Here's a link about the midwest casino executive of the year, Sal from Greektown.
http://info.detnews.com/casino/columns/details.cfm?column=waddell&myrec=174
I didn't vote for him
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "John.G.Zaroff" <John.G.Zaroff@d...>
wrote:
Here's a link about the midwest casino executive of the year, Sal
from Greektown.
···
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John is also a good writer. Check out his article on video poker's
friend, old Sal Semola.
--VP Pappy
Published 1/5/2003
Zaroff: Greed drives Detroit casino
Greektown ban isn't about fairness to typical players
Sal Semola, of Detroit's Greektown Casino, has been trying to explain
the casino's decision to bar certain video poker players ("Casino
bars few to protect many," Dec. 3).
I was one of those players barred from Greektown Casino. Some of
Semola's statements are, at the very least, misleading.
Semola wrote: "We have taken this action, as opposed to taking our
highest-paying machines off the floor, reducing their payouts and
curtailing our comp and cash-back programs."
Before the bans, Greektown had already reduced the pay table on the
majority of its highest paying video poker machines. After the bans,
Greektown cut the pay tables on almost all of its remaining decent
video poker machines.
Greektown cut in half the cash back for everyone about a year ago.
Then Greektown cut the cash back for video poker in half again.
Since cash back and comps are based on the same point system, the
comp program has similarly been reduced.
This decision isn't about opportunities for Greektown's players to
win or benefiting the vast majority of its players. It's really about
greed. Greektown is only making about $900,000 per day.
Semola wrote of the players who were barred as "these professional
and promotion chasing" video poker players and teams who jeopardized
winning opportunities for all other guests and monopolized machines
that its regular customers enjoy on a daily basis.
How do nine players monopolize machines? Greektown has 12,000
visitors a day. It has well over 1,000 slot and video poker machines.
In the last year I played mostly a nickel, 50-play machine. I'd play
a couple of hours in a day, two or three times a month.
Rarely, if ever, did I ever wait for a seat, nor was anyone waiting
to play.
I was playing 8/5 Bonus poker on these machines. If I played
absolutely perfectly - no mistakes, no stuck buttons, no looking at a
cocktail waitress instead of watching my hand - I would only LOSE $30
to $35 per hour. So, only losing $35 per hour makes me an advantage
player?
Semola wrote: "professional level gamblers often target a casino.
They come in the form of card counters, whose play hurts every other
guest at their table."
How does a card counter hurt the other players at the table? They
might affect Greektown's projected profit numbers, but they certainly
don't affect the other players at the table.
By the way, I am a professional ... a professional engineer with a 50-
hour work week.
Greektown made a decision based on profits, not customer
satisfaction. Why can't it just say that?
John Zaroff lives in Belleville.
Published 1/5/2003
Zaroff: Greed drives Detroit casino
Greektown ban isn't about fairness to typical playersSal Semola, of Detroit's Greektown Casino, has been trying to explain
the casino's decision to bar certain video poker players ("Casino
bars few to protect many," Dec. 3).
......snip......
Semola wrote: "professional level gamblers often target a casino.
They come in the form of card counters, whose play hurts every other
guest at their table."How does a card counter hurt the other players at the table? They
might affect Greektown's projected profit numbers, but they certainly
don't affect the other players at the table.
Depending on how/when they bet, card counters may affect the other players
at the table.
For instance, if the counter only plays hands when the "count is high" they
reduce
the percentage of "good cards" that the other players receive.
A favorite betting method for card counters is to stand behind the other
players,
counting the cards and playing only when the distribution of remaining cards
is
skewed in favor of aces and tens. By using this method they are dealt cards
that contain a higher percentage of aces and tens. Correspondingly, the
cards the other players receive (counting all the hands that these other
players receive) contain a lower percentage of those cards. In effect, it
is
as if the other players are playing against a deck with fewer tens/aces and
the card counters are playing against a deck with more tens/aces. Of course
the overall distribution of cards dealt reflect the correct frequencies
(assuming
a fair/unbiased deck).
The greater the ratio of card counters/others, the greater the effect would
be.
G'luck
Gamb00lin F00l