I ordered the book last week and should be in tomorrow. I am looking forward to reading it even though I am not really a book person.
When we attended Semyon's seminar we were at the beginning of the learning process. We were essentially blank slates. The seminar piqued our interest and we were lucky to meet each other and delve deeper into the game together. Later when we met Mike, our skills had progressed and he was able to help us with specific problems/questions. This was a private training between us and Mike and he tailored it to our specific needs at the time. We were then fortunate to have Mike take on a mentor role and we learned a great deal from him before going our own ways.Originally Posted by PhillyNewbie
I don't think that Mike or Semyon would argue that their group seminars are targeted toward more advanced APs. They cover basic knowledge that can be found in various texts, but also offer the opportunity to meet the guys. Private trainings would be much more beneficial to those further along in their studies. I'll leave it to NT to discuss how he runs things now.
It seems a lot of people think i am crazy trying to win from casino. Most stay away when i talk about making $$$ from casino.I feel i am no different from most people but i guess i am kind of competitive .It is probably this reason i like to try to win from the casino. The 2 man team was good . I really wanted to do something like that(or 3-4 man team ) ,that's the reason i bought the book without any hesitation . I still don't understand why people still think i am dreaming when a proven method of winning has been around for such a long time.If one is well prepared and teamed up ,it is better than opening some small coffee shop IMO.
Agree with everyone here, the book was amazing. I am not a book person, but I couldn't put it down. I liked how it went in depth on the actual lifestyle of being a professional gambler, instead of just the numbers and charts.
I would also love to see a movie, especially if it was more like rounders than 21 like NT said. I'm not sure hollywood would want another blackjack movie just a few years after 21 but I'd sure as hell see it. IDK what you guys look like other than what the book said. But I was thinkin Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Dicaprio, Johnny Depp, or even mark wahlberg for Nathaniel. I can't think of any tall actors other than Travolta, Vince Vaughn, or Jeff Daniels for D.A. And then directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Fincher, or Scorsese would be badass.
But back on topic, NT, I honestly did love the book and want to say thanks for writing it and not charging an arm and a leg.
D.A. you should write about your point of view!
The book is pure Class.
I ordered another one because i'm reading this one again but hi-lighting parts of it
I have to say one of my favorite parts is chapter 45 as i'm reading it and NT is waiting for D.A. I knew it had to be D.A doing something like that.
It's one of the few books i have ever read that you can see it in your mind as if watching a movie.
Like your right there living it with them.
Beware the fury of a patient man.
The seminar that Semyon offered back then was primarily geared to advanced strategies (ST, sequencing). It was right after Busting Vegas came out. Most who attended were less interested in learning the skills themselves. Instead, they wanted to meet Semyon and see him demonstrate how it all worked. Ultimately, Semyon stopped doing the seminars because he was focused on his post-blackjack life. After we became friends, he asked me to co-manage blackjackscience.com with him, and take over the seminar program (in whatever form I wanted that to look like). My area of expertise wasn't ST and sequencing, it was small team play. So now I offer one-on-one skills training for the more intermediate player (novices just need to start with the basics, and experts don't need my help), as well as small team consultation (2-5 players).
Mike, to my knowledge, doesn't offer advanced strategy training either. But the training he does provide is excellent for developing card counters. He's truly superior at all facets of core card counting, and he's a great teacher. For us, as DA already pointed out, we reached a point with our skills where we needed to take things to the next level, which included identifying areas that needed fine-tuning and, what turned out to be our hallmark, how to play together as a two-man team. Ultimately, we took that to greater levels, but it was our training and mentoring from Mike that put us on the right track.
Regarding some of the questions about the book, you have to understand that we played many, many hours in many, many casinos. It was difficult to capture every specific event, name, and dollar amount along the way, so some of the stories were melded together, and dollar amounts are best estimates. But the heart of the storyline and chronology is absolutely accurate. I'm sure many of you have plenty of stories of your own. What I thought was special was the unique approach to perfecting a two-man strategy, our dedication to the craft, and the learning experiences along the way. Different people take different things from the book. Whether it's the dedication and discipline, the excitement, the ups and downs, or even the personal journey I was on, hopefully there's a nugget or two that readers will get from it. As one who absorbed a lot of blackjack reading material, the idea is to just add a little more to your arsenal each time. There are so many great resources out there, obviously.
Also, it's important to point out that we made a lot of mistakes along the way. When Snyder first edited the book, he questioned whether I should include the times that I split tens (and some other things), but the point wasn't that I was advocating one way or another. I was simply telling the story as it happened, and how we grew from those experiences. We learned a lot about what to do and how to play, but we learned just as much about how not to execute things. Hopefully, some of you all can learn from the mistakes we made, too.
As far as a movie is concerned, I think it'd be a lot of fun to see that up on the big screen. But to be clear, neither DA or I have ever been mistaken for Brad Pitt or The Rock.
And to Ouchez's point, the title of the book was meant to convey that it takes a certain breed to live this life. It's a life that most of us don't often share with the "regular" people in our lives. And even if we do, they can't fully understand what it's really all about. For years, I kept that part of me hidden, with the exception of a chosen few. So it was like I was finally revealing to friends, co-workers, and family that I had been leading two lives... my regular life, with a 9-to-5, friends, and family... and my blackjack life.
I really appreciate the comments on the book, so thank you. I hope you all find it helpful. I'm not much into self-promotion, so I'm not likely going to recommend my own book when people on the forum ask for book reco's. And I often feel uncomfortable with compliments about the book. But I felt like it was worth responding to this thread, since many people were posting, and many have asked me questions through email and PM. If anyone ever has any questions about the book or me, feel free to PM me. Happy to respond.
Last edited by NT21; 05-20-2013 at 11:22 AM.
"There is no passion to be found playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."
Incredible read, I came across the book on Amazon. I especially like how disciplined NT and DA were with their rigorous attention to the "business plan". I would think this was more the exception than the rule with most bj teams. I recall watching video documentary about "christian card counters" a few month ago. Ultimately they didn't succeed but I would think if they had the same discipline as NT/DA, they would have done better.
It's a great myth busting book for novices who only know BJ from the movie 21. The concept of volatility, bet-sizing, definitive game plan, discipline, etc show there is so much more to being a consistent winning BJ player than just knowing how to keep count of the cards. Most people aren't even capable of counting cards. I read somewhere that initially back in the day when Thorp came out with his book, casinos were alarmed but it quickly subsided since most people sucked at it.
I really enjoyed the book as well... couldn't put it down and finished it in a day. Thanks for writing it! I have a question for the forum regarding betting strategy. I'm just starting out by myself with a similar bankroll ($16K). In the book, it describes a linear bet size increasing with the count but in most of what I've read so far, authors suggest an exponential increase with the TC. What is the accepted wisdom on bet sizing?
Thanks
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