JSTAT has answered questions at kingjstat@yahoo.com regarding card counting and casinos throughout the years. The Moviemakerjjcasino YouTube Channel teaches the JSTAT Count and here is a email question on how to play in Las Vegas.
Question about the JSTAT Count:
Hello hope all is good I have
enjoyed ur utube videos. The last 2 months I got into black jack. Been
studying basic strategy and the hi/lo count until I saw ur vids &
read ur articles. Im planning a Vegas trip in feb.or march taking a bank
roll of about $800-$1000 and the plan is to use ur method table hopping
on the $25 min. 2 deck & 6-8 deck games w/good player rules. Is
that suicide or should I play on lower limit tables until I get a bigger
bank roll & more experience. I get the concept on the double deck
game but the 6-8 deck leaves me a little confused cause r u still
focused on leaving the table with fewer aces and a bad count? Cause my
thinking is even with fewer aces but a good count basic strategy will
beat the dealer. Thanks for taking the time to read this I really need
to tweak my game before this trip. Any advice ia greatly appreciated.
JSTAT's answer:
The ace side count is better suited for single/double decks and should
not be used for the six deckers. Use late surrender and play at games
that stand on soft 17, re-split aces, double after splits at 6 deck
games in Vegas. MGM Grand, Mirage, Bellagio, Aria, NY-NY, are among the
casinos that offer great six deck. Learning late surrender reduces the
fluctuations of your bankroll. Back count the six deck games and place
$25 bets at true counts of +1 or more. The $25 bets should give you
plenty of gunpowder to fire at Vegas Strip casinos with your 1k
bankroll.
The 12/18/11 CBS broadcast between the Saint Louis Rams and Cincinnati
Bengals contained profanity through the referee's microphone. Rams
offensive lineman Harvey Dahl saying "That's not fucking holding" is
another NFL malfunction mistake the FCC should investigate. No consent
is needed by the NFL to provide this video to the FCC. Gambling could
have also been involved.
Dahl said in the video "I know you didn't call me for holding" before the profanity rant. It was probably
the push at the end of the play. The referee fired the flag from the
backfield 15 yards away late in the play to stall the Rams drive. The
Bengals were favored 6.5 points and won by 7, 20-13. This phantom call
by the NFL referee helped gamblers betting on the Bengals to cover. I
don't bet NFL anymore. I am concerned that some games are rigged.
The Casino Examiner (JSTAT) drives to Cache Creek Casino and Resort located less than two hours drive from San Francisco, California and less travel time from Sacramento. JSTAT discovered a $50 minimum single deck blackjack game that paid 3:2 blackjacks in the High-Limit pit. Since the Indians have suffered enough throughout US history, JSTAT decided not to crush this Native American gambling hall by card counting that game.
I compiled the small clips placed here on Casino Examiner (with some others) into one longer video taken at the WPT Shooting Star 2011 in San Jose, California at the Bay 101 Casino . The WPT authorized this after its broadcast this summer. Below is the write-up on the YouTube page...
Phil Hellmuth (1989 WSOP Main Event Champion), Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, Freddy Deeb, Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu, Layne Flack, Matt Savage, Royal Flush Girls, and Vince Van Patten at the 2011 WPT Shooting Star at Bay 101 in San Jose, California. Bad beats, angry rage, and poking fun are shown.
The Casino Examiner (JSTAT) received permission to film and publish this video from the WPT. JSTAT clearly out hustled the experienced WPT camera crew and captured key moments that are shown in this video. The Mike Matusow blow up, the Matt Savage blown call of "We are going to lose Freddy Deeb here", and Deeb's mocking of Savage were missed by the WPT and not broadcast on the Fox Sports Network episode.
"We are going to lose Freddy Deeb" proclaimed tournament director Matt Savage after Phil Hellmuth nailed the nut flush on the turn, with Deeb all in. Deeb had two pair and made a full house on the river, forcing Savage to eat his words. Your Casino Examiner (JSTAT) focused his camera on Hellmuth after the bad beat anticipating an angry rant from Hellmuth. Hellmuth acted like a true gentleman and a classy poker player, not the "Poker Brat" from the past. Deeb talks on the microphone and mocks Savage, a funny moment at the 2011 WPT Shooting Star held at Bay 101 Casino in San Jose, California.
Your Casino Examiner (JSTAT) drives through casino row in South Lake Tahoe. Harrah's/Harveys/Horizon/Montbleu are shown. Went to Tahoe on a coupon run this summer. Lost $10, but videotaped this as proof with Frank Sinatra singing "Summer Wind" on the car radio on the way home.
It really surprised me that the count (JSTAT Count) in the video was not included in the card counting world over 20 years ago and still not recognized today by blackjack experts. Since I won with it since 1991 (after I did the math), I decided to stick out my neck and place it on YouTube for the world to see and judge.
I played blackjack with success in the 90's until my picture was plastered in every casino facial recognition system database in Nevada in 1997. So my play was limited to hitting and running to make a few bucks, as shown in this video. I might win enough to pay for airfare and expenses when playing in Las Vegas now. I get more joy sharing the information in this video as revenge to the casinos who banned me from playing blackjack.
The music is loud because casinos are this annoying and it proves that this video was not edited. If you couldn't learn with Elvis and Dean Martin in the background, do not enter a casino!
My JSTAT Count in the video is not the hi-lo count! Hi-lo counts the aces with the tens and does not count 7,8,9's which harms the players with less information for insurance and blackjack frequency prediction. Counting 2-9 as +1 and ten cards as -2 (without the aces) is very easy to count. I have nothing to sell here, it is free!
In this video, I am flat betting at a true count of +1 and above without the ace side count. By staying mobile, hitting and running, and playing at different pits and casinos, is an effective weapon against casinos counter-measures. Staying and spreading with the count is inviting heat from paranoid casino bosses. A moving target is hard to hit.
Play at Las Vegas Strip casinos that stand on soft 17, have late surrender, allow resplitiing of aces such as MGM, Aria, Bellagio. Play perfect basic strategy and surrender at the right times. Make sure you bet big on plus counts and more aces are left than normal, and bet low or leave on minus counts with more aces played. It is not easy to win without the odds on your side.
Okay, so you want to hit the craps tables, but you don't understand the game. Your Casino Examiner JSTAT reveals how to play craps...
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.
While being a USPS postal worker, with a lot of stress, I channeled my anger into winning at blackjack. I felt like "Going Postal" at times for 23 years in that hostile environment. I was a recovering hi-lo card counting loser at 21 before I discovered my JSTAT Count (a ten count) 20 years ago. Yes, the same hi-lo count used by the suckers at MIT in the movie "21". The chumps at MIT went bankrupt according to the History Channel's "Breaking Vegas." I was also disgruntled with "The Book" written by recognized blackjack authorities. Everybody seems to refer to "The Book." "The Book" didn't help me. The Ten Count in the original book "Beat The Dealer(1962)" by Edward O. Thorp was morphed into High-Low in the 1966 edition as the best count. High-low was changed to hi-lo by future authors. A revision that has sent many to the cleaners. The Ten Count has been ignored until now.
In the summer of 2007, my wife and I stayed at Harveys 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 Harveys, but now retired. I looked at him and knew him right away. I worked at Harveys 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 that 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 pissed that I had to leave Lake Tahoe and my dreams were crushed. For payback of my layoff, I used my JSTAT Count in 1992 at Harveys 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 JSTAT Count showed positive blackjack expectation. I assumed the eye in the sky (surveillance) used hi-lo to evaluate blackjack skill. I won $4000 in 6 hours of nonstop play. 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 Harveys. 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 Harveys with the casino manager who we both beat under his nose.
The JSTAT Count is an upgrade of Thorp's Ten Count. The non-tens are counted as +1 and tens are -2, the aces are not counted, they are side counted . With more tens (plus count) and aces left, the chances of receiving blackjacks increase. I managed to be barred all over Nevada using my method. Betting with my head, not over it. You can brag to your friends and family about the fear the casinos will have of you if you play perfect. If six 7's, 8's, or 9's and three 2-6's with four face cards are played at a heads up single deck game, we have the advantage. The chance of being dealt a blackjack rises to 6.47% instead of the 4.83% off the top. We can also calculate perfect insurance from the JSTAT Count. The aces are side counted, giving us perfect blackjack frequency prediction and insurance. The hi-lo count is -1 and the eye in the sky will think we are nuts to make a big bet. I employed this method in the 90's at Reno and Lake Tahoe. Played untouched for seven years. The pit and eye thought I was a long term loser. I laughed all the way to the bank.
I use combinatorial analysis and a calculator which is more accurate than computer sims. Using subsets really shows the power of my Ten Count over hi-lo. For example, we are playing two hands heads up at single deck. Our first hand is A,A and the second is A,9. The dealer shows an ace and asks for insurance. The hi-lo count is -4, not an insurable count. My Ten Count differs because taking insurance is a positive expectation event in this situation. +1 with four aces gone with less than 1/4 deck played takes about +3.5 and above to gain the insurance advantage. 4 aces and +1 equals +5, we take the insurance while the hi-lo counter misses out and is clueless. Here is an another example. At double deck with 26 cards(1/2 deck)played, the count is -10 with 6 aces played and no 8,9's have come out. We have 14-16 vs 7,8 for the dealer. Basic Strategy says to hit, so the hi-lo sheep hit and go bust. My Ten Count says stay because we will bust more, leaving the dealer to bust. Asymmetry of 8,9's with a dealer 7,8 upcard produces more stiffs for the dealer. We buck the tide by standing on 14-16 vs 7,8 leaving the dealer to bust more often. To understand more about the imbalance of cards read Chapter 10 of "Playing Blackjack To Win" by Baldwin, Cantey, Maisel, McDermott. My Ten Count using side counts arguably displaces the Hi-OptII count by Lance Humble as the best count ever.
The JSTAT Count dominates because it takes advantage of asymmetry situations from the side counting of aces. Combinatorial analysis with subsets and a calculator was needed to confirm its power. Blackjack computer simulation is insufficient. The casino executives and book/sim sellers who read this will wrongly say that my Ten Count is "very weak, very weak", you who do not drink the casino kool aid will dominate. The hi-lo count is endorsed by "The Man" or the casino industry. Do they have our interests at heart? No way! I got away with fooling Reno/Tahoe for 7 years in the 90's because of the difference of my blackjack count from hi-lo and other counts.
In January 1997, I was barred from playing 21 after winning 4K at the New York-New York six deck game in Las Vegas. I thought the 4K win would be peanuts. I assumed Vegas was a class town and winning a few thousand wouldn't ruffle any feathers. I played for 13 straight hours spreading $25-$300. They kept giving me free beer. I was having a good time and was polite. I worked my tail off at the post office and did not expect harassment from Las Vegas Strip casinos for just counting. Like they say, "Out of the frying pan, into the fire." My picture was faxed to every major casino property surveillance department throughout the Surveillance Information Network (SIN for short) in Nevada. My picture is also in every Facial Recognition Software on the Strip. In the commercials for the World Series Of Poker, Gary Loveman (CEO of Caesars Entertainment) states, " Bet with your head, not over it and gamble responsibly." It is sort of like the Phillip Morris commercials discouraging smoking. My blackjack method flies in the face of conventional blackjack card counting advantage thinking. So if I can't play on a regular basis, others like you can carry the torch.
Everywhere you look when trying to beat the casinos at blackjack, the hi-lo (or high/low) count rears its ugly head. The movie "21" in 2008 accelerated this count to the masses. Almost every book published since 1966 recommends this count. 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. For example, if all the aces are gone in a single deck game (Reno rules) with a +2 count at 1/4 deck played is almost a 2% disadvantage with the 2.4% deduction from blackjacks. More aces played than normal can do serious harm to the player. Conversely, a -2 count at 39 cards left (with all 4 aces remaining to be played), blackjacks will increase from the 4.83% off the top to 5.39%. 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 Stanford Wong "fixed" the overlay's of 7,8,9's from Braun's "mistakes" in his 1975 book "Professional Blackjack" using his Blackjack Count Analyzer.
Stanford Wong was "convinced" (most likely by the casino industry) to make a revision in the 1994 edition of "Professional Blackjack." On page 217 it states, "The 1981 and earlier editions of this book contained strategy numbers for high-low adjusted for aces and halves adjusted for aces. Using those numbers required keeping a side count of aces. That material is not included in this edition due to its lack of importance in increasing your win rate." Wong is wrong! Aces do matter and some of the math I provided proves it increases the win rate dramatically.
Most Hi-Lo authors must agree with Wong's "don't worry about it" stance concerning the side count of aces. Good for players who side count aces and bad for the others who drink the casino sponsored kool-aid. These authors will not be published by major gambling publishers if they don't play ball. Aces are to be reckoned with the 10's to satisfy the casino industry or become a internet yahoo.
I am a blackjack card counter. I was a recovering hi-lo loser at 21 before I discovered my ten count 20 years ago. Yes, the same hi-lo count used by the suckers at MIT in the movie "21". The chumps at MIT went bankrupt according to the History Channel's "Breaking Vegas". My Ten Count (JSTAT Count) is an upgrade of Edward O. Thorp's Ten Count in "Beat The Dealer". I managed to be barred all over Nevada using my method. Betting with my head, not over it. I hope that you all use the count presented in the videos here on the Casino Examiner blog or the Moviemakerjjcasino YouTube site. No charge, it is free. You can brag to your friends and family about the fear the casinos will have of you if you play perfect.
I used combinational analysis and a calculator which is more accurate than computer sims. Using subsets really shows the power of the JSTAT Count over hi-lo. For example, we are playing two hands heads up at single deck. Our first hand is A,A and the second is A,9. The dealer shows an ace and asks for insurance. The hi-lo count is -4, not an insurable count . The JSTAT Count differs because taking insurance is a positive expectation event in this situation. +1 with four aces gone with less than 1/4 deck played takes about +3.5 and above to gain the insurance advantage. 4 aces and +1 equals +5, we take the insurance while the hi-lo player misses out and is clueless. We can use many subsets to prove the power of the JSTAT Count over hi-lo. The JSTAT Count is as good as the powerful Hi-OptII. It side counts the aces, eights, and nines, like Hi-OptII. It takes advantage of asymmetry situations from the side counts. Combinational analysis with subsets and a calculator was needed to confirm its power. Blackjack computer simulation is insufficient. The YouTube page has created an "underground railroad" of interested counters. I am giving you the important information that is not published and not seen in other YouTube videos. If the casino executives and book sellers who read Casino Examiner here believe that the JSTAT Count is "very weak, very weak", we will dominate. I got away with fooling Reno/Lake Tahoe for 6 years in the 90's because of the difference of my blackjack count from hi-lo and other counts. I am willing to take the blows by revealing the truth of card counting at 21.
Has Full Tilt Poker affliates (Bluff Magazine, Card Player Magazine, PokerNews) received money from the suckers in the United States who never played for real money on the site? They are affiliates and can pocket up to $200 for each player referred, which is called a CPA (Cost Per Acquisition). "Full Tilt has begun crediting funds to affiliate accounts, nearly two months after Black Friday, eGaming Review has learned."
Card Player Magazine and Bluff Magazine are found in most casinos and these issues are free. I picked up an issue of Card Player and signed up for a free Full Tilt Poker account on April 14, 2011. The two page Full Tilt Poker ad offered a 100% sign-up bonus up to $600 when entering the Card Player code (CPUS) while signing up. All you needed was a credit card. There is a saying "You get what you paid for" and decided to sleep on the free magazine's offer. On April 15, 2011, the Department of Justice (DOJ) closed down Full Tilt Poker (and two other online sites) on what is known in the poker community as Black Friday in the USA. I would have lost $600, if I did not sleep on it.
Card Player would have received a $200 kickback into their Full Tilt Poker account this month, while I would have been left holding the bag.
Your Casino Examiner has the Twitter name of @Casino_Examiner and followers are encouraged! Below is an experiment of placing 16 tweets in one day, in the hopes of collecting more followers on May 26, 2011. The tweets cover all sorts of subjects in the wonderful world of casino gambling. As of press time, the Twitter account has 92 followers while following 80.
Marco at Quadjacks is very concerned about Full Tilt Poker owner Howard Lederer missing since Black Friday 4/15 http://tinyurl.com/3mhcnct18 minutes ago Favorite Reply Delete
» moviejjcasino JSTAT
"Nick The Greek" Dandolos once said "Play the don't pass line and take the odds. Using that method, I've lost several million dollars."
38 minutes ago Favorite Reply Delete
» moviejjcasino JSTAT
Saw Don Rickles in 78 at Harrah's Reno.Rickles ordered a spotlight on Bill Harrah and ripped the laughing Harrah.Harrah died 1 month later
49 minutes ago Favorite Reply Delete
» moviejjcasino JSTAT
Ever noticed those white 737 jets with the red trimmings taking off/landing at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas? They take workers to Area 51.
1 hour ago Favorite Reply Delete
» moviejjcasino JSTAT
The slots in Greece can be set to play with any item that keeps the play button down.Funny seeing Greeks smoking/joking in the aisle
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» moviejjcasino JSTAT
When I was on the stick at craps and the crew had tip on 11, I led in prayer "Our Father who art in Heaven, may this next roll be yo eleven"
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» moviejjcasino JSTAT
Deceased Andy Glazer, The Poker Pundit, was a customer of mine while working as a letter carrier in Los Altos, California. A great guy!
2 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete
» moviejjcasino JSTAT
Think video poker is random?It isn't!The random selection process must meet 95% limits.Nev. Gaming reg 14.040(2) http://tinyurl.com/3rguej92 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete
» moviejjcasino JSTAT
Was not surprised Del Webb was told to sell its casinos by the Feds because of mob involvement after I left the Mint, also owned by Del Webb
3 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete
» moviejjcasino JSTAT
I was hired as a craps dealer at the Mint in Vegas in 1980. Was told to keep my nose clean or my hands will be broken and cops not called.
3 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete
» moviejjcasino JSTAT
In case of an earthquake, go to a keno lounge. To my knowledge, nothing has ever been hit in one.
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» moviejjcasino JSTAT
The best throw of the dice is to throw them away
3 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete
» moviejjcasino JSTAT
Caesars Entertainment owner, Apollo Management, is buying the rights to the popular show American Idol http://tinyurl.com/3sobjx53 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete
» moviejjcasino JSTAT
Addicted to Quadjacks.com radio after Fed's raid of online poker April 15. Sparkling Marco Valerio speaks to the elite of the poker world
3 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete
» moviejjcasino JSTAT
Joe Agosto,the Entertainment Director of the Tropicana comped me a couple nights in the 70's. Agosto was accused of being a mobster by FBI
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» moviejjcasino JSTAT
I dealt blackjack to the Amazing Kreskin at Harold's Club in Reno years ago. He beat me and admitted he does not read minds.
3 hours ago Favorite Reply
The Nevada Gaming Control Board releases a monthly Gaming Revenue Report to gauge the amount of tax revenue to be taken from the state's casino win. The March 2011 report show the difference from March 2010 and breaks down the win rates. The Las Vegas Strip win rate at swank casinos that raked in $72 million or more are responsible for most of the revenue for the state. These casinos include Bellagio, MGM Grand, Wynn, Venetian, Caesars Palace, Aria, and others that include baccarat. Without baccarat play, the casinos would be in a world of hurt. Overall the March total gaming win at Strip casinos was $461,348,000, an 11.54% increase from March 2010.
Baccarat at these big casino bought in $81,741,000, a 56.76% profit from the year before with a win rate of 11.54%. Most high rollers play baccarat with average bets in the thousands. These rich players have saved Las Vegas from financial destruction. High-end slot play also increased (at $5 and up) for the significant others playing the one armed bandits. So players with money to burn are in abundance and are wined and dined to keep Nevada afloat. The comps for the rich and famous, such as private jets and butler service, must be made up by low-end players.
Middle class players are staying away from slot machines in droves. 25 cent slot machines profits were down 25.94%, 5 cent bandits plunged 34.90%, and $1 machines struggled with only a 5.5% loss to casinos on the Strip. People would rather play at local Indian casinos than fly to Las Vegas to get separated from their money. Everyone knows that Strip casinos have tightened the slots and the casino are paying the price with lower revenues from the greed.
Blackjack and craps showed an improvement of 19.35% and 61.81% respectively. So the short term strategy of paying 6:5 for a blackjack (instead of 3:2) is doing wonders for the casinos bottom line. Craps is a fun game to play and the odds are better than 6:5 blackjack, if played right. Players disgusted with losing quickly at slots would rather get value for their money at craps. At least your money will last long enough to get you that drink you ordered from the cocktail waitress.
This Washington Examiner article "Gambling addicts charged with trespassing under Md. program" warns that some problem gamblers can be charged with criminal trespassing for entering Maryland casinos. Isn't that special! A casino can toss customers into jail after losing all their money and homes. A wrong way to approach compulsive gambling by giving casinos this power.
The Press of Atlantic City reports that "Pennsylvania advances legislation that would require casinos to issue monthly gaming statements to gamblers". You know those player cards casinos urge us to use, such as the Caesars Entertainment (Harrah's) Total Rewards program? A Pennsylvania law in the works would require casinos to mail won/lost statements to customers monthly. If this was federally implemented, it would deter degenerate gambling to some degree and bring in much needed revenue to the United States Postal Service (USPS) with the delivery of statements to millions of gamblers. Casinos claiming they have internal controls to prevent problem gambling is similar to Phillip Morris discouraging cigarette smoking.
In New Zealand, The Herald reports "Figures show a surge in pokie use by quake-devastated residents". Gambling has tripled in Christchurch since the devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake on February 22, 2011. So a calamity such as an earthquake can solve casino industry woes such as the Las Vegas casino recession. Wouldn't be surprised if hedge funds have this in their playbooks, if Vegas is pounded.
In this article "Feinstein introduces legislation to stop San Pablo casino expansion" by the Contra Costa Times, United States Senator Dianne Feinstein opposes urban Indian gaming. Feinstein's husband Richard Blum is a partner with TPG Capital which owns Caesars Entertainment (formerly Harrah's Entertainment) with Apollo Management. It could be said that Feinstein does not desire competition from Native American casinos against established casino corporations such as her hubby's.
This Las Vegas Review-Journal piece "New Ohio governor's tax plans irk gaming giants", Gov. John Kasich is asking for more revenue from casinos including Caesars Entertainment. Caesars Entertainment is seeking to build urban area casinos in Cleveland and Cincinnati which will enrich United States Senator Dianne Feinstein through her husband Richard Blum, part owner of Caesars Entertainment via TPG Capital.
As a wannabe state in casino growth, the Minneapolis Star Tribune's "Minnesota Poll: More gambling a winner", state lawmakers are considering gambling to bars, racetracks and a downtown Minneapolis casino. Indian casinos are not happy campers with the state considering muscling in on its monopoly. Pretty nasty fight with Native American supporters calling opponents, Indian givers.
On April 26, 2011 Gary Loveman (CEO of Caesars Entertainment) wrote an editorial on CNN Money.com titled "Online Poker: Legalize it!". Only 11 days after the Department of Justice indicted Full Tilt Poker/Poker Stars/Absolute Poker on Black Friday April 15, 2011, Loveman proclaimed "It's not often that opportunity arrives in the form of a federal indictment. But that's exactly what's happened in the world of online poker" and "Should we seize the moment to legalize online poker, permit a safe and legitimate industry in the U.S., and bring those jobs and revenues home?"Unequivocally, the answer is yes." So Caesars Entertainment desires to bring gambling such as online poker into our living rooms and mobile telephones. Gambling at a brick and mortar casino is a form of recreation to many and profitable for Casino Examiner readers here. We choose to drive/fly to Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or our local casino for fun and the idea of Caesars Entertainment cramming online poker down our throats has a snowball's chance in hell of being federally legalized.
Loveman who sold all his Harrah's Entertainment shares to private equity firms Apollo Management and TPG Capital on January 2008, is a paper tiger at Caesars Entertainment and takes orders from Apollo's CEO Leon Black and TPG's David Bonderman. "Teflon" Leon Black (as we like to call him here at Casino Examiner) has a checkered past with California's public pension systems, CalPERS and CalSTRS. Black's Apollo Management paid off a placement agent $60 million to get funding to buy Harrah's in 2008. So the past performance of paying off people for shady dealings is a part owner of Caesars Entertainment.
Marco Valerio, the sparkling voice of the Wombat resistance at Quadjacks.com, desired to interview Loveman on his underground radio show at Quadjacks. Loveman will not speak to the players because we are not important and probably looks down on Caesars Entertainment Total Rewards customers with disdain.
Caesars Entertainment owns the rights to the World Series of Poker, played at the Rio in Las Vegas every year. Disney's ESPN televises the WSOP and these companies want a piece of the action that online poker will bring through tournaments. Harrahs errrr Caesars Entertainment is known as the "Evil Empire" to many with its 6:5 payouts at blackjack and low payouts at video poker, should not be trusted to give a fair deal at online poker.
The Fed's went after the top three Internet poker companies and boom goes the dynamite. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) charged PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker with bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling offenses on April 15, 2011. The DOJ put them all in by seeking at least $3 billion in civil money laundering penalties. A good start in decreasing the national debt by the Feds delivering these internet online gambling sites a bad beat. The scoundrels at PokerStars/Full Tilt Poker/Absolute Poker likely will not refund the money to US players.
The online players are up in arms about the potential loss of money by voicing their concerns at the major poker internet message board Two Plus Two Forums. They should have known about the shady shenanigans because it is illegal to use credit cards such as Visa to deposit money under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (also called UIGEA).
The World Series of Poker (WSOP), owned by Caesars Entertainment will certainly take a financial hit with many of the players bankrolls locked up in these online poker sites. ESPN executives must be hitting the sauce knowing they must televise the event with less interest and participants. The poker explosion is gone.
JSTAT filming Layne Flack, poker's "bad/party boy", apparently drunk knocking out 2007 World Series of Poker champion (WSOP) Jerry Yang from the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star 2011 poker tournament. Flack collected a $5,000 bounty for busting Yang. Flack had pocket aces against Yang's ace-four offsuit and they held up. Flack is heard twice in the video loudly proclaiming "God looks over drunks and fools!" after the flop. Flack went on to be the "bubble boy" which is the last player out who will not win any money. Could this be attributed to divine intervention? Men "The Master" Nguyen is also involved in the hand with Tournament Director Matt Savage announcing the poker action.
It is the first day of the World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star in San Jose, California (March 14, 2011) and the first to be eliminated from the tournament's floor is your Casino Examiner. After enduring the WPT vetting process for a press credentential , one is required to report to Bay 101's security office to receive another badge. Since the tournament had just started, the security office can wait until the first break, your Casino Examiner had to catch the action. The Casino Manager and a security guard hauled me off the floor rudely with the Barney Fife appearing guard saying sarcastically "You need to go to the security office, if you are a member of the press." Not a good start, but appreciate Bay 101's concern for the safety of the tournament's participants and staff.
The Shooting Star attracted 415 players who shelled out $10,000 for the chance to win a little over $1 million in first place money and collect bounties of $5,000 for knocking out 50 well known poker players seated at each table. Some included Phil Hellmuth, Scotty Nguyen, Antonio Esfandiari, Erik Seidel, Kathy Liebert, Men Nguyen, Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Tilly, Tony Dunst, Mike Sexton, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Freddy Deeb, Todd Brunson, John Juanda, Dan Harrington, Barry Greenstein, Mike Matusow, Gavin Smith, Hoyt Corkins, Jerry Yang, and other premier poker players. Day 1A and Day 1B chip leaders receive $10,000.
Tournament director Matt Savage conducted this event named this year for the late Marko Trapani, founder of Bay 101 and creator of the Shooting Star Tournament. Marko's son Chris wound up collecting 10k on Day 1B as the chip leader and wound up playing in the 6 player table format of the final 24 players remaining on Thursday. Two bounty players (Mike Matusow and WPT announcer Mike Sexton) made it to the final table yielding to Alan Sternberg who emerged as the WPT champion.
Moviemakerjjcasino (your Casino Examiner) filming Mike Matusow all in, then berating his opponent Richard Toth (a professional poker player from Hungary) with profanity after giving him a bad beat on the river at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star 2011 poker tournament on Day 1. During the meltdown, Mike "The Mouth" blows up because his opponent called his $2400 bet after the flop with a pair of sevens and a Queen on the board. Tournament director Matt Savage, who was announcing the action at the table, did not penalize Matusow for the outburst. Still a scary moment for those around the table. Matusow advanced to the final table in this World Poker Tour event instead of being sent to the rail.
Artichoke Joe's in San Bruno was the go-to card room to play $6-$12 limit Texas Hold'em poker in the San Francisco Bay Area because of its competitive $4 collection fee that included a Bad Beat jackpot and a royal flush payout. A two hour period between 5:00pm - 7:00pm included bonuses for a straight flush that paid out $200 and four of a kind paid $100. Bay 101 Casino and Garden City Casino in San Jose charge the same $5 collection fee, but without the jackpots and bonuses because of city laws. A good deal for a player looking to increase the odds of winning.
On March 2, 2011, federal agents raided Artichoke Joe's and closed the casino indefinitely after federal agents raided the card room over allegations that loan sharks advanced money to broke players at exorbitant rates and then threatened them with violence to get repayment according to the Bay Area News Group. A bad beat for legit players such as doctors, lawyers, retirees, blue collar workers, and others who play there to relax. My YouTube video "Poker/casino chip tricks-How to handle chips like a pro" used the casino's $1 chips and luckily I cashed them in at the end of February.
I played limit poker there once a month and rarely went over to the "Dark Side" as one manager remarked concerning the Asian games in the casino. It is now out of my rotation and am now limited to Lucky Chances in Colma, Bay 101, and Garden City. All have had similar problems in the past and will always cash out all my chips knowing that they can be next.
Late Breaking News (March 10, 2011)
From Artichoke Joe's website: Reopening FRIDAY MARCH 11, 10 A. M.
Artichoke Joe's Reopening on Friday, March 11, 2011 The State Gambling Control Commission ratified an agreement today (March 10, 2011) that permits Artichoke Joe's to reopen on Friday, March 11, 2011. New security measures and procedures are being implemented immediately to ensure the highest possible standards. We do not and will not condone any illegal activity on or near the Casino. Thank you for your expressions of well wishes during this past week. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Greek recipe secret prepared and baked by a Greek born mother and her daughter (my wife). Greek food festivals always sell these cookies that also is called kourabiethes. They are also popular at Christmas, Easter, weddings, and whenever you feel the urge to eat them.
