Pages

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, July 29, 2021

Gambling With an Edge - guest attorney Stan Pietruska

 Our guest this week is Stan Pietruska.  Stan is an attorney in New Jersey.  We talk about the legalization of sports betting, online poker, and the Phil Ivey case.

We welcome your questions - send them to us at gamblingwithanedge@gmail.com, or you can find me at @RWM21 on Twitter or https://www.facebook.com/GamblingWithAnEdge.


podcast
Click to listen - Alt click to download

Show Notes

[00:00] Introduction of gambling attorney Stan Pietruska
[00:37] Dan’s background in gambling
[02:28] PAPSA
[04:33] Off-shore sites in the late 1990s
[07:21] UIGEA
[11:39] Why did some poker sites still allow U.S. players?
[13:30] Chris Christie
[19:50] Phil Ivey case
[27:35] Fanduel’s NFL pricing error
[31:01] Does Dan take gamblers’ civil rights cases in New Jersey?
[33:58] South Point August Casino Promotions - free gift promotions, email free play promotion for locals
[35:35] BlackjackApprenticeship.com - card counting training site and community with a member's forum, casino database and software tools
[36:08] VideoPoker.com/gwae - Free Pro Membership trial for GWAE listeners
[36:36] Live betting at William Hill and others
[38:56] Barring sports bettors in New Jersey
[40:37] Super Bowl streaker wager
[43:48] Caesars’ surveillance case
[46:43] Current state of online poker
[52:58] Recommended - Downton Abbey, Gosford Park, The Other Woman by Daniel Silva, Tales from the Pit by David Schwartz


Sponsored Links:
SouthPointCasino.com
BlackjackApprenticeship.com
VideoPoker.com/gwae


Tales from the Pit episode:
https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/gambling-with-an-edge/gambling-edge-week-3/


Recommended:

Downton Abbey Netflix.com/title/70213223
Gosford Park Amazon.com/Gosford-Park-Maggie-Smith/dp/B000I543SM
Tales From the Pit https://amzn.to/3j1mFKX
The Other Woman https://amzn.to/3f5KDTU

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Gambling With an Edge - former surveillance operator - Junior part 2

Our guest this week is a former surveillance operator named Junior.  For the last 15 years Junior has worked in surveillance rooms on the Las Vegas strip. This is part 2 of our interview.

We welcome your questions - send them to us at gamblingwithanedge@gmail.com, or you can find me at @RWM21 on Twitter or https://www.facebook.com/GamblingWithAnEdge.

podcast
Click to listen - Alt click to download

Show Notes

[00:00] Introduction of Junior, recently retired surveillance expert
[00:19] How often does a casino track a patron to get their license plate?
[02:51] Does a large color up without cashing out cause heat?
[04:05] Will surveillance ever check the trash to identify patrons?
[07:42] Other techniques used to identify persons of interest
[10:45] ID scanners
[11:17] Causes of heat
[14:03] Cheating at craps, other inside jobs
[19:15] A fun baccarat play
[21:54] Loss rebates
[23:22] Any chance that Junior returns to surveillance work?
[25:50] Tracking jewelry or clothing?
[26:48] Cheating at poker
[29:31] How to get in touch with Junior
[29:55] Can software effectively analyze play on blackjack variants?
[31:00] South Point Casino July Promotions - "Free Play with a Kicker"
[31:35] BlackjackApprenticeship.com - card counting training site and community with a member's forum, casino database and software tools
[32:07] VideoPoker.com/gwae - Gold Membership offers correction on most games, free Pro Membership trial for GWAE listeners
[33:15] Biometrica
[35:43] MGM sweat shops
[37:33] Do casinos care about losing card counters?
[41:06] Splitting tens
[42:36] Flagging players with a players card
[43:40] Chip shuffling
[44:42] What do APs do to draw heat that could have been easily avoided?
[49:21] Recommended - The Winner by David Baldacci, Bosch on Amazon Prime


Sponsored Links:

SouthPointCasino.com
BlackjackApprenticeship.com
VideoPoker.com/gwae

Recommended:
The Winner by David Baldacci  https://amzn.to/3BoGowB

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Gambling With an Edge - guest Arnold Snyder

Our guest this week is Arnold Snyder on to talk about his new book Radical Blackjack.

We welcome your questions - send them to us at gamblingwithanedge@gmail.com, or you can find me at @RWM21 on Twitter or https://www.facebook.com/GamblingWithAnEdge.

podcast
Click to listen - Alt click to download

Show Notes


[00:00] Introduction of Arnold Snyder, blackjack expert and author of Radical Blackjack
[00:26] Arnold's career in playing blackjack, blackjack forums, and publishing
[05:11] Pricing The Blackjack Formula
[12:21] Arnold's other books, Blackjack for Profit, Blackbelt in Blackjack
[14:12] Developing the unbalanced count, the Red 7
[18:56] Why did it take so long to publish Radical Blackjack? Loss rebate discussion
[32:11] Doubling on a hard twelve
[41:55] South Point Casino July Promotions - Free Play with a Kicker
[42:33] BlackjackApprenticeship.com - card counting training tools, members forum, casino database, and betting software
[43:06] VideoPoker.com/gwae - Gold Membership offers correction on most games, free Pro Membership trial for GWAE listeners
[44:34] Is shuffle tracking dead?
[47:42] Betting six hands of $6k for an entire 6-deck shoe
[56:03] Recommended: Super Summer Theatre, Daylight by David Baldacci, Cottonwood Station Eatery


Sponsored Links:
SouthPointCasino.com
BlackjackApprenticeship.com
VideoPoker.com/gwae


Arnold Snyder's Huntington Press Site:
Huntingtonpress.com/arnold-snyder/


Recommended:
Supersummertheatre.org

Daylight by David Baldacci  https://amzn.to/3i9GZsZ

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Gambling With an Edge - guest Bill Robertie (backgammon)

Our guest this week is two time backgammon world champion and author, Bill Robertie. We discuss his new book, How to Play the Opening in Backgammon -- Part 2: Everything Matters.

We welcome your questions - send them to us at gamblingwithanedge@gmail.com, or you can find me at @RWM21 on Twitter or https://www.facebook.com/GamblingWithAnEdge.

podcast
Click to listen - Alt click to download

Show Notes

[00:00] Introduction of Bill Robertie, backgammon champion author of How to Play the Opening in Backgammon/Part 2: Everything Matters
[00:28] Remembering Stan Tomchin
[02:48] How is Bill's new book different from the other books in the series?
[05:09] Bill's target audience for this book series
[07:42] Counterintuitive plays
[08:34] Does writing about backgammon improve Bill's game?
[10:04] Making your own 3pt versus 22pt
[19:42] 6-1 is weaker than 3-1 and 4-2
[22:51] eXtreme Gammon
[30:25] XG making plays that conflicts how humans play
[34:02] South Point Casino July Promotions - Free Play with a Kicker
[34:30] BlackjackApprenticeship.com - card counting community, training suite, and forum
[35:05] VideoPoker.com/gwae - Gold Membership offers correction on most games, free Pro Membership trial for GWAE listeners
[36:23] Making an early ace point
[39:58] Considering opponent's style
[46:45] What will be covered in Part 3
[49:16] TheGammonPress.com
[51:45] Recommended: Hobak Korean BBQ, Mr. Kim's Korean BBQ, Colin Jone's new video on Youtube, Unsettled by Steven E. Koonin, James Grosjean's blog at GamblingWithAnEdge.com


Sponsored Links:
SouthPointCasino.com
VideoPoker.com/gwae
BlackjackApprenticeship.com

Recommended:
Hobakkoreanbbq.com

Mrkimbbq.com

Youtube.com/watch?v=XM7fPwjJKuk&ab_channel=BlackjackApprenticeship

Unsettled by Steven E. Koonin  https://amzn.to/3hk5vZk

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Gambling With an Edge - former surveillance operator - Junior

Our guest this week is a former surveillance operator named Junior.  For the last 15 years Junior has worked in surveillance rooms on the Las Vegas strip. We will be having Junior on again soon so if yu have more questions for him send them to us at gamblingwithanedge@gmail.com.

We welcome your questions - send them to us at gamblingwithanedge@gmail.com, or you can find me at @RWM21 on Twitter or https://www.facebook.com/GamblingWithAnEdge.

podcast
Click to listen - Alt click to download

Show Notes

[00:00] Introduction of former surveillance employee, Junior
[00:17] Junior's gambling experience outside of surveillance
[00:57] Getting into surveillance
[03:23] How much attention do casinos pay to slot and video poker players?
[04:59] Hustlers
[06:35] Multi-carding
[07:47] Facial recognition
[13:26] What information is shared across company properties and with competitors
[14:31] Ted Whiting
[15:49] Techniques used to identify card counters
[18:09] Methods used to identify other forms of advantage play
[23:21] Surveillance room culture
[25:57] How much time is spent monitoring casino employees?
[29:05] Cheating and theft by employees
[34:22] South Point Casino July Promotions - Free Play with a Kicker starts July 5th
[35:08] BlackjackApprenticeship.com - card counting training site with software, tools, and members-only forum
[35:41] VideoPoker.com/gwae - Gold Membership offers correction on most games, free Pro Membership trial for GWAE listeners
[36:41] False positives
[39:50] Playing uncarded
[41:29] Is wearing a hat a red flag?
[41:55] Hole carding
[43:19] Phil Ivey and Kelly Sun
[46:36] Famous players
[51:57] Did Junior ever contact a player who was generating heat?
[53:02] Age, race, and gender stereotypes
[57:30] Recommended: No Stupid Questions podcast, The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson


Sponsored Links:
SouthPointCasino.com
VideoPoker.com/gwae
BlackjackApprenticeship.com


Recommended:
Freakonomics.com/nsq

The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson https://amzn.to/3dyzqdM