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Thread: Happy to Answer Almost All Questions About the Captain

  1. #1
    Since I really have developed a liking for Alan, I'll be happy to answer [I]almost[I] all questions about the Captain, his awesome rolls, his history, his Crew. There are some things I will not discuss but these involve his name or the names of his Crew with some exceptions. Only two of the original Crew are still alive, Satch and me.

    Fire away. (Politely)

    [Just got back from a somewhat long trip to AC so I might get a little behind in my answers.]

  2. #2
    I have only one question: do you have any third party documentation of his then record roll? Any mention in a local paper, casino mailer, publicity photo, casino publication. gambling publication? Your roll by roll description in The Virgin Kiss was interesting to read. I am half way through the book and the parts that were meant to be funny are hysterical, and the parts that were meant to send chills up and down your spine do that, too.

  3. #3
    Good question. Remember that for a casino to publicize an event it must get the written permission of the player. Pat DeMauro had to sign such release papers when she had her world record roll --- in fact the execs were waiting with those papers the moment she sevened out. Had she said to them that she did not want anything said about it then nothing would be said about it. Yes, dealers would talk for awhile; as dealers talked about the Captain until his roll faded as new dealers came on the scene.

    It is somewhat different for slot players and lottery winners. Often the "agreement" between player and casino/lottery expresses clearly that the player's name will be used in case of a win. In casinos this will be posted somewhere on a wall or entrance or right on the machine. Most casinos do not do this but some do. My close friend, whose name I'll tell Alan only, won two Royal Flushes on the same night. When asked if he would allow his name or his achievement to be used in the newsletter or newspapers (holding the big checks), he said, "No way."

    Other than one student and his wife, the dealers, the casino manager, the pit boss, the floor person, a dozen of us at the table, and the crowd, there are no other official newspaper / newsletter reports of the event that I know of.

    Is this strange? No. Think of all the tremendous rolls that have occurred in casinos throughout America --- how many of those are publicized inside or outside the casino? Some of your readers have been on such rolls and except for a little chatter right after them, nothing said, nothing written, these events vanish into the ether.

    Of course, I wrote about it as I have (in words of Ralph Kramden) a "big mouth." But I did get permission to do so. The Captain gave me access he gave very few. Indeed, I believe without him I would still be largely unknown. (Do not take that to mean I invented him to become a big shot. I was lucky in this regards.)

  4. #4
    I have to disagree with you.

    Originally Posted by FrankScoblete View Post
    Good question. Remember that for a casino to publicize an event it must get the written permission of the player.
    Permission is needed only to release the name of the player. Lottery wins, jackpot wins on slot machines, are frequently reported without revealing the names of the winners who request anonymity. I must have covered dozens of "jackpot announcements" over my years as a news reporter when a name was not announced. It frequently happens with lottery winners here in California.

    My next question would have been this: has there been any other "coverage" or mention of this event by anyone or in any other publication that quoted a witness or anyone from the casino in any other media except your articles and books and any media that comes from GTC?

    You answered it with this:

    Originally Posted by FrankScoblete View Post
    Other than one student and his wife, the dealers, the casino manager, the pit boss, the floor person, a dozen of us at the table, and the crowd, there are no other official newspaper / newsletter reports of the event that I know of.

    Is this strange? No. Think of all the tremendous rolls that have occurred in casinos throughout America --- how many of those are publicized inside or outside the casino? Some of your readers have been on such rolls and except for a little chatter right after them, nothing said, nothing written, these events vanish into the ether.

    Of course, I wrote about it as I have (in words of Ralph Kramden) a "big mouth." But I did get permission to do so. The Captain gave me access he gave very few. Indeed, I believe without him I would still be largely unknown. (Do not take that to mean I invented him to become a big shot. I was lucky in this regards.)
    Why I question that there is no other mention of it anywhere is that there were several "casino media" at that time, including discussions on the Internet. Didn't you report this as happening in July 2005 or did I misread that? It was about six years after Fujitake's feat, and during those following years eveyone knew about about it. But it took you and GTC to reveal what The Captain did? It just doesn't make sense.

    As an author, and documentarian of the event, I'd think you'd want to find the boxman or dealers or quote someone from the casino as part of preserving the history and the legacy? And there would be many since most casinos rotate positions on the table crews several times an hour.

  5. #5
    I can't debate this with you because I only have what I already said. You either believe me or you don't. It is really that simple.

    I think Fujitake was in 1989.

  6. #6
    Originally Posted by FrankScoblete View Post
    I can't debate this with you because I only have what I already said. You either believe me or you don't. It is really that simple.

    I think Fujitake was in 1989.
    I really like it.

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