Moses, I just read your comments on KC. Made me laugh. Yeah, this guy (KC) had a brutal 2 and a half month streach where he lost about $325,000. The movie shows his wins/losses at each casino. There for a while he was just getting hammered. He started out on a good winning streak, winning about $600,000, but then gave half of it back over the next two months, before it turned around again. At the end of 12 months, it looked like he won slightly more than half million. He was playing big stakes. His story was believable.
When I watched the movie, I thought of Yoshi and Joe who have claimed to make a $500,000 to a million dollars year after year playing bj. On GWAE, Yoshi claimed to have several $100,000 winnning sessions. The majority of time, KC’s wins and losses were in the $10,000 and under range, and he was constantly getting kicked out. Yoshi said the casinos just let him hammer them for $100,000 without doing anything. Something didn’t sound right in their stories.
It seems like lately there has been quite a few of these young kids (like in their 20s) on GWAE claiming to make big money in bj traveling the country. Makes Rob’s double up story seem like peanuts. Lol. Personally, I don’t think there are that many casinos that are going to let it happen. I mean it’s not like they haven’t seen a card counter before.
I haven't yet seen the documentary as I have been very busy racking up mega hours of late. Going to be doing extensive travel this summer beginning next week, so it is one of many things I can catch up with while flying.
I really don't want to prejudge, but I feel like this story has already been told. Seems like the premise is not all that different than the Church team story and even a couple others, and while that was interesting to me, as a professional player I got a funny feeling from it like, the "goal" was really more about making the movie that anything else. And to make it interesting you need to focus on the heat, and backoffs, and create some sort of element of danger....James Bond-ish. Maybe Roinhood-esque.
That really isn't what I consider professional blackjack play to be. Granted we are talking about an entirely different level (much higher stakes than I play) and much more of a slash and burn style. Not to pick on Colin or the church team or anyone from a couple of the other teams, or even a handful of solo players that engaged in this slash & burn "casino tour" and in a matter of months or a year or so at the longest, are unable to play almost anywhere. I mean shouldn't the goal be to achieve some sort of longevity? Years, decades of making a living, rather than a short time, which almost seems more about making a movie than anything else, followed by writing books and running bootcamps, and what not.
There are a lot of players and I am not just speaking of these high profile players, that seem to think backoffs, barings, being read the trespass act are some sort of badge of honor. Like THAT verifies something. Frankly, I feel just the opposite, the real "achievement" is figuring out how to keep playing a winning for years and years. Figuring out what style and limits are tolerated. Again, that is just me. A different style, different limits and different goals I guess.
Still, there is always something to be learned from other player's experiences....even if it is what NOT to do.
Kew, That was a great post. You gave some insight on the game which you play and it was interesting.
I have amazon prime so watched it there. The dude was slashing and burning across the whole US. He wont be welcome in a casino anywhere in short order.
"More importantly, mickey thought 8-4 was two games over .500. Argued about it. C'mon, man. Nothing can top that for math expertise. If GWAE ever has you on again, you can be sure I'll be calling in with that gem.'Nuff said." REDIETZ
Rob, I thought you were a man of principle, what happened to you protecting yourself with your ten year statute of limitations theory? Did you privately record your son doing the installation on your TV set for "to cover your ass" the purpose of giving him a hard life lesson on how to keep things quiet? Anyway it seems like you passed down to your siblings all of your life's skills on how to buck the system with unsavory advantage plays, good job.
Last edited by BoSox; 06-10-2019 at 04:25 AM.
You certainly don't understand me Bo. You're talking to someone who made money filing a bankruptcy in 1996.
I see myself as a refined product of the US Government. 10 years of training & work is all it took to master the art of becoming an advantage player in life. After that nasty career I literally ad-libbed my way into a decent aerospace career. And then came the video poker chapter--actually my finest moment. This firestick stuff is not even white noise.
You learn early on that it's all a numbers game throughout life. Play it well and you live it well. People in general are the true assholes they are when they're driving. Remember that when you meet them at bars or social functions, shake their hands at business meetings, or talk sweet nothings to them over-the-counters. Think of how much better off you'd be if you only had to deal with dogs or horses instead. People take from you from the get-go, they will stab you in the back at your place of employment just to get ahead, they'll lie about you to others in order to appear superior to you, and they'll do things to you that you wouldn't conceive of doing to anybody ever.
People are given a choice: live....or be eaten alive. And it almost always comes down to being about numbers. Learn to play the game WITHOUT HURTING ANYONE IN THE PROCESS, understand that financial institutions' #1 goal is to financially rape as many of their sheep as possible without regard, accept the fact that all politicians until Trump have not and do not care one bit about the lives of anyone other than themselves, respect your families and your bodies as the miracles that they really are, and you will have a great opportunity to lead a successful and fulfilled life.
Go Bruins!
Hey, Rob. How's the foot doing?
"More importantly, mickey thought 8-4 was two games over .500. Argued about it. C'mon, man. Nothing can top that for math expertise. If GWAE ever has you on again, you can be sure I'll be calling in with that gem.'Nuff said." REDIETZ
Rob singer wrote:
You certainly don't understand me Bo. You're talking to someone who made money filing a bankruptcy in 1996.
I know Rob you use every tool available to you, you should be so proud. That above quote says it all!
The foot is in the boot. That should rhyme but it doesn't.
Operation on the 21st to insert screws. Driving up to visit our daughter in Mn. as soon as the Dr. allows it. Should be in early August. Gonna be miserably hot this week. What's been my best summer advantage play? Before the electric company put in these non-tamperable electric meters around 1980, people used to flip them around on the hot summer weekends so they'd run backwards, and throw an old shirt over them to cover them up.
Speaking of Bruins futures: https://theskepticalgambler.blogspot...es-passed.html
"More importantly, mickey thought 8-4 was two games over .500. Argued about it. C'mon, man. Nothing can top that for math expertise. If GWAE ever has you on again, you can be sure I'll be calling in with that gem.'Nuff said." REDIETZ
"More importantly, mickey thought 8-4 was two games over .500. Argued about it. C'mon, man. Nothing can top that for math expertise. If GWAE ever has you on again, you can be sure I'll be calling in with that gem.'Nuff said." REDIETZ
I am bumping this thread started by Half Smoke, about the documentary Inside the Edge. Yesterday someone at GF linked to this doc, and although I have seen it several times, I started watching again. My brother who has ended play for the year and is just sort of chilling and I watched it today. He said hadn't seen it before. I don't know how that happened.
I am sure most real AP's even if they aren't into blackjack or play blackjack anymore has seen this documentary by KC. It really is extraordinary on several levels. There are things to be learned and take-aways for blackjack card counters at every level and style of play.
KC's 12 month journey, literally and figuratively is exactly how card counting works! KC had a great first 6 months winning about 600K, then experienced a severe downturn lasting several months in which he lost half of that amount and then in the final couple months rebounded back to $500k. At one point KC states that every card counter will experience losing periods lasting month, which is something I have harped on for more than a decade. Playing a fraction of KC's max bet, I have had similar downturns of 30K, 5 different times. That is just the way it works. And you have to learn to deal with it without freaking out.
In card counting I often refer to two approaches, the slaughter vs shearing. Slaughter is obviously playing high stakes, for as long as you can before you are banned everywhere. Shearing or sometimes called the milking approach is playing lower stakes, drawing less attention and milking it for as long as you can. KC's approach was obviously the slaughter approach, because of both the stakes and style he played. There is no blending in or hiding what you are doing. And he didn't!
So besides, being a very entertaining documentary and showing exactly how card counting works with the variance and swings, we saw firsthand the heat and backoffs that come with this higher stakes "slaughter" approach. KC was trespassed at lots of places and some before he even set foot in the casino or played a hand.
That should make anyone viewing ask themselves "well what if a player didn't play such high stakes and style that drew so much attention?" "What if a player was able to figure out stakes and a style of play that was better tolerated?"
And that is exactly what I did my first 10-12 years in Vegas and what my brother has done for 7 years now. It can be done. And it is being done, by more than just myself and my brother. And it can still be done. As much as things change....they also remain the same. Like Munchkin said in the doc, you just need to figure ways around some of the obstacles.
I think my brother benefited from watching this doc today, especially just wrapping up his first year significantly below expectation. More important, anyone interested in, getting into or even that has been into card counting for years can benefit from this video. Showing you what you might want to NOT do as much as what you might want to do.
That is all. The haters will post nonsense now. Merry Xmas.
Last edited by kewlJ; 12-22-2023 at 03:16 PM.
Dan Druff: "there's no question that MDawg has been an obnoxious braggart, and has rubbed a ton of people the wrong way. There's something missing from his stories. Either they're fabricated, grossly exaggerated, or largely incomplete".
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