The lost Art of the Act (part II of Oceans 11.
Having been in and around the business for many years I can assure you that I�ve seen my share of the good, the bad, and the down right stupid camouflage acts performed in an attempt to increase longevity (longevity + Counting + Basic Strategy + proper deviations = increased E.V.). The train of thought is more than rationale; longer, faster, uninterrupted heads up play on a fair game (good rules) by an astute player will equal a profit in the long run. Sure some ugly words like Sigma/SD, risk of ruin, bad sides of the curve, etc will come into play and should always be considered and weighed as a cost of doing business. But, in the long run, most experts believe this can be overcome (depending on the game rules).
Now, back to our point; the act of buying you the time needed to conquer the �short lived player�s blues�.
Imagine if you were a police officer and you just pulled someone over for speeding. What do you think the odds are of you being given some kind of excuse from the �hot footed� driver that you just pulled over? Now let�s say that you write 3 speeding tickets a day, 5 days a week. How many of these speeders would come right out and admit �I�m sorry officer, you caught me dead in the act�. Though no published statistics are available, I would venture to say that less than 1% of speeders confess and accept their ticket with the shame one should feel for having broken the law. Now, let us convert this analogy to card counting and touch on a few of the so called �sure fire� acts. Such acts include but are not limited to forms of bribery, members of the opposite sex hitting on the floor person or dealer, spilled drinks (this works on speeding tickets too if you claim that you spilled hot coffee in your lap and your natural reaction was to stretch out and you accidentally depressed the accelerator pedal. It can also reap you millions of dollars in a court settlement at a McDonalds drive thru but that�s another story). In short, the floor people (as the police) have seen and heard about every act/excuse known to man. It�s time to think out of the box. Your enemy is no longer the floor person but the computer he relies on for his information. Every time you play, there are records being generated about you, your play, your abilities, and your wagering patterns. Just how the �Drunken� act can help you these days in this type of situation is beyond me. Time was, you could break the law in one state and flee across the state line and you were in the clear. Now day�s there�s INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization). Just what is Interpol? It�s a method of keeping track of all their so called players (criminals) on an international level and scope. The casinos have also implemented such a system. They refer to it as �Marketing� (note the term �Mark� helps in the making of this word).
You can act as stupid as you want but if that floor person inputs any information about you, your wagering habits, your playing abilities, etc, it will be used against you (maybe not this play session but definitely in the future). Time was if you felt some heat, out the door you went. But due to the greedy nature of the casinos, they�re buying all the smaller joints and bringing them up to par (computer linked) with the 21st century.
Just why are the casinos buying each other up like they�re going out of style? Simple; the bean counting mobs that run today�s casinos have already mastered the art of squeezing every possible cent out of each department. Logic tells us that if your business is making you say 20% return on investment and you�re running the business with extreme proficiency, the only way to make more money in your field is to buyout other casinos and make them just as proficient. In other words, corner the market, or create a monopoly! The bigger casino chains are like sharks on a feeding frenzy. Why compete when you can just buy your competition. Not only will you be buying the property, tables, rooms, etc, but also the (here it comes) MARKET SHARE! Market share is everything to this business. Ever try to but a $1 battery for cash at your local Radio Shack only to leave in disgust because they wouldn�t sell it to you unless you gave up your name, address, phone number, etc. The battery itself might have yielded them a one time profit of 15 to 20% but getting your name and address will pay them dividends for life. That�s right. They sell your information to every bastard and his brother. To prove this, I once purposely misspelled my last name when I had the oil changed on my Chevy. Within 10 days, I received enough junk mail (addressed to the misspelled last name) to feed an eternal flame. Talk about a lube job!
Let�s look at Webster�s and see what they have to say about marketing.
Main Entry: mar�ket�ing
Function: noun
Date: 1561
a : the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market
b : the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service
Notice the words Selling, purchasing, Promoting, and distributing? When it comes to casinos, this all refers to your information. Any and all of your personal information, that can and will be used (or marketed) against you.
And then there is the S.M.F (Strategic Marketing Force) also referred to as the �Stupid Mother Fu##ers� (by casino executives when their clients beat the casinos). This is an in house specialty group in charge of �whale� hunting. They go after the big names, big spenders, with the big bank accounts.
Just how do they get such information? Easy, this info comes from the marketing departments frontline soldiers also known as �Host�s�. A host is only as good as his maintained list of clients. A host without a list is like a cop without a gun; the good intentions are there, but the means to justification are not readably available.
I once heard a casino executive refer to a host as being one of the best. I inquired as to what he meant by this and his response was �he knows how to deal with people and he hardly ever takes bribes�. Hardly ever takes bribes I asked? Isn�t that the same as hardly ever beats his wife? �Well�, he said, �we�re all part of the food chain; it�s just a matter of how high up the chain you are that makes the difference.�
The host�s, as a rule, are not allowed to accept any form of payola from their clients. In essence, the host works like a car salesman, running back and forth between the management and the mark (I mean invited guest) trying to hammer out a deal. Such deals include rebates on loss, airfare, room, food, beverage, incidentals, scenic tours, limo rides, shopping sprees, helicopter tours, etc. Their job is to give stuff away in exchange for personal information that will brand that customer as their own. This is, of course, if the player has a value to the casino. If the player is a winner due to skill, luck, stupidity, or what have you, the host maybe chastised and will definitely be advised not to invite this customer back in the future. The host/marketing department may wish to cut their losses and actually ask the invitee not to play anymore. In fact, I�ve seen case�s where they�ve taken away all the players� accrued comps and points in an effort to reduce the casinos overall loss on these certain invited or card carrying players.
So, now we have to ask our selves this question (and for you tough guys that know everything, I�ll ask it for you);
Just who in the hell is my enemy? A quick response would be �Information is king�. Your player�s card history is not unlike your credit history; it gives the casinos a rule in which to measure you by. Would you loan money to someone with bad credit? On the same token would you invite a player to your casino that could financially beat you? Same song, different tune!
So, what to do? Have you ever been to a wedding, birthday party, etc, where cake was being served later but you just had to have a taste now? Here is the typical male�s train of thought; I�m sure I can get a finger tip of frosting off of that cake without anyone seeing or knowing while the female�s train of thought is �just looking at that cake is making my butt bigger�. Meanwhile, back to the male�s point of view, so he does just that; swipes a finger tip of frosting and straight to his mouth it goes. Now he must clean up all signs of his intrusion. While attempting to smear the frosting, his primate method of thought insures him that one more lick won�t hurt. To make a long story short, the party host shows up only to see this guy with cake all over his face and the 3 layer cake now reduced to one single, sloppy, unsightly layer. The morale you ask? This person took more than his share and he took it too quickly. The party host will not only ask him to leave but may ask him to never return to their house. Now, rest assured that everyone at that party is going to hear (if not see) what you did and you can bet your last dollar that they won�t be inviting you to their future parties either. But, if they did, they would place certain restrictions on your freedoms at that given party. Such as only 1 piece of cake, no booze, you�re not allowed to stay very long, and stay away from the gifts.
Can you see the correlation to the casino marketing department and their soldiers (hosts)? If you came to the party, dropped off your gift and then said sorry but I gotta run, you would be the perfect guest. You can bet that you will be invited to all future parties. On the same note, if you showed up, took just a little bit of the frosting and didn�t make a pig out of yourself (greed), you will be re invited in the future so that you can yet again sneak a bit of frosting off of the cake while no one is looking. If they didn�t see you do it, they can�t add the information to their data banks and this information won�t be used against you in the future.
So again, we come to the monumental question of how do we get in to the party and get a finger full of frosting and get out unchallenged. Simple. Slow and steady! It�s easy, devious, legal and fun too! It�s called information falsification. It�s comparable to a sleight of hand trick; yeah, you think you know where that red ace is on that 3 card Monte game when in true essence, you don�t stand a �Marks� chance at a carnival. There are numerous tactics one can employ to appear to be doing one thing while actually doing another. More on this in a few minutes.
The informational Infrastructure.
Though some players will fall through the cracks and elude the marketing department�s scrutiny for long periods of time but, as everyone knows in the back of their mind, sooner or later you will be tagged. This might be in a few weeks, months, or even year but rest assured, sooner or later they will get wise to you (if you�re winning). One thing for sure is that all the special offers and free stuff and discounted rooms will come to an end.
A good portion of advantage players are fingered everyday and here�s the kicker: you don�t even have to be present or even in town for that matter. It just happens out of the blue: You�re no longer welcome to play at that casino. What really bites is the fact that most casino departments have failed at the art of communication. What does this mean to you? Well, the following is a true story that should explain: Joyce CENSORED came into town from Wisconsin. She took the red eye so as to save more money for gambling. She had a reservation at Casino X and made sure to book the 4 day stay well in advance as the CENSORED convention was in town. She takes a cab from McCarran to casino X (at 3 in the morning). While trying to check in, she is advised that her business is not welcomed at this casino and that she would have to leave right away or face trespassing charges. If you think this is an isolated incident, call me as I have the original London Bridge for sale and I can make you a good deal on it.
Just imagine, right now as you�re reading this, someone�s win and loss statements are being audited (by some marketing guru-report runner) at some casino. This report is being scrutinized with the efficiency of an IRS agent doing a fraud audit with the results being �We don�t want this player to ever return to this property under no circumstance�.
Funny huh! What�s even funnier is that this is true and it happens with a certain amount of frequency on a daily basis. And if you don�t believe me, well, Hell, I really don�t care. In fact, I hope you get a flat tire tonight!
O.K, so you decide not to get rated. This will solve everything, or so you think. The proverbial can of worms has just been opened as this is a very bad move. Not allowing the casino to rate you will ring all of hells bells and you will face scrutiny unbeknownst to an honest citizen. What�s even worse is that the scrutiny will begin immediately, right here, right now. Refused named players take precedence over the average Joe Blow, long haul, Eww, please rate me baby, card playing, club card carrying casino club members. Remember that the club card members have allowed the casinos to create and maintain a dossier file of sorts on them. The Marketing department, like a rouge audit agent, has access to all your playing history including your winning and losing sessions, your eating and drinking habits, your bank account and credit card accounts and your spending habits (past charges) and more.
Taking all of our numbers into consideration is the equivalent of planning the long term raising of a child while out on an innocent date with a member of the opposite sex that you really only want to test ride like some sort of swing. Think about your long term actions and these crucial thoughts should come to mind; Diapers, clothes (for 18 years), medical costs and concerns, school, college, their first set of wheels, toys, etc. Think about that before you hop in to bed for a few minutes (or in my case, a few hours) of fun. If everyone took these things into consideration prior to making such a decision, there would be a lot less people on our planet. On the other hand, some people just don�t care. Now, back to the subject at hand and the explanation of the prior analogy. Those people (the ones that don�t consider their long term results and consequences of their lack of planning) become the casualties of advantage play.
By allowing yourself to be rated while staying under radar and grinding away with a meager bet spread (1 to 5 units), and accepting a small gain or E.V., will grant you longevity but sooner or later those winning numbers will add up and your past playing history will face the microscope. Worst case scenario could range from being removed from the Invited guests list to being asked flat out to just leave the casino.
So, what the hell are we to do? Well first of all we need to evaluate just what the evaluators are evaluating. Yes, you read that correctly. We know they have and use this information to size you up but, what if we were able to falsify, alter, minimize, or just plain blow this information out of proportion? Could that help your cause? Don�t be a moron, of course it will. But, just how can such a stunt be pulled off since in all reality it would be considered an inside job? Well, there are several ways of accomplishing this (legally of course). I do not advocate illegal actions such as structuring, evading, etc. I won�t even go there. If this was your hope, these reports will self destruct in 5 seconds. In all seriousness, FINCEN crimes are no laughing matter. I pity any fool that attempts to pull such a stupid stunt and/or has pulled such a stunt in the past. The odds of you getting caught are about 1 in 2. Don�t be an idiot. There is nothing for sure but death and taxes. I think they�re close to beating the death thing but Taxes are forever.
Okay, so now our main objective and concern at this point is to the pit people to rate your winnings and losses incorrectly and in your favor. This will serve many purposes but the ending result will be more money (profit) in your pocket along with comps galore and a happy, shiny, eager marketing host/representative waiting to greet you and shower you with lavish gifts, free rooms, food and beverage comps. Not bad, huh.
The Marketing Mayhem experiment.
John Smith (yeah, that�s her real name), applied for and received a players card for her slot play. Every time his relatives came to stay with her, he gave them her card so that they could rack up points on his account. This, after all, helped to accrue points and was not cheating the casino since all they really want from their players is to insert coins into their machines. No damage done. After a while, Jane Doe (or was that John Smith?) was getting free tickets to concerts, leather jackets, a free roll of quarters every week, race tickets, and even free weekend stays at any of their sister properties. So what�s the big deal you ask? So one guy fell through he cracks and made out like a casino (I mean Bandit). Wrong! The casinos base their comps on a players handle (coin in on slot machines) and in this case, people were indeed putting/cycling coins into the slot machine. But, when things slowed down is when thing got interesting. After not playing or using the card for over 6 months, the offers continued to come in along with the free merchandise, room offers, food and beverage, etc. These offers came with no strings attached. Either this was an act of desperation on the casinos behalf to win back an average player or it was a mistake. The answer will surprise you. It seems that the slot club host (in charge of the slot club marketing) took a shining to Jane Smith. In his infatuation for her, he started to dump unclaimed accrued slot play points (from past players with dead accounts) into her account. She had no clue whatsoever what was happening but it seems that when she applied for her player�s card, the marketing manager saw her and fell head over heels for her. The fact that she only really averaged about $20 in slot play a week (at best) and received thousands of dollars in comps didn�t faze her a bit. This happened prior to the casinos getting smart and linking all of their properties together so as to create one large data base for marketing to pick and choose from. With this info, they were able to classify players and curtail their offers to the player�s abilities and wagering habits. God forbid they invite trailer park trash into their top end casino.
Marketing likes to categorize players by census statistics such as age, income, average wager, past wins or losses, credit limits, derogs, etc. It�s all based on information or what our government likes to refer to as Intelligence. The definition of Intelligence = the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria, information concerning an enemy or possible enemy or an area; also: an agency engaged in obtaining such information also: the skilled use of reason. Enough said??? If this requires more explanation, get lost.
Methods of beating the Marketing Marauders
Placing a �spin� on a situation is usually best left to those that are running for public office but over the years, I have found a few ways of utilizing such �spin action� for the manipulation of Marketing Hosts.
Alternate your sessions play average wagers to match your different player rating cards (keep reading).
Obtain 2 or more player rating cards. Make sure that the spelling of the last name is slightly different. Just enough of a spelling difference to assure that if your name is researched, the two different spellings won�t come up in sequence. This will assure longevity of play. Make sure to use a certain card for all your losing session and your other card for the winning sessions. If I need to explain this in more detail, go play Keno.
Ask for ridiculous requests such as a pink electric blanket in your room (these remarks will be added to your casino dossier file and that certain player�s card that you chose to use). The wider the spread of the variations you make between your different players cards info, the longer you�ll be able to play unchallenged.
Become a Marketing host magnet. Actively seek hosts and get on their mailing lists.
Buy in just before the cheques inventory/count. They take
the inventory and see fewer cheques in the float and they assume
the money for these cheques is in the cash box which it�s not because it's in your pockets due to your ability to rat hole.
The cheque inventory for that table is now down because you bought the cheques you�ve been playing (cheques you brought to the table that you previously rat-holed on prior trips).
The shift manager thinks that the cheques are still in the casino walking around, taking a break, in the dining room, etc. They don't really assume a win or loss until the next day. This is when the count teams turn in the totals which show a win or loss for the prior day. The shift managers can only make a guess. This guess is based on what the floor people have reported their players as having walked with and or purchased at the tables they are in charge of watching. When they advise surveillance that they landed with and what they walked with, it should all tally up or make some sort of sense before the shifts ends. Landing on a table with $5k and walking with $10K would show the floor that you were winning $5K. This info would be released (with no big alarm) to all parties concerned. Now if you came to the casino with $5K of previous winning from earlier that week while grinding away (the hard way) with spreads of green to black. Now the truth is you walked with $10K and not the %k they noted you for.
They're watching the cheques in the tray, and they see that 10K has disappeared. You bought in for 5k with cheques you brought from home and rat holed previously, so they assume that 5k is in a cash box on another table, and 5k is your actual win, even though 10k in cheques really gone. But they don't notice all the cheques that you won until the next day since in the casino world, Graveyard is shift #1. This starts the day. Playing anytime after the G-yard boxes are pulled will reflect the next day�s totals.
Since Graveyard boxes are pulled at a certain time, anything you win after that time won't get noticed until the next day.
By arriving with cheques from the cage (or a previous trip,) keeps them from seeing a depleted chip tray if you win at a table since it�s all in the timing. Table fills are constant. If you force a fill (easy to do) before the count, you will have depleted that tables supply with little or no attention. If you buy in after the count, nobody really worries about you until after you walk.
So depleting a tray just before the count is okay. You force a fill (because the tray is empty), then you play after the count when the tray is full and you're less likely to attract attention by totally depleting it. They will then call surveillance and tell them that you walked with, say $10K. They ask "what's he in for," they say $2K. Surveillance figures you walked with $8K. On a busy night, the pit clerks are on average, 2 to 4 hours behind on their input. This includes inputting (computer records) fills, wins, losses, buy in�s, credits). So surveillance is notified of your play (after you've already played and won and it's too late to stop you because they don�t have the coverage to figure out what you've done or how much you've won) since the records are late getting input.
Now, to really blow your mind, ponder this: more than 60% of the casinos shift managers/count takers will fudge the numbers during the count. In order to make their shift look better (winning), they will count the cheques that the players have in front of them as well as what's in the float. Now just how you can use this information is up to you but just mentioning it brings up a couple of good ideas. In other words, if you have cheques in front of you, at many places they will count them and management will be even less worried about losses to Players.
Since the first (grave) inventory usually happens during the late evening, early morning hours, this starts the next shift with the most amount of players it will see for the duration of the shift. Everyone has already purchased their cheques. The float is low, tables are packed. Now within the next 2 to 3 hours, the tables will be empty and the rush is over. This will show an impressive hold on the tables because most people lose and they started the shift with the most cheques outstanding or in play so players lose money on that shift, without actually having bought in on that shift. It gives the false appearance of money just raining into the casino during that shift. This becomes all win, with no buy-in to detract from it.
Now in a few hours, the casino will be empty and the tables will stand by in idle. Now we know that the table was open for 8 hours, it started its shift with everyone already having cheques (it is not noted that they were purchased from that shift because the cheque inventory nullified and zeroed all counts), so now if 1/2 the players lose 50% of their stakes, the table will show an impressive hold. Factor in that the table is really only going to see any real action for maybe 3 hours, you have the making of a false hold. The table really didn't sell you any cheques. It was the prior shift that sold you the cheques.
Another mind boggling fact: the table inventory takes place at the end of the floor people�s shift. This means all table counts are zeroed, new floor people (faces) are on duty, un-figured prior day totals, new dealers, and maybe even new surveillance people have just started their shifts.
So it's easy to hide wins, because no one has an accurate grasp of what's going on with the drop or just who won what, nor do they care since they can pass it off on to the previous shift. New floor people don't know where the previous shift's cheques went, or which players are starting with what and where they got their cheques from.
Playing Two Tables at Once
A marketing teams nightmare! Which play should they track? Should they combine the two wagers as one big wager? What if you were to purchase $2000 from one table then turn and play between two tables, $25 on one table $50 on the other? If you whack one table, will they �counter actively� write it off if you lose on the other? What will they rate you as you average wager?
