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Thread: Rated Play: Shift Change Tip

  1. #1


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    Rated Play: Shift Change Tip

    This is probably not new to many of you but...

    I have nailed the shift change time down at my local casino and have used it to my advantage a bit already. I also used it in conjunction with when a dealer goes on break.
    What I did was ask the pit just after shift change to put me down for another $200. They gladly put it in making it look like I have bought 800.00 worth of chips thus far instead of $600.00. At the next shuffle of when I ask them to hold my spot and take my chips with me as I hit the restroom. When I come back... I pull out my chips minus $100 or so and start playing. Now I am looking three hundred to the negative If they check my chips. When it comes time to leave and I color up I can use this to make a winning session look like break even of negative session.

    My session wins are sitting at about $300.00 to $350 (Not large amount but I am happy since I have only been playing at real tables for 3 weeks) and in the three different sessions I am now up $1000. One of the pit bosses knows me as a business owner and made it a point to check it with me by name. I don't consider this any type of heat but just in case I hit a 14 vs 6 after some "thought" while sitting in third base makeing some higher bet players at the table quite frustrated that I took the dealer bust card. The dealer busted anyway.. lol.. and I came out looking like the chump that lost. The pit boss then asked how I was doing.. I told him I was down 3 or 4 hundred Which was the $200.00 they had me down for and the $100 in my pocket. He tells me.. "You'll win it back." I shrug and say maybe. Later I color up my $850... Dealer calls black going out or something like that. The boss comes over to verify and approves the dealer. I tell the boss he was right and that I better stop since "I am up 50 and I owe my wife dinner at the buffet and that the $50 will cover that... unless he wants to comp me dinner so I can give an extra $50 to my wife for slots. No comp... yet but he knows what I want.

  2. #2


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    If you're playing low stakes, I would not be using playing cover. You'll have enough trouble in this business just winning money with the small advantage card counting gives you.

  3. #3


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    Quote Originally Posted by moo321 View Post
    If you're playing low stakes, I would not be using playing cover. You'll have enough trouble in this business just winning money with the small advantage card counting gives you.
    This is good advice but I have the unfortuante problem of only being able to play in a single location for quite some time and would really like to play there forever. Thus I need to ensure... at this point... that I build as strong a relationship as possible with the casino and be on "good" terms with them. I am playing both for the money as well as the social and entertainment aspect so my valuation will be different than those that run the raw numbers and extract ever last dime out of their play as much as possible. Since this is my practice turf so to speak I am also willing to give up profits for logevity. I am also not going to be a "pro" player anytime soon but I do want the option to go in and play whenever I desire. A cover play when I know it will get noticed is well worth the investment and costs less then the side bets I gamble on here and there. Right now I really dont have any fears that I am leaving with too much of their money but reputations are hard to overcome so why not create the reputation I want them to have of me.

  4. #4


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    Nothing wrong with cover if you just want some break even entertainment.

  5. #5
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    Mushin,

    If you want some customized advice, contact me.

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    Just a quick question... When you say low stakes.. are you referring to $5.00 tables, $25 Tables, $50, $100.. or are you talking max bet etc?

    I have been playing $25's 90% of the time.

  7. #7
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    I don't want to speak for Mr Moo, who's 'low stakes' term you are referring to, but in discussions on various sites, I always consider low stakes as red chip play. $5, $10, $15 tables. $25 tables are the lower end of mid-level play, IMO ($25, $50 and $100 tables). I felt this way because $25 tables are the point that you could start to find better conditions. Better Rules (not so much anymore unfortunately) and less crowded tables. I know this also is not true as much at some of the more crowded locations, like back east, but here in Vegas, you can still find relatively uncrowded $25, $50 tables most times, especially if you avoid weekends.

  8. #8
    Senior Member bigplayer's Avatar
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    Keep in mind that leaving 20 minutes before a shift change and coming back right after a shift change does not mean that the casino isn't aware of you. The same surveillance crew is still in place for at least 3 or 4 more hours. Ideally if you play one shift you should leave at least an 8 hour gap before playing the next shift to assure you have both a different pit crew and a different surveillance crew in place.

  9. #9


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    It sounds like you're in a smallish market where cover plays won't do you much good. It also sounds like the same stupid pit back and forth that happens at every casino until they decide they don't like you.

    Initially, They assume you're a loser so they treat you great. That is only until they realize you're a winner and tell you to not let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

    Also, surveilance does not always share the same schedule as the floor.

    IMO the point of playing different shifts is a little over stated. For instance, I know shifts at certain casinos that I only play because they are more tolerant. I have been backed off at least 1 or 2 times at casinos I was a regular by a completely different pit than the one I was used to. I feel if I stuck with the more tolerant shift this wouldnt have happened.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Anton Chigurh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bigplayer View Post
    Ideally if you play one shift you should leave at least an 8 hour gap before playing the next shift to assure you have both a different pit crew and a different surveillance crew in place.
    Bears repeating: surveillance and floor shifts do not usually coincide.

    Somebody made a point on another board that it's best to wait 8 hours before re-entering a casino if you want to ensure different personnel all around. There are still the odd 12-hour shift workers; no idea if casinos are stupid enough to staff surveillance with such employees, but they're probably going to be going bonkers by the 9th hour of a shift, and will be looking at a spread of cocktail waitress instead of your bet spread.

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