The Montana Play

[Mickey]

I didn't come to Montana looking for an edge. A couple of years ago I just happened to be passing through and decided to stop into the Crystal Lounge in Billings, Montana. The Crystal was the first place I ever played Texas Holdem back in 1984. So I just figured to stop in and see how the old cardroom was doing. It's where Annie Duke got her start.

There were 20 multi-game machines sitting off the cardroom. I'm sitting there playing poker and looking at those machines and thinking to myself "I can go over there and check payscales but I'm not gonna find anything here. It's just not the kind of territory one would find an edge. It's bound to be all sucker games."

But I go over anyway and start looking at the payscales not expecting to find anything--but I did. That's how it all started.

You're right about Nevada. Especially right now. I haven't said anything about it, and I will have to shut up about it--I got friends who wouldn't be too pleased--but anyone with a clue can run $8000 to $10,000 a month in freeplay/bounceback in Las Vegas right now.

Why am I not there? There is a woman involved. She doesn't want me to leave Montana. And I don't want to leave Montana/her either. Except maybe for some short trips.

[2-WILD1]

Great story from the AP vault Mickey!

You've talked about this play from time to time, but I don't remember if you told us exactly how you decided the game was worth analyzing? And did you do it long-hand with a calculator? I'm not sure if this schedule will fit software, so today's spoiled players might have been unable to solve the payback and strategy and given up. But you figured it out. Impressive!

Once you get a play like this, the problem becomes milking it without drawing attention to yourself or tipping off the casino to the drain from the game. I'm sure you just rotated casinos, but it must have been tricky planning how you would do it?

Stories?

···

--- In FREEvpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "mickeycrimm" <mickeycrimm@...> wrote:

I didn't come to Montana looking for an edge. A couple of years ago I just happened to be passing through and decided to stop into the Crystal Lounge in Billings, Montana. The Crystal was the first place I ever played Texas Holdem back in 1984. So I just figured to stop in and see how the old cardroom was doing. It's where Annie Duke got her start.

There were 20 multi-game machines sitting off the cardroom. I'm sitting there playing poker and looking at those machines and thinking to myself "I can go over there and check payscales but I'm not gonna find anything here. It's just not the kind of territory one would find an edge. It's bound to be all sucker games."

But I go over anyway and start looking at the payscales not expecting to find anything--but I did. That's how it all started.

You're right about Nevada. Especially right now. I haven't said anything about it, and I will have to shut up about it--I got friends who wouldn't be too pleased--but anyone with a clue can run $8000 to $10,000 a month in freeplay/bounceback in Las Vegas right now.

Why am I not there? There is a woman involved. She doesn't want me to leave Montana. And I don't want to leave Montana/her either. Except maybe for some short trips.