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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."
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