My recent post about a $99,999 judgement against Imperial Palace casino in Las Vegas included only the actual damages awarded in the case. Since then, the case has returned to the courtroom where the jury awarded an additional $500,000 in punitive damages. Law caps the punitive damages in this case to $300,000, so the plaintiff James Grosjean stands to collect $1 under $400K for the incident that occurred in Nov 2001.

James Grosjean is the author of ‘Beyond Counting’, an excellent book covering advantage play techniques that have never been published elsewhere. (It’s regrettably out of print now.) Grosjean was also one of the 25 players who competed in the the first season World Series of Blackjack on GSN.

Here’s a link to the Las Vegas Sun’s coverage of the Grosjean/IP case:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/gaming/2004/nov/05/517780711.html

Speaking of World Series of Blackjack, I’m in Las Vegas this week for the filming of WSOB season 2. This time, 40 players compete for $500K in prize money. The thirteen shows will air beginning January 11th, 2005.

Here’s the latest press release from GSN about the second season of World Series of Blackjack:

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/041101/lam068_1.html

Filming takes place starting November 8th, and the shows are set to air starting January 11th, 2005 at 10 PM Eastern.

If last year is any guide, you can expect the participants to join the discussion at http://www.blackjacktournaments.com after each episode airs.

I’m fortunate to have been invited back to participate as one of the 40 players. In the first season I managed to make it to the final round but finished in sixth place. I’ve got a tab to settle with MIT Mike and Hollywood Dave this time around!

An article by John Grochowski in today’s Chicago Sun Times describes an interesting session at the recent Global Gaming Expo. The session was called “Game Protection: Advantage Players”, and one of the speakers was Max Rubin, an author, casino consultant, and expert on advantage players and their tactics.

His view was definitely in the minority from the sounds of the article, but he advocated that casinos spend a lot less time chasing card counters, and more time focusing on the basic business of offering blackjack.

Here’s the whole article:

http://www.suntimes.com/output/grochowski/wkp-news-bet29.html

GSN is rapidly filling up the contestant list for the upcoming second season of World Series of Blackjack, but they’re not done yet. They still have about 8 seats to fill, so if you haven’t emailed them yet, have at it. I expect the final selections will be made in the next day or two.

Email them directly, at gsnblackjack@yahoo.com

Filming is in early November in Las Vegas.

Good luck!

An editorial in Saturday’s Las Vegas Review Journal references the suit I mentioned a few days ago, and features this telling quote:

“The gaming industry’s viability — and the state’s economy — hinge on the premise that gamblers get a fair shake. Even the slightest hint that fancy shufflers and other glittering casino technologies can be used to swing the outcome of games is a black eye for Nevada.”

Here’s the whole story:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Oct-23-Sat-2004/opinion/25062234.html

In other unconfirmed news, I hear that the Imperial Palace was on the losing end of another suit filed by the same attorney, Bob Nersesian. The jury is said to have awarded $99,999 to a gambler who was illegally detained in a backroom at the Imperial Palace. I’ll post a follow-up if I see this story make the newspaper or other media.

I recently got this question via email: “What is the rule of 6?”

Casinos that deal single-deck blackjack often instruct their dealers to use the “rule of 6″ to decide when to shuffle. This means that the number of players plus the number of rounds between shuffles should add up to 6. If there are 5 or more players at the table, you’ll get one round and then a shuffle. (Ick.) Four players get two rounds, Three players get three rounds, Two players get four rounds, and a single player heads-up will get 6 hands between shuffles.

So, now you know.

GSN is currently searching for players to compete on the second season of “World Series of Blackjack”. Here’s the information, straight from GSN:

Play with the best blackjack players in the world!

GSN’s World Series of Blackjack is seeking big time tournament players for its second season. If you think you have what it takes, send us an email with your name and contact information. Email to gsnblackjack@yahoo.com.

(Filming in November 2004 in Las Vegas at a location to be announced.)

What are you waiting for?

Las Vegas attorney Bob Nersesian has filed suit on behalf of a gambler at a casino in Reno, NV, seeking to stop the casino from using the automated MindPlay blackjack table for a practice known as ‘preferential shuffling’. That’s when the casino shuffles away any player-favorable situations. The suit alleges that the casino used an automated system to indicate to the dealer when to shuffle, thus altering the natural odds of the game.

The article by Rod Smith appeared in today’s Las Vegas Review Journal, and has since been picked up by the Associated Press. Here’s a link to the LVRJ article: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Oct-19-Tue-2004/news/25027617.html

Blogging is definitely hot. Everyone has a blog these days it seems. So I figured, why not? I think this might actually be a good fit for my sites. I often see news items that would be of interest, but it takes a lot of effort to write up the articles for inclusion in the next email newsletter. It takes five or six good ideas to make a newsletter, so my readers don’t see anything until I reach my quota. By using a blog instead, I can post the ideas immediately. My plan is to post at least every other day, so check in regularly.