguém se juntou a mim. Como o único cliente, eu poderia ter sido o centro de atenção de qualquer maneira, mas desde que eu era o contador de cartão americano nefasto, eu era mais do que isso. O gerente reuniu cada chefe, e cada negociante, alinhados-los, e teve-os memorizar o meu rosto, poro por poro. Eu sorri fracamente, e rezei forte por uma série de más cartas. Naturalmente, eu desenhei mais naturais do que qualquer sessão da minha vida. Após 45 minutos, flat apostas, eu estava acima de 65 apostas, em torno de US10.000. Eu saí antes da mudança de turno, 30 pares de olhos olhando para a minha partida de volta. Pela manhã, no fim do cemitério, coloquei minha próxima aparição. Mesma história, mesmo diálogo, elenco ligeiramente diferente. Desta vez, ganhei apenas 35 apostas. Eles não me impediram de jogar, então uma hora depois eu voltei para o turno do dia, e minha primeira sessão com a BP. Para um jogador grande cuja experiência inteira do casino foi limitada a sua sessão com Darryl a noite antes, Steve fêz razoavelmente bem. Ele não se misturava com os outros japoneses (eles eram todos chefes de Yakuza, e ele era um chef de sushi), mas seguia sinais bem, sem qualquer hesitação óbvia, ou interesse desordenado em minhas mãos e batatas fritas. Nós jogamos por 6 horas, e ganhamos lentamente mas firmemente. À medida que a mudança progrediu, o ritmo aumentou. Os outros jogadores começaram a seguir as apostas de Steves, pressionando quando ele pressionou, recuando quando ele recuou. O negociante obrigado, ao virar gelo. Ela começou a quebrar, mão após a mão. Uma vez que os jogadores japoneses quase nunca quebrar (pode ser o cartão de busto comerciantes, e os outros nunca iria perdoá-los), todo mundo ganhou. Depois de 6 horas, eu mandei Steve da mesa. Com ele ido, os outros imediatamente à esquerda. Ele venceu quarenta e meio milhões de wons. Eu tinha pegado outro milhão e meio. Os outros jogadores empilhados tinham colhido vinte e oito milhões a mais. A mesa estava abaixo de setenta milhões, ou quase exatamente aquela mágica 100.000 quotMuito muito Ele ganhou muitoquot Três chefes estavam lá, o dano sendo muito para um avaliar. Eles olharam para mim por simpatia, e eu obriguei: "Que certo japonês era o jogador mais sortudo que já vi." Eles assentiram, chocados. O suor pingava clammily de três conjuntos de sobrancelhas. Quot muito muito Win too muchquot Swing e graves werent muito para falar, mas no avião para Seul Darryl estava cantar. Steve venceu outros vinte milhões de won. Passamos a semana em Seul, enquanto Steve foi direto de Pusan para o Japão, para visitar a família. Na sexta-feira seguinte, estávamos de volta à cena do crime. Steve e eu fizemos pouco dano durante a noite, mas sábado à tarde, Darryl levou-o a outra vitória de vinte milhões. Ame aquele turno de dia Nós não estaríamos tocando mais de uma hora no sábado à noite, quando a torneira chegou. Steve foi retirado do jogo, para conferir com o próprio Casino Manager. Passaram-se dez minutos, depois vinte. Finalmente, Steve e o chefe voltaram. Steve tentou não olhar para mim, mas seus olhos continuaram deslizando para os lados enquanto ele pegava suas fichas para sair. Estava completamente aterrorizado. Bem, é claro, foi a primeira viagem dos miúdos para o escritório de dean Toque tap O chefe estava no meu ombro. - Quero falar com você. - Certo, depois do sapato. Não, o que ele quisesse me dizer, não esperaria. Fomos a seu escritório, e ele foi educado, mas firme. Eu não era mais um convidado de honra do Paradise Beach Casino. Poderia eu ir para outro lugar outro continente, talvez De volta a Seul, tomamos Steve em volta, e mostrou-lhe os encantos de Itaewon seda fatos e bar meninas, que poderia ser personalizado sob medida para apenas 100. E segunda-feira era hora de enviar Ele para casa. QuotHeres 5000. Isso é tudo o que você pode fazer da Coréia. "O que eu faço com todo esse dinheiro?" "O dinheiro que eu avancei na noite passada para ir às compras, e ahem miscellaneous Isso veio para 350, então quando você chegar a LA, Craig lhe deve outra Mas o que eu faço com o 5000quot Então eu expliquei. Nós ganhamos 98 milhões de wons. Os Jogos Olímpicos são no próximo mês, mas o seu ganhou isso em esteróides. Sua negociação em menos de 700 agora. Você obtém 5 depois das despesas, o que equivale a 140.000, então o seu final é 7000. Você recebe o 5000, mais o dinheiro na noite passada, além de tudo o que Craig lhe deve quando você voltar. Eu vou ficar com isso, eu acho que quando eles explicaram o Lidar de volta em Los Angeles, eles não haviam lhe dito que ele poderia ganhar tanto dinheiro. Até agora tinha sido apenas chips. De repente, era dinheiro de verdade. Quando nós fazemos isso de novo? Bem, fale com eles quando você chegar a Los Angeles. Deixe-os quebrá-lo para ele que sua carreira de blackjack tinha terminado, apenas uma e meia semanas depois que começou. Curto pode ter sido, mas eu tinha certeza que Steve iria levar a notícia como um profissional. Afinal, ele ganhara cem mil de sua vida. Tommy Hyland Minha vitória mais memorável foi provavelmente cerca de 15 anos atrás, em Atlantic City. Eu era parte de um projeto maciço que envolveu 25 - 30 povos e tanto quanto como 10 ou 12 em um jogo específico. Para fazer uma longa história curta, o projeto explorou os negociantes que embaralharam em uma determinada maneira e nós tivemos cada negociante no lugar scouted para ver se cumpriram nossas exigências. Mesmo que este jogo era muito lucrativo dado as circunstâncias direitas, havia relativamente poucos negociantes em cada casino que eram playable. Nós também precisávamos jogar cabeça para cima para apostas muito altas. Distante e afastado o mais melhor negociante neste casino particular era um homem grande, afable, preto pelo nome do quotRosie. quot Infelizmente para nós, foi enterrado profundamente em uma tabela lotada 2. Assim, nossos abridores de quotgame tinham que começar a árdua tarefa de limpar a mesa. O seu trabalho era obter todos os clientes regulares fora da mesa, em seguida, todos partem juntos sem o poço notando nada de incomum. Nossa BP, que já havia se estabelecido como um grande otário, viria então pedir que esta mesa vazia fosse feita um jogo privado. Nosso quotopenersquot fez muitas coisas para obter os jogadores regulares fora de nossa tabela de destino. Alguns exemplos que eu me lembro são: (1) eles fariam comentários grosseiros criticando os jogadores regulares jogar, então dividir 10s-se e rir se o negociante fez a sua mão e varreu a mesa. (2) Tínhamos charutos e roupas especialmente preparadas que eram incrivelmente sujo. (3) Os clientes particularmente obstinados que quotaccidentlyquot obter uma bebida derramado sobre eles. A maior parte do tempo em que agendávamos um jogo, por uma razão ou outra, não conseguiria descer. Muitas vezes wed tem 10 ou assim que as pessoas gastam 4 ou 5 horas e todos wed get para o nosso esforço seria uma boa quantidade de EV negativo. Mas nesta noite as coisas seguiram nosso caminho. Nós capturamos a mesa, pegamos nossa BP, então passamos a ganhar cerca de 140.000. Tínhamos batido Rosie antes de um par de vitórias de tamanho médio, então nós achamos que me casar esperar um pouco antes de tentar jogá-lo novamente. Mas nós nunca tivemos a chance. Quando nosso projeto terminou cerca de 6 meses depois, ele ainda estava onde tinha sido todas as noites desde a nossa grande vitória A BIG SIX WHEEL. Minha perda mais memorável foi no início dos anos 80. Eu tinha acabado de me juntar a quatro caras muito afiadas que me ensinaram a baralhar a pista. Provavelmente porque eu já era levemente famoso na comunidade de blackjack neste momento, eles não me colocaram através dos testes rigorosos que um novo recruta normalmente estaria sujeito. Eles quase me mostraram algumas coisas e me deixaram solto. Eu ganhei um bocado de dinheiro em minha carreira até agora apenas contando em linha reta, assim que imagino quanto eu ia ganhar agora que eu era um TRACKER de SHUFFLE Eu parti para fora ao Fremont, de todos os lugares, e no espaço de 5 Ou 6 dias, eu consegui perder 75.000 ou 100.000. Os patrões de Fremont estavam em êxtase em sua boa fortuna, mas foram ligeiramente perplexo sobre por que um cara rico como eu escolheria o Fremont para apostar em vez de em algum lugar ligeiramente mais agradável como Caesars Palace ou o MGM. I Explicasse que I preferred um pequeno e amigável Place como o Fremont onde I foi tratado como alguém especial. Enquanto conseguia manter as aparências no Fremont, fiquei arrasado com minhas perdas, principalmente porque eu queria ganhar para meus novos companheiros de equipe. Eles haviam demonstrado muita confiança em mim e eu estava pagando-os com perdas recordes. Infelizmente para o Fremont, quando eles estavam provavelmente planejando o que luxos para gastar sua sorte inesperada (talvez móveis de quarto com botões ainda ligados ou lâmpadas que realmente emitiu luz), a maré virou. Eu ganhei o meu dinheiro de volta e conseguiram continuar a ganhar alguns dólares nos anos desde então. Darryl Objetivo No inverno de 1983, a equipe de blackjack estava experimentando com uma nova tecnologia. Envolveu um computador, escondido em nossos sapatos, operado por nossos dedos. O computador foi alimentado por baterias de lítio amarradas aos nossos tornozelos e conectadas por fios passando por nossa virilha. Dissemos ao computador que cartas estavam sendo jogadas e, em seguida, exatamente como o baralho foi baralhado, eo computador nos disse quanto a apostar e como jogar a mão através de um tapper no fundo dos nossos pés. Porque eu era muito notório em Nevada naquela época, precisávamos verificar a eficácia do sistema em outro lugar. Talvez possamos ganhar um pouco de dinheiro, também. Isso é o que nos trouxe para Leicester, Inglaterra. O problema com US gambling no cassino em leicester foi que não foi boa razão para qualquer pessoa não há para lá em fevereiro. Turistas. Dificilmente uma história de capa vendável no frio mid-England. Jogadores recreativos. Por que não ir a Las Vegas a uma hora de distância de nossas casas de avião Quando perguntado: "O que dois americanos estão fazendo em Leicester em fevereiro, nós dissemos:" Ah! Jogando o festival popular em Enderby. E ah. Visitando o SOCK fábricaquot (Sim, é isso) Havia dois casinos em Leicester na época. Annabelles foi o único que acabamos jogando. Quando começamos a ganhar, começaram a suar. Foi uma pequena vitória (cerca de 10.000), mas aparentemente o suficiente para Annabelles para ser cauteloso de nossa peça. Quando guerra da Independência parou e Tentou em dinheiro nossa chips, eles nos disse que didnt que muito dinheiro e nos pediu para voltar ao dia seguinte. O QUE. Isto foi notável em todos os nossos anos jogando wed NUNCA foram convidados a voltar no dia seguinte e pegar os nossos ganhos Quando levantou um fedor, eles ofereceram para nos dar um cheque. CERTO. Mantivemos as batatas fritas. Nós didnt saber o que fazer do quotdont têm o cashquot andares talvez foi verdadeiro, ou talvez foram para nós e foram para dar um difícil tempo como chegar nosso dinheiro. Nós conversamos longo e duro naquela noite sobre a estratégia correta no dia seguinte e acabamos decidindo que iremos usar o computador para o cassino. (Na verdade, eu estava usando o computador Nicholas, que era um jogador de classe mundial em seu próprio direito, estava apenas supervisionando o progresso do conceito de computador para os investidores de volta em Las Vegas.) Nosso plano era que a Id retirar as fichas e Nicholas iria sentar-se na mesa de blackjack e ver se alguns elementos importantes do jogo tinham mudado. (Eles tinham) Se tudo tivesse sido legal, poderíamos ter jogado um pouco mais. Antes de entrarmos no cassino, notei um pedaço de papel no carro com notas de sessões anteriores em outros casinos da Inglaterra. Não o tipo de coisa casual jogadores teria ao redor. Eu dobrei-o e enfiei-o em um envoltório do amendoim. Este acabou por ser um bom movimento, ea decisão de usar o computador acabou por ser PERFEITO, porque as minhas pernas (onde o computador foi) foram o único lugar que eles não terminam de pesquisa Assim, entramos no casino Nicholas para As mesas e eu fui para o caixa. Um homem me pediu para vir com ele, ele tinha algumas perguntas. Ser solicitado a vir para o quarto de volta tinha acontecido muito para nós em Nevada e noutros locais, e não foi inesperado. Usualmente, no entanto, nós não temos um possivelmente ilegal dispositivo eletrônico em nossos corpos. (Nós não tínhamos idéia de como o sistema legal trataria os computadores. Não havia provavelmente nenhum precedente, nenhuma lei, tipo de LSD nos anos 60.) Esperamos não descobrir nada sobre a legalidade desta viagem. Nós tínhamos decidido que se nós estivéssemos nesta situação com o computador em nossos corpos nós não diriam qualquer coisa e pedimos para ver um advogado. Pouco depois de chegar na sala dos fundos, Nicholas, tendo descoberto que o jogo tinha sido alterado, foi levado para a mesma sala. O companheiro que tinha me conduzido lá brilhou um distintivo Scotland Yard Eles nos separaram para obter nossas histórias. Nossa primeira pausa foi que nós dois decidimos independentemente que era melhor conversar com o Sr. Scotland Yard e as pessoas do casino. Nós dois quebramos o código do silêncio e tentamos falar o nosso caminho fora dele. O gerente do cassino me perguntou se eu era um jogador profissional. Eu disse: "Não, sou um homem de negócios, por vezes, cantor." "Onde você trabalha?", Ele perguntou. Eu fiz um nome de uma empresa. Qual é o número do telefone que eu compus um número de telefone. Ele pegou o telefone e discou. Nesse momento, um colega dele entrou na sala e desligou o telefone. Quando essas conversas foram feitas, o Sr. Scotland Yard e seu assistente nos levaram para o nosso carro e procuraram-no completamente, encontrando apenas um wadded acima do envoltório do amendoim. Eles nos levaram para o nosso quarto de hotel e começaram a olhar ao redor. Scotland Yard viu meu caso de violão e perguntou se eu tinha um Tommy Gun lá dentro. Nós rimos. Ele olhou de qualquer maneira. Nicholas e eu sabíamos que havia apenas uma coisa na sala que nós não queríamos eles olhando para o BREVE CASO. O breve caso teve gastar baterias e fios registros de cassino anterior viagens decks de cartões, etc. Observava em todos os lugares. Sob as camas. Entre os colchões. Sob as toalhas no banheiro. Nicholas e eu tentamos não olhar para o caso breve, e não para EVITAR olhar para o caso breve. Estávamos conversando com o Sr. Scotland Yard e seu assistente o tempo todo. Quando eles terminaram de procurar por toda parte, estavam mais ou menos do nosso lado, perguntando-se por que Annabelles faria tanto barulho por um par de americanos ganhando um pouco de dinheiro. Então um deles notou o caso breve e perguntou, "O que está aqui dentro", respondeu Nicholas. Ele caminhou e casualmente levantou a tampa. Mas naquela época ele tinha se tornado bastante certo de que tudo estava em cima e para cima e didnt ver os fios que estavam olhando para ele, ou didnt acho que eles eram muito de qualquer coisa para se preocupar. Ele fechou o caso e pediu desculpas por nos incomodar. Nós nos disse nossos novos amigos que wasnt culpa e têm um bom dia. Eles nos levaram de volta para Annabelles, onde o casino nos deu dinheiro para as nossas batatas fritas. Nós pulamos no carro, fomos direto para Dover e tomamos a próxima balsa para fora da Inglaterra. Dan Paymar Eu tenho ouvido muitas vezes histórias sobre alguém batendo royal flushes back-to-back, mas eu nunca vi isso acontecer. Eu, no entanto, experimentei duas reis em uma sessão de jogo duas vezes nos 12 anos que eu venho jogando video poker. O primeiro foi na Estratosfera. Eu tinha jogado uma máquina de 106 Jacks ou melhor por aproximadamente duas horas quando eu bati um real. Enquanto esperava a mão paga, comecei a jogar na máquina adjacente. Cerca de cinco minutos após o primeiro foi pago, eu bati um real na outra máquina. O caça-níqueis atendentes foram muito simpática e paga-os muito rapidamente ambas as vezes. A outra vez foi no Plaza no centro de Las Vegas. Eu tinha jogado um Deuces Wild no Keno bar por apenas cerca de meia hora quando eu bati um royal flush em clubes. Minha esposa estava jogando em outro lugar no cassino, então eu liguei para ela em nossos telefones celulares e realizada o meu telefone perto do alto-falante de máquinas para que ela pudesse ouvir a música. Eles vieram me pagar com bastante rapidez, mas a garota da mudança terminou de contar em 1000. Eu só segurei onde estava e disse, "Bem, não param por aí." Ela e a empregada do slot olharam para mim com uma expressão intrigada, então Eu apontei para o vidro na máquina onde diz, quotWin 1175 para um Royal Flush sem wild cards. quot Eles timidamente levou de volta o 1000 e voltou alguns minutos mais tarde com o montante total. Enquanto isso, minha esposa tinha vindo se juntar a mim no bar, então eu continuei brincando. Cerca de meia hora mais tarde, eu tenho outro real na mesma máquina. Desta vez, levou quase meia hora para voltar com o dinheiro. Eu suspeito que eles estavam revendo as fitas de segurança para ver se eu estava de alguma forma mexer com a máquina, mas nada foi dito. I didnt ponta bem que um por causa da longa demora. Houve um outro exemplo de dois reis notáveis. Estes não estavam na mesma sessão de jogo, na verdade, eles eram cerca de cinco semanas de intervalo, mas o que é notável sobre eles é que eles vieram da mesma maneira. Em ambos os casos, eu fui tratado x-x-Q-K-A onde o Q-K-A eram todos os clubes, e eu tenho o 10 e J de clubes no sorteio para um valor real seqüencial 12.500. (Estava na Estação do Texas no início de 1996, quando eles tinham um banco de salários cheios de Deuces Wild com o seu Reversible Royal.) Agora, um real sequencial é extremamente raro (cerca de um em 60 realeza), então conseguir um é incrível. Para obter dois dentro de cinco semanas uns dos outros é quase inacreditável. Mas o fato de que eles vieram exatamente da mesma maneira deve fazer uma maravilha. Ambas as vezes eles me pagaram fora sem problemas, mas alguns dias após o segundo o calendário de pagamento nos jogos foi cortado para uma programação 95 comum. Quando eu estava na faculdade eu conheci um dentista em um bar uma noite. Durante alguns jogos de gamão ele me disse que ele tinha acabado de voltar de Las Vegas. Ele estava de bom humor porque não só pagaram todas as suas despesas, incluindo o vôo do avião, mas ele tinha ganhado vários milhares de dólares para arrancar. Eu disse-lhe que eventualmente o casino começaria todas aquelas despesas para trás, e seu bankroll. Não é de mim que eles não. Era a primeira vez que ouvia falar de cartões. Para alguém que amava jogar cartas isso soava muito bom para ser verdade. Ele recomendou um livro, Playing Blackjack como um negócio, por Lawrence Revere, e no dia seguinte eu especial-ordenou na minha livraria local. Depois que o livro veio eu passei muitas horas estudando as cartas. Aprendi estratégia básica para trás e para a frente. Para baixo no porão eu trataria as mãos a mim mesmo. Logo eu soube a diferença entre a estratégia do único convés e as plataformas múltiplas. Eu sabia sobre quotdouble após splits, quot e quotsoft 17.quot Agora tudo que eu precisava era para esperar o meu aniversário de virar 21. Quando o meu aniversário veio eu reservei um pacote para Vegas como um presente para mim. 179 me pegar um bilhete de avião e quatro dias e três noites no encantador Flamingo Capri. O Flamingo Capri utilizado para sentar onde o Imperial Palace é agora e foi realmente um despejo. I foi legal idade e à direita no centro da Strip. Olhe para Vegas mdash aqui eu venho. No final da viagem eu estava à frente 220. Eu tinha pago para a viagem e tinha alguma mudança à esquerda. Lembro-me tão claramente, pensando, quanMan, se eu puder fazer isso com apenas uma estratégia básica, basta pensar o quanto vou fazer quando eu aprender a contar, agora eu olho para trás e rir da minha ingenuidade, mas este foi um momento seminal em Minha vida. 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. NÃO. 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
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