Blackjack Ball

[Sonny]

I call bullsh*t.

Like when Munchkin won? :laugh:

So who would some of your nominees be? Maybe someone can suggest them to the committee for next year.

-Sonny-

 

[Automatic Monkey]

Zeljko Ranogajec being added, when there are many real BJ contributors deserving, just further invalidates the BJHOF premise. This was just some inside press from Rubin for reasons that will not be publicized. (Like for instance, Ranogajec made a hefty investment in Barona?)

I call bullsh*t. he belongs in the Racehorse Punters Hall of Fame. zg

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More on Ranogajec >>

To get the real insight into Zeljko you have to research an American, Bill Benter, and the late Alan Woods. They discovered the river of gold that flowed from the Hong Kong tote, but also maintained a code of silence. Like Zeljko, Benter and Woods were card counters and warned out of casinos, high-rollers who had the audacity to win too often. Wood, aged 62, died last year and PuntingAce.com estimated his wealth at $670 million accumulated from a standing start at a blackjack table. Insiders reckon it was more in the vicinity of $1 billion.

MORE- http://www.racehorsetalk.com.au/index.php?topic=6754.0;wap2​

It's a ridiculous premise, a Hall of Fame for people who do all of their activities sub rosa. If you are a famous advantage player, you have a problem.

 

[Sucker]

It's a ridiculous premise, a Hall of Fame for people who do all of their activities sub rosa. If you are a famous advantage player, you have a problem.

EXACTLY. One of the most valuable attributes of a professional BJ player is the ability to remain anonymous. The FACT that someone is in the BJHOF shows that they don't belong in the BJHOF.

 

[zengrifter]

Zeljko Ranogajec DID avoid the public limelight for decades... but most of his success came from horse betting.
And it appears that his card-counting forays were short-lived and inconsequential to the game. zg

 

[QFIT]

Unless i've missed something - and it's possible that i have given that i've never heard of the guy - this guy doesn't seem to have anything to do with BJ? All the others seem to at least have had some substantial involvement in the game of BJ at some point in their career.

RJT.

Well, Zeljko was a card counter. Once upon a time. More known for the track. But, why would anyone care who is "elected" considering the process and purpose? BTW, the "nominees" were:

Allan Wilson
Bill Erb
Bob Nersesian
Don Schlesinger
Ian Andersen
Jess Marcum
Zeljko Ranogajec

I apologize for even discussing such a silly subject.

 

[creeping panther]

Well, Zeljko was a card counter. Once upon a time. More known for the track. But, why would anyone care who is "elected" considering the process and purpose? BTW, the "nominees" were:

Allan Wilson
Bill Erb
Bob Nersesian
Don Schlesinger
Ian Andersen
Jess Marcum
Zeljko Ranogajec

I apologize for even discussing such a silly subject.

Norm,

You and Don should be in the BJHOF, a crime that you both are not

CP

 

[QFIT]

Norm,

You and Don should be in the BJHOF, a crime that you both are not

CP

Thanks, but my goal is to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Is 61 too late to learn to play guitar?

Don has the best instincts in BJ that I have run across. And, to his detractors that say he doesn't play, they have no idea of what they speak. AM said it well:

It's a ridiculous premise, a Hall of Fame for people who do all of their activities sub rosa. If you are a famous advantage player, you have a problem

One of the posters in this very thread once e-mailed me that I admit I don't play anymore. I get a kick out of this. My e-mail and phone number are public. So, I am asked in the neighborhood of 40-50 times a year if I still play (and where and when and what stakes and what system). Natural questions right? Perhaps, but what kind of idiot would respond with such details? I don’t know who these people are? I have given stock responses for many years.

Of course, in reality, I never play. You can quote me.

 

[zengrifter]

Well, BTW, the "nominees" were:

Allan Wilson
Bill Erb
Bob Nersesian
Don Schlesinger
Ian Andersen
Jess Marcum
Zeljko Ranogajec

Every one of them is better qualified than Ranogajec. zg

So who would some of your nominees be? Maybe someone can suggest them to the committee for next year.

-Sonny-

Jess Marcum, hands down, followed by Bill Erb. zg

 

[nightspirit]

The 2011 inductee is Zeljko Ranogajec.

Here is a little about him.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/taking-a-gamble-just-a-numbers-game/story-e6frf7jo-1225829865406

Thanks for the info Pro21!

 

[creeping panther]

Thanks, but my goal is to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Is 61 too late to learn to play guitar?

Don has the best instincts in BJ that I have run across. And, to his detractors that say he doesn't play, they have no idea of what they speak. AM said it well:


One of the posters in this very thread once e-mailed me that I admit I don't play anymore. I get a kick out of this. My e-mail and phone number are public. So, I am asked in the neighborhood of 40-50 times a year if I still play (and where and when and what stakes and what system). Natural questions right? Perhaps, but what kind of idiot would respond with such details? I don’t know who these people are? I have given stock responses for many years.

Of course, in reality, I never play. You can quote me.

Norm,

In reality those questions are no one's busyness and show a degree of ignorance.

CP

 

[Automatic Monkey]

If anyone belongs in a blackjack hall of fame, it should be the people who wrote the books we have on our shelves, and that's that. Those are the people who already gave up their anonymity and sought fame by publishing books. And every person who has written a legitimate BJ book deserves a nod of recognition from the AP community.

 

[21forme]

If anyone belongs in a blackjack hall of fame, it should be the people who wrote the books we have on our shelves, and that's that. Those are the people who already gave up their anonymity and sought fame by publishing books. And every person who has written a legitimate BJ book deserves a nod of recognition from the AP community.

You mean like Scoblete? :laugh:

 

[shadroch]

Jerry" Dirty Ashtray" Patterson

 

[WRX]

Well, Zeljko was a card counter. Once upon a time. More known for the track. But, why would anyone care who is "elected" considering the process and purpose?

Norm, I understand your point of view. But the fact remains that no one can be elected without attracting many votes from a broad spectrum of highly knowledgeable attendees. And there were indisputably many well-qualified nominees on the list.

As in other parts of the AP world, the focus has widened to include more than blackjack, as opportunities to make money from straight blackjack play have come under ever increasing pressure.

 

[WRX]

Jess Marcum, hands down, followed by Bill Erb. zg

I agree completely as to Jess Marcum, and Bill Erb would be very high on my list.

 

[RJT]

Norm, I understand your point of view. But the fact remains that no one can be elected without attracting many votes from a broad spectrum of highly knowledgeable attendees. And there were indisputably many well-qualified nominees on the list.

As in other parts of the AP world, the focus has widened to include more than blackjack, as opportunities to make money from straight blackjack play have come under ever increasing pressure.

While ultimately branching out has to happen, it should not happen before credit has been given to all of those who have made a substantial impact in the original field. I have my differences with Norm, but frankly missing him and DS off a list like this is a bit of a joke when the knowledgeable attendees are going to vote on people from another field. Whatever the attendees think, Blackjack Attack and CV have had a far larger impact on the largest majority of players than ZR and as this is mostly a publicity stunt anyway, those that created the publicity around themselves whether intentionally or otherwise are the ones that deserve credit first.

Up till this point, each and every member on the list has some credentials in publication of highly sought after or widely disseminated and reliable blackjack information or is well known in the field of blackjack for notoriety they've achieved through their highly profitable exploits at the blackjack table. To pass over others with similar credentials to go out of the field seems to really make the hall a popularity contest within a certain group of players rather than serving the purpose - dubious though it may be - of a list like this.

RJT.

 

[Billy C1]

If anyone belongs in a blackjack hall of fame, it should be the people who wrote the books we have on our shelves, and that's that. Those are the people who already gave up their anonymity and sought fame by publishing books. And every person who has written a legitimate BJ book deserves a nod of recognition from the AP community.

The profits made on the books ARE a nod of recognition. No?

BillyC1

 

[Sharky]

interesting article, thanks...I particularly liked the horse betting...where you need a much larger br than in BJ to make it worthwhile, but you are guaranteed a 5% return on a show "winner"...key is to eliminate the horses that have really no chance and bet small fields.

reminds me of around 15-20 yrs ago I "stumbled" upon online racing forum downloads at the Jacksonville Kennel Club - internet was relatively new to the public then and webpages were very simple.

What was special about these were that instead of the typical 4-5 race history per entrant, they had the whole enchilada..yes, many as 20-25 races/practices per dog. I would import them into Word/Excel and use macros to format, extract, and calculate data (not 120-140 like this cat, but many)...for a huge advantage over my competition (other wagerers) who mostly bet b-day, favorite numbers, etc.

some janitor probably found my 120 page "daily forum" in the trash and alerted management...was fun for the 6 or so months it lasted...I wonder if there is a dog racing HOF?

 

[Lonesome Gambler]

Can anyone confirm/deny that the inductee was considered for the HoF due to his work in the field? I find it hard to believe that a horse bettor, no matter how successful, would make it in unless there was something else going on that perhaps we don't know about.

 

[zengrifter]

Can anyone confirm/deny that the inductee was considered for the HoF due to his work in the field? I find it hard to believe that a horse bettor, no matter how successful, would make it in unless there was something else going on that perhaps we don't know about.

If it was a serious HOF, Max Rubin would NOT be an inductee, right? zg