Tag: #GamblingKnowledge

Gambling Books – Must Read Recommendations

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Nine years ago I made a list of Great Gambling Books. It was a short list of books I  enjoyed and have in my personal gambling library. Since then, good gambling resources are everywhere. On-line, audio-books, and yes, the old paper books are available to give your gambling experience a boost. Here is a keeper – Gambling Books – Must Read Recommendations

Atlantic City Communities and the Author of this list

While we don’t tend to cover news in Atlantic City, NETimeGambling.com does like to visit.  All three of us, Bin, Bert & Miguel love Borgata and the “Fly Borgata Experience.”  I fondly remember  the old days in Atlantic City – The Sands, The Claridge, and the AC Hilton.  Fun times at Bally’s Wild Wild West, and even up to the opening of Revel.

Times have changed radically from the years of being the East Coast answer to Las Vegas. To keep up with the latest news in AC, I also follow a website/podcast called “Due For A Win.”    I strongly recommend its Facebook Community and one other AC Facebook community,  Everything Atlantic City.  A well known East Coast gambling expert posted the following recommended list.  With his permission (he only wants to be known as @Scan720), here they are.

CRAPS

  • THE BASICS OF WINNING CRAPS by J. Edward Allen – This is a short no nonsense, no filler, book that teaches you what you need to Know to play the game
  • FOREVER CRAPS or CASINO CRAPS SHOOT TO WIN by Frank Scoblete
    Mr. Scoblete has numerous gambling books especially craps related. These two give you a nice overview of the game

BLACKJACK

  • BLACKJACK TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN BY Henry Tamburin
  • THE BIG BOOK OF BLACKJACK by Arnold Snyder
Blackjack

Blackjack

CARD COUNTING (BJ)

  • BLACKJACK BLUEBOOK II by Fred Renzey Proven method to beat the game in an easy to understand format.
  • GOLDEN TOUCH BLACKJACK REVOLUTION by Frank Scoblete.  A radically different method to counting that can be learned in a day.

ROULETTE

  • JOHN PATRICK’S ROULETTE: A Pro’s GUIDE TO MANAGING YOUR MONEY AND BEATING THE WHEEL.
    The wheel cannot be beat, but Mr. Patrick’s “Big Four and Little three” are valuable in any casino game.

COMPS

  • WHALE HUNT IN THE DESERT: SECRETS OF A LAS VEGAS SUPER HOST by Steve Cyr
    A reminder that your host is NOT your friend. (Get the newer edition.)
  • COMP CITY by May Rubin Somewhat dated by interesting stories/info
  • HOW TO BE TREATED LIKE A HIGH ROLLER ..EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE NOT by Robert Renneisen
    Somewhat dated by interesting stories/info written by a former AC casino manager

GENERAL GAMBLING BOOKS

  • CASINO GAMBLING FOR DUMMIES by Kevin Blackwood
  • GAMBLING101 by Michael Shackelford

NOVELS

  • THE BOARD WALKERS by Fredrick Schofield. An Atlantic City Based Novel
  • MEGA CASINO THE 13th CASINO by Fredrick Schofield Atlantic City Based. Some characters form the authors previous book reemerge.
  • GOD DOSENT SHOOT CRAPS – A DIVINE COMEDY by Richard Armstrong
  • DICE ANGEL by Brian Rouff
  • FOOLS DIE by Mario Puzo

NON FICTION

  • 24/7: LIVING IT UP AND DOUBLING DOWN IN LAS VEGAS by Andres Martinez
    The author used his book advance on a Las Vegas Gambling spree
  • SUPER CASINO:INSIDE THE “NEW” LAS VEGAS by Pete Earley
    Published in 2001, details the changes form early Las Vegas to the 2000

What are your suggestions?  Let us know.

Gambling destinations?  Travel suggestions?  Video Poker and Poker?  Baccarat?  What would your list look like. What are your suggestions?  Let us know. Send it to us and we’ll publish it for you!

Don’t forget to check out “Due for a Win.”

Bin

Reality Checks For Recreational Gamblers

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Another losing gambling session?

“Three Reality Checks For Recreational Gamblers” is what happens when i read a self-help book and apply it to recreational gambling. “Why Your Life Sucks” by Alan H Cohen points out many life “wake-up calls” to help enjoy life. It’s funny, informative and helps you re-evaluate the choices you have made. In addition, this book can aid in making better choices in the future.

After reading it, I felt it could help recreational gamblers. I thought to myself, “how many people leave the casino grumpy, as if losing is a huge surprise.”  Subsequently, here are Three Reality Checks For Recreational Gamblers.

Leaving Las Vegas - usually a quiet plane ride.

Leaving Las Vegas is usually a quiet plane ride.

So, does your gambling suck?  Do you know why?  Maybe it’s because you don’t embrace the realities of the gambling industry. It’s time to look at your casino trips differently with the following three suggestions that will enhance your experience.

Three Reality Checks For Recreational Gamblers

1) “Fortune isn’t something that happens to you, it is something you create”

“You can’t win if you don’t play.” Many recreational gamblers think each visit entitles them to a winning session. Maybe, just maybe, you could win the big one to change your life forever. As a result, many times we leave the casino disappointed, unhappy or even angry at the casino. Generally, there are things you can do that will enhance your visits. As a rule,  know the best strategy for the games you play, as well as taking advantage of free play and multiplier reward points / tier points days increases the “fun” value with potential  longer & more profitable sessions. However, the most important advice to limit your session’s “suckiness” is don’t overplay your bankroll to gain higher status. Keep to your bankroll.

Cousin Vito’s Podcast always ends with a quote from Vito’s “friend” Roman Statesman Seneca.

So true. Thanks for the quote, Vito!

Accept losses, don’t chase them

2) “Don’t get involved in the dark side” of gaming.Losing at Gambling?

The gambling industry is a business and like any other business, it’s intends to make money.  As a result, don’t feel entitled to win.  The house edge is a reality to insure the industry’s success. So don’t expect perks that you don’t earn and don’t expect the casino to insure your winning because you’re a good customer. Expect loses and accept the cyclic patterns of winning and losing.

And stop thinking conspiracy and fixed machines. Look up what a random number generator does (RNG). The house advantage, remember, is built in without switching machine computer chips or throwing that famous “switch upstairs” that immediately changes machines from loose to tight. Be knowledgeable about the industry instead of continuing myths and superstitions to make yourself the poor victim.

Related Post – Recreational Gambling and Acceptance

“Yes, your thoughts betray you.” – Darth Vadar, Return of the Jedi

3) “It’s not what happens to you during your visit , it’s your viewpoint of what happens that’s counts”

“Search your feelings, you know it to be true.” This Star Wars quote is heard throughout the series. Remember this one, “Your feelings betray you.” That may be true with your feelings at the end of your session. You have a choice in how you assess your gambling success, and how you react to it.  You can choose either to enjoy and learn in a positive manner or bitch and complain, making yourself miserable as well as those around you you. Therefore, enjoy the wins as well as those casino employees who know the meaning of friendly, good service. By the way, enjoy the excitement of breaking even – yes even. By breaking even, you’ve beaten the house advantage. If you play for a few hours and break even, be happy for the free entertainment, the rewards points you’ve accumulated, and the free beverages you’ve consumed.

Embrace the math, not the Myth.

Now, back to the casino. But this time, don’t let your feelings betray you. Go with the flow. That’s all for now.

Binbin

Don’t Let Casino Trickery Turn You Into An Irresponsible Player

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Oh, those who think that casinos should run their business and still let everyone win – and still pay the bills! Human beings are becoming so entitled. If you ask casino patrons on a bad streak, they will say the casino is up to something – they aren’t winning – and it’s the casino’s fault.

Listen, casino gambling is a recreational activity, with the vast majority of games offered having a skewed advantage to the house – we all know it, we just sit at that slot machine, riding that trip down the river of denial.

An article by Dr. Harrigan, the lead researcher and contact person for the University of Waterloo Problem Gambling Research Team. His primary research interest is in gambling addictions with a focus on why so many slot machine gamblers become addicted. In his article, he deals with many factors that the “Casino Industry” is basically trying to make addicts out of all of us – real, concerning, and a serious topic for potentially addictive gamblers.

So, how do casinos entice the individual gambler into gambling more? One way, to reference Dr. Harrigan’s article, is that the casino is not truthful about how much the slot machine pays. I’ve got news for you – hold on to your hat – that’s why it’s called “gambling!”

Big Win – Everytime?

Dr. Harrigan’s article says “…..on modern slot machines, half of ‘wins’ are actually net losses. An example would be a $1 bet with a 30¢ payoff. This is a loss of 70¢, but the machine shows bright graphics and makes sounds announcing a win. Researchers call these events Losses Disguised as Wins (LDWs) and have clearly shown that players experience these as actual wins, giving the players the (incorrect) positive feelings that they are winning.”

No kidding. The invention of video slots gave the impression of lots of small hits instead of waiting longer for bigger hits in reels. Bonuses also play in this game – individual hits can be small more often due to the chance and volatility of hitting a bigger bonus. We all wait to hit THE BIG ONE! Lotteries, the worst odds of all, wouldn’t be so popular – but we want the chance to hit the BIG ONE! In the longer run, the real problem is that the payout percentage continues to be lower throughout the country. Why? Because as a culture, we still intend on being constantly entertained, so it doesn’t matter to most players. We know the games pay less – but we like the fun, so we play them anyway. Why would so many people settle for 6/5 blackjack? or 6/5 JOB Video poker? Or Keno?

Caveman Keno

Here are two rules to live by as a casino visitor:

  • The responsibility on which casino games to play rests solely on the shoulders of the gambler.
  • Gamblers that play often be responsible enough to KNOW the best games, best strategies, and the pitfalls of high casino-advantage games.

So, be aware of the “tricks” (or maybe they are just good business practice) and take responsibility for your gaming. If it’s not fun anymore, contact GA, tell the casino to not allow your entrance (which casinos do to help addicted gamblers any time you feel you can’t control staying away) and seek help.

It’s not a black and white situation. It is neither solely the casino’s fault or the addict’s – it’s a gray area, more complex than any single blog could summarize.

So, be careful, be smart, be knowledgeable, and go to the casino with a money management plan for your visit every single time. This way you limit the “trickery” of those casinos, and also help to either leave with money, or at least lengthen your bankroll’s life.

That’s all for now.

Binbin