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June 08, 2004

double-down on eighteen!!

bringing_down.jpg
read a pretty captivatin book about these kids (and former students) from MIT jackin millions from casinos all over the country, mostly in vegas. their game was blackjack and their belief was that of any other game out there, blackjack could be beat despite the inherent advantage held by the house. why? cuz blackjack is the only game w/ a memory. unlike poker, the cards arent shuffled after every hand but only at the end of the cut (in the shoe). so whether it was one deck or six, the cards could be counted..

countin cards--and the author goes to great lengths to make this point clear--isnt cheatin. cheatin occurs when the outcome of the game is changed by an external force. so card-countin itself isnt illegal cuz its merely takin statistical advantage of the game..

but countin cards was only the driver for their "system"--their real accomplishment was in gettin a team of people to work together. there were card-counters planted at various tables, the spotters who kept an eye out for casino employees, and the big players who got on board when the odds were in their favor, layin down the big chips for some big money. so by workin such a fashion, they minimized their risk of bein recognized by the casino and gettin caught..

i thought it was a remarkable idea and its execution was likely even more impressive. and although i had heard of card-countin before, i guess i never really gave it much thought cuz the general perception is that its a form of cheatin. and i suppose that card-countin/cheatin association is somethin the casinos try hard to push out into the public eye. (hmm, i also remember seein a law & order ci episode on this once)..

the story at times seemed to be pretty unbelievable--as in, lackin credibility. cuz there were some extreme situations, but since it is supposedly true ill take the author at his (secondhand) word. the writin wasnt that great, esp comin from a hahvahd alum--but it is just a narrative..

when i initially picked up the book, my first thought was to put it back down cuz i hate blackjack. everytime i play (and im at the cheapo nickel tables), i get slammed. esp the last time, man i was burned pretty badly. my game--and it sucks--is poker cuz at least i feel some measure of control..

but after this book, i just may give the tables one more try next time i visit the desert. the casinos actually luv amateur card-counters cuz they have no idea wut theyre doin or how to bet..

fine, go ahead--take my money. i just wanna have fun tryin somethin new..

course, since when does losin money constitute fun? i must be mental..

- im not too sure why im leavin links for people to check out cuz im fairly certain no one clicks on em. maybe its cuz i think theyre pretty coo (they are). or maybe its just to fill space (could very well be). or maybe im just tryin to fill more space by askin an inane question like this one. besides, who really cares?

- found this on slickdeals: a site which provides a login for those sites you wanna get into which require you to register (like the nytimes)..

- heres a fascinatin article on the economics of an honor-based bagel service. i wish i took econ more seriously in college--or in growin up w/ my dad..

- one last thing: happy two-years, esther!!

- and three-years, stella!! (yes, i married the four-legged princess first--haha)..

Posted by chars at June 8, 2004 04:54 PM