Four days in AC—hope springs eternal.

[aslan]

Where to start? My first day in AC gained me a nice $1,100. That would have been a good place to head home. But like most counters I figured you just keep playing since you’re going for the long run and there are more gains ahead than losses. I figured if my luck held up I would leave about $3,000 winner Thursday. Then of course the Blackjack gods began showing up. Who told them I was in AC? It must have been that sleazy looking pit man at the Taj Mahal. There’s one thing I must say: when you go from the Borgata to one of the Trump properties, you feel like you’re going from luxury to a lower class joint. The Borgata is more customer-friendly and business-like (we give you good games in pleasant surroundings, but it's a business and we have to make a profit to stay in business); Trump managers, on the other hand, often seem to have a sly "con man" way about them (smiling while thinking, "Here comes another sucker whose pocket we can pick." The more often I make this journey, the more I see it this way. But that’s another story.

From Monday through Thursday my fortune was up, down, up down, and finally up. And this was often in $1,000+ increments. It seems there is no escaping the roller coaster syndrome in card counting, at least, not using KO. Is KO the problem, or is this the reality of all card counting systems? Anyway, it always seems to ratchet up over time. I left between $700 and $800 richer and spent $900 in comps on clothing and a Sony HD DVD Recorder and VCR. Taj is great for comps because at Trump Exchange you get one comp dollar equals one US Dollar, whereas at other places you have to spend two comp dollars to get one US Dollar. Also, I played a lot of VP between tables and won a whopping $50+ on a 25 cent deuces wild machine by hitting four deuces. It’s a good way to push up those comps, too. I tried my hand at a little dice control even though I have practiced very little. I was able to hold the dice twenty minutes the first time and I seven-ed out almost immediately the second time. Holding the dice for longer than average is a very encouraging experience and makes me want to practice a lot and record results before my next trip. It would really be nice to have two advantage plays. Just blackjack tends to be boring and more like “work” after a while as initial expectations surrender to real life experience. Lol Well, all in all it was a profitable trip. I enjoyed myself immensely, ate good food, met interesting people, and almost got enough sleep (I’m working on it ).

Azzie

[halcyon1234]

Interesting report. I wouldn't have thought the Trump places would suck so bad-- but when I think about Trump's attitude in general, I don't think I'm surprised.

Sony HD DVD Recorder and VCR

Lol, now that's an exercise in extremes.

[aslan]

Originally Posted by halcyon1234

Interesting report. I wouldn't have thought the Trump places would suck so bad-- but when I think about Trump's attitude in general, I don't think I'm surprised.



Lol, now that's an exercise in extremes.

Yeah! It's a DVD recorder and player with a VCR built in. I just got my wife an HD Sony LCD TV and this will really compliment it. The VCR is great for all those tapes she's made over the years, and the HD DVD recorder brings us into the 21st century. LOL

[sagefr0g]

Originally Posted by aslan

........
From Monday through Thursday my fortune was up, down, up down, and finally up. And this was often in $1,000+ increments. It seems there is no escaping the roller coaster syndrome in card counting, at least, not using KO. Is KO the problem, or is this the reality of all card counting systems? Anyway, it always seems to ratchet up over time. ........

that was pretty much my experience with hi/lo. just smaller increments as i must have had a lower max bet than yours.
you know thats how many books describe it..... a real roller coaster ride.
my ups and downs were usually within a session with most sessions ending on a high note. i'd purposely end a session when i'd win over about a standard deviations worth of money or if i was losing i'd just keep playing till my trip bankroll was gone. not a recommended method or a way to get an advantage it was just what i was comfortable with.

[EasyRhino]

a) It's not KO's fault, it's just what happens.

b) Don't expect to be able to control dice. It seems that only very few people can do it, after RIDICULOUS practice, and many are skeptical of even that. You were just playing craps.

c) You're still not playing max coints on VP machines, aren't you? Be careful or I'm going to start calling you a VP ploppie.

I agree that it's tempting to bail early after a big win. And, in fact, if you're at one particular casino, that can be a good idea if a bigger win would attract too much attention, then you could move elsewhere. But otherwise, you're also right that this is just a job that you need to put the hours into, so keeping playing is usually a good idea. To keep from having unrealistic expectations for the rest of a trip, I just keep telling myself that all I can really hope to win is my hourly EV for my play, anything else is just dumb luck.

[21forme]

While Trump may be 1:1 on merchandise, their comp rate seems MUCH lower than the others, especially Borgata. The first time I played at Trump, I played at either a $25 or $50 min table for about 2 hours total and wound up with 8 comp dollars!

[Tarzan]

I was looking at the prices on stuff at the Trump stores the other day and WHEW! it's all marked at about 3 times what you would pay for it at your local Walmart. I recall taking a stroll through the forum shops in Ceasar's Vegas and seeing $2000 purses and $3000 pairs of women's boots so I guess AC is not so bad??haha ---Not like I have any comp to speak of anyway (at any place for that matter) because I hardly show a card anymore since I noticed that what I score in comp, which last I did any comparison was about $2 an hour if I played at a $25 min table...less than what I would give the waitress for my drinks. So for some time now I have viewed getting "comped" as a waste of time and merely a means of the casino tracking every penny on me. That's just me though, so I am not saying to not try for comp because I am always hearing about people scoring great comps and freebies and stuff! Maybe they just hate me personally.

I know what you mean about comparing Borgata to Taj but Borgata is "brand new" compared to Taj...so spiffier and spotless right down to those shiny, slippery brand new looking chips! Taj Mahal's chips have been out there getting fondled by lots of greasy fingers so are somewhat battle weary over the period of time. The beauty of glistening brand new chips as opposed to crusty old chips does not bother me in the least since they all seem to cash in at the cage just the same but in Taj Mahal they use 8 decks at all the tables except for in the pit where they use 6 and I don't have such a warm, fuzzy feeling about playing with 8 decks. Not like I won't do it but I prefer the 6.

Perhaps my New Year's resolution will be to not waste time looking at outrageously priced knick-knacks in casino retail shops, to look for only 6 deck games where they have crusty ol' chips, the dealer is cross-eyed with the left breast slightly larger than the right one and only cuts off one deck out of the 6 with the cut card, only hand-shuffled cards instead of those autoshufflers(so I can bring in my "Kreskin's ESP" technical assistant to do the ace clump tracking for me) and....full ashtrays!(which I am not sure of the reason but I saw people laughing and yucking it up in critiquing about some foolish thing in which full ashtrays meant something good or positive)!!!!

[aslan]

Originally Posted by sagefr0g

that was pretty much my experience with hi/lo. just smaller increments as i must have had a lower max bet than yours.
you know thats how many books describe it..... a real roller coaster ride.
my ups and downs were usually within a session with most sessions ending on a high note. i'd purposely end a session when i'd win over about a standard deviations worth of money or if i was losing i'd just keep playing till my trip bankroll was gone. not a recommended method or a way to get an advantage it was just what i was comfortable with.

Until now, I tended to "TRY" to keep playing a session until it ended on a good note. This had two results: (1) some VERY long sessions; and (2) some VERY LARGE LOSSES. I think (no, I'm sure) the very long sessions contributed to the very large size of the losses because of how VERY TIRED I was. LOL

Now I am committed to smaller sessions regardless of whether I win or lose. My losing sessions still tend to be large, but not quite as large. The reason seems to be that I increase my max bet in an attempt to recoup my losses more quickly. My reasoning goes as follows: (1) My bankroll can afford it. (2) Because I'm losing, the house tends to see it as steaming behavior, so they don't foreclose on 20 times spreads. (3) I figure it's all one continuous session anyway, so the odds of continuing to lose are no greater if I stop than if I continue to play (as long as I don't play too tired and mentally impaired).

Another curious thing, I noticed this last trip that I lost big on $10 tables, and won all of my sessions on $25 tables. I don't know what that has to do with anything--just reporting the facts.

[aslan]

Originally Posted by Tarzan

I was looking at the prices on stuff at the Trump stores the other day and WHEW! it's all marked at about 3 times what you would pay for it at your local Walmart.

Every store every where is priced higher than Walmart. But the Trump Exchange at Taj Mahal did not seem too awfyully pricey, at least not as pricey as Borgata stores where a T-shirt might cost you $50 or $75 and on top of that you only get $1 for every $2 of comp. You have to be selective. Some things are priced okay, others are not. Az

I know what you mean about comparing Borgata to Taj but Borgata is "brand new" compared to Taj...

At Taj the pit critters seems more out of Fast Eddies' pool room than the Neiman Marcus department store. Trump makes you feel like shark bait. They don't have 6-deck at Taj, although they do at Plaza. About the most Trump ever tried to do to me was bring in a super fast dealer every time I sat down, which I prefer anyway as long as I'm well rested. I just don't like playing in the atmosphere they create, and I don't like playing 8-deck (which won't stop me from continuing to play Trump Plaza). BTW, I always feel like the ratio of low lifes are much higher at Trump casinos than at Borgata, creating a sense of always having to be on guard to the extreme. It's like the difference between Circus Circus and Venetian in Vegas. Az

Perhaps my New Year's resolution will be to not waste time looking at outrageously priced knick-knacks in casino retail shops, to look for only 6 deck games where they have crusty ol' chips, the dealer is cross-eyed with the left breast slightly larger than the right one and only cuts off one deck out of the 6 with the cut card, only hand-shuffled cards instead of those autoshufflers(so I can bring in my "Kreskin's ESP" technical assistant to do the ace clump tracking for me) and....full ashtrays!(which I am not sure of the reason but I saw people laughing and yucking it up in critiquing about some foolish thing in which full ashtrays meant something good or positive)!!!!

Yes, but don't sell comps short. Three days free rooms at Borgata, two great meals at the Amphora Lounge that cost $10 each that would have cost $70 plus anywhere else, including all the free cocktails or bottles of wine you want, other smaller free meals at very nice restaurants at Borgata, plus ten percent off purchases (premium player's card) of yes too pricey clothing and merchandise but still all free due to comps, and all 6-deck games, some handshuffled, some not, at Borgata. And, oh yes, the pen was playable at Borgata this trip. Even with good comp (sometimes) at Taj, you have to wait forever in 8-deck for a good count that may never come. I'm not into wonging in and out of 8-deck. It's the pits. Az

...

[glovesetc]

You made a winner and that is all that counts. Buened off some comp dollars as well and ate well . All in all it ws a good show buddy !!!!