I must ask.
Do any of you even notice when I make a reference to a famous line spoken in an old movie?
Just wondering.
Sometimes, I wonder if it is even worth my effort
Please, sometime when you are asking me a question, toss in an old movie quote that pertains to the topic in question.
That way I will know that you are not locked up somewhere being force fed calming medication by nurse Ratched.
Thanks,
Happy Holidays, David
Well, as a sociologist and as a person, I’m interested in how larger social organizations influence individual lives and interpersonal interactions. So, for example, the individual stories of meeting with mob characters is very interesting to me. I started watching Casino last night on your recommendation.
Sorry, I have been caught up with family B S for the last month and have been neglecting you. I will try to add something every weekend or so to keep your interest.
So, a little history of poker in the US, to the best of my knowledge. I was not there at the beginning, so I am relying on what I have read, heard and seen for this article.
Ok, poker really took off after the US civil war as we expanded toward the middle of the continent, known as North America.
Mining camps, railroads being built, steamships, new cities, cowhands looking for something to pass time with when the sun went down, etc. The rules were being made up on a day-by-day basis and passed around. Poker, as we know it today is based on several older games, so we had some common rules to start with. Like a 52-card deck with four suits must have helped a lot.
Anyway, you get the picture.
As the country became more civilized, (meaning more churches and more women groups nagging their husbands) it was decided to make more laws restricting what people were allowed to do in public for fun. Ok, I can understand this, at least part of it. But running hard working women out of some towns seems a bit harsh, at least to a single male, traveling around the country and who had not slept under a roof for the last month. Anyway, let’s take the state of California. It was now, rich, powerful and had city Governments with important men in charge of making these new laws. Eventuly the topic turned to gambling in city limits, and eventually to the game of poker. For gambling in general, which games were to be legal and which illegal, not to be played. Well, it just happened that when rich, powerful men got together for a night out to blow off a little steam, the gentleman’s game of choice was a form of poker called five card stud (or draw). It was played in all the best gentlemen’s clubs in town (to which ordinary cowhands could not even get in the door, also, I might add, women).
(A good movie to watch that showed women at a disadvantage at this time, would be “GENTLE JIM” staring Errol Flynn)
When the laws were being proposed, which games to make legal or illegal, a strange thing took place. In the wording of the laws, they specifically named which forms of gambling were to be declared illegal, and named them, each and everyone. They did not name which games were legal, just which games were illegal.
Strangely enough, in this long list of games that were forever more to be considered illegal in the state of California, five card stud was not mentioned. If it was not illegal, therefore it was legal. Gentlemans clubs in California continued to play five card stud without fear of the law breaking down the door and hauling away the State Governor and the state elected assemblymen.
Bad press and all that.
That brings us up to the near present. Poker rooms continued to be run all up the coast of California in every major city playing just five card stud. There were no professional dealers in most places. The players dealt themselves and the house collected time from each player sitting at the table. Yes, cheating was a problem. Different forms of cheating. One popular way of cheating was putting a small piece of a razor blade under a fingernail and using that sharp edge to mark cards. Until recently, let’s say the 1980s you saw some men playing poker with one knuckle of a finger missing from one hand. That was the penalty for being caught with a piece of a razor blade under a fingernail. The local law was not sent for. They just took the offending player over to the bar, got out a good sharp knife, and cut off the top knuckle of the finger that held the razor blade that was being used to mark cards with at the table.
Sort of a lingering scarlet letter, so to speak. I guess you could say his illegal poker days were over.
Then came the 1980s in California. Someone actually read the laws of the state of California. The legal byplay of over a hundred years stood out in blazing letters.
ONLY GAMES LISTED WERE ILLEGAL UNDER THE LAW
Seven card stud was not even thought of back then. Guess what? Not on the list. If it is not on the list, it is not illegal. Anyway, someone got a group together to put it to the test.
They bought some land and built the Bicycle Poker Room in Las Angeles. On opening day, the police were there in large numbers to close them down as soon as the first hand of Seven Card Stud was dealt. The Bicycle club also had their lawyers on hand with a fistful of injunctions to keep the tables in action until the matter could be settled in court. The Bicycle club has been dealing poker nonstop ever since that day. A few years later they tried their luck again. In 1885 (I think that’s the year) the law said that Blackjack (21) was illegal. So, the Bike started playing “22”. You know the script, cops, shutdown, paper injunctions and all the rest. The bike kept dealing “22” for years. I have not played there for a while, so I do not know if they made a deal with the state to play “21"or are still playing"22”.
This is where a lot of fantasy Blackjack pit games came from. They were new, not on the list as illegal, so if the house thought the players would be stupid enough to play it, out it came for the players enjoyment. I say players, but I really mean house. You would not believe just how bad the odds are for the players at some of these fantasy games in casino Blackjack pits.
What’s that old saying, “There is one born every minute”.
That goes a thousand-fold for casinos. But hey, most people expect to lose, so boy have they come to the right place
As long as they can have a little fun doing it, have a good time.
Ok, I killed a little time and I hope you enjoyed reading it.
Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR, David
I just posted on, FUNNIEST POKER HAPPENING AT A TABLE.
Take a look, you might enjoy it.
I just posted a story on “BAD BEATS” that you might enjoy reading
I still enjoy just thinking about it. Every time that I think that I have seen it all, something new comes along at a poker table.
Have a Happy New Year,
David
Hi David
Thoroughly enjoyed your posts, and please keep them coming.
Got to say having been to America, New York, Mexico etc that Northern Cyprus has played some of the highest hands i have personally seen.
Still nothing compared to back in your day but something to behold and not to engage in after a few sherberts.
Best
Terry
You got that right! Those sherberts sneak up on you!
Glad you enjoy reading my memories.
Have a Happy New Year,
David
I just wrote a post in “How do you do” in the Poker Discussion section.
You might enjoy reading it.
Have a happy new year,
David
You delt blackjack, do you really think knowing how to count cards will make you money and is it legal?
Ok, here comes the good news, good news, bad news answer.
Yes, knowing how to count cards will definitely give you a winning percent edge over the house while playing Blackjack.
Yes, counting cards is legal.
But, and here comes that big, hairy butt.
The house (Casino) has the legal right to bar card counters from playing in their casino for no other reason than that the house believes that they are using a card counting method.
Ever seen the movie, “Catch 22”?
That’s one hell of a catch, that “Catch 22”
The trick is to devise a method of counting cards that will not be noticed by the Blackjack pit supervisors or the eye in the sky.
Good Luck. You might actually do it. Most casinos these days do not teach their floor people even the basics of how to protect the house from cheaters. They just teach them how to do a dealer lineup and how to make a fill at a table. With three minutes instruction, you could learn how to open or close a table.
Personally, I was always against the notion of banning card counters. It is easy for the house to beat them.
First of all, the house has to have figured out that the person is a card counter. A card counter counts the number of high and low cards that are still being used in the blackjack shoe before a reshuffle. After a reshuffle, the house cuts off one and a half decks of the six decks in play and puts those cards out of play.
That leaves only four-and one-half decks for the card counter to start his count from. Once the house spots a card counter all they have to do is tell the dealer to cut off 3 decks that will not be in use instead of the usual one and a half. If he sticks around, tell the dealer to cut off four decks. He will eventually get the message and leave. Why anger him and the players around him by having security make a show at the table and upset the other players.
We are all here to have fun, so let’s have fun.
Watch the movie “21”. It will give you a really good idea about card counting.
Also, move back up to my post on Dec 22nd about the old Chinese couple who found a new way to count cards and beat the house.
Have a happy New Year,
David
They use a different method of dealing with card counters in Atlantic City.
Ever see the the trilogy called “The Godfather “ ? That’s how they deal with card counters in New Jersey!! Nobody cheats the house !!
Hi Craig,
What you say is very true,
but the two gentlemen in “Casino” were not card counters.
I am not sure if what they did was even illegal. Yes, I guess they might be charged with cheating in a court of law, but I have no idea what they would be charged with, specifically. The dealer was improperly trained and was flashing his whole card to anyone who wanted to look. I wonder if that dealer is the person they found in the barrel at the bottom of lake Meade recently.
Anyway, they all got off easy for Las Vegas or Atlantic City.
My wife, Linda, and I got a free round-trip vacation to Atlantic city recently given to us through the Harrah’s Rewards program.
We did the boardwalk sight-seeing thing and played poker in a nice poker room just off the Boardwalk. What was really nice was that the Poker Room let the players order Chinese meals delivered right to your poker room seat from a little Chinese restaurant just a block away. Their Lemon Chicken was out of this world.
I guess I am going to have to watch the Godfather Trilogy again.
I do not remember seeing any card counters in that series.
I guess I just forgot about it,
Have a pleasant New Year,
David
By the way, Craig,
I knew many cheaters while living in Las Vegas. I am not counting the Mob Hit Men. I knew slot machine mechanics, poker whole card artists, Crap table and Roulette cheaters with amazing sleight of hand tricks. I was once offered the opportunity to be taught how to become a poker mechanic by the mob, but I turned them down. I thought about it, but decided, no way. By then I had learned that as long as you did you not ask the mob for anything, you were out of sight, out of mind. Once you became indebted to them in any way, your life became a rollercoaster with no end in sight for the rest of your life.
Stay off the rollercoaster and have a nice day,
David
I didn’t mention the movie “ Casino “ at all but they could have been charged with a federal crime those 2 guys. There is no card counting as it was a reference to New York and New Jersey. It’s a lot different in Atlantic City than it is in Nevada. Still it’s even more sinister now with electronics tampering then it was in the 70’s and 80’s. I’m glad you and your wife enjoyed your trip but it must have been freezing on the Boardwalk which hugs the ocean.
Stay away from my rollercoaster !
Craig, Thanks.
We were there in September, so it was ok.
We missed all the storms, but just barely.
It was a little windy, so we took a ride on one of those human drawn carts from one end of the boardwalk to the other and stopped to play a few hours poker on the walk back.
We flew in and out of Philadelphia and used the train system to spend a very nice time walking around downtown near the Liberty Bell and the other famous revolutionary landmarks. We walked through the building where Thomas Jefferson stayed while he penned parts of the Declaration of Independance. The bed in his bedroom was so small in length that my knees would have rested on the end if I could have laid down full length. He must have curled up in a fetal position every night to sleep.
I just looked it up. The man was six feet two inches tall, and I am only 6’1’. Ouch. LOL
Later, David
Sounds like a wonderful trip. If you enjoy historical trips then you absolutely have to come up here and discover the Boston Freedom Trail, USS Constitution, Bunker Hill, etc. let me you said, then my little houses. I’m 6’1” also and navigating was tough lol.
Also you’ll be able to spend some time at the new Wynn Encore Hotel and Casino next to the train station downtown 
The movie catch 22 is a great classic. i saw the movie 21 ( 4 times) lol. I used to try and count some in A.C. when playing 7 stud and no games but i stopped when they would not let u play until shoe was over as i would get in when i noticed a lot of high cards left and low cards out but floor people would start looking and standing near me so i stopped as i knew many people from poker there and got rooms free or dirt cheap, i figured why rock the boat and ruin a good thing i had in poker . Saw Rounders about 12 times but my favorite poker movie is still The Cin. kid.
Hi Bill,
The next time you watch rounders, near the opening credits, Matt Damon goes around his apartment collecting money to go play poker with. Watch what he pulls out of the dresser drawer. It is the empty box of a VHS tape. The label on the box tells you the plot to the whole movie.
The missing VHS tape is Mike Caro’s “Book of Tells”.
“Pay dat man his money”, after he throws his box of Oreos against the wall.
Have a profitable year,
David
Bill8888, Hi,
You are ok to play blackjack at that table if you like the card count and they let you come in late. Just make the same medium size bet every hand. Don’t change the amount bet. That is what they are looking for. Don’t go maximum, don’t go minimum. Keep your bet the same until you leave the table. They will lose interest in you quickly. It is the variation in bet sizes that will get them suspicious. They have not done any card counting, only you have.
Leave the table when you no longer like the count.
Good luck,
David
Yep BUT that is how u make money lol, bet small when high cards out, bet BIG when low cards out but u bring attention to yourself in a heartbeat and not worth the hassle. i bet on players in sports now ( and some poker ) as 8 hard years of grinding bought me a decent house from 7 stud but i stopped betting on teams in sports and try telling my friends that Vegas does not like to lose. You got the 10% juice and then the sucker bets and everyone loves the over in football (boring watching rooting for the under) but if you noticed the division round and AFC and NFC championship games ALL 6 went under and Vegas cleaned up and most of my awww not smart buddies lost money:)…You are very smart, many years of knowledge and fun to read Aceto5. I Rember i use to be like him in Rounders, i had money in socks and 18 different places in apartment lol…Now older, wife and money keep in bank lol.