"move on, if you feel threatened" - long
Iggy,
You wrote - "As to my six rules, how about one. "Never sacrifice ev for cover, you have too little edge as it is, move on if you feel threatened".
What Cellini's #6 warns about is many AP's or AP-wannabes, mistaken belief that only a dealer, floor/pit, or supervisor on a gaming-floor can initiate player scrutiny and he can easily detect initiation of the surveillance. In fact, player surveillance is usually initiated as a result of tripping one or more of the trigger-points documented in the casino's surveillance procedures manual and/or employee handbook -
1. Based on fill-volume/table-level triggers, monitor all tables requesting fills, including backing-up and reviewing previous play at the table to determine a cause for the table loss (AP, cheating, luck, etc.)
2. Based on player actions (too loud, obnoxious, abusive to others (players, spectators, casino personnel), appearance of being under the influence of drink or drugs), security is notified to monitor the player(s) and their entourage. A boisterous, drunken-player act can work against you by triggering surveillance, while a toned-down act usually keeps you 'below the radar'.
3. Perceived Wonging (in or out).
4. Wide, betting-spreads (according to casino standards or dealer/floor/pit/supervisor paranoia).
5. Loose-lips of players and their entourages in casino properties - many discussions/comments are over-heard by third parties, including waitresses (restaurant as well as cocktail), plain-clothes security, and other casino staff, with a 'duty' or perceived advantage to report the discussions/comments to their supervisors and/or casino security.
6. Loose-lips of players and their entourages off the casino property they are playing - many discussions/comments are over-heard in another casino, restaurant, in public transportation (planes, trains, cabs, limos, buses and their terminals), stores, hotels, the street, etc. by third parties with a 'duty' or perceived advantage to report the discussions/comments to their supervisors and/or casino security.
7. Team meetinga and socializing off casino properties with the mistaken assumption noone who works in a casino will see them and pass along that the individuals are connected.
What Cellini was trying to illustrate is casino security policies do not depend solely on dealer, floor/pit, and supervisor recognition of AP. "The devil is in the detail". The security policies and employee handbooks ('the detail')should automate reviews when human-factors fail to trigger reviews and Cellini was sharing one of the triggers.
The stupidest thing dealers, floors/pits, and supervisors do is look at a 'suspect' while discussing him. An aware 'suspect' should then move or alter their playing style for a while before moving. Usually casinos instruct personnel not to look at 'suspects' while discussing them, to prevent alerting the 'suspects', but the technique is not always followed. Some casinos have subtle, in-house techniques (code-words or actions from a dealer) to identify AP's to a floor/pit, who should then trigger security surveillance by personnel other than himself, to 'hide' the surveillance. A relief-dealer usually talks to the floor/pit before tapping-in at the next table and passes along suspicions at that time. Going on-break, a dealer should leave a pit before passing-on their suspicions.
With his rules, Cellini was trying to illustrate it is not what you 'see' that will 'bite' but what you do not 'see'.