What kind of records do you keep?

[sagefr0g]

If they really want to see what you're putting in your cellphone, they can. Suppose you hold it vertically. They can use a camera 20 feet away to overcome the angle, and zoom in.

Also, there are places you need to be careful outside, as well. For example, in LV, MGM can follow you from Bellagio to MB, including on their trams, as they own that part of the Strip from one end to the other.

got it, geesh i hate the thought of running to the potty everytime i want to record something, lol. but that or something similar seems a good idea, no doubt, at least find a corner where you know (far as practical) there are no eyes.

[Aslan]

If they really want to see what you're putting in your cellphone, they can. Suppose you hold it vertically. They can use a camera 20 feet away to overcome the angle, and zoom in.

Also, there are places you need to be careful outside, as well. For example, in LV, MGM can follow you from Bellagio to MB, including on their trams, as they own that part of the Strip from one end to the other.

Do they have smart tracking, that is, where they can lock on you and automatically shift from camera to camera as you travel?

[sagefr0g]

Do they have smart tracking, that is, where they can lock on you and automatically shift from camera to camera as you travel?

a guy who was on chat as a guest one evening at bjinfo.com claimed they even had some sort of roaming microphone capability that could follow and hear conversations as people walked around.

[Aslan]

a guy who was on chat as a guest one evening at bjinfo.com claimed they even had some sort of roaming microphone capability that could follow and hear conversations as people walked around.

Now that is really going over the top. But that's all right; a little birdie told me that some of the most secure surveillance rooms in Las Vegas are being bugged. You should hear what they say! Of course, none of this is being recorded. That would be illegal.

[RS]

Oh yeah, I don't record anything where the EITS is present, either bathroom or car. If you absolutely need to record something while on the floor and can't go to the bathroom, you could try to figure out a code-type thing. Sometimes I send a message when I enter a casino (or table) and send another when I leave (to an email of mine) for an easy way to keep track of start/end times. I'm sure you can think of other tricks so if they zoom in on your phone, they'll just read "Hey Martha, don't forget to feed the cats at 2:30 on Friday!" Oh, wadd'ya know, there are 4 keywords that tell you how much you won/lost, how many hours you played, heat level, and the casino you played (or w/e else you want to keep track of).

[moo321]

I said 'generally' and 'anyone'. If u intend to claim a loss as a tax deduction, the law requires a record. That is considered an exception. Generally, gamblers are not net winners, so the exception does not apply. The exception also does not apply if a net winner opts to claim no deductions. You twice misstated the law. You copied elements of a sub-rule, ignoring that they exist under the context of a broader black-letter rule-Deductions. Not knowing precisely what the law is makes it impossible to even remotely analyze it correctly.

All gambling sessions with a net win are required to be reported on form 1040, while losing sessions are reported on schedule A. If you're a professional, you report everything on schedule C. You are required to keep records for any income or deduction: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc305.html


"Records such as receipts, canceled checks, and other documents that support an item of income or a deduction, or a credit appearing on a return must be kept so long as they may become material in the administration of any internal revenue law, which generally will be until the period of limitation expires for that return. For assessment of tax you owe, this generally is 3 years from the date you filed the return. Returns filed before the due date are treated as filed on the due date"

[Jimmy Walker]

That's good advice (they can see your cell phone from different angles). I had a friend let me in on this at the beginning of my play, and I thought he was nuts. Since then I have the screen "brightness" turned way down (thanks for the help on that kids...), and only get it out if there is a wall I can turn my back to and hold it at 90 degrees to the floor. Otherwise, keep your notes in your head and record it in the bathroom. Here is what I keep:

Each shoe: Dealer and pit name, including physical description, cut depth, speed of dealing, number of hands at different counts (approx), wonged in/out, number of players at the table, starting and ending $, bet spred used, any information about the dealer/pit that could come in handy another time (family info, past job, hobbies, etc.), also any "opportunities".
Each visit: record all of the above in proprietary software, along with grouping "sessions" (group shoes), record all expenses including mileage, food, hotel, tips, etc.

Come tax time it should help, and also helps in developing what dealers/pits/casinos to travel to on what shift and what day.

[Stealth]

• How do you keep logs or records of play? ie: Notebook, software, excel, etc.
• What kind of info do you record? ie: Start/stop times, EV, win/loss amount in units or dollars, shift played, tips, casino, level of heat, perhaps spread/game played (if you play different BJ games), or game played in general (if you play VP, BJ, and craps for example?), expenses (food, travel, etc.), comps, units/dollars rat-holed, or anything else I'm forgetting or not thinking of.
• How do you break down "one entry" of your record? Do you have a record for every table you have sit down at, or for every day you've played, or every session, or every trip, or for every month?
• What do you do with the records you keep? Do you just look at them and smile or frown? Or do you graph and analyze your records, to see how your results compare to your EV?

I have an excel system that supports a log for all sessions (see attached jpg) and provides both a summary of results (Attached) and a profit and loss (aSession Log.JPGPerformance.JPGAccounting.JPGttached). It also provides other analysis (games and results by game type and casino).

Soon to be offered as a product.

[RS]

• So, during my last trip, I somehow managed to lose my records for playing...NOT ONCE...BUT TWICE!!! The first one wasn't too bad, since I only had a few sessions, and I remembered my wins/losses (since they were conveniently rounded numbers). The second was horrible since it was too much to remember with odd amounts of wins and losses.
• Guess it's time for me to make a mini-database / program to record my sessions, instead of using my sh*t f***ing phone!!!
• Ugh....irritating...

[RS]

Thanks for the info though, everyone. Sorry if I forgot to respond. But I'm looking forward to this kind of project that I'm about to adventure onto.

[zengrifter]

User is banned, content deleted.

[D.A.]

Stealth why is your graphs showing a negative EV? are you playing a losing game?

Maybe you're joking and I missed it, but I'm fairly confident those aren't his real stats. Unless his teammates are actually Chicken Dinner and Lov Tobust, I'd say he just threw some data in to show the capabilities of his program.

As a small plug, I'd add that NT21 and I are very impressed with the functionally of Stealth's work and would definitely be using it if we were still playing.

[NT21]

Agreed. Stealth's work here is quite good. It's a robust file with just about every variable imaginable, and a great way to track and analyze your play. I'm excited for it to become available.