FYI, in the Winter BJF, which comes out in about two weeks, Cellini provides the "Card Counter's Convention Camo Calendar 2003." This is a calendar of more than 200 conventions, business conferences, and special interest group events that are scheduled in LV, Reno, AC and other nearby gambling areas throughout the year. These are the major events that bring in the crowds, but that the casinos do not advertise to the general public. The calendar lists the names of the group, dates, casinos, type/level of player(s) to expect, casino attitudes about these players' skill levels, and best camouflage strategies for blending in with the crowd. This is NOT material from the new Cellini book. This is only in the Winter BJF.
In response to questions below, I do not know if the Cellini book can be purchased on Amazon, though I doubt it. Amazon, like Borders and Barnes & Noble, does best with mass market stuff. $99 books are not much for their market. The decision to sell through Amazon is up to Huntington Press, and I do not know their marketing strategy. This is definitely a book aimed at a small market--serious and professional players. Book reviewers across the country have been requesting review copies of the book, so you may see some reviews by gambling columnists outside Las Vegas.
I believe HP still has a discount price of $60 on their website for Las Vegas Advisor subscribers only. If you subscribe to LVA, this is a good deal. If you don't subscribe to LVA, then it's less expensive to just pay the full $99 for the book. If you play at a level where you actually have to worry about camouflage, surveillance, getting backed off, getting barred, etc., then the book is worth far more than the price. If you do not play at this level, then the value to you would be based on how much you really want to know about this stuff, even though you may not personally use the information at present. It is the most informative book on the inside workings of casino surveillance ever to see print. The material goes well beyond what you find in books aimed at casino industry personnel, such as Friedman's book on "Casino Management," ($125.00) Brubaker's book on casino surveillance, "The Eye in the Sky" ($80.00), etc. As the book's editor, I may be somewhat biased, but in my opinion, for any serious player, the Cellini book is a steal.
