Did "Heat" Exist in LV Casinos 30 yrs ago?

[tribute]

My father was a frequent player at the Desert Inn back in the 70's and 80's. I have always wondered how advantage players were treated back then. Were skilled players monitored as they are today? I know the advent of team play changed things a bit in the early 90's with the MIT bunch and others who appeared on the scene. How would a modern AP of today fare if he could be thrown back in time and play the tables of Las Vegas in 1975?

 

[ihate17]

Team play was copied by the MIT team and not invented by them.

Long before the kids from M.I.T. became famous there were teams hitting casinos in Vegas. An enjoyable read (most of the games do not exist anymore) is Ken Uston's "Million Dollar Blackjack" and Uston came to a team that had been in existance for quite some time.
All the players from 30 years ago ran into heat and some of the heat was much more dangerous than it is today. You can read about Uston and Thorpe or do some research on Tommy Hyland.

I was beaten and robbed by casino employees at Walker Hill in Seoul in the late 70's (I was not part of a team).

ihate17

 

[Pro21]

Of course there was heat, and there were some pretty bad assaults but even then people were smart enough to sue. The big difference was there was very poor communication. I would often get backed off on one shift and go right back in on the next.