STREETWISE BLACKJACK

Streetwise Blackjack

Where's it At!

By Peter Ruchman

This week's column comes from the single most-asked question by customers at Gambler's Book Shop. They come with the expectation that we will be able to assist them. That we have been the industry leader in gambling information for more than 37 years gives them this expectation and all of us who work here are well equipped to do so.

The question concerns the location of the best places to play blackjack. Years ago, this innocent query was much easier to answer. The scenario often works in this manner. A long time blackjack player obviously familiar with our establishment comes to the store as soon as he/she gets to town hoping to glean some inside information. Or a relatively new player who heard about our reputation as the place the pros hangout wants the real skinny. These scenes are repeated throughout each day, every day -- honestly asked questions from well meaning people.

The problem here lies in the manner and speed in which information is distributed. A key word -- the Internet -- has changed everything. Years ago, prior to the technological revolution, there was a blackjack "underground." Gambler's Book Shop/Club was an active participant and resource for players who came in to swap formulas, theories, and trade battle stories. If there was a hot spot on the map, then a player would whisper in hushed reverent tones, "the Crab Leg Casino in San Cristobal, Puerto Rico, is dealing single-deck all the way down and letting you spread forever!"

Those days are long gone. Several factors are responsible -- the explosion of players and casinos is one, the Internet is another. Finally, management at most levels finally joined the educated, coming to the realization that card counting in blackjack really does give the skilled player a distinct advantage. This is a far different position than that taken by management for years, when the older casino staff smirked that card counters were just another offshoot of starry-eyed system players.

One nice feature of the Internet is that gives a large amount of people access to a wide variety of information any time night or day. Just as in real life, the first two successful topics of general interest to receive active participation were sex and gambling. As the Internet took off in the late 1980s and early 1990s, bulletin board services (BBS') and chat rooms dedicated to gambling mushroomed overnight. Now, if you went to the old Crab Leg Casino and made a score, you could tell the world, and that's just what many did!

Just a few problems here. I bet you can see them coming. If everyone knows the score, the besieged Crab Leg will change the game before you know it. Then there's the casino staff of the Crab Leg. Newly-educated managers and shift bosses acquired computers and someone, sooner or later, probably told them about the Internet and the BBS' and chat rooms. How do you think the casino manager of the Crab Leg reacted when he logged on and saw some rube boasting about making a killing in his casino? A fast follow-up to his surveillance tapes to confirm the date and time ID'd the player. A subsequent perusal of his balance sheets showed his drop and hold figures reflected this man's visit.

Guess who wasn't warmly welcomed when he returned? Nor were his friends, or anyone else who appeared to be knowledgeable in the blackjack arts. As the Internet exploded in popularity, with faster and more accurate technology and devices, so has the availability of gambling-related web sites. Now, more so than ever, those millions of new and older blackjack players can swap notes and compare experiences and theories. It is no longer necessary to wait for a trip to Las Vegas and come to 630 South 11th Street. One can discourse on the merits of the Zen count versus the Red 7 from the comfort of your living room.

Naturally, these conversations are monitored and recorded by many other interested eyes, some of which belong to the concerned industry. Put it this way -- if you were a casino surveillance or shift manager, with your job performance on the line and game protection for your casino at stake, wouldn't you pay attention? The convergence of high-speed information, gambling's expansion in the 1990s, and attentive and educated casino personnel have combined to make the simple, innocuous question, "Where's the good games in town?" far more difficult to answer these days.

There was a time geographical areas owned distinctly different rule variations. We spoke of Reno rules, Downtown Las Vegas rules, and Strip rules. Those distinctions have blurred to the point that there are fewer and fewer all the time.

The answer to the question is that there isn't any single place. There are sympathetic dealers or disinterested floor personnel who make things interesting for a while. But consider the consequences of putting the names of these individuals out for public display‹it is at your own risk and theirs as well. If Joe on graveyard gave you a few extra hands, and helped you out, do you really want the world, including his boss, to know it? You can help salvage the compassionate dealers by keeping the experiences to yourself. If you find a good game, the worst thing to do is run to an Internet chat room, like alt.rec.blackjack or rec.gambling.blackjack or bj21 or rge21 to tell the world. These are all highly recommended sites for information and converstaion. Just don't spoil the fun by letting the world in on your discovery!