New twist on two-man theme-ideas?

bj bob

Well-Known Member
#1
Before embarking on my next adventure to an undisclosed venue in the High Sierra I'm throwing around some ideas for an effective tandem with a friend.
Here's the scenario and any further imput from the forum is greatly appr
eciated:
1) This will be exclusively limited to DD.
2) I will be the spotter while playing my regular $5-20x2 spread.
3) My partner (BP) will be called in @TC+4 and flat bet $100 until exit signal is given.
4) Since BP is a Chinaman, he will enter table when there is one other extra player and will not speak English,except to communicate with the dealer in broken English. Otherwise all other conversation will be in Chinese with his gf who is hanging on his shoulder.
5) He's been given a CABS(+4) card to memorize and is transcribing it into Chinese characters. The other side of the card is a CABS(+1) also in Chinese.
6) When the exit signal is given, he gets up and heads to men's room, hands BS card to gf who flips it over and continues to play $25 flat until her exit signal is given.
7) Bankrolls are separate. I play with and keep all my winnings and take 25% of any of his winnings.
Several questions still remain in my mind, however. My BR will be $4,000 for the 3/4 day trip, but I don't know exactly what to tell him to bring. Around $7,500-$10,000? Money's not really an issue with him since he's an MD. What do you guys think? Is that enough?
Finally, what do you think a reasonable $ expectation would be with this setup given DD, H-17, DAS 75%+ pen and say 25 hrs. playtime. I'm assuming that he'll only see 5 hands/ hr. @ +4TC while I'm playing all. Gf will probably play maybe 10-15 hands/hr. @$25.
 
#3
bj bob said:
Before embarking on my next adventure to an undisclosed venue in the High Sierra I'm throwing around some ideas for an effective tandem with a friend.
Here's the scenario and any further imput from the forum is greatly appr
eciated:
1) This will be exclusively limited to DD.
2) I will be the spotter while playing my regular $5-20x2 spread.
3) My partner (BP) will be called in @TC+4 and flat bet $100 until exit signal is given.
4) Since BP is a Chinaman, he will enter table when there is one other extra player and will not speak English,except to communicate with the dealer in broken English. Otherwise all other conversation will be in Chinese with his gf who is hanging on his shoulder.
5) He's been given a CABS(+4) card to memorize and is transcribing it into Chinese characters. The other side of the card is a CABS(+1) also in Chinese.
6) When the exit signal is given, he gets up and heads to men's room, hands BS card to gf who flips it over and continues to play $25 flat until her exit signal is given.
7) Bankrolls are separate. I play with and keep all my winnings and take 25% of any of his winnings.
Several questions still remain in my mind, however. My BR will be $4,000 for the 3/4 day trip, but I don't know exactly what to tell him to bring. Around $7,500-$10,000? Money's not really an issue with him since he's an MD. What do you guys think? Is that enough?
Finally, what do you think a reasonable $ expectation would be with this setup given DD, H-17, DAS 75%+ pen and say 25 hrs. playtime. I'm assuming that he'll only see 5 hands/ hr. @ +4TC while I'm playing all. Gf will probably play maybe 10-15 hands/hr. @$25.
Wow now this is a good idea! Just a couple of improvements.

One is... I would not spread to two hands when you call in the BP, because that will eat up cards and provide fewer rounds for him. What might be better is to play two hands at all counts that justify putting that much money on the table and revert to one when he comes in. What you'll be doing is a mild version of the Grifter's Gambit because it will allow you to get to the BP's count quicker and keep him there longer.

You're using RPM right? Might want to call him in a little earlier than TC +4 then.

You both have plenty of money for that kind of trip. One thing though, I think I know exactly where you are going to be playing, and it can be crowded, so you want to time your sessions for when you can be sure you'll be able to get your Chinese gorilla (King Kung Fu? That was a great movie!) into the game.
 

Sonny

Well-Known Member
#4
I both love and hate this plan for the same reason – it’s F$&@ING ballsy!

You’re blatantly identifying yourself as a card counter by spreading your bets with the count and playing multiple hands in positive counts. You’re also calling in your friend every time your max bet is out. Since you’re the only spotter the BP is going to come to your table every time. It’ll be pretty easy to put the two of you together. You’ll be made before you know it. Maybe the casino will let you play anyway. I don’t know what kind of action they’re used to or what kinds of bets they sweat. I’m sure you know the place much better than I do. If you think that you can get away with it for 25 hours then more power to you brother.

Other than excessive heat, my main concern is for your BP. He’s going to be bored as hell. It might take a few hours (or more!) to find a count that high. I once played the same game (DD S17 DAS 75%) for two hours without seeing even a +1 TC. Is he just going to be standing around watching you the whole time? If he isn’t watching closely then he might miss his chance. A +4 TC is a pretty small window of opportunity. And when he finally gets called in you’ll tell him to leave after playing only two hands. Then two more hands later they shuffle so you tell his gf to take a hike. Do they just sit around for another hour or two waiting for you?

Non-APs always want to have fun while gambling, even if it means playing at a disadvantage. Frankly I don’t think your BP is going to stick to this plan for very long once he sees what’s involved. He probably has some wonderful fantasy about strolling in and betting black chips with his gf under his arm and smiling coyly as he rakes in lots of chips. If he knows that he’s going to be standing around doing nothing for several hours at a time with a bored, snippy gf complaining in his ear (“I’m bored. My feet hurt. These shoes are too tight. I want a drink. It’s too cold in here. Can we play roulette?”) he might think twice. :joker:

-Sonny-

P.S. – No offense to all the ladies out there, but be honest – y’all get downright upset when we bring you to a fun casino then make you stand around and follow us all night.
 
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#5
why not wong.

If you are play a place that does mid-shoe on their dd games,why dont you wong them yourself.act as spotter and big player.It seams to me that as soon as the count got high enough to call your bp in ,it wouldnt be long before the shuffle comes.it would look strang if your bp keep getting up and down all night,and only playing your table and nothing else.If you were wonging it wouldnt looks as bad as you could just walk around,looking for the table that feels lucky.
 

Mimosine

Well-Known Member
#6
Sonny said:
-Sonny-

P.S. – No offense to all the ladies out there, but be honest – y’all get downright upset when we bring you to a fun casino then make you stand around and follow us all night.
believe it or not i have the exact opposite problem. my gf always wants to go to the casino with me - i always think it would be the most boring thing in the world, but she LOVES watching me play and being at the c'no. the last time we actually played together, and she decided to start raising her bets with mine. it was pretty funny! i prefer to play alone, so i'm always trying to tell her to stay home, its boring.... sigh.

to BJbob - good luck it sounds like it is going to be great fun. when you call in the BP and scale back from 2 to 1 hands, you can always mention the 'flow,' orally.
surprisingly, i've seen this play by ploppies more often at high limit SD and DD games (vs. 6Ds) where they frantically change from 1-2 hands depending on who gets up or sits down.... weird.
 
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bj bob

Well-Known Member
#7
Responses...

Monk- you are indeed correct on the TC, but I always try to post general TC's on the Forum in hi-lo terms so no one gets confused, so in this case the RAPM count would be +2. I chose that count due the the fact that +4 hi-lo is the ideal count to place max. bets and also the point where most pertinent BS deviations are in effect. I like you idea of reversing hand spread though. It makes sense to me.
Sonny-Have you never ramped your bets in a DD game and had max. spread out at favorable count? Seems to me that that's the only way to beat a H-17 DD game. I have been spreading 1-4 2x3/4 for quite a while and have yet to have my picture posted on milk cartons in the Reno area. If you're inferring that all this action will take place at the same house, I can definitely see your point, but no, this will be a gun and run type thing. Lot's of candy shops on Va. Street. As to BP's patience, yes he does know that there will be some hanging around, but that's the way he plays in general. He just bets $5 for a while and then gets a "hunch" and whips out $100 every half hour or so yelling "no guts, no glory!", all this without a clue as the the count. So in my mind I have him doing the same thing, but with a purpose. BTW, he can get away with huge bet spreads given his ethnic background.
 

EasyRhino

Well-Known Member
#8
Hate to be a lout, but the Chineseness can go a long way.

Your spread could be a giveaway to your gorilla though, I really worry about that. You could change your signals though, maybe even at the same place. First, you call him in, but still play one hand, and get annoyed at total lack of WASPyness. Next time, you call him in, and in annoyance, spread to two hands (or drop to one) to try to disrupt the flow. Next, when he comes up to the table... you leave in disgust. Or better yet, start hitting on the GF.

You know what, F it, it sounds to complicated. I say you go to the Siena and use a 10x spread on their single deck game. It's the only way to be sure.
 

bj bob

Well-Known Member
#9
so you're saying....

...to leave when he comes in or not spread to two hands. How about if I stay at 1-4? That will really deplete my EV, but I could make up for the difference by upping my share of his net. Sounds interesting and something to think about. My oringinal vision of this whole thing is that I'm playing my ho hum DD 1-4 2x3 spread for a good while and "independently" in walks the BP out of the blue who doesn't even speak English and only plays for 3-4 hands then goes either potty leaving his Gf or both take off...I'm still playing for awhile. Nothing to notice here.
 
#11
bj bob said:
...to leave when he comes in or not spread to two hands. How about if I stay at 1-4? That will really deplete my EV, but I could make up for the difference by upping my share of his net. Sounds interesting and something to think about. My oringinal vision of this whole thing is that I'm playing my ho hum DD 1-4 2x3 spread for a good while and "independently" in walks the BP out of the blue who doesn't even speak English and only plays for 3-4 hands then goes either potty leaving his Gf or both take off...I'm still playing for awhile. Nothing to notice here.
No I wouldn't leave, your EV is a significant portion of the combined win rate and unless there is no one else at the table you won't be earning him that many more extra hands by leaving. But you'd be better off putting 8 units on 1 hand instead of 4 units on 2.

To make the no-English act more believable, you can try insulting him in English every time he comes to the table while he just smiles.
 

bj bob

Well-Known Member
#12
Almost, but not quite

FrankieT said:
"Chinaman"?? Lol, what are you, an 1870s rancher?
An 1860's railroad tycoon. Besides, you ought to hear his messages on my answering machine...."Hi! You,ve reach BJ Bob, please leave your message after the beep....BEEP " Hi! this is the Chinaman, where the hell are you? Call me when you get in, you Bun Chut!" What more can I say?
 
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bj bob

Well-Known Member
#13
Automatic Monkey said:
No I wouldn't leave, your EV is a significant portion of the combined win rate and unless there is no one else at the table you won't be earning him that many more extra hands by leaving. But you'd be better off putting 8 units on 1 hand instead of 4 units on 2.

To make the no-English act more believable, you can try insulting him in English every time he comes to the table while he just smiles.
You think I'm OK with a 1:8 spread on one hand in Reno? I respect Sonny's wisdom and he was concerned about that spread with 2 hands. Now Easy endorses a 1:10 spread on SD, but you know "he's THAT way". He's also suggesting I grope/ fondle his gf, good God! And as for racial slurs, imagine me doing that to every Oriental I see at the tables? My wife(Filipina) would be laughing her a$$ off!
BTW, with the original setup,what would our combined EV be in $/ 100 hands? I'm guessing about $225, no?
 

Sonny

Well-Known Member
#14
It’s pretty aggressive but as long as you’re doing a hit-and-run style you might be fine for a while. Also, getting a free roll from your BP is a nice bonus.

Burn ‘em down and get out of town! Yeehaw!

-Sonny-
 
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