I wish to notify the Blackjack Community that as of May 15th, 2003, I resigned as editor of Trackjack, and am no longer associated with it or advantageplayer.com.
I am no longer responsible for the accuracy or freshness of the table conditions reports on that site.
Additionally, I have notified Viktor Nacht to remove my handle as Titaniumman as co-host on the South & West board.
MB
I hope they know what they are losing! Sorry to hear about it Mike. I thought you did a great job on trackjack and you sure did a great job on the xxxxxx party. Don't fret...the future is so bright ya gotta wear shades. EDITED FOR TOO MUCH INFO. ;)LTC
Ap.com isolates themselves further ...
I sometimes wonder how many excellent people ap.com will run off. But then, the answer is clear. Eventually they will run off all of them.
I hope you find greener patures for your excellent efforts.
--Eliot
What's next? BJ Forum, Trackjack, and Current BJ News will join forces to begin beaming consolidated on-line, real-time table rules and playing conditions via GPS worldwide satellites to wireless receivers embedded in chips installed in your AP skull, so that you'll not only know where you are on Earth within 2 meters, but exactly what direction to go to find the nearest table with the best rules and penetration, the least heat and most overall joie de vivre you seek. Buddy, can you spare a whole new paradigm?
AP is a good blackjack website in my opinion. I know the trolls will often seek out blackjack sites on a mission to run or piss off good card counters and they often succeed, but AP does not have the trolls and voodoo clowns. Why do you say they're running off good people, I thought it was only the fools they run off? I dont blame them.
I am not talking about the Trolls they run off -- that is a good thing, but not too difficult to do. I am talking about the likes of some of the finest people in the game who have become unwelcome at their site.
--Eliot
What I mean is AP is a good site because they eliminate the trolls. I'm not saying by any means the good people you speak off were trolls, but simply asking why they have been run off? This is a damnfull situation where the trolls will run off the finest card counters at websites and now AP.com has ran off many also?
If this is true,no wonder why very few of the best card counters bother with posting anymore....they have enemies on both sides.
My reviews:
1) bjfonline.com -- the current home of the largest group of professionals on the web -- this site is welcoming to beginners as well, has no trolls, and is run by one of the true icons. A great site, with the feeling that our best interstests are being looked after with a gentle but firm hand.
2) advantageplayer.com -- the home of the "experts" -- welcoming to beginners but there is a very strict code of conduct that is not blackjack related. Of course the site has no trolls, but it also lacks professionals in the grind. It had so much potential when it began, but now it just has a bad name.
3) bj21.com -- the home of the larger bj community -- unfortunately populated by trolls and casino personel, it is still THE place on the web to discuss blackjack for the greatest numbers. A generally friendly and informative place, but not having the expertise of ap.com nor the experience of bjfonline.com. Still, Stanford Wong's name will continue to draw new faces to the site, and its popularity will continue. Stanford's hands-off approach to ruling his empire is both politically correct and frustrating.
4) cardcounter.com -- a wanna-be two bit hack by a self-promoting huckster. (couldn't resist) 8-)
--Eliot
advantageplayer.com -- the home of the "experts" -- welcoming to beginners but there is a very strict code of conduct that is not blackjack related. Of course the site has no trolls, but it also lacks professionals in the grind. It had so much potential when it began, but now it just has a bad name.
There is a huge resource of talent there.
John Auston, George C, Cacarulo, James Grosjean, Karel Janecek, and Norm Wattenberger is a tremendous pool of knowledge and capability on the subject of mathematics and theory of blackjack.
I personally like the way Don runs his Domain. His stay-on-the-subject and proper use of English disciplines make for a distinct character on his pages to which he has a right. I approve. Besides, he is about the fastest person to respond to a question. I have had many an enjoyable discussion with him on the technicalities of TJ.
Parker is a close personal friend with great humor, and non-wavering integrity.
Let us also not forget Electric Kid, and some other great participants over there.
On the subject of integrity, last year I emailed Stanford to let him know that the check he sent me to re-imburse me for the South Party was stolen out of my car. I asked him to put a stop payment on it, and send me a replacement check minus the stop payment charge. He immediately sent me a replacement check and paid for the stop payment himself. This year, when money got a little tight, Stanford again went the extra mile.
As for the folks over at Huntington, well you're not going to find a better leader of the community that the Bishop. Trust me, the man can teach you a lot more than just blackjack wisdom.
And, cardcounter.com, well, I guess you hit the nail on the head there. I couldn't resist either.
:-)
Point is, there's a lot of good all around. I think I have been taught that better than anybody lately.
Thanks everybody, for all the support.
-T-
Everyone seems to be looking for the ultimate internet blackjack experience, like it was a product to be bottled, corked, and shelved until maturity.
It is more like a baseball team. Each contributes what he can. But even a Sammy Sosa has his faults.
I think that given the recent controversy, T-man's restraint and good will shows us just how secondary a site's management can be when compared to the quality of its community. If you look for the people who contribute the most, you will find the El Dorado of blackjack information. But they are found in many forums.
I like 'em all....even though that cardcounter.com won't let me read its message board for some odd reason.
Speaking of bathwater, how about a review of the Michael Dalton and Richard Reid sites? Or how about the cardcounter cafe? The truth is out there, but sometimes you get comfortable in the nearest tub. Friendly confines and all.
All that is just a bunch of bubbles wafting into the atmosphere....so my review is this.
Find the people you can trust and stick with them. I think in my recent 'Cover Considerations' thread I credited some people with changing my attitude about blackjack in developing a winning game. There are even more I neglected to mention.
alienated has said it with more elegance than I could muster:
'That's the beauty of these forums, though. Different players have different strengths, so there's usually someone who can give a great response no matter what question might be asked."
The sum is greater than the parts. Sum community, doncha think?
Just go picking thru all of the info available and consolidate it. Isn't that what we really are in the end? A sharpshooters combination of what we like and hopefully none of what we don't? The best games are not spread around until they are trash. You are more likely to find a great game by accident.
