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Thread: Gambling books

  1. #14
    Senior Member UK-21's Avatar
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    I posted something in the WoV forum re John Patrick a short while back. Does anyone know the details of his passing; date, location (I know he lived in Florida) etc? I did try searching various online resources, such as the register of deaths for the county in Florida, but drew blanks.
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    Visit UK-21's Degenerate Gamblers Pages - www.uk-21.org

  2. #15
    Senior Member MJGolf's Avatar
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    No offense but don't think that is correct John Patrick. The gambling author lived on east coast. Definitely NOT born in Norman, OK. He was in AC the most for his gambling career.
    "Women and cats will do as they please, and Men and dogs should just relax and get used to the idea" --- Robert A. Heinlein

  3. #16


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    Quote Originally Posted by ZeeBabar View Post
    Don’t you think the readers of books by those authors Leads to more flawed card counters which in turn leads to less fear by casinos of card counters in general?
    ZeeBabar, I am going to have to disagree with Don here, certainly not with regard to any matter of probabilities, data, or analytics but I think that the wrong books DO lead to flawed card counters who are a boon to the casinos because until recently I was just that. I started reading blackjack books, or trying to, nearly three decades ago. I read enough of Revere’s book to memorize the basic strategy charts he offered, decided that his advanced counts were too advanced for me and that I’d make do with Hi-Lo. Nevertheless, I bought Don’s book - the first edition - and Peter Griffin’s — and didn’t make it all the way through either one. I understood only that I’d bitten off more than I could chew when it came to the amount of time available to learn and the amount of bankroll available to lose if necessary.

    A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I embraced just enough of the concepts presented to be a danger to myself. I lapped up Frank Scoblete and Henry Tamburin precisely because they avoided the kind of in-depth analysis needed and made it all seem like a sexy lark. Over the next 20 + years, I ventured three or four times a year with my husband to the casinos and tried to win playing with basic strategy, Hi-Lo count, and Don’s I-18, paying no attention to the rules, the penetration depth, or any back-counting strategies. I sat and played all counts, even severely negative, telling myself “Well, by the time I can get up and leave this table, the count might be positive again” (based on nothing; I had no idea how many cards were being dealt per hand or how many hands per deck!) I paid no attention to EV or RoR or playing efficiency or betting efficiency or SCORE or anything else I didn’t understand or have time to study. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost, and most often if I lost, my husband won (he played in the poker room), or if I won, he lost, so it was a wash. We handed over our players’ cards religiously whenever we played, and considered it a win if we came out ahead counting the value of the free hotel room and free food. When we lost even counting that, we said to each other that it was money spent on entertainment; if we’d rather play cards than go to shows or museums, or the beach or the mountains as friends and family might prefer, well that’s how we wanted to spend our ‘fun’ money, and that was up to us. I have no doubt that I personally enriched the casinos considerably over the years because of the little bit of knowledge I had and the lack of understanding of the factors that are most important. Often, I took the money I won at BJ and gave it right back at three-card poker.

    Now I have the bankroll to last (I did correctly surmise back then that I lacked a sufficient bankroll, and stupidly concluded from this that I shouldn’t bother to try and become a better player!), plus plenty of time to immerse myself in the books that formerly flummoxed me. Most important, I have a completely different attitude; I am determined to understand the concepts that have eluded me; I pick my games carefully; and I walk out without playing a hand if the game I'm looking for isn’t available.

    Bottom line, I wouldn’t go near a casino if it wasn’t for blackjack and having learned BS, Hi-Lo, and I-18, so it is just the casinos’ good fortune that I learned that much decades ago and foolishly thought it was enough, playing for years without carefully choosing my games, properly sizing my bets, or understanding the first thing about ‘cover’ among other things. (I was recently backed off after I got so enthused about the game I was playing, the phenomenally high count I had, and the unprecedented success I’d had in my prior two trips that I began to recklessly play a 1-40 spread, thinking they wouldn’t pay attention if my basic bet was low and I hadn’t won a lot already! I know, I know…I have MUCH to learn, to remember, and to put into practice…I REALLY felt stupid when I later stopped to think about what I had done…)
    Last edited by Countess J; 12-04-2020 at 08:45 AM.

  4. #17


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    With all due respect, there were really two parts to Zee's original question, and when I gave a rather terse categorical "no" for an answer, perhaps I should have qualified it a little bit. There really should be two answers: the answer to the first part is, clearly, yes. If you followed Patrick's or Thomason's advice, you obviously lost money so doing and enriched the casinos' coffers. But, since you weren't wearing a hat at the time that said, "I'm a flawed counter," that certainly didn't diminish one iota the casinos' disdain for, or fear of, legitimate, profitable counters.

    So, at least for me, the ultimate answer to the question, despite the "yes" to the first part, is surely still a very resounding "no" to the second, main, part. But, I enjoyed your post!

    Don

  5. #18


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    Quote Originally Posted by DSchles View Post
    With all due respect, there were really two parts to Zee's original question, and when I gave a rather terse categorical "no" for an answer, perhaps I should have qualified it a little bit. There really should be two answers: the answer to the first part is, clearly, yes. If you followed Patrick's or Thomason's advice, you obviously lost money so doing and enriched the casinos' coffers. But, since you weren't wearing a hat at the time that said, "I'm a flawed counter," that certainly didn't diminish one iota the casinos' disdain for, or fear of, legitimate, profitable counters.

    So, at least for me, the ultimate answer to the question, despite the "yes" to the first part, is surely still a very resounding "no" to the second, main, part. But, I enjoyed your post!

    Don
    You’re right. Just because unprepared wannabes who operate under the misconception it’s as easy as the authors of those tomes fit for toilet paper make it sound are bringing the casinos lots of easy profits, it doesn't follow that the casinos fear accomplished APs less. They can welcome and celebrate the existence of the former while being terrified of the latter.

  6. #19


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    Countess J - In the future (and you can even go back and edit post #17), please put line spaces between paragraphs in lngthy posts. it would make it much more easily readable. Thanks.

  7. #20


    1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. Did you find this post helpful? Yes | No
    Quote Originally Posted by 21forme View Post
    Countess J - In the future (and you can even go back and edit post #17), please put line spaces between paragraphs in lngthy posts. it would make it much more easily readable. Thanks.
    Done! Thx

  8. #21


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    whats your bankroll back then and what is it now? i learned every time i try blackjack the managers back me off doesnt work for me =/ and im a red chipper like richard munckin says

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