"I Am a Card Counter"

[Rob.Singer]

Yes, most gaming readers would much rather read about another gambler's experiences than a how-to on supposedly beating the casino game. Too many authors have chosen to sensationalize so-called advantage plays like card counting and optimal vp play , as ways to make a living or make extra money, without truthfully acknowledging that the theory almost never approaches the reality--and for multiple reasons. All they want to do is make money selling books. Dan Paymar, easily the most boring writer out there, is probably the most shining, shameless example of this. He re-writes his original book every time sales dip below 20 copies a year, and advertises the revision as "something new that every winning vp player must have". Even extreme old age hasn't stopped him from this nonsense.

But at least Dan writes about the facts, as unachievable as they are. The dice influencing stuff is nothing more than a scam, unprovable to the point that it's creators have never had a problem taking other people's money in return for a silly theory that has no basis in math or anything else but fantasy. And that is the ONLY reason this was concocted--to put sales money into the pockets of unsuccessful gamblers.

[slingshot]

If you believe that all VP machines are random and each hand is random then yes, switching machines does not harm. But if if you thing machines run hot and cold, or that a big winner is due after a cold streak, or that the machine will cool off after a big jackpot, then you might want to have a different idea about this.

I have gone back and forth to a particular machine for 4 full hours and it still never hit. I still say they're like slots and on any particular day one machine may be in a LONG cold cycle and then the next trip be hotter than a firecracker. I've seen it with my own eyes.

[slingshot]

Here's what I've always said about dice setting and influencing: if craps is random because the dice must hit the back wall after flying through the air and hitting the table (a legal throw according to the NGC) then attempts at DI and DC hurt no one and everyone should be allowed to try.

And I still say that if vp is random then it should hurt no one to try artt stategy instead of carping about the denominations, especially if you can choose the denominations and don't delude yourself into believing you must end up playing at the $25 level.

[FABismonte]

I wanted to respond to the original point in this thread. I purchased (yes with my own money) Frank Scoblete's book "I Am a Card Counter" and I enjoyed reading it. I was intrigued how Frank told his life story of how card counting (and meeting his new wife) changed his life for the better and allowed him to work himself into financial success due to smart gambling and casinos as a source for his books.

Frank had often alluded to his life history but this book spells it out. I liked going along with the ride and following his stories. Frankly, most BJ books are pretty fungible as there is only so much one can write about putting money in when the card count is high. But Frank has a voice and way of telling stories that is interesting. After all I gamble for amusement and similarly I like to read about gambling for amusement. I particularly like his detailed discussion of the BJ game at the Maxim casino in the early 1990's - a game I myself stumbled into and was confused when the dealer simply reshuffled the single deck when the cards ran out in the middle of the hand. Sadly I was such a BJ novice that I did not appreciate the opportunity I faced.

I did find some shortcomings. The book is pretty thin compared to many books and the font is fairly large, so there is less text (or stories) as I would have liked. Also he does not sufficiently stress that he does cover events during the past when BJ card counting was a lot more doable than now.

Nevertheless, it was a nice read and I enjoyed the book.

[Rob.Singer]

What is a "new" wife? Is he yet another in a string of visible gamblers who can't hold onto the original because of losing and gambling issues? Or does it refer to something else?

Book "thinness" is understandable. As a gaming author (who has never pimped his books on this or any other forum) my research told me that gaming readers mostly prefer shorter reads. They like to read a book that can be taken on in one day, because once they're into the book, they can't put it down. Cases in point: Frank's book on progressive vp. I read maybe 30 pages before thumbing thru the remaining 400! pages of the most unreadable babble imaginable. Then there's Dan Paymar's joke of a book. It has more mathematical formulas and calculations/combinatorial theories in it than a college math book. Then there's the Linda Boyd offering, which is nothing more than hundreds of pages that copies everything everyone who's come before her has said. And of course, Jean Scott's endless horn-tooting gem that goes from diving thru dumpsters for free stuff, to stuffing rolls from the buffets into her purse. Actually, the only decent & interesting "long read" I've ever seen is Bob Dancer's MDVP.

[FABismonte]

Rob, I use the term "new" wife only in a relative sense as I believe he has been married to his current wife for some 30 years. According to the Frank Scoblete in the 1980s he had two young sons, was an English teacher in New York, ran a small theater on the side then met "the beautiful AP" who eventually became his wife after his divorce. Apparently Frank had never been in a casino before he met AP so I don't know where you are going with "gambling issues." Apparently, it is the opposite of gambling costing Frank a fortune. Instead he made his fortune in gambling in two ways: (1) BJ Card counting with AP paid off his divorce debts, bought a house and put his sons through private schools then college; and (2) Exposure to casinos gave him source material to be a highly successful author.

I agree with you that Bob Dancer's "Million Dollar Video Poker" was a good read. I enjoyed the stories a lot there too. Of course Dancer admits to what I think is essentially cheating and treated his former wife badly, but the honesty of his tale and his climb from BJ counting rags to Video Poker riches is very interesting.

BTW, I used to read some of your articles in Gaming Today and VPtruth.com and liked your trip reports.

[Rob.Singer]

Thanks--that's why I asked. I've not read Frank's books. I'm not familiar with BJ history other than knowing it used to be much easier to make money at. What I DO know is from the research I did for several GT articles by publisher request. He was getting irritated at the frequency of claims by S. Wong & A. Curtis and several others saying they were "banned" from playing anywhere on the Strip, always purporting it was because they were such big winners.

Well, as I went up & down the Strip to every major property and talked to execs at each one, the facts were clear as day and were printed as such. These so-called "winners" who now we're taking the path every loser eventually takes by ending up SELLING whatever they can about gambling in order to make money, were never banned for winning anything. In fact, every casino exec told me they were welcome to play anytime. They just couldn't be seen as counting cards or they would be asked to leave....just like everyone else is....win or lose. But these guys had their names and reputations to protect, so they made these "banned for winning" stories up, which in turn would help sell their products. Turns out this is common in the gaming industry. Winners would never do such a thing, and they would never sell anything and everything gaming if they truly had a way to consistently beat the casinos. Regardless who they are, what they claim, or how long ago they bury their success story.