neptune: burning to know ......

[neptune]

i just finished reading ian andersen's "burning the tables in las vegas" and found it a most interesting read.

for those that haven't read it, he espouses a strategy of making 10 obvious ploppyesque departures from basic strategy ; however, 7 of these are correct plays at high positive counts when he has his big plays out.

the thought being, his ploppyesque play at low positive, zero or negative counts will surely make the pc's believe he is a real chump and will allow him to 'rough it up' by parleying and chipping up (not coincidentally) at positive counts.

while most authorities recommend stopping increasing one's wager when they reach 2 hands of 6 units, ian says to keep chipping up to 2 hands of 9 units. he claims (and wong's sims substantiate) any net bet over 12 units (13 or more), more than makes up for the loss of expectation due to the 10 cover plays.

finally my questions :

1.... have any serious palyers on this board used this strategy with longevity in vegas ???

2.... i find it hard to imagine no matter how much cover one uses that one wouldn't get backed off spreading 18 - 1 in a pitch game. is the cover that bullet proof ???

[methodman]

> and heavy not dd or sd,if so not to much at all. And as as most players with skill always plays two hands.

[Dancer]

> 2.... i find it hard to imagine no matter
> how much cover one uses that one wouldn't
> get backed off spreading 18 - 1 in a pitch
> game. is the cover that bullet proof ???

According to the book, Ian never used this strategy in pitch games -- only with shoes. He said he'd be trying it by the time the book went to press -- presumably with a smaller, although probably still aggressive, spread.

You're going to have to have a good act (which Ian appears to be a master at) in addition to making seemingly ploppy-type plays if you want to get away with that large a spread playing for big bucks over the long haul. 20 - 1 and higher is certainly doable, but don't forget, you need a big bankroll -- and an iron will. As stated in the book the standard deviation for this style of play is way up there.

Have fun...

[Parker]

I feel that Burning the Tables in Las Vegas is an outstanding book, and belongs in the library of anyone serious about the game. My copy is dog-eared from repeated re-readings.

However, I think it would be a mistake to try to use the Ultimate Gambit, exactly as the author describes it, to play in today's casinos.

For one thing, pit critters can read (most of them, anyway), and it is a safe bet that many of them have read Burning . . .

In addition, Ian obviously has a rather flamboyant personality, as well as more than a little acting ability. What worked for him may not work for someone else.

Andersen's book is most useful simply as an example of the sorts of things that can be done. Use it as a starting point to come up with your own ideas, both for cover plays and the other aspects of an "act."

Fortunately, there is excellent software available, such as CVData by Qfit, that allows for the simulation of just about any sort of playing strategy. This makes it easy to find out exactly what any cover play costs in terms of EV.