PB's not as sharp as we think?

jaygruden

Well-Known Member
#1
I sat down at 3rd base to play BJ at fairly new store (only 1-2 yrs old) for the 1st time and buy in. The PB comes to me to ask for my card. I tell him that it's my first time here and I don't have one. Of course, he asks if I want to be rated. I decline and give one of my top 5 canned reasons why I don't want to play rated.

Since it is a newly opened table I have time waiting for the shuffle so he continues with conversation telling me that he came to this store shortly after they opened from a store in a different state that he had worked at for nearly 20 years. He says that they were heading for the toilet and he saw the writing on the wall. He got out while the getting was good and likes this new store a lot better. I concur with him about the negative downturn from where he came and suggest to him that if they would add LS on their games they could better compete. I bite my tongue immediately realizing that I have now just shown that I know more about this game than I want him to know. :eek:

He then tells me that "LS is a sucker bet and gives the casino a huge edge". I take this opportunity to cover myself with a "Really? I didn't know that. How so?".:confused: He says "You wouldn't believe how people throw their money away on both LS and insurance". I say "Isn't it good sometimes to surrender 15/16 vs 9/10 up?" He says, "No, you're way better off taking your chances and hitting.";) I tell him that I sometimes hit if I only have a little money out but I'm scared to hit 15/16 when I have a bigger bet on the table, so I will sometimes surrender.":eek:

He tells me that I should never do that bc I am just donating money to the casino. I ask about insurance too and he says the same thing about that bet. I say that if I have a bigger bet out I would rather take the even money on a BJ rather than risk a push. He tells me that's not a smart play and I should take my chances to earn the 3 to 2. :rolleyes:

So the game finally begins and he walks away to do other duties. The first time he comes back to my table I have an opportunity to demonstrate what a fool I am, and surrender 16 vs 9 in a neg count while he's watching the table. He shakes his head as the dealer turns up a 6 in the hole. The dealer hits and catches a 5 to make a 20. He says "see, I told you so." Then sticks around to watch the first card out on the next hand and sure enough, it's a ten to prove his point. "You would have had 21 and the dealer would have busted".:whip: I said something like "Yea, I guess I'm still learning this game.":sad: Shortly after I insure my BJ on a neg count vs dealer Ace and of course he didn't have it. The PB points out to me that I just gave away $12.50. "Yes", I say, "but at least I won $25".:p

For the rest of the session after my successful idiot audition, I am surrendering and taking insurance ONLY at the proper index and, of course, these are usually working out for me now. I cash out a +40 unit winner and he congratulates me but tells me that I would have won more if not for surrendering all those hands or throwing money away on insurance. I tell him that "I'd rather be lucky than good, and the only way to beat this game is to get lucky":devil: and went on my merry way.

I will feel fairly safe in this guys pit in the future, now that he has me pegged as a knuckle-head who got lucky making bad plays.:grin:
 

Ferretnparrot

Well-Known Member
#2
AHAHA I love the stupid ones, best one i had was a dealer who said he was the "master dealer" whatever title that is, but he was rambling on about how he spots card counters all the time. I was shoving green chips up in his face on three hands with a partner playing, and hes explaining that all the card coun ters sit and are very quiet, and i got all interested in this and was talking with him, I asked more, and he explained how all card counters use chips to keep track of all the different card types so they will buy in for whites, reds, green and pink to use, i asked him when the last one he saw was, and hes like, its been a while but they come in every now and then.

I continued to shove chips in his face all night.
 

shadroch

Well-Known Member
#3
Let me offer a different view.

In less than five minutes, he got you to admit that you are not a clueless BJ player, that you obviously know the game and are familiar with basic strategy. What ploppy even thinks about what he should do ahead of time? He's got you talking about what you will do in specfic circumstances that may or may not occur. What ploppy would be doing that?
If you could check out the computer, I'm fairly sure he's got you pegged as a skilled player. Why volunteer anything?
 

Sucker

Well-Known Member
#8
I agree with Shad. That pit boss probably went home, got on his computer, went to his favorite site "pitboss info.com" and started a thread entitled "APs not as sharp as we think?" :laugh: :laugh:
 

jaygruden

Well-Known Member
#9
21gunsalute said:
Unless he reads this.
Good one 21.:laugh: After all this section is called "stories". It is based on actual events, but the PB in question won't recognize this episode should said PB be lurking because names/dates/locations/details have been changed to protect the innocent.;)
 

FLASH1296

Well-Known Member
#10
Although it is hard to believe, there are some Pit Critters who are actually smart (re: BJ)

In one casino a floor person clocking my action had a Basic Strategy card that had indices printed on it !

My next trip there I was very quickly "trespassed"
 

Friendo

Well-Known Member
#11
I talk to 'em.

Still working on my PB interaction skills, but talking with them and asking them how to play hands seems to fit with my demeanor. I believe that this will not work for everyone: I have tried other recommended behaviors, but they don't fit my appearance or character. One has to pick from the buffet of available I-am-a-****ing-idiot behaviors and find what works.

And I'm still learning how to play like a moron when the PB is paying attention: doubling 13 against 3 (for less) when the count is in the tank would work a lot better if I ever managed to lose when I did that. My revenue from doubling stiffs for less has paid for a couple of tanks of gas so far.

It has dawned on me that ratholing is de rigeur for longevity at some places. I haven't found a good technique yet: my attempts in front of the mirror are completely unconvincing to me.
 

shadroch

Well-Known Member
#12
When playing at stores for the first time or ones I play only on occasion, I always put my plastic BS card front and center. I also put my keys on the table and if it is a pitch game, I put two hands on the cards. Most PBs assume I'm a newbie.If the PB is hovering, I'll ask him if the casino offers dealer surrender, and tell him how much I enjoy that rule.
At my level, I don't want to give away anything for camo, so I try to camo my personality, not my play.
 

Friendo

Well-Known Member
#13
Doofus markers

Keys on the table is a good idea. There are a bunch of cluck-head moves like that which say "I am a doofus" to the pit crew: resting the drink on the felt; trying to play chips from another casino; asking for a third card after doubling down.
 
#15
All the PB's are there to monitor the buyins and color ups, rate players, make sure dealers follow the house policies, also provide customer services and things like that. They don't have knowledge of the game except they could look up the BS for you from the computer or they may know it from back of the days when they were dealers themselves. When you are winning a lot, their jobs are to call the upstairs to monitor you and come over to talk to you (distract you from counting). It's the floor who knows the game can do simple counting. There's only 1 floor in one large pit during one shift. There was one time last year, I was winning big(up by 12K) at the HL room of one store when I first got the attention from the PB's,they started to call upstairs and watch my plays, but they couldn't count, so they had no idea what I was doing. (they saw I had 6 stacks of blacks when my initial buyin was only $1500 15mins ago, I knew this because I read his lips from distance, $12K in 15mins), After a couple shoes later, I was up by total of $32K before the floor came over and told me to leave. He said he was watching my plays, but he wasn't even there in the pit when I was playing, so he definitely was in the surveillance room watching me. I knew he was the floor for the HL room, because I was there a few times before that and I always saw him coming in and out of the pit and all PB's were following his directions. You don't have to fool the PB's, you have to fool the eyes in the sky and the floor, whom you don't get to talk to unless you are a high roller. The floors I've seen are smart people, people who deserve making $100K+ a year (a lot of us don't make over 6 figures a year for a reason). I say if you play rated or want comps, talk to the PB's, they can comp you well if they think you are polite and not some average Joe with only $100 and some changes in your pocket. Another thing, a good store often times keep tracks of the chips in & out very accuarately, so hiding chips would not work but actually hurts you. Another store I often play rated at knows exactly how much I am up and down from each seesion, I mean exactly! The two stores I mentioned are great great stores in terms casion operations.

Another thing, most casinos don't care about you counting if you play small. I once met someone working at the surveillance room at a casino I used to play a lot back when I was still trying to increase my BR. I liked to play small and back count before jumping in. This casino was a huge casino with over 50 BJ tables. The surveillance guy remembered my face, it's possible they reviewed my plays.
 
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