Hole-carding + Scavenger play

#1
POSTED BY PERMISSION OF HENRY TAMBURIN,
PUBLISHER OF THE BLACKJACK INSIDER NEWSLETTER

--Excerpt from Barfarkel's February TR, BJI Issue #63
http://bjinsider.com/newsletter_63.shtml

....
Heading for the Western downtown, I hooked up with The Grifter. After a short session during which I recouped the $50 I had lost earlier at the Plaza, we headed over to another casino where Grif had spotted a dealer who flashes his hole card.

Since The Grifter knew the hole card strategy from Grosjean’s Beyond Counting, I’d angle each hand so he could see them and then he’d signal me the play, while I’d just flat bet quarters at first to see how it went. According to Grosjean, if you use an optimized hole-card playing strategy without any overtly revealing plays, like hitting hard seventeen or higher, or splitting tens against a dealer ten upcard, the edge is 8%-10%, assuming you can see the hole card every time. However, Grif was seeing the hole card maybe two out of three times, so we figured our edge to have been more like 6%-7%. Grif felt that my initial bet-sizing was way too conservative, but hey, I'm risk-averse by nature. Initially I wanted to see how we would do before raising my bets, and I figured I'd have the best of both worlds - high EV and low variance.

At one point I was surprised to see the “split” sign when I wanted to stand on a pair of tens vs. a dealer five. Now understand that in my whole long blackjack career, I had never ever split tens. That is, until today. I had my hand already tucked, but Grif’s agitated body language was adamant that I split them, so I pulled them out and put out another greenie. I got a seven on the first one and a ten on the second. I wanted to stand with my 17 and 20, but again got the “split” signal from Grif plus some subdued verbal urging, challenging me that since I'd already "screwed up the cards" I should continue with my “folly.” The other players were starting to get noticeably agitated as well. I split once more and got paint on both the second and third hands. Now content, I waved off the dealer, but again Grif was insistent that I re-split to a fourth hand. Because I had already given the stand signal the dealer indicated that I could not split again, but Grif verbally challenged me to re-split again as the pit critter approached and told the dealer that I was allowed to split up to four times. Sighing, I did so and wound up with a seventeen on the first hand, and three twenties. The dealer flipped the anticipated ten card in the hole and slapped the table with a seven for a sweet bust to the jubilation of the other players, who had been following this little drama and, getting caught up in it, had even started cheering me on.

I wound up winning $270 at this hour-long session before our flashing dealer rotated back to the roulette table. this was a real first for me – not just splitting tens, but re-splitting them to four hands. Hey, this is fun!

When our flashing dealer ended his stint the table was still filled to capacity, but The Grifter wanted to continue playing anyway, and indicated that I should watch. This table was filled with some of the worst players I’ve ever seen, but Grif had been giving them solid advice. He swung into action when the ploppy at first base picked up hard eleven. The Grifter boldly asserted, "Flip it over - we're going partners on that." He tossed the player the other half of the double down amount as the ploppy replied "Let’s ride!" They won the hand when the dealer busted.

Grif worked the table for the next hour, getting a slew of partner-doubles and splits (including tens), demonstrating what Grosjean calls "scavenger blackjack." More often than not the others he was exploiting would thank him for "sharing the risk." I wandered off to another table for awhile and played solo, breaking even. Returning to The Grifter’s table towards the end of the hour, I watched the master in action as he advised everyone - the life of the party as always, as he took advantage of one of his new "table partners who was declining insurance. The Grifter took the insurance bet and won and when the table partner asked how much he owed Grif he was told by a smiling Grifter, "all of it," whereupon the happless accomplice just shrugged and said, "better you then them because, Dude, your my advisor!" Shortly thereafter Grif colored up another 20 unit win at an otherwise unplayable table by any expert's evaluation - his style and outgoing personality allowing him to get away with things that I and most other counters would never even consider trying.
....

--End excerpt
 

RJT

Well-Known Member
#5
zengrifter said:
I think this is one of the posts that got this ExhibitCAA character so riled up. zg
zg - drop it. FFS i'm really sick of you stiring it and this is getting really old. Go find something better to do.

RJT.
 
#6
RJT said:
zg - drop it. FFS i'm really sick of you stiring it and this is getting really old. Go find something better to do.
This is one of the very few HC posts that I've done. Its entirely relevant
to a healthy board comm after all the rukus, to deserve a bump. zg
 

rukus

Well-Known Member
#7
zengrifter said:
This is one of the very few HC posts that I've done. Its entirely relevant
to a healthy board comm after all the rukus, to deserve a bump. zg
did i hear my name :devil::devil::devil:
 

RJT

Well-Known Member
#8
zengrifter said:
This is one of the very few HC posts that I've done. Its entirely relevant
to a healthy board comm after all the rukus, to deserve a bump. zg
It's also the perfect opportunity for you to kick the hornets nest again and see how much anamosity you can create. Any other time this post would be fine, but your intentions are just to start up an argument again. This sort of behaviour certainly does nothing to support your credibility.

RJT.
 
#9
RJT said:
It's also the perfect opportunity for you to kick the hornets nest again and see how much anamosity you can create. Any other time this post would be fine, but your intentions are just to start up an argument again.
Thanks for your opinion. zg
 

RJT

Well-Known Member
#10
zengrifter said:
Thanks for your opinion. zg
Opinion cr*p - you aren't nearly as good at concealing your intentions as you'd like to think you are, but hide behind it all you like - it kinda funny actually.

RJT.
 
#12
Z

zengrifter said:
POSTED BY PERMISSION OF HENRY TAMBURIN,
PUBLISHER OF THE BLACKJACK INSIDER NEWSLETTER

--Excerpt from Barfarkel's February TR, BJI Issue #63
http://bjinsider.com/newsletter_63.shtml

....
Heading for the Western downtown, I hooked up with The Grifter. After a short session during which I recouped the $50 I had lost earlier at the Plaza, we headed over to another casino where Grif had spotted a dealer who flashes his hole card.

Since The Grifter knew the hole card strategy from Grosjean’s Beyond Counting, I’d angle each hand so he could see them and then he’d signal me the play, while I’d just flat bet quarters at first to see how it went. According to Grosjean, if you use an optimized hole-card playing strategy without any overtly revealing plays, like hitting hard seventeen or higher, or splitting tens against a dealer ten upcard, the edge is 8%-10%, assuming you can see the hole card every time. However, Grif was seeing the hole card maybe two out of three times, so we figured our edge to have been more like 6%-7%. Grif felt that my initial bet-sizing was way too conservative, but hey, I'm risk-averse by nature. Initially I wanted to see how we would do before raising my bets, and I figured I'd have the best of both worlds - high EV and low variance.

At one point I was surprised to see the “split” sign when I wanted to stand on a pair of tens vs. a dealer five. Now understand that in my whole long blackjack career, I had never ever split tens. That is, until today. I had my hand already tucked, but Grif’s agitated body language was adamant that I split them, so I pulled them out and put out another greenie. I got a seven on the first one and a ten on the second. I wanted to stand with my 17 and 20, but again got the “split” signal from Grif plus some subdued verbal urging, challenging me that since I'd already "screwed up the cards" I should continue with my “folly.” The other players were starting to get noticeably agitated as well. I split once more and got paint on both the second and third hands. Now content, I waved off the dealer, but again Grif was insistent that I re-split to a fourth hand. Because I had already given the stand signal the dealer indicated that I could not split again, but Grif verbally challenged me to re-split again as the pit critter approached and told the dealer that I was allowed to split up to four times. Sighing, I did so and wound up with a seventeen on the first hand, and three twenties. The dealer flipped the anticipated ten card in the hole and slapped the table with a seven for a sweet bust to the jubilation of the other players, who had been following this little drama and, getting caught up in it, had even started cheering me on.

I wound up winning $270 at this hour-long session before our flashing dealer rotated back to the roulette table. this was a real first for me – not just splitting tens, but re-splitting them to four hands. Hey, this is fun!

When our flashing dealer ended his stint the table was still filled to capacity, but The Grifter wanted to continue playing anyway, and indicated that I should watch. This table was filled with some of the worst players I’ve ever seen, but Grif had been giving them solid advice. He swung into action when the ploppy at first base picked up hard eleven. The Grifter boldly asserted, "Flip it over - we're going partners on that." He tossed the player the other half of the double down amount as the ploppy replied "Let’s ride!" They won the hand when the dealer busted.

Grif worked the table for the next hour, getting a slew of partner-doubles and splits (including tens), demonstrating what Grosjean calls "scavenger blackjack." More often than not the others he was exploiting would thank him for "sharing the risk." I wandered off to another table for awhile and played solo, breaking even. Returning to The Grifter’s table towards the end of the hour, I watched the master in action as he advised everyone - the life of the party as always, as he took advantage of one of his new "table partners who was declining insurance. The Grifter took the insurance bet and won and when the table partner asked how much he owed Grif he was told by a smiling Grifter, "all of it," whereupon the happless accomplice just shrugged and said, "better you then them because, Dude, your my advisor!" Shortly thereafter Grif colored up another 20 unit win at an otherwise unplayable table by any expert's evaluation - his style and outgoing personality allowing him to get away with things that I and most other counters would never even consider trying.
....

--End excerpt
Sounds like you had it going on!!:toast:

CP
 
#15
Deathclutch said:
Looks like you may have successfully driven away one of the most knowledgeable people on this board. Congratulations
Should I take bow? zg

Ps - "Most knowledgeable on this board?" ... How about on the whole f**king planet!
 

shadroch

Well-Known Member
#16
Deathclutch said:
Looks like you may have successfully driven away one of the most knowledgeable people on this board. Congratulations
If they left, so be it. From the different writing styles displayed, there is a good chance that ID was a shared account, and I didn't find it all that helpful. I've learned more from Sonny, Renzey and Grifter than from Exhibit CAA. Having knowledge and sharing it are two different things. I suspect they will return, if only when they have a new product to sell.
 

Deathclutch

Well-Known Member
#17
shadroch said:
If they left, so be it. From the different writing styles displayed, there is a good chance that ID was a shared account, and I didn't find it all that helpful. I've learned more from Sonny, Renzey and Grifter than from Exhibit CAA. Having knowledge and sharing it are two different things. I suspect they will return, if only when they have a new product to sell.
Have you even one time seen him pushing his book? That I.D. was also extremely consistent when speaking to me. I had a couple conversations with him and he was very willing to share information in chats. Hopefully he does decide to continue to share his knowledge with us.
 
#19
Deathclutch said:
Have you even one time seen him pushing his book? That I.D. was also extremely consistent when speaking to me. I had a couple conversations with him and he was very willing to share information in chats. Hopefully he does decide to continue to share his knowledge with us.
Actually, I feel badly and responsible. I could have handled things better. And the comments I made about hawking a book were inappropriate. There is no money in gambling books.

Not to worry though, ExhibitCAA have their own BC discussion board HERE (Archive copy) and everyone is welcome! ...
... except me, of course. z:rolleyes:g
 
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