Handicapping while cynical

[DJofSD]

Everybody seen "Let It Ride"? Remember the scene where Dryfus runs around with program in hand scratching off every horse that some one else selects as their winner for the upcoming race? Well, just for fun, I've been listening to the local weekend handicapping program and recording the selections. These guys must be in a rough patch -- they can't even pick their noses. It's a great way to flat out eliminate horses. Of coarse you know what will happen tomorrow -- they'll go on a hot-streak.

[Ron]

What are your picks for tomorrow?

[DJofSD]

Don't know and I'm not sure I'll even play the races tomorrow (Sunday). Listen tomorrow 7:00 AM PT for the 'Race and Sports Radio with Felix Traverna'. (http://www.kogo.com/pages/streaming.html)

BTW, HOL could very well have their first "off-track" with the Cushion Track on Sunday.

[Dave Schwartz]

Sounds like Dave's Handy-Dandy craps system.

Years ago, (1977 to be precise) I was dealing craps at the old Cal-Neva Lodge on the North shore of Lake Tahoe. We had a guy betting $100 checks in an absolutely stupid fashion. He was drunk and obnoxious, and had a reputation for being abusive to the dealers. In addition, he always found a way to lose. Always.

I got this idea... What if I went looking for a guy like him and bet against him?

So, after work (I worked days) I drove to Harrah's on the South shore and began looking for a prime target. It was a busy night and it did not take long to find him.

He was betting green checks ($25) on the pass line, making a come bet on every roll and taking double odds. Whenever he won, he would bet the money back and over-extend himself on the odds in such a manner that, after every hand, he had lost money. The hundred dollar bills were flying out of his pocket and then he went to credit.

Now, I didn't have but a $100 or so to play with, so I went to the other end of the table and decided that I would bet against him - $2 for every green check.

Quickly we were both strung out - him on the front side and me on the backside, laying double-odds. As soon as he got 4 numbers working with odds - "Seven out-" and I collected every wager.

This continued for maybe 20-30 minutes. Every time he got the numbers loaded (and me on the backside with the best of it) they'd seven-out. Usually he would not collect a single wager!

When he caught a little bit of a hand he pressed so hard that I got all of it back and more. Even with my $2 units in lightning fast time, I had about $400 in front of me.

Suddenly, in the middle of a hand, with him on the front side, he switches to betting "dont come." I, of course, start betting the come line and taking double odds.

The dice just rolled and rolled. LOL - I lost all my don't bets and now had bets on all the numbers (front side) with double odds. And the numbers rolled and rolled.

And he began to chase the money. Suddenly, he was making $200 don't bets and I have graduated to $5 for every quarter so I am betting $40 with $80 odds.

His $200 don'ts are now $500 and laying as much as $2,000 in odds. I am betting $100 come bets with $200 odds. I literally have around $2k on the layout!

So, what does mister loser do? Why, the only thing he could do to maintain his status as loser - He says, "Take all my bets down and place the numbers." Now, remember, these are don't bets! At the very least he should placed the number and left the bet alone, trying to win the difference.

I immediately say, "Take down all my odds," but I know I am absolutely doomed on the next roll. If I could only take down all my frontside bets! For a split second I actually consider a $500 bet on any seven.

Seven out... I am wiped out... except for the $1,200 in odds I got back and the other $300 I had in the rail. But $1,500 from a single "mallard" (as we used to call Ben Franklin's back then) was not bad and it had been great fun.

BTW, at the end of the night I was totally exhausted... I felt like I had been playing against him rather than the house, even though I know that is not true.


I actually played the system 3 more times... twice with small success and once where I got thrown out of Harrah's at the request of the big player.


Regards,
Dave Schwartz


(FWIW, I hope you enjoyed this story... it is 100% true.)

[bigmack]

Smashing story Dave. "Mallard" for a hun?

:lol:

http://www.nevadacasinochips.com/N4992.jpg

[PriceAnProbability]

Everybody seen "Let It Ride"? Remember the scene where Dryfus runs around with program in hand scratching off every horse that some one else selects as their winner for the upcoming race? Well, just for fun, I've been listening to the local weekend handicapping program and recording the selections. These guys must be in a rough patch -- they can't even pick their noses. It's a great way to flat out eliminate horses. Of coarse you know what will happen tomorrow -- they'll go on a hot-streak.

Im 1980, at Belmont, I was stuck in line behind Jimmy The Greek, and I was torn between the #3 and #4 horses. #3 was 6-1, #4 was 8-5. The Greek says "$200 win #4." I bet $4 to win on #3, who cruised at $14.60.

[Dave Schwartz]

Mallard... yes.

Back when I used to work on the floor, we used to manually count the "drop" of $20's and $100's on a per-player basis. This served two purposes...

First, it allowed us to keep what was called "the walk sheet" on each player. When a guy walked away with a significant amount of checks (that's casino talk for "chips), the pit boss would ask, "Wha'd he walk with?" The correct response was to say, "In $220 in twenties and out two blacks and three green," or some such nonsense.

The second purpose was so the pit bosses and above could sweat the money all day.

There was serious competition between the shifts. Generally, about an hour before the shift changed they would take "the count." Believe me, that you better have a pretty good estimate (based upon drop vs. fills plus "walks") of how every game stood that you were in charge of at any given point during the day.

Bear in mind that I am not talking about tiny casinos here... I mean the Golden Nugget in the mid-'70s (when Wynn first took over).

LOL - We were so low-tech that we actually used tally marks on pre-printed sheets. When a floor man went on break, he would take his replacement around the pit and give him the "lowdown" on each player. The sheet actually had a place for "description" in case you did not get an opportunity to get the guy's name.

Okay, so "mallard."

When you dropped a $100 bill, it was referred to as a "mallard" so that if a patron overheard they wouldn't know what you were talking about. There were, of course, lots of other names - a buy in with five $20's was often referred to as "the Jackson five," for example.


Oh, I could tell you such stories... When I used to do in-person seminars, on Saturday night we would always have a banquet. After dinner, instead of telling jokes, I would do an hour of casino stories. A couple of times I did an hour on cheating at the different games - everything from "flat dice" to crooked roulette balls; from players using "hold outs" to "Spec Parsons' stories." That last one... I could do at least an hour on Spec Parsons (AKA Lawrence Revere)... but they are usually only appreciated by fellow card mechanics.


Regards,
Dave Schwartz

[Pace Cap'n]

Oh, I could tell you such stories... When I used to do in-person seminars, on Saturday night we would always have a banquet. After dinner, instead of telling jokes, I would do an hour of casino stories. A couple of times I did an hour on cheating at the different games - everything from "flat dice" to crooked roulette balls; from players using "hold outs" to "Spec Parsons' stories." That last one... I could do at least an hour on Spec Parsons (AKA Lawrence Revere)... but they are usually only appreciated by fellow card mechanics.


Regards,
Dave Schwartz

How about just a few?

[Dave Schwartz]

Sure, I know your type... you figure I just can't resist an offer to to speak.

Well, I can. (At least for now - but I'll try to write something later.) <G>


Dave

[bigmack]

I could do at least an hour on Spec Parsons (AKA Lawrence Revere)...
Hell, just in aka's alone he's quite the character. Born: Griffith K. Owens, aka. Leonard "Specs" Parsons, Lawrence Revere & Paul Mann. So what would he say: "I'll teach you how to count cards and we'll start with your ability to call me by the name I'm using this week"