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I have two distinct lives. One in the trenches of low-budget film and television, the other in professional gambling. Because of the feast-or-famine nature of show business I need a reliable income... gambling. So here you will read about both worlds. Enjoy!



Thursday, March 14, 2013

A couple random thoughts

I read a couple things that caught m eye this week. First there is this. 7 rules for recording police. Professional gamblers may have to deal with police in several situations. The first is when driving with large amounts of cash. In the past I have advocated recording the police in these situations. Laws vary from state to state, but as you will see in the article it is legal to record the police in 38 states, and even some states that do not have laws permitting it classify it as a public conversation so you are still protected. The two most important states for me are Nevada and California, but take the time to research your own situation. Two other situations that come to mind are dealing with police in airports, and in casinos when they have been summoned by security. Be aware, just because you are not breaking the law doesn't mean you may not get arrested. Anyway, it's a good article so check it out, and know your rights.

The second article was Bob Dancer's weekly article at the Las Vegas Advisor. There Should Be a Limit.
In Bob's case it involves an annoying fan talking to him while he is trying to work, but for blackjack players this is a much bigger deal. You should never, ever, talk to another advantage player inside a casino. NEVER. I don't care if you think you are in good, or "it's not a big deal," or, "I haven't played here in months." You don't know if you have heat. You don't know if the other person has heat which now may transfer to you. I was 86ed because of exactly this kind of careless behavior.  An AP came up and talked to me, it turned out he had a lot of heat, and because surveillance was watching him I was infected, and then 86ed. This happened even though when he talked to me I looked at my watch, and said, "Get away from me" as if I was telling him the time. Some people will talk in the bathroom where there are no cameras, but even then you don't know who may be in a stall and hear you, or who may walk in and see you together. So if you see me in a casino, send me a text, or an email, but please don't come over to say, "hi."

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