Originally Posted by cyberbabble View Post
KJ has made the Colorado claim at least once before. Probably it was here but I'm not interested in searching for it. I didn't post about it last time because it seemed a waste of time. Since KJ keeps claiming it, I will post.

This is a GWAE interview with Cartwright. It's his fourth time on the show so Dancer/Muchkin believe he is credible. I know some people don't like Dancer but they did try to have good guests for the show.

http://www.slot-machine-resource.com...artwright4.mp3

It's an hour long, has other topics, and I don't want to listen again. I try to summarize from memory.

Buffalo Blackjack was used to describe the game of blackjack with the 2 side bets. It was only available in Colorado casinos.

Cartwright found the game early. He is a computer guy. He did his own analysis.

Word spread and other people were coming in to play it. Wizard mentioned in WoV that he was working on an analysis.

Cartwright contacted the Wiz and asked him to hold off publishing for a while. Wiz agreed.

Wiz waited awhile and then published.

Cartwright said the casinos realized they were getting hurt and cut the paytable or dropped the game. He said by the time the Wiz published there was only one casino still offering the game and there were many people trying to play it.

Wiz didn't kill the play.

Was KJ playing it? His network covers the country and maybe somebody tipped him. He was able to find his special blackjack machine in casinos halfway across the country by putting the word out over his network.
Some how I had never heard that episode. I tended to listen to GWAE in spurts. I also tended to tune out early on topics that didn't interest me (which probably wasn't a good idea). So I just listened in full. Not exactly sure when the interview occurred but obviously after the play had ended. Maybe fairly soon after it had ended. One comment and make of it what you will. Cartwright has a pretty distinct voice. Not quite as distinct as Munchkin, but still pretty distinct.

Ok, so I didn't learn a whole lot new, since the discussion was all after the fact. I was surprised his strategy didn't involve tracking or side counting aces. More aces remaining was a very important thing. You weren't going to lower or raise (couldn't) your bet depending on number of aces used or remaining, so I guess he decided it just didn't matter. But I think more aces remaining was worth more than an additional 1% that he suggested.

As I started listen there was something that immediately seemed contradictory or that he was hiding, but he clarified at the end. That was at the beginning he said he played for 1 weekend (because he had a regular job). But the experiences he was sharing were certainly from more than 1 weekend worth of play. But towards the end he clarified that he initially played for 1 weekend, then went home. Then returned the following weekend and played for a week and a half until the games in that town started being reduced to 25% main bet. THAT would have put him fairly late to the game.

Looking back on the whole evolution of the game and play, the amazing thing is that the game hit casinos in Colorado in 2011. And it wasn't until June/July 2017 that the AP exploded took place. That is amazing! Makes you wonder how many AP type players figured it out early and just quietly played it. Maybe not even close to optimally, but at $1000/hour, you could play non-optyimally and do pretty good. But I am sure the same occurred with card counting. Surely there were players doing some form of card counting for years before Thorp did his thing.

Anyway, it is pretty much ancient history. I am not pissed at Shackleford, although I was pretty annoyed, maybe even pissed at the time. It is just that based not only on this event, but other situations where he "outed" plays, I don't get why he does that. I think it is selfish and I think it is ego. A "look what I know" type thing.

Cyberbabble is correct in that I network with various players around the country. Always have. Mostly players I know from other forums (certainly not this one as this doesn't even qualify as an AP forum). That has always been a useful tool for me, although most cases they don't share all that much until after the fact (especially with plays and conditions). They hold back. Guess what? I hold back too. For years players would tell me they are coming to Vegas and ask me to direct them to a strong game. You think I ever told anyone about the 6 deck game dealing 87-90% (6+ decks)? With surrender no less. Must have skipped my mind.

But then occasional someone does share something, maybe a play they are not going after for whatever reason. Maybe they don't want to or can't travel. Maybe they are involved in a different play at the time and don't want to pull out of that. This was sort of the case with this Magic 21 play for us and how I came to find myself living in motels in Colorado for a month. Nothing more to add.