Blackjack Forum's Bishop Arnold Snyder's sermons and website

The above video was filmed from the pulpit of Bishop Arnold Snyder, spiritual leader of the First Church of Blackjack. The sacred footage was found in my library and dusted off. The video was transformed from VHS to DVD and uploaded to the Casino Examiner YouTube site with Snyder's blessings. In the video made at Bally's Reno in 1987, Bishop Snyder leads the flock with wisdom and hymms. Snyder's sermons are all in fun which introduced every Blackjack Forum issue for 23 years. The quarterly magazine ran from 1981-2003 and was a trade journal for professional gamblers with no fluff and casino ads. Snyder has written many books including "Blackbelt in Blackjack", "Blackjack Wisdom", and "The Poker Tournament Formula" as part of his writing arsenal. He is also a Blackjack Hall of Fame inductee for his major contributions to the game of blackjack such as shuffle tracking, card counting, and troublemaker to the casino blackjack world. Blackjack Forum may be gone, but a internet version of Blackjack Forum Online and its tradition continues online. Below is a sermon from Bishop Arnold Snyder wondering if he should have his head examined by bringing Blackjack Forum back.

MESSAGE FROM ARNOLD SNYDER: HERE WE GO AGAIN! (OR, I OUGHT TO HAVE MY HEAD EXAMINED...)
By Arnold Snyder
(From Blackjack Forum Volume XXIV #1, Winter 2004/05)
© 2005 Blackjack Forum
As many of you are aware, I have attempted several times in the past to insert my friends and myself online, and each time I enter this medium I exit in frustration, swearing never again. My personal experience with blackjack Web sites is that they have more negative aspects to them than positive. As a rule, the Internet is overrun with blowhards and egomaniacs who just like to see their handles in print. There are nut cases trying to sell idiotic gambling systems to the gullible. Casino surveillance spies pose as players and try to pry secrets from the naive. And unsuspecting players expose sensitive information to the house dicks, ruining games and sometimes real players’ careers.

Frankly, I have neither the time nor inclination to deal with this lunacy. Other than writing, and playing in the casinos when I feel like it, I have retired. I’ve become very cranky as a man of leisure. I like to say what I think, and I don’t care much about stepping on people’s toes. I tend to get sarcastic and not everyone appreciates my sense of humor. Furthermore, I hate the Internet. I NEVER surf the web, and I have virtually no talent with computers. I often go weeks without even looking at my email.

But, with the death of Blackjack Forum (the magazine), I find myself with no soapbox from which to vent my bad attitude. The friends who participated in my prior web ventures are asking me to come back, since they’ve all been kicked off the other gambling sites for innumerable unforgivable infractions, such as poking fun at sacred cows, failing to bow down to the Almighty Blackjack Cyber-Gurus, and on occasion just flat-out telling the truth. Plus, I’m getting tired of all the queries from my former subscribers who keep reading about me on other Web sites, and asking me the same questions over and over.

"Is it true you told so-and-so to go #*%@( himself?"

Answer: Yes.

"Is it true you called such-and-such a phony ^&#@%?"

Answer: Yes.

"Is it true you are now bitter enemies with [insert long list of well-known authorities]?"

Answer: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

"Is it true you stalked [beloved hero of many], cornered him in an alley behind the Stratosphere, and beat his brains in with a ball-peen hammer?"

Answer: You got a problem with that?

"Is it true you infiltrated the last Green Chip Party that was held at the Wendover Taco Bell, whipped an AK47 out from under your trench coat, and proceeded to slaughter one and all in a bloodbath that left the restaurant splattered with human entrails, cheese nachos, and nickel chips from the Peppermill?"

Answer: That case is still pending so my attorney won’t let me comment on it. But Loeb tells me I’ll go scot-free provided the Peppermill gets their chips back.

"Is it true you were spotted recently at Boulder Station betting silver on Super Fun 21?"

Answer: What?

"Is it true you were spotted recently betting silver—"

Answer: I heard you . . . and that I deny! It’s a flat-out vicious rumor, no doubt concocted by one of my enemies.

In any case, I have hopefully cleared the air on some of this ancient history, and now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, Welcome back to Blackjack Forum!

There is one big difference with this new online version of the mag that I’m sure you’ll like, and that is that it is 100% FREE! The articles are free. The library is free. The message boards are free. The whole damn thing is free.

What the hell am I doing this for? Is it my deep abiding love for mankind?

Yeah, right . . .

Here’s the way it works around here. If you are a former Blackjack Forum subscriber, then you know that the magazine was one-of-a-kind, a compilation of the best writing, analyses, and reports by serious and professional gamblers ever published. But, there was a problem. After 23 years of hassling with printing deadlines, subscriber lists, renewal notices, proofreading copy, layout goofs, delivery problems, envelope stuffing, credit card authorization snafus, wholesaler collection run-arounds, bulk mailing regulations, advertising flyers, and taxes, taxes, taxes . . . I couldn’t take it anymore. I knew in my heart that at one time there was a reason why I put up with all this tedium, bureaucracy, and frustration. I guess I really did have a deep abiding love for mankind. But somewhere along the way, I stopped taking psychedelic drugs.

However, a handful of former Blackjack Forum writers, contributors and subscribers has convinced me that I can do the mag online, with no clerical work and low overhead, and kiss my headaches good-bye. Only in America!

Are these guys scamming me or what?

Here’s how it’s supposed to work.... You guys who come to this site for information or discussion pay nothing. I don’t have to do any of the technical stuff. I just hang out here once in awhile, answer a question occasionally, and whenever I feel the urge to spout off with a Sermon or publish the results of some weird gambling research project, I’ve got a soapbox with a ready-made audience. Plus, all of my friends and associates, or at least the ones I’m still on speaking terms with, who used to write articles for Blackjack Forum and raise hell on my prior Web flings, can now see their names in print again, and we all get to irritate the piss out of the casinos.

So I asked the guys who were trying to convince me into this madness: "Where does the money come from to pay for this thing?"

And they answered: "The online casinos."

"I don’t get it . . ."

They said: "Here’s how it works, Arnold: We put up banners on the site for Internet casinos that people can click on to go to these casinos, and the casinos pay us for the customers that come to them through your site."

Said I: "No f*cking way! In the 23 years that I published Blackjack Forum, I never accepted an ad from any casino, Internet or otherwise. What online casino will even want to advertise on my Web site?"

"They’re not like Vegas casinos, Arnold. You can’t count cards in Internet casinos. And you can’t shuffle track or play hole cards. These are computer games."

"Sure," said I, "but you can hustle them for bonuses. I just published a book about that. Remember?"

"They’ve got software for identifying bonus hustlers now. It’s not like the old days, Arnold."

"Yeah, well, casinos in Vegas have software for identifying card counters, but there are still card counters in Vegas."

"Look, Arnold, don’t worry about that. You just let us handle it."

"Okay, but I’ve got another problem with this plan. I don’t trust online casinos any more than I trust casinos in Vegas or Atlantic City. I can’t be sending players who come to my Web site over to a bunch of fly-by-night clip joints."

"They don’t all cheat, Arnold. There are some bad joints, but also a lot of reputable places using reputable software. We’ve been testing these places for a long time. We’ll only put up banners from casinos where we’ve won money ourselves, and been paid."

"Okay," said I, "but if I’m going to participate in this venture, here’s my list of demands: First, since I don’t have access to the online casinos’ software, and I can’t personally guarantee they’re honest, we need a message board where players who have problems at any of these online casinos can report their experiences. Also, if there is any compelling evidence that one of the casinos that has a banner on our site may be cheating its customers in any way, they are history as far as our site is concerned. Furthermore, we’ll have message boards for players who play in regular casinos. And all of our message boards will be monitored seven days a week by professional gamblers, not computer geeks or self-styled blowhard experts. I will hand-pick a group of pros who can answer questions intelligently, and who will have the authority to throw out any casino spies who are just there to make trouble."

They said: "No problem."

So, if any of you, my faithful flock, are actually crazy enough to deposit any portion of your hard-earned bankrolls into the coffers of these online casinos, I sure as hell hope you’ve read our pages on how to beat the crap out of those suckers. (Legally, of course...) I like to think of you all as a smarter and sneakier lot of scam artists than has ever existed on this planet. So go get ’em, gang!

Blackjack Forum is back!

And, as I said, I ought to have my head examined. ♠

Internet online gambling is for chumps in USA

The transformation brought about by the Internet is amazing. The change involves not just good but also bad outcomes such as online gambling. The gambling on the internet involves hundreds of thousands of people and billions of dollars. The online gambling business makes money by exploiting human weakness. It is not just individuals who are losers, but the United States of America too, as online gambling drains the national wealth.

It is a good bet that there is almost no chance of any gambler winning at online gambling, which are controlled by online casinos outside the juristiction of the United States. The US government does not protect online gamblers, they are on their own. The casinos are always the winners while the gamblers are always the losers. It's easier for online casinos to control the games without the knowledge of gamblers. For instance, the Kahnawake Gaming Commision in Canada admitted cheating occured at Ultimate Bet from 6/03-12/07. A software "glitch" allowed some insiders at Ultimate Bet to see all players cards. A poker message board poker forum named 2+2 operated by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth discovered irregularities on Ultimate Bet's Texas hold'em games. The community at 2+2 blew the fraud case wide open by exchanging unusual bad beat stories concerning UB. The cheating discovered by the heroes of 2+2 is most likely the tip of the iceberg concerning the online casino industry taking advantage of players.

The National Casino Examiner for Examiner.com is a shill for online casinos even though internet gambling is restricted in 11 states. They are Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin. He hardly reports on brick amd mortar casinos and could care less if his readers lost everything to his online casino buddies. If you want lose your shirt or break some states laws on these sites, follow the Examiner.com advice and don't say you weren't warned.

ABC News reports on Harrah's IPO

I wrote this comment on the ABC News/Money website published November 12,2010 titled "World's Biggest Casino Owner Set To Raise $532M" originally written by the Associated Press. It concerns the IPO of Harrah's stock and the possible risks involved with it.

Your Casino Examiner wrote, "Is it possible that Leon Black, CEO of Apollo Management and David Bonderman, CEO of TPG Capital will pocket the money from the IPO instead of building the Octavius Tower at Caesars Palace and fund the entertainment and dining areas at Imperial Palace and Flamingo Hilton? These two CEO's have clipped California public pension funds (CalPERS-CalSTRS-UC) out of billions of dollars and wouldn't be surprised that proceeds from the IPO will never see its original destinations."

Are you playing with a full deck?

How the Casino Examiner (JSTAT) was required to put a single deck in sequential order after dealing to blackjack players at Cal Neva in Reno years ago. Pit bosses needed to know if any cards were missing and if cheating was involved by 21 players. Not playing with a full deck cannot be detected by most shuffling machines today who only count the number of cards in a 52 card deck, not the values of the cards. All 4 aces can be replaced with other cards and the shuffling machine will still register 52 cards!!!

How to play craps tutorial

The script to the above Casino Examiner craps beginner strategy video

In the vicinity of the craps table, one might hear from the stickman, "Our Father who art in Heaven, may this next roll please be yo-eleven" before giving the dice to the shooter. Dealing craps was fun because the players blamed the shooter, not the dealers. The shooters are rotated clock-wise after each 7 out. The shooter retains the dice if the point is rolled. The puck in front of the dealers indicates when it is a come out roll. When the puck is not on a number and off to the dealers side, make your bet on the pass line. Seven or eleven we win and two, three, or twelve we lose. Eleven will never hurt us, but seven is a double edge sword. A point is established if these numbers are not rolled. A point can be 4,5,6,8,9,or 10 depending on which number is rolled. We had the advantage with the come out roll with 8 ways to win and four ways to lose, so we are stuck with the point win or lose. This is a contract bet now and we are not allowed to take the money off the table until the point is rolled again without the dreaded seven. The house advantage on the pass line bet is 1.41% or seven cents for every five dollars wagered. Play on crowded tables to lose less and take odds with the point. Odds are the mathematical probabilities to hit a point. The odds bet is placed behind the pass line and payoff is at true odds or free odds where no casino advantage exists. We are paid two to one with a point of 4 or 10 and three to two with a point of 5 or 9 and 6 to 5 with a point of 6 and 8. Always set a loss limit and don't go on tilt by peeling more money or run to a ATM machine after a drubbing. And if you win, consider yourself lucky and pocket your winnings.

Casino gamblers face the music

Script for the above video

The satelite music piped into casinos and lower payouts are tools that are used to separate us from our money. Walking into Harveys Lake Tahoe, for example, a gambler might hear "I'm so excited and I just can't hide it, I am about to lose control and I think I like it" by the Pointer Sisters. The gambler is primed to throw more money with this happy feeling tune. Across the street at Harrahs one might toe-tap to "Paying anything to roll the dice just one more time, some will win some will lose some will sing the blues and don't stop believing, hold on to that feeling", by the band Journey. The lyrics of these songs enable a losing mood and enhance casino profits. The blackjack games are watered down with six to five blackjack payouts and the video poker payouts are lowered to increase casino profits. Band music in the casino lounges are gone. Today, we are left with care kareoke on weekends with William Hung wannabees from American Idol. Casinos in Las Vegas and throughout the world use the same piped in music format to tempt gamblers into plunging more into the slot machines and table games with this feel good atmosphere. The only machines that pay out are the ATM machines splattered everywhere in these casinos with lyrics in the background encouraging withdrawals.

Card counting at blackjack/21 tutorial intro

Below is the script to the above video

Being a postal worker with a lot of stress, I channeled my anger into winning at blackjack. I felt like going postal at times during my career as a postal worker. I was a recovering hi-lo card count loser before discovering my JSTAT Count twenty years ago. I was barred for card counting in the 90's using a count never used before. Little did the casinos know that the barring would result in the spreading of my JSTAT Count on the internet and YouTube. The ten cards are counted as minus two and the non tens are plus one. The aces are not counted here. The aces are side counted. We are looking for more aces than normal and plus counts. An ace should appear every thirteen cards. The count is free and all questions will be answered to assist others take down the casinos. Good luck and enjoy my videos.

card counting at 6 deck 21

The popular Casino Examiner YouTube video which explains table hopping using the JSTAT card counting method.

Blackjack High-Low Card Count Shattered

Proof that the high-low or hi-lo count might be a fraud with the admission of an error by the developer of this card counting strategy, Julian Braun. Braun's words are read and shown in the video from his 1980 book "How to Play Winning Blackjack". Braun's flawed analysis of high-low was published in Edward O. Thorp's 1966 revision of "Beat The Dealer". Casinos needed to fool the masses with a half-baked sceme and a credible stooge (Braun) who worked for the IBM Corporation then.

The rest of the video shows an upgrade of Thorp's Ten Count which appeared in the original book in 1962. The original count worked! JSTAT won with the upgrade and was barred from Nevada casinos in the 90's. Little did the casinos know that the barring would result in the spreading of the upgraded Thorp ten count (JSTAT Count) for free on the internet and YouTube. Enjoy the video!!!

Dealing 21 to Uston/Kreskin

I dealt single deck blackjack to Kreskin in 1979 on the graveyard shift at Harolds Club in Reno. He was doing a show at Harrah's and decided to play blackjack afterwards. The table was empty and he came up to my table and bought in with a $100 bill. Kreskin hardly said a word and spread $5-$20 and won a couple of hundred dollars.

From seeing his shows, I was wondering if Kreskin could read my mind while peeking under a ten card or ace, looking for the dreaded dealer blackjack. Kreskin said he does not read minds and plays blackjack to unwind after a show. He also said that Harrah's barred him from playing blackjack and was welcome at Harolds Club playing this small amount.

The Amazing Kreskin is a true blackjack aficionado and from my own empirical analysis, one of the best 21 players in the world. He uses playing cards for a living as a mentalist and probably is as close to Ray from the movie "Rainman" in his ability to remember cards as anyone in the world.

On an another occasion at Harolds Club, a pit boss gave me a tap on the shoulder while dealing craps and instructed me to deal 21 to a high roller who was winning big. The whale turned out to be blackjack legend Ken Uston who was playing $500 chips and torching the table. The superstitious pit felt that a craps dealer can put an end to Uston's winning streak. I happened to be on a winning run for the house and beat him until he finally surrendered after losing much of his winnings back. Maybe the other dealers weren't protecting the game such as exposing hole cards and delivering tells to Uston when checking for blackjacks. In Uston's book "Million Dollar Blackjack" he refers to "Barbara, the Harolds Club front-loader" (front loader - a careless dealer who exposes the hole card in the process of dealing) and maybe I was sent to replace Barbara who was dumping house money.

While working at the Sahara Reno in August 1978, a cheer was heared among the pit when it was announced that Uston was beat up by security at the Mapes Money Tree. Didn't know who Uston was until the pit bosses claimed he was a cheat and deserved the thumping. Others said he was a card counter and this was a message to card counters all over the world. This perked my interest in card counting and the challenge it provides.

While dealing craps in Las Vegas in 1980, a casino called The Treasury (now Hooters) on Tropicana Avenue displayed Uston's name on its marquee. He was giving lessons on card counting at this casino! Did he sell his soul to the enemy or want to see his name in lights? Is card counting bunk and a scam was my first impression during the sight of this marquee.

Recalling Kreskin's skill at winning at blackjack has stuck to this day. Kreskin did not use weak dealers to gain an advantage and probably used his knowledge of excess aces and tens to win. Bet with your head instead of over it and don't worry about "cheaters justice" (from the movie Casino) because the corporations running casinos now are smart enough to avoid the old tactics.

NALC's "wrong way" Rolando

Many letter carriers in the USPS perceive the National Association of Letter Carriers as a union too friendly with management and willing to do the dirty work of eliminating jobs. Carriers are shown the door through excessing with the blessings of NALC's President Fredric V. Rolando who failed to play hardball with management. Instead of urging the USPS to use the "minor route adjustments" clause which requires management to work at eliminating routes, Rolando decided to fast track the process with MIARAP and JARAP to the delight of management and the detriment of carriers. Union officials visited every office in the nation and negotiated the reduction of routes with local managers while shafting its carriers. Carriers were bought in late in the process for their input on the routes to be heard by deaf ears.

Rolando said recently about his role in excessing carriers in a "Postal Employee Network" article on July 8, 2010, "Jointly with the NALC, it has evaluated and adjusted letter carrier routes four times in the past 18 months. These hard-nosed reviews have saved the Postal Service over a billion dollars and have significantly reduced its workforce while it reached record levels of productivity. Indeed, the Postal Service now employs nearly 100,000 fewer career employees than it did before the recession began." So Rolando takes credit for the loss of 100,000 middle class jobs and the affected carriers deservedly blame the union, who are obviously "in bed with management" when it comes to excessing.

The NALC's Long Island Merged Branch #6000 President Walter Barton wrote in its newsletter on March 2010,"In the opinion of this writer, after MIARAP is debated again, a vote should be taken by the Presidents as to whether we will continue with the MIARAP process or any other version that may be in the process. Postal Management at the National and Area level seem "hell bent" on destroying the service (5 day delivery) and demoralizing the work force. Why should we continue to be involved in any process that is used to deny letter carriers a fair day's work?" So it's not only USPS upper management blaming the union for the route adjustment debacle, but also presidents of NALC branches under Rolando's regime.

On March 24, 2010, the USPS stabbed the NALC in the back with a Five-Day Delivery Proposal on its website. NALC's President Rolando must be urged to pull out of the route adjustment MOU's (Memorandum of Understanding) at the NALC Anaheim National Convention (August 9-13, 2010) for leverage in the 2011 National Agreement. Under the traditional route adjustment process, it will take the USPS up to five years to evaluate every city carrier route in the country. This shot across the bow by Postmaster General John Potter concerning 5-day delivery shows he bargains in bad faith and is not to be trusted in contract negotiations.

If the NALC desires to protect its members, Rolando must immediately tell the USPS to "shove it" and pull out of its agreements to eliminate routes. The USPS doesn't respect them by overreaching and carriers aren't naive to think President Rolando has their interests in mind. Unions willing to fight are respected and letter carriers perceive the NALC as cowards by not going toe to toe with Postmaster General John Potter. Union membership is dwindling due to "wrong way" Rolando's approval of transferring (excessing) its members out of union branches and leaving discontent with the remaining members.

Unions are supposed to protect jobs and fight for them and the NALC has become just as arrogant as USPS management regarding the treatment of letter carriers in this issue. Rolando must pull out of JARAP immediately and require the USPS to use minor route adjustments as a tool for excessing. This will buy time for the carriers on the hit list and restore the credibility of the NALC to many carriers. Instead of Rolando's "hard-nosed reviews" of eliminating jobs, how about him playing hardball with Potter by pulling out of all MOU's regarding route adjustments?

Note: JSTAT is a retired letter carrier and a member in good standing at NALC Branch #1427 in Santa Clara, California.

Casinos reward/destroy gamblers

With 6 deck blackjack games popping up all over the country, many will catch the gambling bug. The residents of Pennsylvania are introduced to table games this month in hopes of revenues for Governor Ed Rendell's state. Delaware recently introduced blackjack and the casino madness doesn't seem to have an end. The Casino Examiner made a video on YouTube called "Card counting at 6 deck 21" that gives tips on table hopping using its card count. Casinos are enjoyable when we are in control of the gambling experience such as leaving the ATM cards at home and only playing with what we can afford to lose. Hitting and running at six deck blackjack is an effective weapon to not lose control of your money.

To lose money fast, play the "crack of gambling" video poker and don't forget to bring your credit/ATM cards to the casino. The casinos try to hook their customers until they are broke, then they spit them out. Harrah's has its Total Rewards program which encourages players to play every three months or get downgraded from Diamond status to lowly Gold. There is no worse feeling than leaving the casino after tapping out all the credit cards.

In the heat of battle in the casino, all reality is lost if you choose and lives and families can be destroyed. We must overcome the self-destruction temptation to lose and depend on math and discipline to have a shot these casinos.

Blackjack experts have a fit with truth

While dealing craps in the late 1970's at Reno/Lake Tahoe casinos was fun, sometimes dealing blackjack was forced upon craps dealers. Blackjack players blame the dealer for losing while the shooter takes the wrath at the craps table. Today, some blackjack players are still miserable and wind up card counting by learning on internet sites. A grouch called QFIT (Norm Wattenberger) pushes card counter software that can cost hundreds of dollars and is allowed to spam on blackjack sites. A dinosaur named Don Schlesinger does not know the difference between a lunch counter and a card counter is "respected" on blackjack message boards. This dynamic duo has led thousands of wannnabe card counters to slaughter who use ace-reckoned counts such as the hi-lo count in the movie "21" and resistance is met with slander.

The readers of this Casino Examiner blog know the truth and they are set free, if they choose. In the 1966 edition of Edward O. Thorp's "Beat The Dealer", Julian Braun admitted to not taking out the 7,8,9's while taking out 2,3,4,5,6's in his computer work regarding the High-Low count. The overlay of 7,8,9's causes the dealer to bust more often and our double downs on 10/11's are improved. This error by Braun in the amount of percentage added to the card counter is not stated by him or by the "trillions" of sims by others since his admission. I'd bet it is more than a "slight error".

The mean spirited Schlesinger (the dinosaur) wrote on advantageplayer.com, "You're delusional. Braun admitted the error, corrected his work, and, everyone on planet earth moved on, except you, who are living in the Stone Age. Do you think that today's software and methodologies are perpetuating Braun's mistake, or do you think that, 30 years later, we have learned to do it correctly. I'm wasting my time writing this, but you need to go away and crawl back into your hole."
Don

Writing from the bunker here at Casino Examiner and giving headaches to the established card counter world is satisfying since mathematics is our dogma. So when a "respected" 21 expert is caught with his hand in the cookie jar, insults over substance rule the day.

Wattenberger/QFIT also has a fit when the hi-lo count is challenged by your Casino Examiner by saying on advantageplayer.com, "As for the math, it has been explained to you hundreds of times, and you have posted this exact same message hundreds of times. That's why you keep getting barred from sites. Not because of your false accusations of fraud, but because you keep posting the exact same message, over and over and over. Hundreds of times. We have read it. What is the point of posting something no one agrees with one more time?"

The Casino Examiner Moviemakerjjcasino YouTube site has received close to 200k views and some viewers agree with the message that the development of the established card counts such as Hi-Lo and KO are not as forthcoming as advertised. The accusation of posting the "exact message" hundreds of times is just another falsehood from the blackjack computer software spam king QFIT. The Casino Examiner is welcome on all blackjack sites except the site where QFIT peddles his Casino Verite software on Ken Smith's blackjackinfo.com message board. The truth is bad for QFIT's software business and slandering your Casino Examiner after receiving a headache from him is transparent to the readers of this blog.

Why blackjack card counters lose

Everywhere you look when trying to beat the casinos at blackjack, the hi-lo count rears its ugly head. The movie "21" in 2008 accelerated this count to the masses. Almost every book published since 1966 recommends this strategy. The internet is infested with 2-6=+1, 10-A=-1. A can't miss count presumably. It can be argued that hi-lo cannot detect blackjacks and insurance. Since aces and tens are counted together, the probability of predicting blackjacks that correspond with the count is impossible. All aces gone in a single deck game (Reno rules) with a +2 count at 1/4 deck played is a almost a 2% disadvantage with the 2.4% deduction from blackjacks. More aces played than normal can do serious harm to the player. Conversely, an even count with no aces seen at 39 cards left, blackjacks will increase from the 4.83% off the top to 6.47%! The hi-lo player missed out on this positive situation. In insurance instances, hi-lo strikes out due to aces being counted as high cards.

A calculator was used to confirm these numbers, not a computer simulator. After Edward O. Thorp's "Beat The Dealer" in 1962, the casinos panicked. Something had to be done. More decks were added to confuse the Ten Count player. The 1966 revised edition of "Beat The Dealer" introduced Harvey Dubner's High/Low count. Julian Braun of the IBM corporation did the faulty computer work that has fooled the masses since. The mob controlled casinos were happy. Card counters bought the half truths hook, line, and sinker. Casino consultant/blackjack expert Stanford Wong "fixed" the overlay of 7,8,9's from Braun's "mistake"in his 1975 book "Professional Blackjack" with yet another computer sim. Wong and other "recognized" blackjack authorities relied on sims for their results and condemn the mathematics when challenged to this day.

"Teflon" Leon Black stacks Harrah's deal

To fund Harrah's $30 billion buyout in 2008, Apollo Global Management and TPG Capital (formerly Texas Pacific Group) led by private equity kingpin Leon Black, CEO of Apollo Management, raided California's public pension funds CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System) and CalSTRS (California State Teachers' Retirement System). The tip of the iceberg are posted below with links to the Los Angeles Times and other credible outlets describing the CalPERS/CalSTRS fiasco including the civil charges filed by California's Attorney General, Edmund (Jerry) Brown.

1) Here is the "Complaint for civil penaties link" filed by California's Attorney General Jerry Brown on May 5, 2010. Apollo Management's fingerprints are all over these charges against Leon Black's fall guys, Alfred Villalobos and Fred Buenrostro. Of course Harrah's and CalPERS played a role in the fiasco with nothing sticking to "Teflon" Leon.

2) Harrah's owner, (teflon) Leon Black CEO of Apollo Management, is not sued by California Attorney General Jerry Brown while his two stooges at CalPERS take the rap. Article notes kickbacks from Black prior to CalPERS $600 million investment (worth under $200 million now) in 2007, buying a piece of the action in Apollo Global Management. Los Angeles Times link May 6, 2010

3) Here is my November 2009 piece concerning California's public pension fund fiasco at CalPERS and CalSTRS. I read the last three paragraphs to the CalPERS board to get on record about the displeasure of their actions. State Controller John Chiang spoke to me after my comments and seemed concerned, unlike the rest of the board. The "Harrah's, Apollo Management, and CalPERS/CalSTRS debacle" article at examiner.com.

For more information, go to the "Harrah's, Apollo Management, and CalPERS/CalSTRS debacle" group on Facebook.

Craps/blackjack dealer experience

Dealing craps is a craft that takes years to master and the pay is better than most blue collar jobs. Breaking in at 25 cent joints such as the Cal Neva in Reno speeds up the process, because the paying of 25 cent units prepares the craps dealer for the swank joints in Las Vegas. As in everything in most jobs, we must start at the bottom before moving up. The players blame the shooter when they lose, not the craps dealer, while the blackjack dealer gets the blame for beating them. Casino management is only concerned about the speed of the game if the craps table is losing and only require the dealers to keep the "dice in the air." Good craps dealers are always in demand because of the skill required and is the best choice for stable employment in the casino industry.

A monkey can learn to deal blackjack and these dealers are treated like dirt by the pit and players. I sometimes was forced to deal blackjack and couldn't stand it, so I moved on to Las Vegas to deal craps exclusively. Working as a dealer gives a card counter an additional edge because it gives knowledge of the inner workings of the "enemy". Pit bosses have noticed the shuffling of my chips while playing blackjack and always ask if I am/was a craps dealer, because craps dealers shuffle chips different from civilians. Almost always given a free pass card counting in casinos and knowing what to say to the dealers and pit to keep the heat off also helps. Everyone young enough should work as a dealer for a couple of years to secure life long success at card counting, before getting a legit job.

CNBC's Jim Cramer casino folly

Jim Cramer of "Mad Money" on CNBC suggested "to stay away from MGM and pick up rival Wynn Resorts" in November of last year. Wynn's stock was flying high when MGM Mirage's City Center was opening segments of the resort with its flagship Aria casino opening Dec.16,2009. Cramer has blown a call or two such as Jimmy The Greek did when "The Greek" proclaimed the New York Jets as 17 point underdogs to the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Many have bet against MGM Mirage's largest shareholder Kirk Kerkorian's visionary ventures before and wound up doing business shows on low rated networks.

Kerkorian's investment company Tracinda Corp. "is exploring the possibility of strategic partnerships or other alternatives with respect to its investment in MGM MIRAGE and believes there is substantial unrecognized value in MGM MIRAGE and CityCenter that is not reflected in the market value of MGM MIRAGE’s stock." Kerkorian won't pull the trigger on a deal until Aria opens and the word is that Dubai World will pull out of its 50% ownership of City Center leaving MGM with the option to buy it. Dubai World also owns 5.9% of MGM stock and it is possible that as a strategic partnership, Tracinda will land the sale of Bellagio and City Center subject to the approval of MGM Mirage's Board of Directors and shareholders. Kerkorian sent out a trial baloon in 2007 suggesting ownership of these two properties while unloading all his interest of MGM Mirage. The stock skyrocketed with this rumor and will again if this deal is cut, if history repeats itself.

Kerkorian has a history of buying and selling casino properties and knowing when to take the money off the table. He is ranked in Forbes as one of the top 100 billionaires and still hasn't lost his fastball regarding business. Many would like to see his fall including Cramer, who can't count cards in "the house of pain" for a profit at blackjack. Maybe Cramer is playing with "smart money" by bad mouthing MGM Mirage and was facilitating its low price at $10 while loading up on the stock in November 2009. MGM Mirage stock closed at $16.41 on 5/3/10 for a 64% increase since Cramer's November 09 proclamation.

Apollo Management treats CalPERS as Vegas whales

Apollo Management will cut $125 million in fees for CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System) over the next five years is similar to kicking back a whale $125 million after losing billions at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. CalPERS is a whale (high roller) in casino terms, and as suckers, they get thrown a bone as a good customer/loser by Harrah's owner, Apollo Management CEO Leon Black. Harrah’s has pushed back much of its 20 billion dollar debt to 2015 instead of the immediate future. Apollo Management and TPG bought time to pay back CalPERS and CalSTRS (California State Teachers' Retirement System), but at what cost? CalPERS/CalSTRS is on the hook for much of the debt (around $8 billion), but exactly how much did these pension funds lose with the restucturing of Harrah’s debt? It is known about the $475 million loss CalPERS suffered with 9% ownership of Apollo Management, but the potential of these public pension funds to lose $8 billion in 2015 should be alarming. The media is concerned with $100,000 pension clubs while it ignores Leon Black’s and TPG’s possible looting of California totaling billions!

Click "Harrah's, Apollo Management, and CalPERS/CalSTRS debacle" on Facebook for more details.

Blackjack High-Low Card Count Shattered

The high-low (or Hi-Lo) count doesn't separate the aces with the tens, so we can play a shoe with a severe shortage of aces. This means less blackjacks even with a plus count when the hi-lo player is instructed to up their bets. The creator of the high-low strategy, Julian Braun, admitted he made an error in Ed Thorp's "Beat The Dealer" by not taking out the 7,8,and 9's in his computer runs for the book. A side count of aces is important and my YouTube video Blackjack High-Low Card Count Shattered might help you see the difference.

Harrah's, Apollo Management, and CalPERS/CalSTRS debacle on Facebook

The "Harrah's, Apollo Management and CalPERS/CalSTRS debacle" page on Facebook.

Here is an email I sent to the California State Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes. As a ordinary concerned Californian (we are to be ignored) the message wasn't important and they referred it to a Assembly committee to die:

Dear Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes,

The Sacramento Bee's Dan Walters wrote on 3/8/10 in the article "Legislative "oversight" unit misses mark" - "How about the scandal at the California Public Employees' Retirement System over huge payments to "placement agents" who obtain multibillion-dollar investments for their clients? Many of them have been money losers, adding to the fund's huge value decline that taxpayers will have to cover.

How about the anomaly of CalPERS buying a $600 million chunk of Apollo Global Management, a conspicuous employer of placement agents, only to see that stake decline by more than 75 percent? How about a belated examination of how and why Apollo founder Leon Black persuaded U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, then the state insurance commissioner, to seize the junk bond portfolio of a big insurance company and then resell it some to some shadowy French investors for billions less than its value?

But wait. The same unions that hate furloughs also control the CalPERS board that made those sucker bets. Just a coincidence? When the Legislature stops wasting taxpayer- financed time on trivia and bores into the CalPERS debacle, maybe we'll take its "oversight" seriously."

Walters article fired me up again about the CalPERS scandal involving Leon Black's Apollo Management and the ignoring of money lost by CalPERS/CalSTRS at the Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes. As a lifelong resident of California, I am outraged that Black got away with looting billions from our state pension funds and am willing to work (for free) for your office to research the "outcome" of this topic. Are California's taxpayers on the hook due to the "restructuring" of $4 billion debt announced by Apollo Management this week? Below is an article I wrote published in Nov 09 and "flash forward" to now. Google CalPERS + Apollo Management to find the article highly placed on Google Web or Blogs search engines. The article is titled "Harrah's, Apollo Management, and CalPERS/CalSTRS debacle" and it has drawn much interest.

Article sent to the Senate Committee on Facebook

Blackjack card counting: Las Vegas Strip

Playing in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, card counting can be successful. Double deck blackjack is our game of choice, and the strategy is to play mostly when we have the advantage. Be prepared to walk at least a mile, so wear tennis shoes. The casinos we will hit are Aria, Bellagio, Paris, Harrah's, Venetian, Treasure Island, Mirage, Encore, and Wynn. Consider yourself a letter carrier, delivering and collecting on the route. A profit will occur in the long run, if the method used below is executed perfectly.

The JSTAT Count is used in the extraction of money from these gambling halls. The tens are -2 and non tens (excluding aces) are +1, the aces are side counted. The aces can be side counted on a double deck with a chip or a foot. The chip rotates clockwise with each ace. 1:30 with the first ace, 3:00 2nd ace, 4:30 3rd ace, 6:00 4th ace, 7:30 5th ace, 9:00 6th ace, 10:30 7th ace, back to 12:00 8th ace. The right foot can also be used instead of the chips to track aces by using the foot count. It sounds confusing, but with practice it's a piece of cake!

The $25 minimums are expensive, but the odds can be changed to our favor with blackjacks paid at 3:2. Be aware that some casinos pay 6:5 on blackjacks, so always ask the pit, and refuse to play if it is. Buy a basic strategy card at one of the casinos gift shops. Don't deviate from basic strategy. One cannot enter during mid-deck at some joints, but leaving when there are more aces and tens played is permitted. Choose a table with 2 or 3 players and place $25. An ace should appear every 13 cards or about every round. Bet $50 in the second round if, 1) no aces appear and the count is around even or plus, 2) one ace was played and the count is +8 or more. Leave the table if the count and aces described are not met. In the third round, bet $50 with, 1) no aces played and at least a -9 count, 2) one ace with at least a -4 count, 3) two aces with a +8 count. Again, leave the table if these conditions are not met. In the fourth round bet $50 with 1) no aces played and at least a count of -12, 2) one ace played and -7 or better, 3) two aces at even counts or higher, 4) 3 aces at +8 or more. If absent,leave. Never play past four rounds and stay mobile. Go to the next double deck table or casino on the Strip to collect on the route. The surveillance personnel and the pit will think we are nuts to play on negative counts and leaving before the shuffle.

Using this card counting strategy, our money is wagered when more blackjacks than normal are present. The dealer will get the same amount of blackjacks, but we are paid 3:2, this is our edge. It sure beats the "red eye" flight home, crying from tapping out our ATM cards.

'The Quants': Ed Thorp interview on NPR

Here's an interview on NPR with Ed Thorp and author of 'The Quants' Scott Patterson. The book is #23 on the New York Times National Best Seller List (hardcover-nonfiction) and is subtitled "How a new breed of math whizzes conquered Wall Street and nearly destroyed it." Thorp discusses blackjack considerably in the interview before the debacle on Wall Street is discussed. Thorp was playing to the lowest common denominator of the audience who only know of card counting as 2-6=+1 and 10/aces=-1. It was implied that he developed High-Low through the computer work at MIT instead of the Ten Count. The 1962 original version of "Beat The Dealer" did not include High-Low and was dedicated to the Ten Count.

Also curious was Thorp's admission that he trusted others with his investments who didn't use Kelly Criterion when the financial meltdown occurred. Thorp lost much of his wealth to the new breed of Quants who ignored money management and leveraged at will. "Any good investment, sufficiently leveraged, can lead to ruin" Thorp says in the book which asks the question, why didn't Thorp use his investing methods with his wealth at that time? Thorp did recover most of his wealth back after the meltdown using his tried and true methods.

Ed Thorp and I beat the same casino boss at card counting.

In a 2/1 interview on NPR of the book 'The Quants', Ed Thorp recalled his 1961 actual play of his count with Mr. X (Manny Kimmel) then "tiring" and quitting of play at Harvey's. In the story below, my meeting with Joe the casino manager disputes Thorp's words.

In the summer of 2007, my wife and I stayed at Harvey's as we do every summer. Her cousin who has been a resident of South Lake Tahoe since 1976 visited us in our room. He brought his wife, son, and an old friend of his. His friend was named Joe. When he introduced us, he said Joe was the casino manager of Harvey's, but now retired. I looked at him and knew him right away since I worked at Harvey's in 1979. They laid me off because of the gas crisis then. Last one hired, first one fired. I told Joe this and he was shocked. He asked the name of the shift manager at the time. I said his name and Joe believed me. I told him it was a blessing because I moved on to deal the best craps games in Las Vegas. I was upset that I had to leave Lake Tahoe and my dreams were crushed then. For payback of my layoff, I used my own Ten Count in 1992 at Harvey's and crushed them at single deck blackjack. Joe was surprised that I got away with it under his watch. I spread $5-$150 and only made big bets when the hi-lo count was negative and the Ten Count showed positive blackjack expectation. I assumed the eye in the sky used hi-lo to evaluate blackjack skill. Won $4000 in 6 hours of nonstop play utilizing card counting. This fooled his bosses, and Joe was dismayed.

Our conversation changed to Ed Thorp. Since Joe was the casino manager at the time, I asked him about Thorp's story in "Beat The Dealer(1962)" about Harvey's. Thorp wrote on page 112, "In two hours we broke the bank again. The great heaps of chips in front of us included more than $17,000 in profits. I had won about $6,000 and Mr. X, betting wildly, had won $11,000. I was tiring rapidly. The aftereffects of our huge dinner, the increased effort in managing two hands, and the strain of the last few days were telling. I began to find it very difficult to count properly and saw that Mr. X was equally far gone. I insisted that we quit, and I cashed in my $6,000." Joe's eyes lit up and said,"I threw that bum out of here and you know what he did? He hugged me and kissed me and said thank you!" I asked him about Mr. X and Joe said that he was a known player and let Mr. X play on. Thorp was backed off by Joe instead of "insisting that we quit" as written in "Beat The Dealer." It was surreal spending that afternoon with a part of blackjack history. To hear the untold story of Thorp's adventure at Harvey's with the casino manager whom we both beat as card counters right under his nose.

Las Vegas Strip rewards card counting couple

John and Margarita Stathis decided to spend their 25th wedding anniversary recently at the Paris hotel on the Strip. Nevada is named "The Silver State" and celebrating the silver benchmark in Las Vegas was John's idea, instead of buying jewelry. Walking through the low limit 6:5 ($50 blackjacks receive $60 instead of $75) at two in the afternoon Mirage blackjack tables near the sportsbook, one will read "Bringing the heat for 20 years" stenciled on the green felts. Heat is a term used by counters when they have been made by a casino for betting with their heads, not over it. The people mover and the white tiger display are gone and the casino is nearly empty. The six high-limit double deck tables near the poker room with one of the best rules in town is completely deserted with only dealers and pit bosses waiting for customers. There is a saying that goes "throwing out the baby with the bath water" and maybe the Mirage threw out weak counters who comprise the majority of blackjack's profits with the few competent players.

Margarita never card counted before because of the higher limits and held John's feet to the fire as an anniversary present. They took the tram from Mirage to Treasure Island next door to play the four $10 minimum double deck games that offers a low .19% advantage to the house. MGM Mirage sold Treasure Island to billionaire Phil Ruffin recently to raise funds to open its struggling CityCenter project. Ruffin is known to offer good games as he did when he owned Frontier on the Strip and this blackjack January surprise is just what the doctor ordered. The Treasure Island $10 game is parallel to Mirage's (or Wynn,Bellagio, and Aria) double deck with the dealer standing on soft 17, 3:2 blackjack payouts, double after split, and penetration around 60%. A good game to play for a couple on a budget looking for a good deal and a chance to win a few bucks.

Margarita was told by John to "pump it up!" when more aces and tens than normal were left in the presence of pit bosses who took interest. John never looked at his cards and took insurance if a dealer had an ace up, when the deck was rich in tens. He had a personal pit boss within inches of his face! This proved to his wife about the heat he has always received, and never believed by her until then. The couple made off with $600 of Treasure Island's money that paid for their Cashman Crystal anniversary gift with their picture inside the crystal.

Harrah's, Apollo Management, and CalPERS/CalSTRS debacle

The California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) has a 9% stake in the private equity firm Apollo Management which owns most of Harrah's Entertainment. CalPERS also shelled out close to $4 billion to keep Apollo above water like a floating craps game. Harrah's was bought at its high before the financial collapse, leading Apollo's CEO Leon Black to seek new investors. Private investors were not willing to invest while CalPERS plunged in due to double digit returns from Black's magic touch. The Chief Investment Officer of CalPERS, Joseph Dear, decided to up the ante of the Alternate Investment Program to 14% of the $200 billion retirement fund. It is possible that California is chasing good money after bad money with Black's prior controversial history with Michael Milken. It's a crapshoot.

Harrah's has pulled in its horns by offering 6:5 blackjack, lower video poker payouts, and less comps. A glass of wine at the Paris restaurant bar in Las Vegas costs $15! Harrah's is known as the "Evil Empire" on blackjack newsgroups such as blackjackinfo.com and bj21.com message boards because of its tight games. But for California to survive, more gamblers must play or stay at Harrah's properties to get out of this mess. Harrah's should use the Steve Wynn or MGM Mirage's business model by offering looser blackjack games that pay 3:2 blackjacks, stand on soft 17, late surrender, and resplit aces.

California can get out of this jam by cashing out and securing all of its retirement funds in United States Treasury bonds. It seems conservative, but an old saying professes, "light gains make heavy purses."

Harrah's suffered a $1.621 billion loss in the 3rd quarter of 2009 and CEO Gary Loveman said his company is "addressing our capital structure to cope with the protracted economic slump" in a statement published in the October 27, 2009 Las Vegas Sun. On November 4, 2009 the New York Post reported that one of Harrah's owners (Apollo Management) is "doubling down" on its investment to gain control of the company if restructuring is required due to Harrah's massive debt. Doubling down at the game of blackjack with a 9 vs ace is not a smart play, so partner TPG and minority investor Blackstone Group did not bet with Leon Black's Apollo. Where did all this capital come from? It is known that the California Public Retirement System (CalPERS) is Apollo Management's cash cow by committing $4 billion that helped Harrah's according to the Wall Street Journal October 23, 2009. But Harrah's capital structure did not stop here and another retirement fund was needed to structure the debt.

The California teachers $120 billion retirement fund CalSTRS is also invested with Apollo Management and TPG Capital also has taken a bath with its investments in Harrah's. Calls to the CalSTRS Chief Investment Officers office was not returned on why this trio of private equity firms were the leading losers of its Private Equity Portfolio Partnership. If CalSTRS and CalPERS gets wiped out by these corporate raiders, the taxpayers of California will have to foot the bill according to the state's constitution. If California defaults on this obligation, the United States government will bail out these public employees pensions.

Las Vegas was built on Teamsters pension money through the mob before Howard Hughes bought them out to legitimize casino gambling. This opened the doors to Wall Street's taking a piece of the action by offering shares to the public. Corporations such as MGM Mirage and Wynn Resorts offer the public the opportunity to invest in these companies and have a say at shareholders meetings. Coming full circle from the gangland days to Harrah's where the public has no say (because it is a private company) while its money is at stake. At least the mob made money running Las Vegas casinos.

Investments in the profitable bond company PIMCO run by Bill Gross will be cut in half by the California Public Employees' System (CalPERS) in spite of turning a profit for them, if approved at the Nov.16 CalPERS Board meeting. Bill Gross is known as the "Bond King" and cites his blackjack card counting experience to guide his business decisions for PIMCO. He turned $200 into $10,000 one summer in the 60's after reading the book "Beat The Dealer" while racked up in a hospital after an accident. The man knows risk management and made a profit during the financial meltdown while pension funds around the country took a bath. CalPERS decided it was smart to allocate more into the risky private equity funds.

State pension funds are “dumb” clients according to State Street Bank's whistleblowers in a suit filed by California's Attorney General Jerry Brown. CalPERS and CalSTRS (California State Teachers' Retirement System) were skimmed $56.6 million in currency exchanges and want it back. CalPERS also was allegedly hoodwinked by Alfred Villalobos, a former board member who took $60 million in kickbacks from Leon Black's Apollo Management , Black's brother-in-law's CIM Group in Los Angeles, and Arvco Financial Ventures/Arvco Capital Research owned by Villalobos. This is small potatoes compared to the billions already lost from the $200 billion CalPERS and $120 billion CalSTRS.

Gross contends investments in casinos will take a nosedive in the near future, not good news to the risk managers who chose to chase good money after bad money. CalPERS is in at least $4 billion with Apollo Management who owns struggling Harrah's with TPG Capital who also raided the California pension systems to buy the casino chain. United States Senator Harry Reid claims that he saved 31,000 jobs at Harrah's properties in a provision in the stimulus bill signed by President Obama this year. Harrah's was allowed to kick the can down the road by restructuring debt. Obama's signature allowed Harrah's to deleverage close to $4 billion in debt and keep the company above water at the expense of California's taxpayers, if CalPERS/CalSTRS goes belly up. If California goes bankrupt, the United States government is obligated to pay, and guess who is stuck with the bill?

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Casino Examiner rates CityCenter in Las Vegas

The sun is blotted out two hours before sunset at the Paris hotel rooms facing Bellagio by the monstrosity of skyscrapers of the recently opened CityCenter complex. Owned by MGM Mirage and Dubai World, CityCenter cost $8.5 billion to build and much of the Las Vegas economy is based on this gamble. There are three hotels, a condominium complex, and a shopping center, Aria Resort & Casino, a 61-story, 4,004-room resort, Mandarin Oriental, a 47-story luxury hotel, Vdara Hotel & Spa, a 57-story tower, Veer Towers, twin 37-story condos designed with a 5-degree tilt, and The Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot enclosed high end shopping mall comprise this property. A complete eyesore to many of its neighbors whose views of the Strip no longer exist.

With over 6,000 rooms, access to Aria casino is not a problem while visitors outside the resort will find it difficult with the lack of obvious directions. While most casinos display marqees and identifiable entrances such as people movers or water and volcanic displays, Aria does not. The tram from Bellagio is an adventure by itself with the massive amount of walking through the casino to the second hotel built past pools in the back. The tram drops passengers at the shopping mall at Crystals where another hike is required to the Aria casino, if they are lucky enough to find it in the first attempt. The logistics of confining CityCenter's 6,000 guests to gamble at Aria casino is possibly a stroke of genius or could go down as the worst planning design in Las Vegas history.

The axiom of relieving gamblers of their money from the Strip's walking traffic will be tested due to the Aria's casino location (1/4 mile) off the beaten path.The casino is just ordinary with a small sports book and tight video poker payouts that will break a family budget in no time at all. The six double deck blackjack games located in the center of the casino offer the best odds in town. The casino edge is only .19% with perfect basic strategy (a basic strategy card can be bought at some hotel/casino gift shops) and minimums of $25 on weekdays and $50 on weekends. The odds can be changed to the players favor of this low house percentage game by counting tens as -2 vs non tens as +1 (aces are side counted). Find a table with a player and wait till the decks are reshuffled (no mid-deck entry is allowed) and place a minimum bet. The cards are dealt face up (practice first) and start counting all first two cards from 1st to 3rd base, then the dealers face card. Then count the hit cards to total the count after the first round. If the count is + with no aces played, double the bet. Leave, if an ace appears, go to another table and repeat. We are playing only two hands while staying mobile and not allowing the casino edge to creep up on us. Take a break after two tables and enjoy the property for two hours, then hit two double deck tables again. Hitting and running is effective and we are in control of the gaming experience.