Keep an open mind on the idea of picketing the casinos

Rick, I'm sure you can poke a lot of holes in my idea of using picketers out front of a casino. I realize there are many things to consider and the problems are many and yet to be worked out. Certainly I don't want to show my face while holding a sign showing the latest scams that the casino is pushing. However, picketers can be hired and disguises can be used.

My idea is to inform and enlighten the general gamblers before they enter a bad casino. We can carry signs, which describe the bad games, hand out flyers and get into the Vegas newsletters. If we can get some momentum going, we can make a difference. For this to work, we need unity in numbers, a defining intelligent name for our organization and probably some money. We also need the public to perceive us as being genuine, knowledgeable and not necessarily as �AP�s. This has probably never been done before. Given such, it should make it more noticeable and could start a lot of buzz going around in the community and in the news. I�m sure the casinos that we target would hate the bad publicity especially when it�s true. If it works well enough, maybe all we will have to do in the future is just threaten to picket.

LVBear584, golden, Al Rogers, AK(s) (Big Slick), blue eyed samurai and some others think picketing has some real merit. Apparently there have been some other people on green chip discussing this in the past, as well.

I challenge all who read this, to open their minds to the possibilities. We all need to unite and put our minds into the same path and see if we can somehow, as a group, gain some positive headway in an endeavor such as this. Otherwise, we will continue to have to play against bad games and bad conditions indefinitely.

Stealth Bomber

Billboards on the strip and a corresponding website with all the details. We must organize, probably through bj21, and we must go on the offensive or slowly watch the game die.

Very well said Chappy and I like your ideas. Thank you for your support.

Let's here some more ideas from the rest of you. Even if you don't have a suggestion or comment, let us know if you are for or against this idea. C'mon, this is where it all begins. Let's unite. Tell us what you think about it.

SB

The problem is that the casinos don't want the only people who really care. So, where's the leverage?

The gaming "industry" is all about revenue per square foot per hour. If you can't hit them in that area, you can't hit them at all.

Joe Sixpack from Cedar Rapids who hits Vegas on the way to taking his kids to Disneyland who brings $500 to play with *MIGHT* be persuaded to boycott bad 21 games, but he'd move right over to 3-card poker or Caribbean Stud, which would make the casinos quite happy. He came to play, not to participate in blackjack. And he came *expecting* to lose that $500.

I suggest that you distance the new site from BJ21 or any counting board. Call it www.65bj.com and show the players the math to the game. You can't protect everyone from themselves, but you can try to. But for a 1% advantage guys, is it worth it? You see guys here saying "don't tip or you'll blow your advantage." How much does a picket cost? How much will it cost you to get bailed out of jail for using public property to launch your attack from?

I know it is the principle of the matter, but it is 1% of human rights too, not the other 99% that is bought and paid for by the casinos that run that town called LV.

Do you need a permit to have a sign on your vehicle in LV?

"Are YOU being cheated?"

www.65bj.com

Ads in the newspapers with a full list of 65'ers.

Welcome to Vegas fliers with the same message inside. Get a few law firms to sponsor it for putting there ad on it. Car dealerships, etc.

From Blackjack Confidential, Nov 1997. "Ken Uston organized a protest march on the Boardwalk, June 14. He also organized CHIPS (Commitee to Have the Industry Preserve Surrender), threatened a two-week boycott and persuaded Assemblyman Dennis L. Riley (D., Gloucester) to be his co-chairman. Uston's efforts didn't save surrender. But, the month before, Uston won an appeal against Resorts International when a three-judge panel ruled that casinos did not have the right to ban card counters."

Write a 500 word concise and easily understood article about the perils of 6/5 BJ and why the average person should not play it.

Submit this article to all of the airline magazines, espcially airlines that fly into Vegas. Who knows, they might just print it if you don't charge them for it. Any one that prints it will help a bunch. Also, if someone prints it, you can refer to it in other publications.

K

We probably could stand to have someone do this who is really in-the-know and is also a good writer such as; Rob McGarvey or LVBear 584.

It would also be nice if we could get some more good ideas from more people.

I think saving the Blackjack could be done. 6/5 is bad, very bad. I can't believe there are actually "even money" blackjack games. A blackjack paying even money is rediculous. That's the whole premise of the game, is the bonus from getting a blackjack. With the even money games there's no difference between getting an Ace/10 or a four card 21. REDICULOUS!! If you can get the idea into the average players mind, that a blackjack is supposed to be a BONUS, not just the name of the game, then I think you could have an influence.

MC

If we had an organization, it could sell books and other valuable gaming information in order to fund itself and its objectives.

What would happen if our people were on the street picketing a bad casino with signs and flyer handouts and one of the flyers simply taught average BJ players to make large bets immediately after noticing an unusual amount of small cards and to make small bets immediately after noticing an unusual amount of big cards? Is it possible the targeted casino may even shut down all their 1D, 2D & even 6D games while the picketing is in effect? Could it backfire on us somehow? If it works, maybe we could just threaten the other casinos who are not in compliance with us. ����. Feel the power my friends? I do. ;-)

More ideas please.

SB

Well, one idea which has been posted on here before is to always buy in at the 6/5 tables and then walk away with the chips. Doing this ruins their precious hold (hold = how much the table is up (casino winnings) divided by the amount the public has bought in for). If enough people keep doing this their hold will drop (no table winnings but large buy-ins in the denomenator). If the hold drops far enough the casinos will remove the games for other games which are more attractive to them.

The last two times I was in Vegas I went into 3 or 4 casinos each day and bought in for all of the money in my pocket (which was quite a few thousand dollars). After recieving my chips I acted like I just then noticed that it was a 6/5 game so I made a loud complaint about wanting to play "real" blackjack and walked away. A few times I even made a couple of comments to other players asking "Do you know the casino is gyping you?" and explaining that even though it was single deck, they were getting short changed on BJs. Also, a few times I told the floorman standing there that I was going to a different casino. One that offered real BJ and didn't try to rip off their patrons.

I know it wasn't much, but I figured it did a couple of things:
1. Lowered the casinos hold on these games.
2. Tried to make the casinos think they might be losing a player who was willing to bet large amounts of money.
3. Maybe got it into some of the other players heads that this was a bad game.

I know it wasn't much, but if enough people did stuff like this it might make a difference in at least a few casinos.

I would advise people when doing something like this to be firm but polite. You want other players and floorpeople to understand the problem. Y you don't want to cause a scene where you are just thought of as a crazy idiot by others.

Also, make sure you don't do this at repeatedly at the same casinos because it will not be as effective if you are remembered.

So next time you are walking the strip, take a few minutes to do this in a few casinos. Even if you are only buying in for a couple of hundred dollars, every little bit helps.

and convince them to hold their conventions elsewhere because their members will be ripped-off at 6:5 bj. A big drop in conventions will mean lots of room vacancies,lower rates, and less casino traffic.
OR
A fact sheet sent to conventions that will be held in LV that at least forewarns their members what to expect if they play BJ. Some members, here, who attend many of those conventions held in LV, may even be able to influence where the convention should be held.

I did suggest a similar idea to this previously on this board, I suggested trying to link up with Vegas web sites and Vegas newsletters, Al Rogers did look into it but as of his last post had no joy in linking up with anybody. I think some sites were worried about losing sponsorship, but if we could find out some sites who do not have sponsorship they may be willing to inform the unwitting.

Billboards?, airline mags?, vegas publications?

Seems to me it would take one call from the marketing people at Billagio:

"Hey, we're paying you guys $$$$$$$ to help make our joint look good. Now, you run an add that says were rippin' people off? It disappears or no more $$$$$$$!!"

Maybe buy a travel/vegas specific e-mailing list from a broker and just spam people. Annoying to some, but capable of reaching a much bigger audience than anything else.

-Felix