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Question by snapper: Blackjack used to be the way to bigger comps and better casino mail. Apparently, that's changed over time....

This article addresses only non-cash comps; the value is usually easy to determine in the case of free-money coupons, match...

I was playing blackjack with a mild bet spread, 1-4 in black, with little cover and taking restroom breaks at a true count of...

Depending on your style of play, some of these methods may not be appropriate. But for low to mid-stakes players, most should...

McBain: If you have for example $50k in investment income, and $30k in declared gambling income, and no other income, can you...

Over a decadeago, I wrote: 'The Nevada Gaming Control Board (and Nevada Gaming Commission) is little more than a training...

When you tally up your gambling winnings tax forms W-2G each year - do you see that the IRS is taking away too much from your...

SYLLABUS (This syllabus is not part of the opinion of the Court. It has been prepared by the Office of the Clerk for the...

As the saying goes, 'cash is king'; in general, it's better to hold cash than to hold notes from debtors, property deeds, or...

Preferential shuffling is not illegal per se and cannot be made illegal per se. It is, however, likely that it is illegal in...

Let’s say a busy red chipper to low green-chip player needs a bankroll of $50k for his risk of ruin to remain acceptable. Time...

I have been pulled over by the police many times in my life and blackjack career, and seem to have mastered the art of not even...

Casinos in Louisiana frequently hire uniformed off-duty local police officers to provide security, especially for special...

Recently, a question arose as to what crime, if any, is being committed by a casino employee when they unlawfully detain an...

Are Casinos, Griffin Investigations, SIN, Biometrica Violating the Law? After many months researching the provisions of the...

My own policy has been to pay in enough money to the Internal Revenue Service during the year to avoid any tax penalties, and...

Here’s a general, hypothetical question: Suppose a low-stakes player was to bring only about $3000 on a trip, planning to just...

Professional advantage player and poker player Phil Ivey and the parent company of Atlantic City’s Borgata Hotel Casino settled...

A scaled-back effort at civil asset forfeiture reform in Nevada, a perennial but unsuccessful legislative objective, again met...

If you can make it to the door, then do so. Get out of there as quickly as possible, without running. Urgent flight may be...

Opinion, by LV Bear Much has been written over the years about civil asset forfeiture, a constant danger to legal casino...

Here is a question and answer from TSA's website: Q. Will I be delayed during screening if I am carrying large amounts of...

Here is the appropriate text from Section 61 of the Internal Revenue Code: ”… gross income means all income from whatever...

Las Vegas Casinos Must Protect Patrons from Attacks in Restrooms Las Vegas is one of the most frequently visited cities in the...

Those traveling and gambling on cruise ships leaving from the United States with itineraries that allow disembarkation in...

Do trespasses automatically expire after a specific period of time and have to be reissued to remain effective? Scrooge McDuck:...

Las Vegas defense attorney William “Bill” Terry, who handled some of the city’s most renowned cases during a career that lasted...

Question: If pulled over by police while carrying my traveling bankroll (“BR”) and asked, “Do you have a large amount of cash?"...

I recently got back from another wild Las Vegas trip. I went with a friend and fellow advantage player who we will call Frank...

Attacking the Green Felt Tables After hours of ugly stiffs, Somehow my senses remain keen. Though with another modest bet, I...

I strolled into one of my favorite haunts, hungering for the sweet taste of some blackjack action. Depressingly, though, every...

South Point security guard fires shot during confrontation Opinion By LV Bear, originally posted on www.TheBearGrowls.com...

Jack Vegas: What to do when other casino patrons don't stop talking? Most people have a filter. When they attempt a...

Eldorado Resorts, as part of its merger with Caesars Entertainment, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement...

The Nevada Gaming Commission will consider the state Gaming Control Board’s new health and safety policy statements detailing...

The coronavirus outbreak has delayed the multi-billion deal between casino companies Caesars Entertainment and Eldorado...

A roundup of recent news featuring Las Vegas casinos: MGM Resorts selling Mirage operations to Seminole Indian tribe The Mirage...

Wendover (West Wendover, NV) has long been widely recognized as being one of the best blackjack venues in the United States for...

Casino operators in the Las Vegas area are not being forthcoming about the cases of COVID-19 raging through their properties...

“LV Bear” is a long-time advantage player who has played throughout the United States. He is a regular critic of the casino...

Casino games tournaments are fun, and they can be profitable too. In upcoming articles, we will be publishing a series of...

Paranoid or just cautious? When playing blackjack I carry a "give-up" wallet; the real one stays in the room safe. This is for...

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has issued a new health and safety directive that will allow 80 percent occupancy in most Las...

Olow_Hoop asked about the Card Counter Commandments. From the gist of the rest of his post, I suspect he wants to know about...

Over the years, I've been a frequent visitor to Las Vegas, Reno, and elsewhere. I have managed to avoid illness during or after...

How do the people who are full-time advantage players manage their health in general? I would think all the travel would be...

I'm a fairly new Las Vegas resident and plan to start counting cards here soon. I'm planning on playing part-time, maybe 15-20...

We last visited this topic in September 2020, while the COVID-19 pandemic was still in its original stages. Since then,...

Wendover (actually West Wendover, NV, but known by players as simply “Wendover”) has long been widely recognized as being among...

LV Bear: I have never used Airbnb in my blackjack travels or any other time, seeing no reason to subject myself to the...

If it wasn’t for the worldwide pandemic, hundreds of thousands of visitors would again have been in Las Vegas for one of the...

Caesars Entertainment Inc. is selling its southern Indiana property to a tribal operation in a deal that should help the...

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo admitted that the recent rash of violence on the Las Vegas Strip is a significant problem...

Casino games tournaments are fun, and they can be profitable too. In upcoming articles, we will be publishing a series of...

Friendo: I think the average IQ of the casino customer base is substantially less than 100. Some of my recent observations: I....

Nevada casino floors are set to return to a 50 percent occupancy limit by mid-March, a move that many industry observers say...

Girolamo Cardano, the 16th-century Italian mathematician, gained great fame from his mathematical and scientific publications....

MGM Resorts announced that when Park MGM reopens at the end of the month, the hotels will comprise the first fully smoke- and...

It’s difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle as an advantage player (“AP”), especially frequently-traveling AP's. Flying,...

Most Las Vegas locals and visitors, advantage players and good casino customers alike, agree that reconfiguring the Interstate...

I arrived at a distant overseas blackjack location two days ago, and am fighting jet lag because of a nine-hour time...

Most card counters at blackjack and other types of advantage players have experienced different types of casino harassment...

Eldorado Resorts will furlough a large majority of its nationwide workforce after paying wages and benefits to employees during...

Though many, if not most, blackjack players, whether they be card counters or other types of advantage players, dislike casinos...

Casino games tournaments are fun, and they can be profitable too. In upcoming articles, we will continue to publish a series of...

Is “car camping” legal? If I get tired while on a driving casino trip and have to pull out somewhere, will I wake up with a...

Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 77, which removes the $100 state limit on wagers at casinos and allows the...

Nevada’s gaming industry could reopen in early June after more than two months of closures because of the coronavirus pandemic,...

A typical New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas would be a textbook case on what not to do during a pandemic. As previously discussed on...

The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted much of everyday life and sent the United States economy hurtling toward a...

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, owners of the still-shuttered Palms in Las Vegas, is changing the name of its San...

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he hopes that Atlantic City casinos can be reopened around July 4, but emphasized that strict...

Nevada gaming officials have accused the Sahara in Las Vegas of violating state-mandated coronavirus social distancing...

Many casino critics and patron advocates are recommending that there should be another mandated closure of casinos throughout...

Ploppy. A term coined by gambling author Frank Scoblete to describe a typical uninformed gambler. A ploppy often is ignorant,...

“Immediate relief” has been promised for the long-dreaded congested drive on Interstate 15 from Las Vegas to Southern...

MGM Resorts International announced a major downgrade of its players card program, M Life Rewards. M Life has generally been...

The Nevada Gaming Commission may be asked to discipline casinos and other gaming licensees in Nevada that fail to require...

Resorts World Las Vegas recently opened in Las Vegas with a spectacular grand opening. For skilled blackjack players, the...

To anyone thinking of hopping a plane and checking out blackjack in the great white Canadian northlands of Alberta, the good...

The process of eliminating the former Trump Plaza casino from the Atlantic City skyline will end with the loud “boom” of an...

Originally written for bj21.com Green Chip by LV Bear, edited for this format. It's been a while since I wrote about Reno. From...

The unrest on the Las Vegas Strip over 2020's Labor Day weekend could have long-term consequences. “To be honest, I don’t want...

Casino games tournaments are fun, and they can be profitable too. In upcoming articles, we will be publishing a series of...

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino closed over a year ago, slightly before the pandemic shut down all Nevada casinos. Recently, the...

LV Bear: I was Car Renter #001. On a recent blackjack trip to Kansas City, I rented a car that had no license plates; the...

It’s too early to say what the Palms in Las Vegas will look like under its new ownership. The San Manuel Band of Mission...

By King Yao Poker and blackjack are two popular gambling card games. Each game is beatable by smart players that put in the...

In a poker room, I always tip a winning pot if it sees a flop ... if I just scoop blinds and limps, then no tip, and no one...

I never sat down at a blackjack table until I had Basic Strategy down cold. Kind of the same thing for poker, I never sat down...

I am a video poker novice. I first played decades ago, when it was more lucrative, but was bored by it. Since I was eventually...

What does one look for to play with an advantage with VP? 1) Progressive Jackpots? What kind of progressive jackpots have you...

Professional Video Poker by Stanford Wong was written quite some time ago, and is now out of print. It contains some...

PREFACE | CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 Table 12 Payoffs on 8-5 Progressives Hand Payoff Per Coin Bet Royal...

PREFACE | CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 (Professional Video Poker by Stanford Wong was written quite some time...

Can you play with an edge at video poker when you factor in every comp that you can receive via even the most conservative comp...

PREFACE | CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 (Professional Video Poker by Stanford Wong was written quite some time...

PREFACE | CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 (Professional Video Poker by Stanford Wong was written quite some time...