Ending a session

**Gronbog** · 11-02-2015, 11:55 AM

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**LVBear584** · 11-02-2015, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

My formula for ending a session is based upon casino win tolerance and the number of lost max bets. I limit my downside to 10 max bets, keeping me from being destroyed by an unfavorable trend.

Please help me make sure I understand you correctly. Are you saying that in a highly positive shoe, where presumably you are playing two hands, you would quit the shoe if you lost both hands five times (that's ten max bets)? Even if the shoe was still highly positive?

**LVBear584** · 11-02-2015, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Orangechip2

LVBear584, One day me and my partner got nearly wiped out of our winnings playing with a dealer named 'Moses' (he said he's been dealing for 2 decades) at Palace Station in LV. They legit let us spread what ever we wanted, heat free on the very sweaty DD game. The Pit Boss came up to me and said something along the lines of if I gave him my ID so he could make me a players card he would get me a dinner and "make sure I start winning". After concluding the session we talked about the dealer and this comment from the PB. Although he let us cut the deck after he shuffled We concluded that there was something VERY weird going on.. I still don't know to this day and it wasn't that long ago. We left to lose less, instead of fighting for our money back or playing the shady game. By far the weirdest thing that has happened in my say 8,000hour playing career. I am totally cool with losing 4-6k any given sitting, but this was by far the weirdest session, and it lasted for just under an hour.

Now I am more confused than I was from the reactions to my comment re the original poster's "quitting strategy." I assume your Palace Station game was a count game, not another type of play. If not, please correct me. But if it was a count game, why were you and your partner playing at the same table?

**LVBear584** · 11-02-2015, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by moses

Well, LV Bear, it wasn't me. But

, I can show you the "tricky dickies" here. This can either be a good thing or a bad depending on how much or their perception of how much you should be tipping. Nonetheless, all I want or need is a fair game. But for those who suggest paranoia and staying out of casino's because it doesn't happen to them? This is bullsh because "it" happens.

The implication I get is that some dealers will cheat you if they think you are not tipping "enough." But many dealers today, even in Reno, can hardly deal the cards at a reasonable speed and correctly total up the hands. Most are not sufficiently motivated to try to get a better job than a casino worker. I doubt if they would take the time and trouble to learn how to cheat. Perhaps a good rule of thumb would be to avoid the older dealers who are the least bit suspect. This seems to me a better strategy than tipping.

Having played in the Reno area for many years while tipping almost zero (Exception: At the "go for your own" stores), I believe I have been cheated only once. I later learned that it was part of a theft operation involving several employees, including a shift manager, who were stealing from the casino. My being cheated had nothing to do with not tipping.

My long-term (over fifteen years) Reno results are about at EV, without tipping.

**LVBear584** · 11-02-2015, 01:32 PM

Moses wrote:

There was actually a book written on very subject of your second paragraph by a former casino employee. I'd be doggoned if I can remember his name. If it's important I will go back to the library and see if I can find it.

I would love to read that book. Thank you.

**Jabberwocky** · 11-03-2015, 12:02 AM

No, it's merely a benchmark figure. I wouldn't begin a new shoe once I've breeched my threshold. Where I encountered the concept is in a Poker Player magazine article written by Lance Humble a few decades ago; so it's not really my brainchild.

**Cougfan** · 11-03-2015, 07:41 AM

My only problem with employing this strategy is that I usually don't know exactly how much I have won or lost in a session until I have left the table and counted up all my chips (including the rat holed ones). So I wouldn't even know that I had lost 10 big bets.

Tactically, I am better off if I am losing as being down to just a few chips gives me a wider array of options. If the count is negative and I lose my last chip, its a great time to leave. If the count gets juicy it looks natural to throw out 2X my original buy-in and start steam betting huge stacks of chips, then gain some composure when the dealer takes a break to shuffle and probably just leave. There is always a silver lining.

**Orangechip2** · 11-03-2015, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by LVBear584

Now I am more confused than I was from the reactions to my comment re the original poster's "quitting strategy." I assume your Palace Station game was a count game, not another type of play. If not, please correct me. But if it was a count game, why were you and your partner playing at the same table?

Our style of attack is one that would identify us very easy if discussed in detail on an open forum - I must note that I am yet to see another poster touch the subjec or anything relatively close, being most would consider it a very ambiguous approach to the BJ game. There are a select few here who are very familiar with our approach to BJ (both shoes and pitch games). I have no problem explaining in detail via pm or email, however, I do not feel comfortable discussing that information publicly . Our approach involves max EV and very low variance. Hope this gave you a somewhat better understanding.

OC2