Bettie: A Wonderful Blackjack Ball

[Bettie]

Max Rubin's annual BJ Ball was last night and, after a couple of years away, V and I attended last night and had a wonderful time. All the usual faces were there, from heavy hitters like Tommy Hyland, Marty Taft, and Andy Bloch, to those just starting to make a name for themselves at the tables like Angie Moneytaker, and many of the producers of the World Series of Blackjack and the upcoming Ultimate Blackjack Tour.

I had wanted to post all of the questions from the competition, but they were oral and I couldn't catch them all. There was an I18 question (which of the following indices is NOT one of the I18), some math and history, and one rather obscure question on who made a particular quote in the book "The Green Felt Jungle," which V and I were correctly able to attribute to Dr. Thorp.

One of the Grinders advanced to the competition table (Joanna actually had the highest score in the room on the test part), along with Attorneys Bob Loeb and Bob Nersesian, and another man (I should have being paying attention, but was happily enjoying the champagne all night). Along with betting and playing, they were tested on signal throwing, card flipping, desk estimation, and a golf competition with a mini Arnold Palmer on a stick (don't ask!). The winner was the guy I didn't know ? a previous winner, I believe, and someone I met at 12:30 AM with very bleary eyes (mine, as the party started at 5, and I was ready to go home by that point), and so I apologize for not recalling the name of this very nice gentleman.

Of course, there was a new inductee to the Blakjack Hall of Fame, with nominees including Allan Wilson, Bill Erb, Ian Andersen, the 4 Horsemen, James Grosjean, and 2 others I don't recall, a woman named Eleanor and another man. I didn't think to start writing things down until too late, I guess. Wilson received 14 votes, Erb 17, Andersen (who I thought would win) 30, the 4 Horsemen 33, and Grosjean became the newest inductee with 38 of the votes.

Overall, the night was a chance to hang out with friends, meet new people, and enjoy some good food and booze. It was fun, as always, and I thank Max and his wife for the party, as well as the afterparty at their house. When we left, they still had a pretty full house, but we have a little company to run and called it quits about 1AM.

Looking forward to next year, of course!
Bettie

[Don Schlesinger]

"I didn't think to start writing things down until too late, I guess. Wilson received 14 votes, Erb 17, Andersen (who I thought would win) 30, the 4 Horsemen 33, and Grosjean became the newest inductee with 38 of the votes."

A pre-ordained result that I wrote about, on Wong's site, two or three weeks ago. I mean, you don't think the group would elect any of the true legends of the game, like The Four Horsemen, Wilson, or Andersen, do you? The election (and nomination) process continues to be an absolute joke.

Don

[Praying Mantis]

> A pre-ordained result that I wrote about, on Wong's
> site, two or three weeks ago. I mean, you don't think
> the group would elect any of the true legends of the
> game, like The Four Horsemen, Wilson, or Andersen, do
> you? The election (and nomination) process continues
> to be an absolute joke.

> Don

If it were up to you, how would you put together the Hall of Fame. By that I mean, what criteria would you use and how and who would be voting in the members?

Appreciate and looking forward to your input.

Regards,
PM

[Don Schlesinger]

> If it were up to you, how would you put together the
> Hall of Fame. By that I mean, what criteria would you
> use and how and who would be voting in the members?

> Appreciate and looking forward to your input.

I have thought about this since the Hall's inception. I'm not going to answer you here and now, because, before the year is out, I hope to have put together something that will be light years better than the current incarnation.

One other thing. When I expressed to Max Rubin my concerns about how the current Hall operated (two years ago??), he wrote a gracious e-mail in which he indicated that he valued my input and would like to get together with me sometime to discuss ways to improve things and to invite me to serve on the board (steering committee?). Now, I know Max is a very busy person, but ... I'm still waiting. :-)

Bottom line: The current Hall's nominating and voting procedures are simply unacceptable, and terribly biased, in my view. And, already, there are members inducted, while others aren't, that make zero sense.

Don

[Praying Mantis]

> Bottom line: The current Hall's nominating and voting
> procedures are simply unacceptable, and terribly
> biased, in my view. And, already, there are members
> inducted, while others aren't, that make zero sense.

I don't have a part to play in this process and that's what bothers me.

Though, most of those inducted from Rubin's Hall are legitimate and deserving, there are others that, I fell are left out of the process, just as you do.

It seems the Hall, as it is today, is a clique and if you're not part of that group, you have no say-so in it...And, Don, you're definitely NOT part of that group NOR am I and the other players.

The current process is WRONG. I don't have the answers, but it seems there should be some STANDARD criteria setup to even put a nominee on the ballot, and only people other than the inductees should be doing the voting, meaning other APs. Since when did Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle have input in getting on the ballot or their own induction? It's lucicrous! I believe the PLAYERS from the 4 most trusted BJ sites should be the ones casting their ballots.

This would not be a simple procedure because there needs to be a procedure in place to where it can be verified that they only vote once. The reason this is difficult is because we are anonymous and often use multiple handles. How can this be done, I have no idea.

But something like that should be worked out. Those nominated for the ballot and then voted in should come from THIS group (players). Nominees should have no voting rights, either.

Inpartiality and fairness should be the cornerstone to make it a TRUE Hall of Fame, one all of us could be proud of. We don't have that now.

Personally, I feel you would make the ballot if the players, like I said, was doing the voting. Now, we may NOT vote you in, but then, it would be a fair process, much like the baseball Hall and the Hall will have some credibility, something it is greatly lacking now.

My 2-cents, would welcome input from others.

Regards,

PM

[Don Schlesinger]

I agree with just about everything you've written, and, again, I choose not to discuss or reveal too much more at this time.

Suffice it to say that a) Since all that you say is true, something needs to be done, and, therefore, b) It will be! :-)

Don

[Norm Wattenberger]

I think once a year we should spend a few days making fun of this nonsense and ignore it the rest of the year. Or as Marx said "I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would
have me as a member."

[Praying Mantis]

> I think once a year we should spend a few days making
> fun of this nonsense and ignore it the rest of the
> year.

I do feel a "legitimate" Hall should be created to honor those that have done so much for the rest of us.

Who monitors and sets up the criteria, I've got no idea. Don says he has the idea, let's wait and see.

Regards,
PM