Recent interview with Eliot Jacobson

[Eliot]

Mr. Jacobson,

I'm not really a fan of your career arc, but I did want to comment on the author of the forward to your book. A very good friend of mine worked with Zender in Las Vegas and says they learned a lot from him. Zender was a helluva expert and teacher, so if he's vouching for you, you must be a helluva expert and teacher.

My question is this -- did you go full-in dark side because you were in competition for assignments and dollars with somebody like Zender? Or did you ever consider just teaching basic math and how to stop cheaters as opposed to stopping advantage play? In other words, did you commit to full dark sider all at once, or was there a process where you helped stop cheats, then consulted on math, then eventually started undercutting honest advantage players?

It always perplexes me that anyone thinks that I ever did anything in my life because I could make $$$ at it. I'm a misanthrope and nihilist on a good day. I am looking forward to the collapse of modern industrial civilization, humanity is a virus on this planet (humanity vs. humans is an important distinction). But, I also believe in the value of education and the value of information in the public domain. The fact that Grosjean wouldn't publish his stuff freely was my biggest motivation. F&%k Grosjean! I just wanted to subvert his work and give it away. I told him I would stop my work if he would just make his book available for the masses at a reasonble price. Think of my work as any one of 1000 YouTube channels giving away how the magic trick is done -- trivial once you see the method.

I am an academic. That's what I've always been. Knowledge is awesome. Give it away. Those who think it should be owned only by AP's are wrong. Those who think casinos should punish AP's for knowing certain things are wrong. I'll provide the information, then let those who are motivated enough and smart enough to learn it and implement it be the ones who win.

Is it too much to say that I have never been on any side? Believe me, those in the casino industry know this, after I was Phil Ivey's expert witness against Crockford's and also because I testified for the State of Florida as their expert against the Seminole tribe and Hard Rock. But somehow "surveillance" has become my de-facto home base. An occupation populated by intelligent, inquisitive, thoughtful and curious intellectuals who just want to figure the magic out for themselves, a substantial percentage are former APs.

By the way, I love Bill Zender. He is an extraordinary person, mentor and friend.