Casinos: Unconditional love
Winning players of Black Jack in the Marathon
If you are all for a Casino or otherwise, you’ll most certainly bump into a Casino in any part of the world. Such might have been the case a decade ago, however that’s History now. It most certainly is in the US of A.
So what are these places really all about? What goes on behind the scenes? And now that you're going to be part of an elite group of players that actually wins money in the long run, what will you need to know?
Let's take a chapter to talk about casinos-where they are, what are in them, how you'll interface, and some other interesting things to know about an environment truly unlike any other. Where Are They and What's With the Mountain?
Which city is home to more casinos per square mile than any in the world, and also happens to be Mecca for the modern-day card counter? If your answer was "Las Vegas," you're right. Sin City has turned up the volume yet again. And that was a good business decision, because with the popularity of casino gambling exploding across the United States, some place had to emerge as the creme de la creme of gambling towns. And that somewhere remains, indisputably, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Okay, enough about Vegas. Where else can I find casinos to throw my 1 percent at?
In the United States, try Atlantic City, Northern Connecticut, Gulfport/Biloxi, Reno/Lake Tahoe, Chicagoland, Minnesota, Michigan, St. Louis, New Orleans, Niagara Falls-the list goes on and on, and includes hundreds of riverboats and Indian casinos all over the United States. By the way, unless you're from the Upper Midwest, I bet you didn't know that the state of Minnesota alone has about nineteen operating casinos.
On the international front, casinos can be found in many countries all over the world. They're just a little more low-key than those in America. Don't expect mega-structures with 6,000-room hotels overlooking a volcano. In fact, in some European countries it's very possible to pass a casino on the street and not even know of its existence behind the glass doors of what could easily be mistaken as a private club or office. Serious players find out where the games are and what rules apply-without the aid of blinking lights or garish advertisement. It's a whole different kind of interface-you'll know what I mean if you ever play in other countries.
Some better-known international destinations offering casino gambling include the Caribbean, Canada, London, Amsterdam, Monte Carlo, and all over the Pacific Rim, including the major cities in Australia.
The Advantage Player Interface
Casinos come in all shapes and sizes: big ones, small ones, those plainer than plain, and those lavish beyond your wildest dreams. But remember casinos are businesses like any other, and whether big or small, the bottom line for any operating business is to make a profit.
From your experience to date, is it hard to imagine a pit full of friendly casino personals suddenly turning against you? It probably is, and it's probably also hard to imagine a multi-million dollar corporation "sweating" the action of a single card counter varying his bets between $10 and $200 per hand. But that happens too. Why? Because you; as an advantage player, are taking up space at a blackjack table otherwise worth "X" dollars per hour to the house. And losing money to one customer when a casino would otherwise stand to make money from another is the last thing any good company wants to do on a consistent basis. Which is what, would happen if casino management allowed you to play.
So how bad does it get? That depends where you are and what rules are in effect for the particular jurisdiction you're playing in. I've been both backed off and barred in my playing career and, believe me, it's no fun. In Las Vegas, for instance, casinos can still prevent card counters from playing blackjack by throwing them off the premises, often referred to as being barred, or in casino lingo, being "86'd." Whereas in Atlantic City, for example, regulations enforced by the Casino Control Commission prevent any casino from actually barring someone from the premises. But the flip side (and there's always a flip side) is that the casinos in AC can suddenly impose procedures or rule changes that nullify the card counter's advantage, thereby making it pointless for a skilled player to keep playing.