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Modern Blackjack nth Edition

Onomatopoeia

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Ploppy, such an ugly sounding word. In my book, I do not use it once in 680 pages. I do use “pit critter.” Once, to explain why I don’t use the characterization. I generally avoid derogatory terms. But, this is more than a matter of civil discussion. The word “ploppy” is used to denote an incompetent player, just as the name “pit critter” denotes a pit boss in a derogatory manner. It may give someone some measure of satisfaction in putting down these people. But, what is the actual gain – or loss?

In Modern Blackjack, I state that I never use derogatory terms in describing casino employees, because it would mean that I would have to constantly switch how I talk when posting or writing versus actually talking to these people. With average players, the situation is somewhat different. Most “acts” involve the advantage player pretending that he is an average player. Unless you are a professional actor, this is more difficult if you have great disdain for these people. If you feel hatred or disdain for someone, pretending to be that person won’t work. It will look like a comedy act.

There is no reason to feel disdain for average players. Most of them are just on vacation. They know they will probably lose, budget for the loss, and have fun. All vacations cost money. If they enjoy themselves, more power to them. Actually, they generally enjoy themselves more than advantage players. Some are problem gamblers. This is a disease, and we should not mock people that are ill. Some are convinced they have a “winning system.” I don’t mind them as long as they don’t proselytize their religion.

When you classify people, particularly in a manner that denigrates them in some manner, there is a danger that you will separate yourself from them. Police often have the problem that they refer to non-police as “citizens,” themselves as “officers,” get caught up in their own use of military titles, end up separated from them, and then complain that there is a wall between them and the people they rule serve and protect.

If you are to spend your days in casinos pretending that you are part of the crowd, then constantly labeling the crowd in derogatory terms is a problem. Ask any character actor. The point is to immerse yourself in the character that you want to portray. And this character may change from venue to venue. The character you play will be different in a major Strip casino, a casino haunted by locals, a Southern casino, an island resort casino, a foreign casino, etc. The small pleasures you may gain by putting these people down may bite you in the rear.

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BJTF is an advantage player site based on the principles of comity. That is, civil and considerate behavior for the mutual benefit of all involved. The goal of advantage play is the legal extraction of funds from gaming establishments by gaining a mathematic advantage and developing the skills required to use that advantage. To maximize our success, it is important to understand that we are all on the same side. Personal conflicts simply get in the way of our goals.