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#1
Alrelax's Blog / So Wrong So Right
December 01, 2025, 12:57:49 AM
Yes anything and everything happens at the baccarat table! From the cards presenting unbelievable patterns, to the dealers off-the-wall attitudes and responses, to the floor personnel's supervisor lackadaisical actions or super strict compliance, to the people playing of all races and bank-rolls, to those watching the game with their out loud inquisitive comments, juggled with all kinds of emotions and responses.

Music. Some music fits in excellent for the bac table. Such as Stealers Wheel, 'Stuck in the middle with you', you know the song, that famous line so friggen perfect for the bac table  "Clowns to the left of me jokers to the right". And Pink Floyd's 'Money', you know that song too, "money it's a gas, grab that cash with both hands and make a stash". And the Dave Matthews Band, 'Burning down the house', you know that song also, "watch out you might get what your after, I'm an ordinary guy burning down the house ".  Oh yeah, let's not forget about KC and the Sunshine Band, 'That's the way I like it', so well-known, "That's the way uh-huh, uh-huh I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh I like it", the perfect repetitive lyrics for those wins after wins after wins, stacking up the chips! 

Dealers.  Although the shoe is either the real friend or the enemy of each person's session, there has to be a dealer to pull the cards and either swipe your chips away or pay you what you won. Dealers are usually the heartbeat of the game, some run a tight ship counting down the seconds until they smack the felt several times with the palm of their hand, signifying no more bets and yet others allow the players to run the schedule and how the game is actually played out. As well, certain dealers are all smiles and googly eyes, while others are as tight as a military drill sergeant on a Monday morning during basic training. When you become friends with a dealer as a regular player, you see a lot of the coldness suddenly goes away and then it becomes a much different game for many of us.

Floor Personnel.  From Floor Person to Pit Supervisor, to Floor Supervisor, to Table Games Managers, they all exist to keep law and order in the land of the unknown, the casino. While all the Floor Personnel of varying titles have basically the same goal, which is to run the games and take care of player's records and requests. The difference in personnel is there attire and their attitudes. From the, "do I really have to wear a tie and real shoes", to "I take extreme pride in my Sharp Dressed Man look". They stand there with their arms crossed, eyes locked on games, watching larger wagers and settling disputes while keeping the peace, they also stand there propped up against the podiums or a table waiting impatiently for their break time while either snickering at a dispute or laughing at the players fighting amongst themselves.

Players.  Some occupy seats with eye piercing thought, waiting for their prime trigger to wager a minimum table wager. Others wager thousands of dollars per hand with the precision of engaging in their grandma's secret cooking recipes. And of course, there is usually one or two standing behind all the seated players. They are usually passing their chips between their two hands making as much noise as possible by the clacking of their chips, up and down or back and forth. Those standing will usually wager quite infrequently, after several comments about why something should/has to happen and of course they place their wager right after pointing to that 'certain' something on the scoreboard. If their wager won, they usually once again point to whatever it was on the scoreboard that was an absolute certainty for an easy win. And if they lost the wager, they usually just go back to studying the scoreboard and not saying anything. Usually this happens more often than not.  Let's not forget about the newer player attempting to get a comp, that really doesn't have enough time or rating in to get some kind of small comp for a $20 or a $30 meal.  He is continually told that he needs additional play time.  Meanwhile he is risking well past the meal cost many times over. Never understood that but just to speed up the game I have witnessed a few times especially when a table was extremely hot, seeing a green chip or two tossed by other players to the person requesting the comp in order to get him to exit the game.

Watching The Game.  And finally those just watching the game.  Their out loud inquisitive comments such as how did two face cards lose to only a 5 and a 4?  Or how come the players do not draw additional cards? And at Midi/Macau games, why are the players totally vandalizing the cards?
#2
Civil & Criminal Topics / Caesars Executives Apologize
November 22, 2025, 01:46:44 AM
Caesars executives apologize for doing business with illegal bookmaker.  By, Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming.

Saying they didn't do enough to stop doing business with an illegal bookmaker, Caesars Entertainment executives apologized profusely and accepted responsibility for their failure before the Nevada Gaming Commission Thursday.


https://cdcgaming.com/caesars-executives-apologize-for-doing-business-with-illegal-bookmaker/
#3
November 13, 2025

WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) joined the Government of Mexico in targeting the Hysa Organized Crime Group and numerous Mexico-based gambling establishments involved in cartel-related money laundering and a slew of other criminal activities across Mexico and Europe. This coordinated action is the result of recent U.S.-Mexico commitments—secured during Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley's trip—to work together more closely to combat narcotrafficking and related financial crime by Mexico-based drug cartels and other groups.


https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0315


And here us another detailed explanation:

https://www.kget.com/border-report-tour/mexico-shuts-down-13-casinos-for-alleged-money-laundering/
#4
Sports and gambling odds rigged.  Plain and simple.

The card-swindling technology NYC mafiosos allegedly used to cheat victims out of millions in a years-long poker scheme is readily available for sale online.

A simple Google search for "X-Ray poker table" quickly pulled up numerous companies producing devices that apparently employ the exact technology mobsters used in their sprawling con, which prosecutors unveiled in a federal indictment Thursday.

That included businesses selling tables indistinguishable from regular poker stations, but secretly rigged with LEDs that can see through the felt and read the suit and value of any generic playing card on the sneaky surface.

Associates of four of New York's infamous "five families" crime syndicates allegedly backed a multimillion-dollar poker con that used elaborate technology to cheat unsuspecting players — and brought rare, unappreciated light to the mob's shadowy operations, officials said.

Associates of the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese crime families were named in a sweeping indictment that also ensnared Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and one-time NBA journeyman Damon Jones, according to prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York.

Federal authorities didn't hesitate Thursday to pin the poker scam on La Cosa Nostra, showing that organized crime is still a modern law enforcement concern even after FBI operations in the 1980s and 1990s seemed to decimate the five families.

"The mafia ... it's still a thing," said Geoff Schumacher, vice president of exhibits and programs for the Mob Museum in Las Vegas.

The mob works best when the public knows less about the people involved, according to Schumacher, who called famed bosses like the late Dapper Don, John Gotti, an "aberration."

"They didn't want the general public to be well-versed in their business. The one guy who kind of defied that whole thing was John Gotti because he just believed that he was untouchable," Schumacher said.

A dozen mafia associates played a role in the poker scam, prosecutors said.

Ernest Aiello and Julius "Jay" Ziliani were linked to the Bonanno crime family.

Louis "Lou Ap" Apicella, Ammar "Flapper Poker" Awawdeh, John Gallo, Joseph Lanni, Nicholas Minucci, Angelo Ruggiero Jr. were associates of the Gambino crime family.

Matthew "The Wrestler" Daddino and Lee Fama were identified as associates of the Genovese crime family.

Seth Trustman was linked to the Lucchese crime family.

And Thomas "Juice" Gelardo was called an associate of the Bonanno crime family and later an associate of the Genovese crime family, according to the indictment.

Gambling "is an easy pinch" and bread-and-butter income source for the mob, the author and former Gambino mobster Louis Ferrante told NBC News.

"I wasn't at all surprised," Ferrante said. "Gambling has been a mafia mainstay for the last 100 years. With all the RICO indictments that put so many people away for the rest of their lives (in the 1980s and 90s), the mob has sort of scaled back and they stuck with loan sharking and gambling because if you get busted, as long as there's no violence involved, nobody's beat up or threatened, it's a slap on the wrist."

He added: "These guys could do a nickel maybe in the can, as opposed to doing 30, 40 years or life sentences."

Organized crime soldiers and associates are busted all the time but rarely make news, said Seth Zuckerman, New York criminal defense lawyer and former Brooklyn prosecutor.

"It's not what it used to be, but it definitely still exists," Zuckerman said. "In underground poker games and things like that, where you need protection, you need a source of cash, the mob still has its involvement."

With legal online gambling, users are required to put up all of the money before they place a bet but the crime families operate outside of the rules by acting as an intermediary, offering people the ability to place bets on credit.

"There's still a need for that," Zuckerman said. "There are people who want to bet on credit, which as you know with legalized operations, you really can't do. So that's part of the mob's territory."

Federal action against Billups and Jones spill into two separate indictments covering poker and insider sports betting information.

The alleged mafia members are only tied to the alleged poker scheme. But the mob does have a long history of involvement in sports betting and poker.

The most famous sports betting scandal in American history, when the 1919 Chicago White Sox threw the World Series, was allegedly engineered by gambler Arnold Rothstein, a mentor to early Genovese boss Charlie "Lucky" Luciano.

The Colombo crime family had alleged connections to NBA officials in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Even though sports betting is largely legal in most states, that still didn't stop several Gambino soldiers from taking illegal bets in New York, state prosecutors said last year in a 17-person indictment.

The Lucchese crime family had alleged ties to a racketeering, gambling and money laundering operation out of New Jersey poker rooms that was taken down early this year, officials said.
The New York City area's "five families" include the four mentioned in the indictment plus the Colombo crime family.

FBI Director Kash Patel said federal law enforcement had "entered and executed a system of justice against La Cosa Nostra to include the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese crime families."

Old-fashioned mob muscle ensured victims paid up from their losses in rigged games, officials said.

"With respect to poker games held in the New York City area, members of the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese Crime Families, used threats and intimidation to assure payments of debts" in games organized by defendants Awawdeh, Trustman, Zhen Hu and Robert Stroud, the indictment said.

All crime families involved "received proceeds" from the crooked games, the indictment said.

The mafia's alleged use of cutting-edge technology that included hidden cameras and X-rays shouldn't surprise anyone, Ferrante said, because a mob boss can reach out to experts as easily as anyone else.

"The mob moves with the technology," Ferrante said. "Don't think that some capo, 'Frankie nine fingers,' or 'Joe the butcher' is making these moves. They're getting some geek who knows technology and he's doing it for them."

And poker is no different from fuel, concrete and construction when it comes to wise guy involvement, according to Ferrante, the author of "Borgata: Clash of Titans: a History of the American Mafia."

"The mob only has multiple families involved when it becomes something like gasoline, when they're doing multimillions of dollars," Ferrante said. "Concrete, when they were pouring all the concrete in New York; the windows, when they were putting in all the new energy efficient windows in the 90s; that's (when) all the families get involved because it's so big and there's so much money involved that you can't, one family can't keep it to themselves. "

He added: "So when you see four (of the five crime) families involved, you know that this is a huge racket."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uNPqbO_z3ss
#5
Alrelax's Blog / Players Arrested at Baccarat Table
October 14, 2025, 12:28:28 PM
Last night a few people were arrested after a major fight amongst them on the casino floor at the Baccarat tables last night.  Scuffle city, lots of action!

Pretty much a normal game. Just started, crowded, all incurring wins and losses of course. Banter back-and-forth amongst most everyone. About half Asian the rest were a few Latinos and whites. Mostly all known players.

Very well-known player walks up and talks to one of the individuals seated. His look by far is not the average one that he normally has. There is a guy standing a few seats away that just threw in about $700/800-ish and won the hand. Then he wagers on the next hand and won that one as well. The guy standing up and wagering on someone's spot was extremely quiet while not making eye contact with anyone.

The well-known player standing says something along the way of, now you should pay what you owe. Another well-known seated player whom I know it's not friends with the one that was standing that just said that, told him that the chips the guy was playing with was his money that he gave the guy. 

Turns out the guy standing, did previously borrow about $3K from the guy that told him, now you should pay what you owe. And it was owed to him, he just didn't want to come out and say that at the table in front of everyone.  Someone that was at the table with us did walk over to the guy standing whom was owed the money that the guy now obviously had, said a few things in Laos to the guy trying to get him to stop building the situation up that was quite evidently happening. 

Still no response or eye contact from the guy that owed the $3K to the other guy. The guy was still standing there wagering hands. I'm sure the guy that walked over and talked to the guy the money was owed to, told him that the guy claiming to have previously loaned the money obviously did not. 

The guy that was owed the $3k, his face was turning red. Not so much about the money IMO that was owed to him, but about the lying and the refusal to say anything or look at him.

The guy that the money was owed to, walked over to the guy standing and wagering, then said I shouldn't do this and hit him smack in the face and repeated it a second time on the opposite side. The guy that owed the money returned punches and the guy sitting that claimed to have lent the money to the guy, stands and attempts to break it all up. We all get up from the table and form a semi circle because we know security and on-premise sheriff deputies would be running over within a minute or two.

All three then began throwing full powered strikes at each other with the one who owed the money being knocked onto the table itself, causing numerous chips to scatter on the table and the floor. The dealer quickly grabs her chip rack cover and locks it down over the bank after loud verbal instructions from the pit boss. All kinds of personnel are running over to our table from inside the pit.

A few moments later several security and police officers arrive. All three of the players are handcuffed and lead away. The pit boss and security officers sort out the scattered chips and the chips that were belonging to the player seated, are put in a rack and given to one of the security officers.

Just another day around money I guess.

No party wound up pressing charges against the other I found out. All three received a 30 day ban from the property. It would have been permanent or for much longer, if any of the parties pressed charges and involved the criminal end of it.

I just have to post this link for the song that fits here, love the thoughts of the casinos and gaming included in it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w9vqQlJijbU&list=RDw9vqQlJijbU&start_radio=1&pp=ygUQbW9uZXkgcGluayBmbG95ZKAHAQ%3D%3D

#6
Alrelax's Blog / 4 Types of Pleasure
October 12, 2025, 10:39:52 PM
There are conceptually four distinct types of pleasure; Physical, Social, Psychological and Ideological. Pretty simple. Factual and well written about in the academic world.

Now, they are within us all while we gamble at a live casino baccarat table. 

Physical pleasure is at the bottom of the triangle, the largest portion of the space. The next is Social pleasure, the second from top is Psychological pleasure and on top with its smallest demand is your Idealogical pleasure. Each is unique in its own way.

Keeping in mind that all of us have varying restrictions and limitations to the physical end of the four types, we all would be about equal at a live Baccarat table with them. Therefore the reach, strength, ability to grip and our ability to sustain effort are pretty much minimal at the baccarat table putting that about equal between us all.  A given IMO.

The Physical Pleasure end is visually obvious at the table, winning as well as losing both produces visual appearances and actions that are absolutely obvious.  There really isn't much to control here.

The Social Pleasure end is the enjoyment and satisfaction we all seek and engage in whether that be at the baccarat table or elsewhere. Social pleasure is fueled by positive feedback and the company of others. The baccarat table provides just those unless you are losing, but you have to take the good with the bad.  Losing tends to offer support within the Social aspect.

The Psychological Pleasure end is instantly enjoyed at the Baccarat table beyond belief to any non-Baccarat player watching. It is the personality that seeks out immediate gratification of our needs of joy, gladness and just that plain ole feeling good. However, it is often contrasted with similarly inclusive pain, suffering and our feeling bad. Hence, winning and losing.

The Idealogical Pleasure end is perhaps the most powerful and detailed personalized pleasure by far of the four. The Idealogical Pleasure is related to values and beliefs that will be mixed from the classical right and wrong. The good and bad. The winning ways (decisions) versus those ugly horrible losing ways (decisions). In other words, it is what you think and practice that will determine your Idealogical Pleasure outcomes. It will affect you stronger no matter what you may think, believe or subscribe to within the game of baccarat and its presentments within each and every shoe.

When you/anyone is at a live baccarat table wagering money, the four types of pleasure that I outlined herein will be continually touched upon without a doubt. Subconsciously as well as consciously.
#7
I can write all day long about each one, but for lack of input from all the readers here, I'm going to restrain myself and just outline what reminds me of advantaged play with a little guideline chart that I have for myself.

Most Mistakes/Mistaken

1). Play too long
2). Chasing losses
3). Chasing a singular win
4). When it's there, you fail to wager and/or pump it up
5). When it's not (NOT) there, you fail to stop
6). Constantly increasing Bankroll and Buy-in amounts
7). Failure to have a rock solid M.M.M.
#8).Failure to Reset and/or abide by your Tier/Plateau 

Best Defensive & Offensive

1). Keep game relatively short
2). Believing it will all change soon if you are 100% alert
3). Change your responses to be in control, you create what happens with your wagering and no one else does
4). Long term strength is M.M.M. applied and used as a protocol along with your emotions recognized and controlled while applying
5). You do not have to have all the knowledge and experience
6). Gear your mind towards the shoe, not a limited event(s) to occur or reoccur


Discover and align yourself with the various (1) Protocols - (2) Opportunities and (3) Reality of what a shoe presenting itself offers.  (4) Be Careful, (5) Be Conscious and (6) Be 100% Unbiased. Not easy but if you remember those you will give yourself true advantages IMO and experience.
#8
Civil & Criminal Topics / Sheriff and Bingo
October 07, 2025, 11:31:16 AM
There was a Sheriff who had a game,
and Bingo was the name-o.
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
FULL OF CASH, FULL OF GOOD TIMES
And Bingo was the name-o.

Alabama sheriff misspent $5 million from county's bingo operations, audit report says.


https://www.al.com/news/2025/10/alabama-sheriff-misspent-5-million-from-countys-bingo-operations-audit-report-says.html
#9
Okay, I'm kinda surprised at the "dumbisticy" of the serious proposal here, but then again it's normal for those that wish.

Half-Billion Dollar Casino Rescue Plan Hinges on Boom. Analysts Predict Bust.  Sullivan County is telling investors there will be massive growth at a Catskills casino resort, but its own consultants predict decline.

Seriously, here is a piece from the in depth article.  "There's no collateral that the county or its taxpayers are responsible for," McPhillips said. "This is more to allow the casino to reconsolidate, reposition itself, and really invest in this property."  To reconsolidate and reposition itself?  To base grabbing a half billion dollars on the hopes it wins a NYC casino license enabling itself to spend billions more to build a NYC property?  All in the hopes to drag NYC table game players upstate.  What logic do they subscribe to?  Fairy tales of the lost world? 

.................."Because the parent company of Empire Resorts is a heavy favorite to win a casino license in Queens, the corporation reasons, Empire Resorts will soon have a database with a million new table game customers. It will be able to entice some of them to travel to the Catskills"................

Now I am beginning to understand their $26.00 per bottle of water charge.  And their early check in charges.  And their putting your items in their mini fridge charges.  And the original charge for nothing, the resort fee charge. 

https://nysfocus.com/2025/09/25/resorts-world-catskills-casino-bailout
#11
UPDATE:

NEW YORK — A proposed Caesars Palace casino in Times Square that's backed by Jay-Z lost its bid for a lucrative New York City-area gambling license on Wednesday after running into fierce opposition from Broadway theater owners and producers who were worried about its potential impact on the theater district.

A state-commissioned community advisory committee rejected the $5.4 billion plan to redevelop an office tower into a Caesars-branded hotel, gambling and entertainment complex.


https://wtop.com/national/2025/09/jay-z-backed-plan-for-times-square-casino-loses-bid-for-nyc-license-amid-broadway-opposition/
#12
Wagering & Intricacies / Finding An Advantage
September 15, 2025, 12:41:38 AM
You know we talk a lot about winning and sometimes about losing sessions. And most of the detailed talk is about the scoreboard roads, I wagered because of too many or not enough of this or that and of course, the armchair quarterbacking successes.  But have you ever really sat down and gave thought to your decision making process and what drove you to wager on whatever it was you did?

I believe a huge advantage to the Baccarat Player is, the ability to know what is really happening at the table and the interpretation of it.

I have found taking the uncertainty out of the picture is truly the key. It is not easy by any means, but you have to. Taking the uncertainty out of your consciousness will allow a crucial skill for minimizing emotional chaos and allowing you a true advantage to distinguish more between what is actually happening at the moment (the presentments) and all of the other automatic tendencies to interpret and wager upon your experiences, memories and wagering plan(s) attacks.

We tend to wager on what I would define as, expecting certain results. I do believe those are brought about by our inner subconscious and previous experiences with what is actually occurring. And I wholeheartedly believe that is where and why we go wrong on many wagers.

We read and discuss so much about stop losses and limiting Wagers. But is that going to allow us to win? Maybe to stop losses, but not to win. All the brew-haha aside, a person has to wager to win.  PERIOD.  By stopping the wagering, a person has no chance to win.  Winning and losing is derived from your wagering and your wagering will be determined by your decision making process.

If you become committed to a particular interpretation of presentments, it will become a habit and a situation that you repeat in similar or related circumstances that will drag you under with beliefs that the shoe has to produce what you desire. You will never win in the game Baccarat if you wager with that commitment.

With that said, if you commit yourself to certain wagering triggers and points, you have made a decision to selectively gather the data of the shoe just produced and believe your interpretation of such that the shoe will go your way when you wager is going to place you in winning considerably less than 50% of your wagers.  Unless you can parlay at the correct times the less than 50% of the wins, you will consistently lose at the game.  On the other hand if you do not commit yourself to any certain wagering triggers and points, you have made a decision to screen for evidence (presentments) to support your wagering attempt(s) with what is actually occurring and not being clouded by the strong emotions of the losses that you have made that you seek to correct. Or if you didn't make any losses yet or they are trivial, you will not cloud your emotions to start winning or continue winning. 

There are both -EV and +EV at the table in all shoes. Although the shoe will produce what it is set to do with no way to know any outcome of it whatsoever. PERIOD.  There is no way to change that. There never has been and there never will be you have to remember that.  To me and it should be to you IMO, the game will be -EV when you lose and +EV when you win.  Forget the casino's hold on the game.  Say you sat down and bought in for $3,000.00.  You wagered $500.00 on bankers and it won.  You parlayed the win and won again with a second bankers.  You parlayed again decided to let the $2,000.00 ride on bankers and at that point you decided the wager will continue on bankers and every winning wager will come down to the rail and be locked up.  You did that to recoup your initial risk capital of $3,000.00 (even thou not lost) and hopefully some profit.  A bankers 7-iar mini streak occurred and you put the $10,000.00 into your pocket to recoup the buy-in and the profit.  You lost the last hand when it cut to players.  That just made the game of Baccarat for +EV for you.  Hence a concrete Money Management Method came into play.  You didn't fall prey to the casino's psychology of installing scoreboards to assist the gamblers and all of that brew-haha, etc.  You wagered for what was happening.  PLEASE NOTE:  THAT DOES NOT MEAN STREAKS ONLY AS SO MANY THINK.  IT MEANS ANYTHING.  And if you lost that first wager of $500.00, that just made the game of Baccarat -EV for you and well, you try again for whatever you feel, because your buy-in is risk capital. 

So in the scenario I gave you above, I would have kept the $6,500.00 profit because I would have gave my initial buy-in back the $500.00 and put that $3,000.00 back in my pocket.  Then I would have played the $3,000.00 (buy-in) risk free on my winnings. Which would be a lot less stress and frustration if I began to lose or even lost that $3,000.00 (my initial out-of-pocket funds). 

I truly believe, found and discovered with factual long time experience, the highest majority of all baccarat players do expect certain outcomes of each shoe. And in my opinion, that is where most of us go wrong.

Think about your decision making process and give yourself a true advantage that will allow you to win easier.
#13
Refresher.

I would like to say I do not allow posting of links or advertising selling of anything unless you are a paid sponsor. Of course, I've had a few paid sponsors in the past, however their accounting was very poor and they were not reputable businesses so they were taking off the forum.

Unless you are a regular and well-known member, I do not allow links for any purpose especially from those that just sign up and are new to the forum because of all of the attacks and problem people have had by clicking on links.

As far as all of those Click On Banner casinos and games with bonuses requiring deposits that are also on other forums, I've had those as well and they were nothing but liars and cheaters. Reason being, they did not fulfill their end of our business contract. So I also took them off the forum because I cannot see them being honest with my members deposits and payouts.

Just wanted to post this to refresh peoples memories as well as those readers that sign up and immediately post links to casinos, systems, books, etc., and all kinds of other things. I cannot keep my forum clean if I accept all of those links from non-well-known members.
#15
Here is a great piece on what is actually kind of normal these days regarding forums and the internet.

The effects of self-selection.

Comments, forums, and chatrooms all usually require that you register or take the time to type out your thoughts. As a result, the only people who tend to bother doing such a thing are people who feel particularly positive or negative about something. All of the people who feel neutral or only slightly lean one way or another get lost because sharing their opinion is not worth the investment of time and effort for them.

In this way, internet discourse self-selects for the most extreme viewpoints. And unfortunately, only being presented with the extreme viewpoints in any situation causes our views to diverge even further. The debate becomes defined by the extreme minorities at both polls while the silent majority in the middle either checks out entirely or gets sucked into one extreme viewpoint or the other.

Of course I am bias.  But when I look at reading our forum from the viewpoints of a new member, a member that never posts, a regular reader that reads but never gets involved in discussions or sharing their viewpoints, etc., etc., etc., I think I am understanding more about the discourse of self-selects and the values that can be so easily shared and learned by the masses.

It sure would be great (beyond great really) if many other people would become involved within the forum with their thoughts, experiences, research, results and knowledge.  Seriously. 
#16
Here is one for you.  You know, the ability to think and rationale when you totally lose your mind, seems to be the protocol in today's world. 

Of course the Star Casino executives exploited his self imposing and total addiction as well as his inability to read English while he blew through tens of millions at the baccarat tables. 

Wait a second, let's play devil's advocate here.  You come into a large amount of money.  You go into a high line jewelry store in New York City and start picking out tens of millions of dollars worth of precious watches and jewelry.  Do they stop you and say; "Sorry, no can do.  We have to check your English proficiency and analyze your state of mind before we take your money", etc., etc.? 

https://www.casino.org/news/property-billionaire-phillip-dong-fang-lee-sues-star-casino-for-57m-losses/

#17
Vegas and Atlantic City / Not Just Vegas Any More
September 05, 2025, 01:39:28 PM
The USA has the most casinos out of any country in the world these days.  I am very much acquainted with Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, both world class acts to say the very least!

What happens in Vegas doesn't always have to stay there.  Vegas laid the ground work and it was copied and profited upon hundreds and hundreds of times over.  Not by building complete cities geared towards gaming, but property by property with numerous smaller Vegas style jurisdictions. 

Instead, consider a night of gambling fun at two New England casinos, which were recently named as being among the best casinos outside Las Vegas, according to a USA Today poll.

"The United States is home to more than 1,000 casinos — more than any other country in the world," USA Today wrote. "From coast to coast, gamers have a huge range of options for where to place their bets, and not just in Las Vegas."

An expert panel narrowed down the USA Today list to 20 casinos, including Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino, both in Connecticut. Then the public was able to vote on their favorites.

Mohegan Sun placed second, while Foxwoods Resort Casino placed third. First place went to Yaamava' Resort & Casino at San Manuel in California.

Mohegan Sun has nearly 4,000 slot machines, over 300 table games, more than 30 poker tables, a race book and "an area fashioned after an Asian market that offers traditional Asian table games like sic bo, pai gow, and mini baccarat," the news outlet wrote.

Foxwoods has more than 3,500 slot machines, as well as 250-plus table games, high-stakes bingo, a sportsbook with 50-foot LED screens and the largest poker room on the East Coast, according to USA Today.
#18
Alrelax's Blog / Dealers
August 31, 2025, 05:05:29 PM
While we all have different thoughts, opinions and results at the Baccarat table in brick and mortar casinos, we all lose and win with influential events we are part of if we like it or not. Other players can easily bother us, as well as push our winnings higher with camaraderie. Lots of us choose to totally ignore other players or engage with them on a selective basis.

But we all still have to engage with the dealers. A dealer can easily make us feel positive, strong, no pain and compliment  ourselves. As well, a dealer can easily make us feel negative, weak, painful and regretting we even desired to play the session.

Most of us have our favorite Dealers at the properties we play at regularly. Favorite dealers are great IMO and experience.  On the other hand, we also have our not so favorite dealers at those same properties. Many say, play with your favorites and  not with the others, especially the non-favorites. Not always so easy especially when there is only one or two tables going. Maybe you were winning and desire to continue and the favorite  gets tapped out by that not so favorite and undesirable dealer. For me, easy to turn off the players, but not so much the dealer's actions and attitude. The dealers are taking chips and giving chips, The dealers control the flow of the hands, the dealers can impose regret extremely quick, the dealers can change my outlook and thoughts faster than anything else at the table.

There will always be the favorites, the not so favorites and the neutral ones. That will never change, never ever.

Okay.  The Dealers.

The Dealers That Really Do Care.


Make happy winning, make losing a bit less painful, their  emotions are basically the same as the players. Somehow it doesn't matter if there was both losing and winning players in a hand, they really do know how to remove your losing chips a bit less painful and how to shrug their shoulders.  They do not say offensive things. As well they know how to smile discreetly in front of those losing players for those that won hand.  They are normally on the side of a unanimous table that won the hand and as well they do not chastise a unanimous table if they lost a hand.

The Oblivious Dealers.

They tune out almost completely all the players. They do not engage the player's remarks, especially the negative ones about the dealer when they lose. Their non eye contact is for well-thought-out purposes. They very seldom make mistakes and if they really get chastised or they really get humiliated they just call the floor supervisor over to put a stop to it. All they really want to do is deal the game, take their breaks, finish the shift and go home.

The Negative Dealers.

They sweep the losing bets off the table with fast action. Lots of verbal comebacks for most anything said by the players. Such as, "I only deal the cards, you could have wagered on the winning side" or "don't blame me, I didn't tell you to bet your losing Wager", etc. Just about everything is done negatively  and against the player themselves by these type of dealers.

Dealers That Play Baccarat Elsewhere.

I have played with numerous dealers at other properties from my regular property and vice versa. Those will look continuously at the scoreboard while they deal. They voice their opinion with their friends and/or regular players and if asked by others of course. You can see their real pleasure in paying out larger wins, successful side bets, substantial color ups, etc. etc. Their regret for players losses are completely obvious as well.  The list goes on.  High-fives, fist bumps and eye contact are pretty much produced without a second thought continuously throughout all the games they deal.  Generally a special bred of dealer and great to play with IMO. 

The Super Player Conscious.

No matter what classifications are above, except those totally negative dealers of course, these dealers are truly being thoughtful, polite, understanding and most professional. Like when a player loses says, "thanks for playing" and  said in a non-offensive voice when the player gets up to leave. As well, asks the floor personnel If it's okay when a player bets a few seconds late as the first card is just on its way out, instead of a harsh verbal, "no bet,!" or a swipe back of the chips with the dealers other hand, etc. I think these are the dealers that have lots of experience and they're good people and know how to handle customer service a lot better than many other dealers do and take very few things on the personal basis.

MISC.

When it's slow in particular, nothing too exciting happening at the table talk is engaged in between dealer and players. Some of course they know from being regular players while others they know from the local community.

Girl Talk.  They talk to their friends playing usually always females about private things. Such as the salon they just tried that attended to their private area with waxing and how it felt, etc., etc.  Or about a supervisor going out with a dealer, etc. Just a couple of examples.

Guy Talk.  About various after hours clubs and bars in the community. About going to other casinos of course. About people splitting up, etc. About their part-time work. Cars, lawn equipment and house related item purchases of interest, etc.
#19
Vegas and Atlantic City / A Damn Great Message!
August 23, 2025, 01:39:32 PM
The pattern is always the same. When the message is wrong, when customers feel ignored or cheated, decline is inevitable. But when you listen, pivot and deliver value with a strong message behind it, success always follows.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/commentary-time-for-a-las-vegas-pivot-3427405/
#20
Vegas and Atlantic City / A Definitive Vegas Update
August 23, 2025, 01:56:48 AM
It is BIG TIME real.  Vegas did it to themselves.

Las Vegas' tourism-dependent economy is hitting the brakes. Visitor volume and consumer spending are tumbling in America's casino capital, and the local unemployment rate is hovering among the highest in the country for big metro areas.


https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/the-whole-town-is-slower-las-vegas-economy-hits-the-brakes-3427769/
#21
I came up with 9 (Good lord do I love that number!) areas that should be researched, soul dug and remembered when playing. 

1). Judgements from others are usually inaccurate.

2). Failure to really try is why most do fail.

3). Patience is widely misunderstood.

4). Set a Bankroll and a percentage of the Bankroll for your session Buy-ins and strictly adhere to those.

5). Understand a solid Money Management Method and religiously apply it.

6). Understand your mistakes and learn from them. 

7). Little things add up ITLR and otherwise, where you have applied all kinds of losing techniques and thoughts.  Change the habit.

Eight). Excuses are lies and laziness, vow not to engage.

9). Understand and appreciate Blood, Sweat and Tears you have given.  Avoid them.
#22
It is coming.  And, "Hey Vegas, what are you going to replace your customers with? Cause nobody wants to visit anymore".


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1szO_rmTNSQ
#23
Off-topic / My 10 Best Motivating Songs
August 18, 2025, 05:58:41 PM
#24
To Whom It Concerns and FOR THE RECORD.

Please Read:

There was previously a post on my forum here reference a Roulette Forum requesting 'donations' for $20.00 or more to renew their monthly web space listings, etc.

That was not (NOT) mine in any way, shape or form.  Yes it was on my forum, I allowed it for reasons I am not going to post


I pay for my maintenance and web space listings out of pocket.  I have not requested membership or registration fees as of this date. 

I am posting this because a member of this community brought to my attention some negative comments made by 'lurkers' reading this forum and accusing myself of begging for money.

The assumptions and accusations of requesting donations on my behalf or by myself, is NOT the case.  Not the facts.  Not accurate in any way.  Not one bit of it, zero zilch, nadda, zip, cero, 0. 

Respectfully,
Alrelax
Forum Administrator and Owner
#25
1). Wagering against others that are winning with a verbal (at least loud enough to hear it) "He/They can't keep winning".

2). "Excuse me, how is this game played".

3). Dealer swipes losing wagers really quick with no eye contact while continuously looking at the felt.

4). Players convincing each other B/P because of some elaborate or complicated pattern they invented, etc.

5). People that have their heads down and scanning the table for highest wagering person or majority of people or the singular person winning most all hands, etc., and at the very last second wagering opposite with usually an extremely small wager.

6). Those people arguing with dealer or pit personnel about drawing 3rd cards.  Happens frequently with 2 card values of 4s and 5s for both sides or when banker has 3 and players 3rd card was 8, etc.  (Of course they are wrong and totally oblivious of the rules)

7). Players that blame the dealer on losing hands.

Number Eight). Players commenting before the hand and then a post commentary after the hand.  Especially the ones that lost the hand and the post commentary contradicts their beforehand verbal reasoning.  These are usually the players that point to the scoreboard to show their super classroom teaching abilities.