About getting heat

F

Frank

Member
Hi all,

I learned how to count cards recently and so far have made a decent amount of money off of it. I am considering whether to get players' cards at the casinos that I frequent. I read some stuff in the "Casino Harassment" section about comps being retroactively revoked. In light of this, is it good idea to get a players card and have all the comps tracked? Also, if you do have a players card, does that increase the risk of being caught counting cards, since surveillance records how much you bet?

Thanks,
Frank
 
B

BradRod

Well-Known Member
Comp cards are worth having particularly if you use them for things you would otherwise be buying with money out of pocjet like food, room, drinks, etc.

You have little to fear about comps being revoked.

A casino will not suspect you of being a counter based solely on your buy-in and color up rate. They are more interested in the longevity of your play. It is always a good idea to rat hole your chips when you are winning.
 
R

Running Count

Well-Known Member
Depending on your level of betting, NOT geting rated is worse. Raises suspicions. From the casino's point of view, anyone betting more than green and not seeking comps is suspicious.

Not that I have experience playing at that level... As for this red-chipper, I always get the comp-cards. Mmm, free coffee-shop food.

RC
 
C

CC skeptic

New Member
Don't worry you'll lose...

I learned how to count cards recently and so far have made a decent amount of money off of it.

Let me guess... You played for one hour, won one hundred dollars, finished playing and said, "This is great!" Wait until the ol' standard deviation kicks in and you lose big time and again and again and again ....
 
C

Count Luckula

Active Member
> It is always a good idea to rat hole your chips when you are winning.

Depending on your level of play though, be aware of what and when you are rat holing. The pit and dealer will probably be tracking anything black and up that goes out, so it's easier to sock away these chips if you have other players betting these denominations. Otherwise putting away a couple of greens now and then is a better bet. Afterall, if they know you're taking chips off the table, you're not really fooling anybody are you?

On a side note, I recently had the pleasure of watching a new PC go nuts for 10 minutes on the computer trying to figure out why he hadn't accounted for a few black chips disappearing (they had gone into my pocket :)).
 
F

Frank

Member
Re: Don't worry you'll lose...

I've already experienced quite a bit of variance in how much I win and lose. But it doesn't hurt for the first few sessions to end on an encouraging note, does it?
 
C

Coug Fan

Active Member
Re: Don't worry you'll lose...

Unfortunately, this guy is right. You will lose big, at least if you are like me. You will lose bigger than you ever thought possible. You will play a great DOA 75% pen single deck game for 3 hours spreading 1-6 units with no cover and lose 52 units. Then, you will immediately drive to another place with the same conditions and lose 48 units in 2 hours. This 5 hour span will single handedly wipe out all of your nice steady gains over the past 100 hours of play.

Of course, if you are like me, you will also win big. Despite all of the huge losses, you will adopt the mantra "ITS ONLY MONEY, ITS NOT IMPORTANT". You will focus on the things that really do matter in life as you repeat this mantra over and over, helping to even the emotions after big wins and big losses. You will manage to keep things somewhat in perspective and to keep your focus on the long run. Even with the big losses, you will increase your BR five fold in 2 months. You will then manage to lose 50% of your BR in 2 weeks and go through a frustrating period of ups and downs for the next 6 months (300 hours of play) struggling to get back to where you once were, only to finish the year at 85% of your all-time high. You will reflect on how you could have better spent that wasted 300 hours of your life and you will get depressed. You will then quadruple your bankroll in a month and a half, before going into another period of stagnation for the past 3 1/2 months. Of course, during this latest period of stagnation, 40 unit session swings will be the norm. Its just that at the end of the day/week/month, you will be right back where you started. GAWWWWD, this game is fun. I'm waiting with baited breath to see what the BJ Gods have in store for me next.

In case you weren't keeping track, thats an increase in BR of 1,650% over the last 19 months, and yes, the unit size did change from $5 to $25 along the way.
 
Z

ZOD

Well-Known Member
Re: Don't worry you'll lose...

Coug,
Sounds like the BJ gods like you. Keep livin' right!
ZOD
 
C

Coug Fan

Active Member
Just a short-term loan

The Gods have treated me well so far. The thing that has been amazing has been the extent of the swings. I play to a fairly small ROR of 0.5% to 1% depending on the game. Even with this low ROR, I have won or lost 10% of my BR in an hour. Other times, I will go months with relatively small session swings and end up at the same place. Its essential to keep it all in perspective.
 
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