Forming a team - part 1

There has been a lot of chatter on the blackjack boards recently about new teams forming. I wanted to take this opportunity to pass on some of my thoughts on teams. I have played on 5 or 6 teams over my career, and what I mean by a team is a group of players who have a shared bankroll, and a target they must hit before they break that bank. The target can be either a monetary win, or it can be a fixed number of hours, weeks, or months. When the target is hit the bank breaks, money is distributed, and a new bank is formed.

Before I get into it I want to say that it has been over 20 years since I played on a large team, and 15 since I played on a small one. Now I have partnerships. The difference is that I now have a handful of partners. 2 or 3 of us will get together for a short trip, maybe 2-7 days. We play together for that trip and split the money equally. No commitment, no muss, no fuss. We are all together so we know exactly what games we are playing, and how much we are betting. On my last large team, when we finished we had money on 4 continents in 6 currencies. It was like working for a large corporation. In other words, it was like a job. Teams are great for guys with short bankrolls. It is a chance to grow your BR, see the world, and meet other professional players. But I much prefer the way I do it now.

I am going to lay out some of the problems that I have encountered

Gambling With an Edge - guest Mark Anduss

The guest on the show this week is Mark Anduss. Mark is a poker player that runs the website Mark's Las Vegas.  Mark is on to talk about the difference between the Total Rewards program at Caesar's properties, and the MLife program at the MGM properties

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Gambling With an Edge - guest Andy Bloch

The guest on the show this week is Andy Bloch. Andy is a very well known professional poker player, and a former member of the MIT blackjack team.

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Name That Casino - Pit Boss edition

If you are singing "Viva Las Vegas," don't get "All Shook Up" if you see Hawaiian Elvis sweating your blackjack game.

Hawaiian Elvis

Hawaiian Elvis used to wear Elvis glasses like this...

but now he is trying to tone down his look. Tell him you want, "A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action," but don't "Step on his 6 Deck Shoes."

Seriously, what pit boss carries his own microphone? Name that casino!

Send me your own photos of funny looking pit bosses for future episodes. I know one of you readers just played with a pit boss that looks like female Al Pacino. Snap away!

Gambling With an Edge - guest Colin Jones

The guest on the show this week is Colin Jones. Colin is one of the founders of the "Church Team" which was profiled in the documentary The Holy Rollers. You can read my review here. http://www.richardmunchkin.com/2012/02/holy-rollers-documentary-about-card.html

He has the website Blackjack Apprenticeship where he trains new card counters.
http://www.blackjackapprenticeship.com/

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The World's Greatest Gaming Authority

Gambling With an Edge - guest Ed Miller

This week's guest is Ed Miller, author of Small Stakes No Limit Hold Em, and How to Read Hands, as well as 4 other books on poker. We talk about the new online poker, and the upcoming World Series.

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