In a message dated 1/10/2003 2:49:54 PM Pacific Standard Time,
vpFREE@yahoogroups.com writes:
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 17:16:28 -0500
From: rankarbo@aol.com
Subject: Re: tightening VPNow that all the words are hitting the wind about VP advantage play, I
would like to ask if any of you think casinos use shills or other folks to
aggravate advantage players?I ask because I noticed something on my Sept. trip to LV that had not
happened before but makes me wonder if the casino might be fighting back.I was playing at Boulder Station, where i often play, and using my homemade
strategy card which i have always perched on the glass (it fits behind the
coin slot so perfectly!) I was minding my own business. Not button
slapping, not blowing smoke, not bothering a soul, just trying to enjoy my
VP vacation.Yet, four times odd circumstances occurred that seemed designed to
discourage my play.First, i am playing away and an overtalkative woman walked up, grabbed my
left hand which was laying in my lap, and gushed, "Oh what a gorgeous
ring!" Yeah right, it's my wedding ring, special to me, but people do not
come from several yards away to admire it. I pulled my hand back and
looked all around concerned this was part of some "team" activity to swipe
a coin bucket or something. Only the other players were around though.
She grabbed my hand again and started in about the ring. I said, "I am
concentrating on the game. Can't talk and concentrate." She proceeded to
lecture me that "everyone there played for fun, etc.........." I continued
to ignore her as she sat down next to me and began blowing smoke
everywhere.Wouldn't have thought much about it, but twice later in the casino in two
different areas VERY unsavory men came and 1. hovered over my shoulder
commenting on the game or 2. sat nearby, not playing, loitering and giving
me the creeps that something illegal etc. was going to go down.The fourth incident involved a casino employee whispering to me during a
hopper fill that I'd been "seen working over at the Reserve" too. I first
thought he mistook me for a casino employee and took it in that vein, but
he made some other comment about being a pro.Heck, if i was a pro i wouldn't need the strategy card. I know most people
might not set it in plain view, but i have done it for years without any
difficulties (other than a couple of execs at the suncoast freaked once
summer 2001 saying among themselves they hoped a bunch of other people
weren't going to start coming there using cards.........) the card is the
same yellow they use on most machines it blends so beautifully. yeah, i
know the cameras can read your watch but since i only get to play mostly on
vacation keeping the card handy is very useful -- but i will not do it
anymore given the current climate.have other people had discouraging events occur when using a card or
appearing very intent on their game?quad karen
This reminds me of a blackjack movie in which Kevin Costner played a part.
Can't remember the name of it.
To get to the point, Costner is tutoring a woman who is a wizard at following
the cards but has no casino smarts. The casino can't figure out how she beats
them & even plays them even when they throw a crooked dealer at her. In one
scene, a man in hurry bumps into her, knocking the chips out of her hand. He
apologizes, helps her pick up all the chips, apologizes again all the while
giving her a pat-down, then he reports back to his boss that she has no wires
or gimmicks on her.
This may sound paranoid but it's very possible that the first 3 characters
you met up with may have been on the casino payroll or thieves.
As for the casino employee's comments, maybe he's trying to make brownie
points with management by identifying & scaring off pros/advantage players.
More likely, they're in a bad mood or on a vendetta to scare off players who
they think are pros as the tips from pros are generally less or sometimes
nothing at all.
This leads to another question, why scare off a possible tip & leave an empty
seat? A couple of reasons:
--advantage players tend to play long sessions on the best machines & often
take up 2 machines which takes one or two good machines out of "tip income"
circulation for that session.
--with ticket machines becoming the norm & higher credit limits before hand
pays there are less opportunities for tips.
If you take the advantage players off the machines, you may lose 16 hours of
play on 2 machines with a possible tip at the end but you're gambling on
possibly 4 - 8 hours of play on popular machines from more people & possibly
more tip income.
As you can tell, I empathize with the employees in this regard as the casinos
become more efficient at minimizing play interruptions, jobs are cut back &
tip income drops. It's akin to what happened when banks introduced ATMs.
You can't stop progress. Since I do play long sessions I have my own personal
way of minimizing the pain:
--play at night where they are glad to get the business.
--order an occasional drink even when I don't need it. I'm partial to rookie
cocktail waitresses & order more frequently from them.
--tip on bathroom breaks when they watch my machine.
--tip on some handpays if I'm ahead or if it's a good one naturally by the
end of the session I may be a loser but I don't look back.
--during day play, don't play 2 machines unless traffic is light.
--if I'm playing 2 machines & someone wants one, give it up.
(Unless---there's a few exceptions here!)
OK, lb, I've played it straight for you, I'm sure you can come up with one of
your great zingers now 
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