Gambling With an Edge - Gabby Girl part 2

Gabby Girl returns, telling us about her interactions with mobster Tony Spilotro and others.

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Show Notes

[00:00] Intro
[00:43] Listener question #1: Should a casino care about simultaneous pass and don't pass bets? [05:18] Listener question #2: Is it just as effective to count only aces and tens?
[07:30] Listener question #3: Do casinos care if players use a video poker strategy card at the machine?
[09:00] Listener question #4: Which machines are best for coupon redemption?
[10:35] Listener question #5: Is a 25% commission reasonable to sign someone else's W2G
[14:17] Gabby Girl's experience wearing a wire in a DMSO case discussion
[19:19] Has Gabby Girl ever testified?
[21:00] Gabby's experiences with Anthony Spilotro
[22:11] Tommy Amato discussion
[26:59] Conflicts between private investigator work and social life
[30:57] Prostitution sting at The International (currently known as the Hilton)
[35:23] Serving papers on a boxer
[40:44] Chateau Vegas
[42:39] Frank Cullotta's avoidance of gun use
[44:48] Toastmasters

Gambling With an Edge - Gabby Girl

Our guest this week is Gabby Girl, a woman who was a private investigator back in the early 1980s and did work for Oscar Goodman as he defended mobsters.

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Show Notes

[00:00] Gabby Girl Intro
[00:55] Show Notes for GWAE
[02:12] Richard randomly experiences of the value of an Las Vegas Advisor coupon at the Palms [03:42] Listener email question #1: Why would a sports book ban a sharp player?
[06:43] Listener email question #2: How do you discretely scout table games?
[08:40] Listener email question #3: When is it socially acceptable to leave a poker home game? [11:14] Listener email question #4: Is 6:5 blackjack here to stay in Las Vegas?
[13:40] Listener email question #5: Why are Europeans more accepting of constant shuffle machines? [14:23] Listener email question #6: Where does Richard play chess online?
[14:54] Gabby Girl's experience as a private investigator before she was 21
[16:14] How Gabby Girl learned to extract information from people
[18:01] Cary Sayegh kidnapping case
[21:13] Joseph Yablonsky and Oscar Goodman
[24:23] Gabby Girl's father's perception of her job
[25:23] Anthony Spilotro and the Hole in the Wall Gang
[29:15] Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal
[35:11] Frank Cullotta
[41:29] Eddie LaRaue and bonuses for serving difficult subpoenas
[47:39] Surveillance in adultery cases

Las Vegas Advisor - https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/
Mob Museum - https://themobmuseum.org/
Chicago Joe's - http://www.chicagojoesrestaurant.com/

Gambling With an Edge - Eric Rosenthal part 2

Our guest this week is Eric Rosenthal. Eric returns to continue our conversation about advantage traveling.

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Show Notes

[00:00] Introduction of Eric Rosenthal,
[00:50] Richard wants to go to London efficiently via cash and/or points
[07:15] How to build a network of casino hosts, getting value from social skills and host referrals [14:18] Utilizing player cruise offers, UrComped.com
[20:28] Creating goodwill by referring other strong players to hosts
[22:32] Identifying and maximizing tier-based benefits, additional cruise offer discussion
[30:00] Are hosts interested in AP video poker players?
[33:53] Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott, and Cosmo points
[36:58] Timing action and "theoretical" to maximize offers
[40:10] Could someone earn Seven Stars only via churning without gambling?
[43:08] Markers versus front money
[46:04] Leveraging non-casino programs to negotiate with hosts
[50:52] The need for modern day travel agents/award travel specialists
[52:48] "Vegas Confessions" podcast

Award Wallet https://awardwallet.com/blog/
Urcomped https://urcomped.com/
Travelzork https://travelzork.com/
Twitter @erosenthal1029
Email ericr@travelzork.com
podcast Vegas Confessions https://www.vegasconfessionspod.com/

Gambling With an Edge - Eric Rosenthal

Our guest this week is Eric Rosenthal. We talk to Eric about combining advantage gambling with advantageous use of travel options.

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Show Notes

[00:00] Introduction of Eric Rosenthal, @erosenthal1029, ericr@travelzork.com
[00:45] TravelZork.com, casino loyalty and travel loyalty education company
[02:45] Eric's experience with Revel's $100k loss rebate promotion, mailers, and the benefits of verifiable play
[13:36] Finding partners, managing taxes, and dividing comps from the Revel $100k promotion [18:25] Parlaying play at Revel into offers from competing properties in Atlantic City
[32:56] Travel hacking, manufactured spending, credit card discussion
[40:40] Tracking loyalty and credit card points, Award Wallet app
[43:54] Nothing lasts forever in AP or churning
[45:34] Creating extra video poker "theoretical."
[49:48] What has happened to Eric's team since the Revel promotion?
[52:42] How is Las Vegas for comps?
[54:05] Creating extra table games "theoretical."

Max Rubin's Comp City https://amzn.to/2PJt2mC
Award Wallet https://awardwallet.com/blog/
Urcomped https://urcomped.com/
Travelzork https://travelzork.com/
Twitter @erosenthal1029
Email ericr@travelzork.com
podcast Vegas Confessions https://www.vegasconfessionspod.com/

Gambling With an Edge - Dr. Nick

Our guest this week is Dr. Nick.  Dr. Nick is a blackjack player, gambling writer, and host of the podcast Dr. Nick and the Hot Aussie Chick.

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Show Notes

[0:30] Listener question #1:  Basic player card info for video poker

[4:29] Listener question #2:  Tips for memorizing basic blackjack strategy

[7:39] Listener question #3:  Blackjack and No Limit Texas Hold'em risk of ruin

[11:52] Dr. Nick's arrest for allegedly cheating at Green Valley Ranch

[20:30] G2E's "Current Cheats, Scams, and Frauds" seminar featured Dr. Nick's case, despite dismissal of charges

[31:15] Dr. Nick's path to blackjack and experience with the MIT blackjack team

[39:49] Blackjack in Las Vegas, EV of players card versus EV of anonymity 

[44:01] Dr. Nick's case against Caesar's for breach of innkeeper's duty

[46:03] Dr. Nick's educational background and current projects

[48:30] "Dr. Nick and the Hot Aussie Chick" podcast

"Dr. Nick and the Hot Aussie Chick" podcast Gamblingwithanedge.com

Casino Verite software https://www.qfit.com/

Playing Blackjack as a Business  https://amzn.to/2PbJxqn

Theory of Blackjack  https://amzn.to/2NoyRnO

The Course - https://amzn.to/2PIlron

Gambling With an Edge - RX Gamble part 2

This week is part 2 of our interview with RXgamble, a woman born and raised in Vegas who went from casino dealer to top advantage player.

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Blog rxgamble.com
Twitter @rxgamble

Gambling With an Edge - RX Gamble

Our guest today is RXgamble, a woman born and raised in Vegas who went from casino dealer to top advantage player.

podcast 
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Blog rxgamble.com
Twitter @rxgamble

Gambling With an Edge - Listener emails

We have no guest this week. Bob and I answer listener emails.

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Gambling With an Edge - guest Max Shapiro

Our guest today is Max Shapiro, longtime CardPlayer columnist of "Read 'Em and Laugh," and one of the best poker humorists of all time. But first we go back to the mail bag to answer listener questions.

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Gambling With an Edge - poker player Barbara Enright

Our guest today is Barbara Enright, member of the Poker Hall of Fame, the Women's Poker Hall of Fame, and the Senior Poker Hall of Fame. Barbara is also the only woman to ever make the final table of the main event of the World Series of Poker. Before our interview with Barbara we answer listener emails.

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Gambling With an Edge - guest Jimmy Jazz

Bob and I are joined by Jimmy Jazz to talk about getting the most bang for your bucks on auto rentals, air travel, and credit cards.

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Show Notes

Gambling With an Edge - card counter Ryemo

This week our guest is Ryemo (pronounced RYE-mo), who is a family man who plays blackjack full time without a partner. Ryemo is on the road playing about 500 hours per year, and talks honestly about the difficulties of life on the road, and long losing streaks.

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Show Notes

blackjackdiscord.com

Gambling With an Edge - Poker Pro, Tony part 2

Bob and Richard visit with poker player Tony in the second of two back-to-back interviews. We speak of how the UIGEA and Bitcoin regulation are related, cheating in poker, online tells, and being clipped in a European strip club.

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Show Notes

Gambling With an Edge - Poker Pro, Tony

Bob and Richard visit with poker player Tony in the first of two back-to-back interviews. We speak about how he got started, his WSOP bracelet, and his experience playing in Macau,  among other topics.

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Show Notes

[00:35] Tony’s first poker BR and rebooting

[04:30] Live poker and underage gambling

[09:39] Limit Hold ‘em bots

[14:59] WSoP event where Tony won the bracelet

[17:56] The Macau gold rush and money exchange

[21:48] Differences between Limit and No Limit

[23:35] Tournament v.s. Cash games & Tony’s take on mixed games

[32:15] Cases and how to handle cheating in poker for both online and offline games

[45:31] Online tells

[48:41] What are the big mistakes that online poker players make?

[51:57] Poker resources   

Gambling With an Edge - Tax Adviser Russell Fox

Our guest this week is tax adviser Russell Fox.  Russell is a tax adviser with many professional gamblers as clients.  We talk about the new tax laws, and how they effect both professional gamblers, as well as the recreational player.

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Show Notes

Gambling With an Edge - Super host Steve Cyr

Bob and I talk to super-host Steve Cyr. We received many questions for hosts from our listeners, and many of them made it into the podcast. We will have Steve on again in the near future to address more of your questions. You can always submit questions to us at gamblingwithanedge@gmail.com. 

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Show Notes

[00:51] Salary host v.s. Theoretical loss hosts

[02:51] The changes in Palms in the recent 6 weeks

[05:29] The new rule on the source of funds and its effect on casinos

[08:58] Does Steve tell people to wire the money?

[09:58] How to verify the sources of funds and whose blame it is if the source is incorrectly identified

[11:41] What’s the benefit of wiring and calling the host ahead of time?

[13:20] Using central credit

[14:27] If the host makes promises to a player based on some amount of action, and he plays nowhere near that amount, what happens then?

[16:13] Hard comps

[19:58] Discretionary comps

[25:09] Representing players internationally v.s. domestically

[31:23] Steve and boxing

[34:17] Tip etiquettes and realities for hosts

[38:28] Awkward situations with advantage players

[40:19] Subtleties with promo chips

[45:41] If a player stiffs the casino, how does this affect Steve?

Email: Steve@Stevecyr.com

Twitter: @SteveCyrVegas

Gambling With an Edge - Listener emails

We have no guest this week.  Bob and I answer listener emails, and then discuss lessons we learned about gambling from starting out in backgammon.

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Show Notes

Gambling With an Edge - Maria Konnikova

Bob and Richard are joined by Maria Konnikova, a writer and psychologist who contracted with poker star Eric Seidel to teach her enough tournament poker so she could write a book about it. Turns out she was pretty good at poker. The book has been delayed as she pursues poker full time.

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Show Notes

[00:49] How Maria met Erik Seidel

[03:53] Deciding on the learning process?

[05:09] The initial vision of the book?

[05:56] How much time did Maria originally plan to practice? Was it a full-time commitment in the beginning?

[08:29] Did she move to Las Vegas?

[09:19] The arrangement at Aria

[11:50] Erik’s lessons and his book recommendations

[12:46] Maria’s poker experience prior to the project

[15:19] Low limit tournaments in Las Vegas that were different from online tournaments

[18:04] Angle shooters & women players

[21:59] Maria starting to play professionally

[22:49] The Poker News article on Maria

[24:17] Black Widow’s comment: advantage and disadvantages of playing as a woman

[27:13] The false dichotomy of approaching poker psychologically and mathematically

[32:57] Poker Star’s sponsorship of Maria’s project

[34:10] WSoP & satellites

[36:07] Tournament winnings & turning full-time poker player

[38:19] Did the book change along the writing process due to the unexpected developments with her poker experience?

[39:50] Will some chapters be published in different places before the publication of the book?

[41:54] Will she play poker 5-10 years later? Other immersive projects in the future?

[43:16] Is Erik comfortable with Maria writing about what he taught her?

[45:10] Maria’s previous books

[46:51] The Grift podcast

[49:04] Last thoughts

Maria Konnikova: https://www.mariakonnikova.com/

Best ways to reach Maria:

    Twitter @mkonnikova and 

    Instagram @grlnamedmaria

Maria’s books:

    The Confidence Game  https://amzn.to/2xpjtUW 

    Mastermind  https://amzn.to/2L7wPaq

    The Biggest Bluff: https://www.mariakonnikova.com/books/the-biggest-bluff/

The Grift Podcast: http://thegriftpodcast.com/

The Poker News article on Maria: https://www.pokernews.com/news/2018/05/maria-konnikova-poker-30637.htm

Erik Seidel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Seidel

Jennifer Harman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Harman

The Sia Lata episode: https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/gambling-with-an-edge/podcast-poker-pro-sia-layta/

Harrington on Hold’em vol.1: https://amzn.to/2LlMabG

Harrington on Hold’em vol.2: https://amzn.to/2uQHZdQ

Harrington on Hold’em vol.3: https://amzn.to/2LlMQ0I

Gambling With an Edge - Sports betting coming

Bob and Richard are joined by four sports betting experts to discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling legalizing sports betting across the country. Anthony Curtis, Frank B, Captain Jack, and Jake (aka The Chairman) all chipped in with their opinions.

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Show Notes

[01:35] The situation with the union and the strike.

[05:04] The integrity fee, royalties, and the leagues.

[12:36] Is the new change good for the AP?

[18:58] Anticipating which state will legalize sports betting first.

[27:11] The effects of lobbying

[32:13] New casinos and promotions

[35:33] Future of other online gambling

[38:21] How would legalizing sports betting affect Nevada and New Jersey?

[44:47] Nationally legalizing sports betting

[49:24] Indian tribes and sports betting 

Weighing The Odds in Sports Betting by King Yao

Conquering Risk: Attacking Vegas and Wall Street

Sharp Sports Betting by Stanford Wong

Gambling With an Edge - The Big Blackjack Team

This week we are joined by "Thea" and "Theo," a brother-sister combination who talk about the early days of their blackjack team-playing experiences. This pair went on to run one of the biggest and most successful blackjack teams in history.

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Show Notes

[00:46] Origin story

[07:37] The expansion of the team

[19:25] Getting away with it

[21:35] Being a female player & Backoffs

[30:06] Stories before the team became big

[33:45] 150+ hrs losing streak and early lessons

[40:45] Cross-polination with other Blackjack teams

[42:24] Rigorous checkout process

[49:06] Compensation structure

[54:02] Investors & time commitments of bankroll & administrative expensive