David Pom: Voodoo or AP?

[zengrifter]

I need help deciding if this is VOODOO or legitimate AP. Your vote will help me decide. No maybes, vote YES or NO.

Below is a post that Mr. Pom thought would resolve the ZEN betting flap. zg

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From Beat The Casinos Blog​

Thursday, 28 February 2008​

Coping With Losing Gambling Sessions ​

[by David Pom]​

I play casino games often, and I'm happy to say that I win during most sessions. (I've often remarked that if I wasn't winning on a fairly consistent basis, that I wouldn't play any more). Every so often however, I'll experience a cold streak, an unlucky session, an odds-balancing correction, bad karma - call it what you will. When it happens, it hurts. It hurts my bankroll, it hurts my ego, it even temporarily hurts my perspective on life (occasionally). Let's face it, nobody feels good on a bad day.​

Knowing that these sessions can happen however, means that I'm not too surprised if / when they occur. I've also learnt (the hard way) over time that worrying too much about them when they do occur is harmful - and can lead to bad decisions.​

To help out, I thought I'd share some of my hard learnt tips with you. If we all play better, and stress less, we've got a chance to really beat the casinos! That will make us feel good, right? We'll be happy - and what more could we ask for?​

Tip 1: Get back on the horse​

If you give up playing after a losing session, not only will you feel defeated, but you also won't give yourself the opportunity to get your lost money back. Just as when you're a child and fall off a bike or horse, and somebody says "get back on the horse" or "get back on the bike", my advice to you is this: "get back to the blackjack table", "get back to the roulette wheel". It's only by playing that you have a chance to win or break even. (If you have a gambling addiction however, my advice is "run" - and NEVER return to the palaces of chance. I don't want to be responsible for your downfall).​

Tip 2: Are you playing the right game?​

If you've read this blog for a while you'll know that casinos offer "good bets" and "bad bets". Good bets are those games with a house edge of about 2.5% or lower (the lower the better), whilst bad bets are all other games (such as slots, carribean stud poker, baccarat tie bets, craps horn bet, etc). The "good bets" do give you a reasonable chance of walking out a winner on any particular gambling session. The "bad bets" can also make you a winner - but the odds of winning are far lower due to the high house edge. If you're going to be playing regularly, make sure you're only playing games that give you a chance to win - or to at least moderate your spending to reasonable "entertainment" levels. Here's some of my previous articles: "The best bets in any casino (Archive copy)"; "The worst bets in any casino (Archive copy)".​

Tip 3: Do you have the right bankroll for your game?​

Every game can have swings and variations. You need to ensure you have a bankroll that can accommodate reasonable swings based upon a formula called "The Kelly Criterion". This specific formula has been calculated to give players the greatest probability of winning, and the lowest probability of losing everything. The following are the recommended session bankrolls required for various games: slots 250 times your average bet (so if you play 20 lines at 5c, = $1 per spin, then you need a bankroll of $250); poker 100 times your average bet; other table games 50 times your average bet (so if you play 2 hands of blackjack at a time for $25 per hand, then you need a bankroll of $2500). I once wrote this article about "Money Management In Casinos (Archive copy)" - you might find it helpful.​

Tip 4: Are you playing the games well?​

When you play your favourite casino game, are you playing the optimal strategy? For example, are you covering only a few numbers on roulette (good strategy) or covering every number for every spin (bad strategy)? If you're playing blackjack, are you sitting on 15 against a dealer picture (bad strategy) or pulling a card (good strategy)? On Carribean Stud Poker are you betting with lower than a pair of jacks in your hand (bad strategy) or betting with a pair of jacks or better (good strategy)? It's important that you play ANY game to an optimal strategy - otherwise you're more likely to be giving your money to the casinos. There's no excuse for bad play - there are plenty of books available to read (i.e. "Casino books worth reading (Archive copy)") and plenty of good internet sites to visit that can teach you about optimal gambling strategies. Or you can email me at [email protected] and I'll do my best to help you. Play well, or reap the consequences!​

Tip 5: Play with a positive attitude​

I've always believed you should play with a positive frame of mind whilst in any casino. We're optimists right? All gamblers want to win. And now and again we actually do take the casino's money home! Playing with a positive attitude not only helps you to enjoy the games more, but it puts you in a more stable frame of mind that will hopefully help you to better avoid making silly playing decisions. Go into the casino with the attitude of a WINNER. The moment you start thinking "I'm a loser" is the moment that you become what you think... so go in assuming you'll win, and then don't be surprised when you get that jackpot!​

I hope you've found my tips useful. They've been hard learnt over my 15 years of play - and, in the long run, casino gambling has been PROFITABLE for me... hopefully you'll get similar results when you follow my tips and advice. Good luck to you!​

xxx​

 

[zengrifter]

One more -

Saturday, 3 November 2007​

Partwork Two: Money management in casinos (Archive copy) ​

[by David Pom]​

This partwork covers the basics of money management. It's useful reading if you need help to ascertain bankrolls for each gambling visit, how to split a bankroll over a longer period of time (i.e. a holiday in Las Vegas for a week), and / or simply how to manage your money effectively and leave with the casino's cash!​

Apologies for the delay in putting this post online - it's been a hectic week! You will probably realise that I write this blog in my spare time (I have a full time job also), and I just haven't had any spare time this week. Aaaaaaargh, so much to do and so little time! Anyway, apologies and I'll attempt to keep things updated more regularly - I expect 3-4 articles in a typical week is probably realistic.​

What is Money Management?​

To my mind, Money Management is simply a methodology to apply when playing in casinos that allows you to have the greatest chance of leaving with the casino's money. It's a combination of forward financial planning, discipline, and common sense. Sadly I've come across many a fellow gambler in my life who seems to lack these basic tools - so my aim is to help to change that! As I see it there are four main components to basic Money Management. These are:​

1) Bankroll - working out what you can afford to play with.​

2) Session frequency / timing - breaking up the bankroll into chunks.​

3) Get in, Get up, Get out - how to keep your winnings​

4) Security - and peace of mind​

Setting the Bankroll​

The reality of life is that some people are richer than others - therefore it's logical that they can afford to set a higher "bankroll" for any gambling session(s). Whatever your degree of financial liquidity however, you must PLAN IN ADVANCE before entering any casino, and set your bankroll to an amount that you're comfortable with, and can afford to lose if things don't go as you hope for.​

Your bankroll will affect the choices of games you can play - in other words, a bankroll of $100 is not truly sufficient to play $5 roulette, but you might play $1 roulette with it, or 5c / 5p slot machines. As mentioned in Partwork One a general rule of 40 times basic stake is right for blackjack - so if you want to play $5 / £5 blackjack then you should have a bankroll of $200 / £200.​

However - and this is IMPORTANT - you should not let the games you play decide your bankroll. You MUST let your bankroll decide the games you play! Does that make sense? What I'm trying to say here is that it's pointless trying to play $5 blackjack if you can't afford to lose even $50! You should set your bankroll, say $50 for that session, and then decide "oh I can play 5c slots with that bankroll".​

Another important point: you should take whatever you can afford to lose ONLY into a casino, in cash. Do NOT take debit / credit cards or other financial instruments with you if you don't have the discipline to not use them whilst in the casino... those little machines and card swipe units can lead you down a very dark path! And so setting your bankroll really does mean that you have to plan in advance.​

This is equally important for online play - decide your session bankroll, deposit it into the online casino account, and play. If you win, fantastic! If you should lose, DO NOT deposit more for that session.​

Session frequency - breaking up the bankroll​

If you're going on a holiday (i.e. to Las Vegas, Reno, Monte Carlo, London) and intend to play more often than in one single gambling session, then you should clearly have a larger bankroll set. So how do you set this amount?​

Let's say that you typically go to a casino with $100 stake for any gambling session. If you're going to Las Vegas, for a week say, you might have a bankroll of $1500 - to break down as follows: accommodation: $300, food: $150, transport: $50, gambling / free-to-spend cash: $1000.​

If $1000 is your gambling bankroll for the week (7 days), then to get a daily limit you would divide this amount into seven: for a daily limit of $142.85.​

If you expect to play two gambling sessions each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, then you would take the daily limit and divide this by two, for a session limit of $71.42.​

Here's how I'd recommend you manage your money for the trip. You might laugh at first, but this method DOES WORK... don't knock it until you've tried it. BEFORE departing for your holiday, get all of the necessary CASH you require ($1500) on your home table. Get a collection of white envelopes, and write the following on them: Accommodation Money, Food Money, Transport Money, Gambling / Spending Money, Session 1 Day 1, Session 2 Day 1, Session 1 Day 2, Session 2 Day 2 etc. Place the required amount of cash (as worked out above) into each respective envelope, and SEAL it. Take all envelopes with you on your holiday / vacation.​

When you're on holiday, simply take the relevant envelope out at the required time to pay / stake. So if you're paying for a hotel, the money comes from the accommodation envelope, for bus fares / cabs it comes from the Transport Money envelope, and if you're playing Session 1 on Day 3 your stake comes from the Session 1, Day 3 envelope. This does require discipline - but the reality is that by planning your bankroll in advance, you'll know CONSCIOUSLY when you're trying to use money that should be used for other things to gamble etc...​

Why do this? Simply put, if you don't, you could end up spending your entire $1000 gambling budget for the week in ONE DAY! And then you'll have a miserable time for the next six days - surely you want to have a relaxed and fun holiday? I met a lady once at the Mirage in Las Vegas who was coming on holiday for 2 weeks, and spent all of her money in the first FOUR hours of her stay - she ended up flying home early!​

Get In, Get Up, Get Out​

Following on from my earlier partwork, which touched on Discipline as point four, I'd like to re-iterate the key mantra I use when playing in casinos. Simply put, it's this: GET IN, GET UP, GET OUT!​

The key to winning in any casino, online or land based, in the US, UK or elsewhere is to play well, play often - and to leave when you're ahead!​

We've discussed the envelope system for breaking down bankrolls etc - and ensuring that you can therefore play safely for any gambling session, knowing that as long as you don't exceed the cash in the envelope for that session, that you'll remain on budget. This envelope system can also work to ensure that you keep any WINNINGS.​

Here's the plan: you have a SINGLE envelope called "Winnings". On every casino session you play, you'll have a "win limit" set - maybe 50% more than what you bankrolled for the session etc (see Partwork One for more details). Some sessions you'll win, and others you'll lose. Whenever you win and cash out at the casino cage, put your winnings (including the bankroll stake for that session) into the "Winnings" envelope. You'll note that you should NEVER have to go into the winnings envelope for cash on your holiday - because all other expenses have their own pre-budgeted envelopes already prepared.​

As long as you're disciplined, at the end of the week you'll have had a great on-budget holiday, and hopefully a Winnings envelope thick with cash to TAKE HOME. (If you're not disciplined, take only the envelopes you need for each day to the casino, and lock the others in your hotel safe).​

Security - and peace of mind​

Just a quick point really: clearly if you're dealing with large amounts of cash, you'll need some basic rules to keep safe. I'd suggest the following:​

a) Only carry with you at any time the envelopes / money required for that day. Lock the rest in your hotel room safe (or leave at home if not on holiday).​

b) Don't place envelopes into purses / bags etc or other items that can be left behind easily on seats (or be stolen from by unscrupulous people). Keep them on your person in a pocket next to your body / money belt under clothes etc.​

c) Don't make it obvious to others that you're carrying cash - or that you've just won a bundle! Most people are fairly honest (I think) but there are opportunists who will try their own luck if they think there's a chance you've got cash...​

d) If you do win a reasonable sum of money, or if for any reason you don't feel 100% safe in any casino, go to the Security desk and either ask them to walk you out, or alert them to any unscrupulous characters you're worried about. All casinos have security, and all will offer their assistance to you. At the end of the day the security team are there to protect the casino's money - however you're also an asset!​

I hope you've found the article interesting! As usual, leave comments to let me know your thoughts, or drop me an email at [email protected].

xxx
​

 

[la_dee_daa]

an "AP" who "vodoos" if we take AP as (+) and vodoo as (-) we still get a vodoo in the end result.

 

[zengrifter]

David Says: As always, I'm here to help answer your questions / offer advice, so do let me know if there's anything I can help with. I don't mind if you're a beginner, medium strength player, or high-rolling expert... let me share my experience with you!

Need to play blackjack right now? Check out any of the excellent casinos I feature in this blog - all of which I've played at myself. These include: (Dead link: http://www.nnnnnnnnnnnnn.us) _Virgin Casino - £50 free, Betfair Casino - £50 free, Totesport Casino - 125% free, 32Red Casino - £100 or $100 Bonus, and Betfred Casino - 100% bonus up to £100_.
​

 

[zengrifter]

an "AP" who "vodoos" if we take AP as (+) and vodoo as (-) we still get a vodoo in the end result.

Can you reduce that to algebra? zg

 

[la_dee_daa]

Can you reduce that to algebra? zg

AP(+) x vodoo(-)= vodoo(-)

but in the case of a vodoo vodooer we get vodoo(-) + vodoo(-) = 2vodoo(-)

you just add more vodoo onto of its self but if u start combining our AP and vodooness you see what we get. CASE CLOSED:laugh:

counting cards won't help you on a slot machine but who knows maybe if we take davidpoms "sugested" zen betting spread it well ? :laugh:

 

[zengrifter]

AP(+) x vodoo(-)= vodoo(-)

but in the case of a vodoo vodooer we get vodoo(-) + vodoo(-) = 2vodoo(-)

you just add more vodoo onto of its self but if u start combining our AP and vodooness you see what we get. CASE CLOSED:laugh:

counting cards won't help you on a slot machine but who knows maybe if we take davidpoms "sugested" zen betting spread it well ? :laugh:

Thats okay because this is...

BJINFO USA, Characters Welcome™​

​

 

[jack.jackson]

Thumbs up!

I gave'em the Thumbs-up, because I Honestly believe, his Intentions are Good, Tho, his advice is bad.:eyepatch:

 

[zengrifter]

I gave'em the Thumbs-up, because I Honestly believe, his Intentions are Good, Tho, his advice is bad.:eyepatch:

The vote was about the advice, zg

{{{BONG}}}

​

 

[BlackChipBlackJack]

when he first came here he said he won $10-$12k per year on average "Have you won $10k-$12K each year on average (part time) for the last 10 years?"

in this article he says his 10 year, yearly average was £15,000 - £20,000 and in brackets he put $30,000 - $60,000 (even though £20,000 is only $40,000)

quite a few inconsistencies i would say

 

[ChefJJ]

He also says that he NEVER splits 10s.

 

[jack.jackson]

The vote was about the advice, zg

{{{BONG}}}

​

o, Can I Rectify my Vote....:laugh:

 

[EasyRhino]

How about shill for the casino industry? How do I vote for that?

 

[rollem411]

I find it funny how he says "get back to the roulette table"...That is chasing your losses and will most likely end up dead, laying face down in a drained pool somewhere.

 

[Unshake]

Why isn't superhero a choice? Anyways, his website gives advice that isn't really voodoo or advantage play. I would say its more like an entire website dedicated to advertising for online european casinos.

 

[Kasi]

I say AP because he recognizes an advantage opportunity when he sees it and takes advantage of it.

All he really wants is increased traffic to his website.

 

[zengrifter]

I say AP because he recognizes an advantage opportunity when he sees it and takes advantage of it.

All he really wants is increased traffic to his website.

You're right - the poll was wrong in its actual precept.

As an AP (spammer) he got a lot more milage by far than any previous. zg

 

[Kasi]

You're right - the poll was wrong in its actual precept.

As an AP (spammer) he got a lot more milage by far than any previous. zg

Lol.

So would that make the rest of us ploppies lol.

It sure is lousy advice that's for sure lol.

 

[blackchipjim]

Do the math

You have to do the math and if the math don't justify it you don't do it. My view is that he may be an Ap but, he is out to make the real money by oppinion on other games not results. Did I ever tell you I was thinking of writing a book? blackchipjim

 

[zengrifter]

You have to do the math and if the math don't justify it you don't do it. My view is that he may be an Ap but, he is out to make the real money by oppinion on other games not results. Did I ever tell you I was thinking of writing a book? blackchipjim

No AP - He's a total charlatan - thats why he couldn't answer any questions.

But he is an AS - advantage-spammer. zg