other players

another serious problem that i have is that many players follow me around the casino...when i leave a table and go to another one, they follow me. they are always asking me what to do with their hand, etc etc. they also always talk to me. othe rplayers also always remember me, and say "hey, (____) how's it going? how have you been?"

there is also another type of player that i encounter quite frequently. i have nicknamed them leeches. they practically live in the casino, trying to mooch money off of people. one leech would not stop following me around. well, he then tried mooching money off my mother (she was there just to play some slots). my whole philosophy in life is that you can mess with em all you want, but people (in general), if they mess with my family or friends, well they just signed their will. and my mom is the only family i got. so i got the guy barred. was i right in doing this, in just other reader's opinions?

With some of them you can do this:
Make a big point of 'loaning' them $5 when they put the touch on you.

Next time they see you and try to hit you up, or the next time you see them, say "Hey where is that $5 I loaned you." Tell them you won't give them anything until they pay you back your previous loan.
Ask them for the $5 everytime you see them.

For the mere cost of $5, someone you has been following you around and bugging you, is now going to go out of his way to avoid you.

because of giving unsolicited advice to players. You are best off saying as little as possible. When asked for advice make it sound like an off the cuff opinion. Don't set yourself up to sound like an expert. Don't say "book says". It is only natural that they'd want to follow you and get advice if they think you are going to help them win. If someone asks for advice on a play where you frequently make strategy variations, like 16 v 10 or 12 v 3, be sure to say that you have no opinion. You'll otherwise find yourself in a strange situation very shortly. Don't blame the idiotic play of others for your losses at the table or you will automatically set yourself up as the man to go to for advice.

You should report the hustlers to the pit so that they'll get thrown out of the casino. You can usually see this coming. First they are watching, then they are cheering you on, then they say that they are bringing you good luck. The hustle is coming soon. Give the floor people the eye as soon as this starts and they should immediately recognize the problem and take action without a word from you. At some places the floor is not tuned in to this (like downtown Vegas). This is one reason they lose their good customers.

You are suffering from "nice guy syndrome." Other players ask for advice, so you give it to them. Worse yet, you find yourself offering unsolicited advice, just to help out the other players at the table. Some fellow gives you a down-and-out tale and you loan him money. You want to be seen as a "nice guy." I often feel the same way. It is an impulse that you must control in the casinos.

Don't be so nice. Never be the table expert. When someone seeks advice from me at the tables, my normal response is, "it's your money and you should play your hand the best way you see fit." When someone asks you for money in the casino, refuse, no matter how pitiful or how logical his or her tale might be. These folks are professional beggars and hustlers. Turning one into security is no breach of etiquette from my point of view. Once they know that you aren't a soft touch and could well send them over, they will give you a wide berth.

the casino staff from the standpoint of appearing to be a so-so player but party-hearty with them... it's good if the pit thinks you're friends with everybody at the table.

Case in point: A couple of weeks ago at W.W.W., I sat down, ordered
"another" (my first) merlot, and proceeded to mix it up with my "friends" at the table. My first couple of 3X1 bet ramps elicited a call-out but I eventually got a big negative pack that resulted in my hitting a 14 vs a 5. That play got a couple of players whooping about my "stupid" hit and one guy got up and went over to the seat on my right (so I wouldn't take his cards). All the while, I'm starting on my second merlot, slurring my words and presto, 8X1 bet ramps and not a peep out of the dealer.

I think your best camo incorporates every element of the table you can draw into it.. including the players. One of my favorite reasons for memorizing every playing index is so that I can occasionally use some big-negative deviations from basic strategy as camo when I decide to sit through a negative pack. Every time I have the opportunity to hit a hard 17 against an Ace, I just love to blurt out something like "s--t, just go ahead and hit it, noth'n else is work'n".

In A.P., everything that your ego compels you to do is exactly the opposite of what you should do.

Spok

I let my buddy have a "loan' of $5,000, for a face lift.
Now I can't collect, I don't know what he looks like......
midnite