(Message Deleted by Poster)

If the above details are accurate, the pit will have no trouble identifying who you are based on your comments above. How many players were playing as you were at these amounts, for that amount of time, making those comments when three ace of diamonds in a double deck showed up?

It was an interesting story, and I enjoyed reading it. However, you may have outed yourself big time. You also outed a dealer who was giving great pen as well as a fellow counter. You may wish to bust your post and repost with fewer details and more generalities.

Whether or not I return there is a mystery. It is possible they might be able to figure out who I am, although the problem is there was a table full of us complaining, and nothing in my comments would really identify me over the other two.

Of course, you could be right and they read this and other BJ message boards. But putting a face with a name with a particular event is not so easy. I can certainly tell you there is no record of me or my wife being registered in the Golden Moon, nor do I use a player's card to let them know who I am. If they remember me when/if I go back in a few months, then this might be a problem.

Somehow I doubt it however...

I felt the amusing story was worth any slight risk involved. :)

However, this particular store seems to have no "standard" for penetration, as I mentioned. My brother reported another very good pen shoe where he was playing, on another pit row (if you know how the GM pits are organized in one wad)...

I mainly play on the MS coast. I rarely post much detail about those visits. Ditto for Vegas except for the BC incident.

But it is food for thought...

One other thing I didn't mention. I didn't see any CSMs at all, which is a good thing. Just the one ISM (intermittent shuffling machine) at the 2d game...

Thanks for the comments of course...

everyone was betting at the same level I was except for one person that was all over the place. going from $25 to $200, playing with cash many times, etc...

Probably the only thing that really points to me was the stupid 3 ace problem... And there things are not so clear as another player really had a lot to say about playing with improper decks, even going to complain to the floor super after the game was delayed for so long...

would no doubt really appreciate you busting your post. Your images could be passed to all and sundry thanks to your very detailed report. Personally I like your posts and think they are good reads but I think this is the second time you have posted info where a 'lurker' could go back and identify you if he so wished.

All the best

B.E.S

visited a casino-that-shall-remain-nameless recently. :)

Penetration was all over the place. Son wanted to play some $10 BJ while I was waiting on the DD game (it had 7 players and was full). We sat down across the pit so I could watch for someone leaving. First thing I noticed was that penetration was terrible (6d game, not the 2d game more on that later). Dealer was taking the stop card, laying it on top of the deck, and using that to mark the place where it was inserted. Was lopping off more than 2 decks. ugh.

Played anyway, with BS mainly, but a few decent counts kept it interesting. Broke even. New dealer came on and things changed. He put the stop card about 1/2 deck from the back of the shoe. Things looked up and I went up about $300 over the next two hours, good success with this dealer, break-even for the sub dealer that came in a couple of times). Finally saw someone leave the 2D game when the count wasn't good in our shoe game and I went over. Lots of fun.

Started with 50% penetration. Stop card 1/2 way into 2-deck pack. Ugh again. Played a couple of shuffles and did ok ($25 min, spreading 25-100 with no complaints or attention. But poor penetration made it slow going. Then a giant (to quote military) cluster f**k. I was dealt three of the same kind of card, which could not happen in a 2d game. I'm slow, but not _that_ slow. I asked "how in hell is that possible?" Dealer asked "what?" I said "how can I get three identical cardsfrom a two deck game?" Consternation. He noticed that one of the cards had a different colored back. Time out. Count all cards. Remove other pair of decks from the shuffler. Count all cards. Both decks are separated and counted to be sure each deck is complete. Tick-tick-tick. Got four complete decks. wash 'em. Put 'em in shuffler. Wait for a ridiculous amount of time. flashing lights. open front door. Cards in all three stacks. Shut the game down for a while, take shuffler out, later I notice that the shuffler was working. Went back. Outstanding game. 75% penetration and better, won almost $1000 before the blinking red lights came on again. Decided "hell with this" and found wife and went to bed. Got up next morning, lone DD game was full, so son and I played the 6d shoe for a while. Little SOB lets me count, but he ends up tripling his $100 buy-in. ($5 table, betting $5-25 (he's a cheapskate :) )) I worked like hell for 2 hours and ended up making right at $50 for 2 hours of 6d 60% penetration misery. Of course at a 6d game, where the table is not full, they let him play or not play as he chose, a very selective form of "wonging" I guess. :)

Summary: Shufflemaster is a P.O.S. It ended up costing an hour of playing time. Almost walked over to the other side of the road (on the crosswalk) but brother was over there scouting and said single DD game there was stuffed and the 6d games were about the same.

Never seen such a shuffling fiasco.

All in all, reasonably profitable.

The DD game was really a riot. Guy at 3rd split a pair of 10's. Guy at first base started complaining, insulting, etc. He had been giving the guy at 3rd base hell. For example, I did a simple double of 11 vs dealer 10 and he said "nobody does that" and quoted Patrick, one of my favorite BJ experts. :) . He got more pissed when I doubled a 10 against an Ace with the TC at +6. The round after 3rd base split 10's, three of us got 20's. TC was +3, dealer had a 5 up. Index was +5, but I had heard enough so I split my 10's. got an ace and a 9 for the trouble, woman by me said "if you can do it so can I, so she split 'em (not a counter, not even a good BS player) and then the guy on 3rd base split his. Guy at 1st sputtered, said "F*** this, you guys aren't going to take my money" and left. Pit boss came over laughing, gave the three of us comp'd meals (he had heard all the griping, complaining, insulting comments from this guy directed toward 3rd base). BTW, the buffet at this place was not that great. Not bad, but a far cry from the MGM grand, for example... Of course, on the subject of food, I like the Palms at Caesar's myself.

All in all an interesting trip. Been a while since I had been there. The penetration is really variable, they had about 2/3 of the BJ tables open, almost all were $5 6d shoes. As I said only bad rules were no resplit-aces, and no surrender. And no noticable heat, although after all the crap with the shuffler, they were probably afraid to get within arm's reach of the table. :)

I fail to understand the concept of a 6d shoe where 2 decks (or on some occasions up to 3 decks) are cut off, or a 2d game where a whole deck is cut off. I don't see the point. However, as I said, at least one dealer went way deeper into the deck, and no one ever said a thing, except directed toward the shuffle-master box. :)

Didn't go peek at the high-limit salon, no idea what was offered back there, or if any of you guys were there making withdrawals. :)

Note also that the 2d game is typical, ie double 10-11 only, etc... All games I saw were S17 also, a welcome change...

Didn't see a single SD game, which means I didn't see a single 6:5 payoff game either. Another welcome change.

I've begun to notice that 50% on DD is becoming more common, is everyone noticing this same thing??? I know several newbie-type counters that simply won't play DD. Personally I find it just as easy as face-up games, with only a very few problems where you have to infer what a card might be. Bigplayer reported (I think) that there are usually 3 2D games open, but for the 24 hours I was there, I only saw the one game. Of course I did not go across the street but my brother reported one 2d game when he went scouting. My wife made a pass the next morning while I was playing where we stayed, and called to tell me "one DD game open, $25 min". Same as what I was playing. Not sure she knows how to pick up on penetration however.

Been playing Bj for several years. For some reason _this_ year seems to be "the year of the crackpot" (if there is such a year in Chinese culture. :) ) Every time I turn around in the past 9 months, something new and remarkable happens. Apparently a few insane asylums have had to close their doors and release all inmates. :) Apparently near the places I like to frequent. :) :) Or maybe I was released and I'm too insane to remember. :)

I've begun to notice that 50% on DD is becoming more common, is everyone noticing this same thing???

gorilla player,

Unfortunately, I have also observed this same phenomenon in more or less the same geographic area. However, I will say that if you hunt around a bit, you may find significantly more attractive DD penetration. In addition, I like the quick changes in true count that one sees in DD, as opposed to the generally much more gradual changes in shoe games.

I also found your post quite enjoyable. Keep up the good work!

Dog Hand

I know. I've seen much better DD penetration on the MS coast and in Vegas. At the PR casino I mentioned, penetration was wildly variable. Some places have a fixed pen using a slot in the discard tray to locate the stop card, etc. PR seemed to have no real means of uniform penetration, it was up to the dealers apparently, although I assume they have some sort of house guideline.

DD has become my game of choice since SD has almost uniformly gone to hell in a handbasket, although bigplayer pointed out several good SD games still paying 3:2, even a couple on the MS coast I had not checked in on...

thanks for the comments. And once you get out of your math class where you learn that 50% of two is _not_ one, in the world of BJ, we can talk more. :)

just kidding of course...

I will say that 2D 75% pen is _not_ bad...

Now if they could just hand-shuffle to get rid of the technology that was not exactly stellar, it would be even better. :)

I didn't understand your message.

:)

He posted it on the free pages of BJ21.com. It's where everybody can read it! That WAS the problem.

You don't think everybody that needs to can get to greenchip stuff???

dream on, there is no such thing as "a safe and secure place to post"...

"You don't think everybody that needs to can get to greenchip stuff???

I didn't mention anything about Greenchip. You would still not post the info that you did on GC. In fact, you stated the obvious which supports my, and others, opinions:

"dream on, there is no such thing as "a safe and secure place to post"...

Therefore, one should not post sensitive information anywhere! It's not a matter of you outing yourself. If you want to out yourself, go for it. But, when you post details that could out another counter as well.... Shania Twain has a song that's appropriate here "Don't Be Stupid"

I'm through with this thread. Either you "get it" or you don't. I just don't understand why some people would want to tell the world detailed information about where great opportunities exist, or post detailed information id'ing other counters. Is it ignorance? People just don't understand the harm that can be done? Or what? It just pisses me off when I see posts like that. THINK BEFORE YOU POST!!!!! Not all counters play recreationally. Your second attempt at the post was better.