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[alrelax]

Somehow when I was on the way home last night after the casino, I had this urge for some chili dogs with jalapeños.  Guess it was probably due to seeing that show 'Carnival Food' the other night.  I wanted to make it myself and must say, they turned out pretty darn good! 

[alrelax]

Friday night 11-18.  Game in progress and grab 1 of the 2 last open seats. There it is, sheer tension at its best.  Couple of the players against another couple of players.  Dealer wants to deal and move along, taps his fingers and keeps asking, 'everyone in-everyone ready'? Then it started, the positioning and the adjusting of wagers dependent on where each has wagered.  Very clear, very much so. Cussing began in Viet and Laotian, so after a few more hands I got up and left.  Not good. Called it a night.

[alrelax]

Saturday night 11-19.  Played a shoe that was great.  Started out with the proverbial classic start, Tie-Banker-Player.  One of each! Whatever order of them, it is what I dub the classic start. Then 3 Players, followed by 3 Bankers, followed by 3 Players, followed by 1 Banker, then 3 more Players. Now we go into a few doubles and a single or two. We are sitting at about hand 24-25 or so.  The female I always sit next to was that present last night.  Another gentlemen I have played alongside many many times is down the other end.  He looks at me and points to the Fortune 7.  I will usually be at least a quarter on it, he generally is 2 or 3 nickels on it.  It doesn't come.  I kept up my quarter another couple of times on it.  Then I had 4 nickels and thought to throw it up on the Fortune 7.  Player had returned a 6 and Banker had two monkeys.  We all yelled out for a 7 and sure enough the dealer flopped one over. Then the shoe took a turn and everything was Players.  The shoe was basically pretty well equal in everything, repeats-doubles-singles-positioning of the naturals, etc., etc.  The second Fortune 7 that hit shortly thereafter, the Player had a couple of monkeys and the Banker had blackjack.  Player pulls a 2 and the one person wagering on the Player side is calling verbally out loud for a monkey.  Low class in my book, but whatever.  Dealer flops the 6 for the Fortune 7 win.  I always have said the 7 and the 6 are the winning most Banker 3rd card flops for the Fortune 7.

So, we are playing along and every hand for the Player starts to be a 2 or 3 card 7-8 or 9.  There were 4 Players in a row and then a double tie followed by 3 more Players and a tie.  Darn and I mean WTF! These people are seriously playing for the cut with true and relentless conviction. Player clearly became dominant and stayed there. The aforesaid run of 7 with 3 ties brought the Players light down to the bottom and across to the right 4 squares.  Then 1 Banker came with a natural 9, so most people got all hyped and convinced themselves that Banker would be strong and play catch up.  So they wagered big on the 2nd Banker coming in their minds.  Players once again, down for a solid 4 repeats making a complete closed box upon the board. Then 1 Banker prevailed.  Then right back to Player with another solid 5 to connect once again, a complete box. 

Then a series of  6's and 7's came out, all either 2 cards or 3 cards, didn't matter, out of the next 8 hands or so-probably all but 2 were the 6/7 totals. Every time the Player side prevailed except for 2.

Then 5 Bankers with 2 ties happened in a row.  Everyone was citing how it was now established as a Players shoe and Banker would not make past a double.  The kept up their wagering with the absurd doubling up progression Marty to recoup and get the one small unit profit.  One did, the rest bailed from trying around hand 4.

Banker tried to catch up a bit at the end around hand 60.  So many times, and I mean the upper majority, when it is lop-sided like it was, the deficient side does almost always make a good attempt at gaining some ground before the end.  I guess you can label it more Clustering and Alignment than Regression to the Mean, but as the old saying goes in the is game, play long enough ad you will see everything.   

T-P-B-PPP-BBB-PPP-B-PPP-BB-PP-BBT-P-B-P-B>(F-7)B-PPPPTTPPPT-B-PPPPP-B>(F-7)-PPPPP-BB-PPP-BT-PPP-BBBBTBT-P-BB-PTP-BBBB-P-B.

(I like the horizontal scoring method with the repeating hands going vertical, similar to the way the score boards does it).  I wrote it out and attached it done that way as well.

Summation:

Ties=8
Banker=29
Player=41
F7=2

Caught both Fortune 7's, one for $800.00 and the second one for $1k.  Did fairly well on the rest of the shoe, probably in the neighborhood of $2k plus.  I would estimate I gave back at least $1k of some of the win, wagering against all the Players' like an unintelligent jerk!  Cashed out $2,500.00 win, at the end and played the next shoe with $400.00 from the win and a portion of my original buy-in. Got on a roller-coaster and was about even at the end, maybe down a little, so I called it a night. 

My downfall to really not cleaning house on this shoe, was my disbelief in the shoe producing what it was.  I doubly got smacked on it for not profiting what I should have, cause the Players prevailing hands were constantly high in their groups.  Like I previously said--and I will repeat it--almost every 3rd card was bringing the Players side up to 7-8 or 9.  Almost every time the Banker had an 8, the Player's side would tie or prevail with a 9.  Yes, I always say, play the shoe and don't try to change it.  I did just the latter and tried to make it Banker hands instead of it was doing at the mid-way point.  All I can do is, improve and I will certainly remember this one and when in a similar position of anything like it---I know my efforts will be improved.  Sometimes we all need that slap on the face to get ingrained in the grooves we should be in.     

[alrelax]

So, this older gentlemen comes over, a once in awhile player of baccarat at this one property.  He is well known and he always shows up and always wagers against everyone when they first start to win.  He will wait for everyone to be on  one side, never ever wagering on anything with anyone else.  He waits and waits and waits.  Never says a word, never.  Always stands, never sits.  Throws out a one hundred dollar bill.  Dealer cuts out all nickels and slides them over to him.  He pulls them down and everyone is on Banker, he places the stack of $100 on Player.  One guy at the end of the table puts a few chips on the Player side also.  He pulls his down.  Dealer deals and it was a natural for the Player and Player wins.  He waits and waits.  Once again, everyone is on the Banker.  He slides his stack of $100 to the Player and the Banker wins, the guy walks away.

About 20 minutes later he reappears.  Another $100 bill buy-in and another stack of red chips.  He waits and waits.  Once again we are all on the Banker and he slides his stack up to the Player.  Although I am typing this 2 days after it occurred, out of the 3 hands this guy wagered, I specifically remember this one.  Player returns a 5 and a 3.  Banker cards flipped, top on exposed was a 5.  One of the guys at the other end of the table who always makes fun of this guy, tells the dealer to wait a second as he stands.  He sticks his arm out towards the cards half way across the table and spins his arm in a circle several times while saying "4"-"4"-"4" numerous times.  Dealer slowly slides the five to the dealer's left.  A 4 is exposed.  The player looks at the older gentleman and shoes him away with his arm.  Comical, like a sitcom!!

Same shoe, about another 10 minuets the gentlemen returns.  Once again, another $100 bill for another buy-in.  The dealer that is present wasn't there earlier but knows him very well.  I could hear him say, 'just wager against the guy' really low.  I look at him and say, twice already.  The dealer says, 'waited till everyone was on one side'?  I said, yeah and lost.  Dealer said, 'always'. A few hands go buy and then we are all on the Player and he slides his stack up to the Banker.  Players win the hand.  He walks away. 

[alrelax]

I went last night to the casino.  LOL!  WTF!!!  Bad with a capital 'B'.  Whatever we all wagered on, the cut, a repeat, wait for the 3rd repeating to wager the cut, whatever we did--we all got smacked.  I bought in for $1k, went down to $150.00 and got back up to $600.00.  Went down to $100 and back to about $700.00.  Cashed out $350.00 and called it a night.  Not even 2 shoes. 

Every time I felt it, anything, lose.  If I didn't wager and felt something and called it prior, it was a sure natural for the side I wanted. 

When it got to 3 we all wagered for that cut.  Stuck.  Then we doubled up, still stuck.  And we all said to each other that we were foolish.  We doubled again and stuck.  If we sat out or went back to the streak, it would of course cut at that time.  If you start for say $150.00 wager, double is $300 and a second doubling is $600.00.  We could double once more before table limit.  This is a $2k max per spot property. 

In my gut, when it is that bad, no matter how long or how much you buy in with, it will get uglier and uglier.  I leave when that happens. 

[ADulay]

Got the card for that one?

AD

[alrelax]

I almost never keep the cards, the one I posted that was great and super strong, it was in grained in me. I can recite some of the one last night, will post after I grab a bite.

[alrelax]

I am here and I am ready.  Old time friend in the state for some business endeavors, have not seen since Atlantic City days.  LOL, going to a casino tomorrow night if all goes right.  This should be north of fun!

[alrelax]

Got the card for that one?

AD

I tried to write it out, but didn't make much sense without the numbers each hand was producing and like wise the values of the cards, both winning and losing hands. 

[alrelax]

I am here and I am ready.  Old time friend in the state for some business endeavors, have not seen since Atlantic City days.  LOL, going to a casino tomorrow night if all goes right.  This should be north of fun!

Cancelled, due to bad weather, trying for later this week?

[alrelax]

Tiny Little Mouse Balls!!!  LOL!

At the casino over the weekend.  Great scene happened.  My buddy, an x-NYPD officer was visiting and we went to play.  We are into the typical stuff for a couple of hours.  All of a sudden a new dealer comes in and I turn to my buddy and simply say, 'Fortune 7' time.  We both throw up a quarter.  The rest of the table in their chopped and broken English say, 'You guys really think so'?  My buddy in his heavy NY accent says, 'Of course--dealer new--problem no--chop chop go-go---up Fortune ok'.

Most of them throw up a nickel or two.  Dealer deals and this is a new dealer without a trainer standing behind him.  Players have a total of 3 and Bankers have a total of 6.  Players 3rd card was a 7 and the dealer pushes the Bankers 2 cards out and says Banker wins.  There is no one on players and half of us had a Fortune wager up.  2 people did not and had larger wagers on the Banker.  They are also saying Banker won, no draw.  We look at them like they are crazy.  Worst thing is we tie.  We still have a shot at Fortune and no card pull can make us lose anyway.  The shoe rhythm was basically okay, no need to change anything really IMO.  The dealer is confused and didn't have the experience to remember or deal the 6 or 7 for the Players when the Banker already had a total of 6.   

Floor person is all the way down the other end of the pit.  My buddy stands up, pretty big guy, still has his shape without a doubt.  Puts his hands on the table railing and tells the dealer not to do anything and call the floor person, he still needs to pull another card.  The dealer says okay and tells everyone to wait, the floor person is too far away to hear.  My buddy grabs his own crotch and tells the dealer, 'what's wrong you got little mouse balls or something, yell down there like this' and he lets go with a huge 'floor person we need you' yell, loud and 100% obnoxious but got the attention of the whole pit for sure.  Floor person comes over, and it is one that never combats anything really.  My buddy explains the situation to the floor person who doesn't know whether to laugh or tell my buddy to sit the freak down or not.  Then my buddy says, 'pull a friggin card and get it over with, are the dealers balls so tiny there are like half the size of baby mouse balls'??  I mumble the movie title, "The Heat" and my buddy is like, "Yeah, love that movie".   

Floor person starts laughing and says, 'sometimes I feel like I got mouse balls'.  So my buddy says pretty darn loud, 'anyone seen the pit person's balls, come on we are looking for this guys balls'.  Everyone is cracking up around us, it was all taken in good gesture and the pit person finally motions the dealer to pull a card.  Dealer pulls a monkey of course. 

Here is what we were referring to for those that never saw the move:

https://vimeo.com/86939689

So next hand we throw up any quarter each on the Fortune 7 and I throw out a nickel for the dealer next to my quarter, my buddy does the same.  At least 3 of the Viet ladies at the table playing once again say, 'you guys think Fortune' in their choppy English.  My buddy says, 'Like plate of noddle and Asian monkey balls down in Manhattan, lower-china town, back of restaurant--fresh, no problem baby'.  Remember this guy is big, well over 250 and about 6' 3" or so, spent a good 20 years on the Emergency Service Unit for NYPD.  For those that don't know what ESU does, they do all the high risk warrants, hostage or sniper calls, robbery in progresses and rescue operations, types of calls.  Anyways, he keeps pointing to the Fortune where the 3 ladies are sitting and convinces them to all throw up something on it.  Tells the dealer to wait, fixing his wager and then he throws up a nickel next to his Fortune wager for the dealer and puts 3 nickels out besides each of the Viet ladies $5 or $10 wagers up on their Fortunes as well.  Looks at the dealer and tells him, '$1,000.00 plus in your pocket if you can just deal us a darn Fortune 7'.  Dealer nods his head.  My buddy tells him, 'come the frick on man, it isn't going to come out with that kind of attitude'.  Dealer tries to pump it up a notch but it isn't working.  My buddy let's go with, 'deal us a damn Fortune or those little mouse balls you have will shrivel up'.  And he was loud, everyone around is laughing once again. 

Everyone is on the Banker side and the dealer actually asks my buddy, 'may I deal now'.  It was not a sarcastic type of response, he was actually intimidated by him.  My buddy goes, no.  We call the floor person over and tell him, 'just so there is no problem here and the flow of cards does not get stopped by your prime time super dealer, stand there please.  Floor person says to the dealer, 'you got a lot riding on this one, I would suggest you attempt to make a Fortune 7'.  My buddy tells the dealer to deal as he throws up another quarter on his Fortune and I do the exact same thing.  We are both standing and my buddy is calling the cards.   He says, 'Players have.....a Blackjack a 1'.  Then the dealer flips the Banker cards and my buddy says, 'Banker has a 2, okay we have a shot at this'.  So my buddy puts his arm at and stops the dealer from dealing.  Floor person says, 'we need more cards still'.  My buddy goes, 'I know that, of course no s*** Sherlock, I have to tell the dealer some words of wisdom'.  Floor person crosses his arms and says, 'this ought to be real good'.  Everyone is laughing again.  With all his going on, I am thinking a monkey and a 5 has to come out without a doubt.  My buddy tells the dealer, 'monkey or maybe an ace or a deuce, that is it and save that 5 for us, okay'?  Dealer is getting a bit more into it and shows a bit more enthusiasm at this point.  Dealer pulls a card for the players and produces a monkey.  My buddy turns and high fives me.  He says, 'now with both those little mouse balls you got pull that damn 5 out of that shoe and give it to us'.  The Viet ladies are all hyped up and pointing to the Fortune 7 wagers all over the table.  All of a sudden one of them in their broken English says, 'One thousand for dealer---dealer one thousand baby--come on'.  I know the floor person for a few years now and he is just standing their laughing.  A few people came over from the other surrounding blackjack tables and pai gow tables around us.  The cocktail waitress is behind us and a few other players around as well.  All of a sudden everyone is chanting 5....5....5....5.....5. The dealer has his hand on the shoe and looks at my buddy and says, 'are you ready'?  My buddy throws his hands up in the air and says as loud as he can, 'come the frick on-deal it already'.  He pulls the card and flops it, it sure enough is a 5 and all hell breaks out at and around the table.  My buddy sticks his fist out there to fist bump the dealer and then high fives him, floor person pats him on the back and congrats the dealer on his $1,000.00 plus tip (dealers keep their own tips at this property in full). So my buddy tells the dealer, "see what you can do--when you get rid of them mouse balls"!!!  What was so cool....is he says stuff like that with complete 100% conviction, no laughing or snickering, adds to the aura and the instant time beyond what most can envision.

Another one for the books....................

[alrelax]

The Table was Full!.........................................12/28/16

The players were anxious but they took a breath and stood up and stretched.......

Alrelax just brought them back whole again......

Piggy-backing off of Alrelax's wagering decisions without a doubt!

What it was, was Alrelax's hyper-prepared casino personality and mind frame.....

Al stands up and says, "not a problem, lets continue our dark decent into madness here"....

And with that statement, the other players clapped and Alrelax took a bow.....

A few were intimidated by him, but they all respected his brain, considering that he saved their rear-ends plenty of times--right there at that same darn bac table.

Al has contingency plans for everything.....

And now it was the end of 2016.....

Al yells out....."Deal the cards---we are ready---hands down---take it to the Cashier's Cage"!

[alrelax]

Okay, so today Thursday is my Friday this week......................

Coming in this morning to my office, about a 15 mile drive, I have concluded the following:

The term, "A dollar and a dream" is for the foolish only or the extremely lucky, not for anyone else whatsoever......When you hear that or anything like it--go ahead and save up 2 times and buy a king sized candy bar with what you would have spent that dollar on that would have failed to obtain your dream!

I have to drive through a smaller town with the typical downtown section to get from my house to the highway that leads out of town to where my business is.  There is your typical side streets that cross the one main street running through downtown.  There are about 10 streets crossing that main street and there are stop signs at all the side streets and about 4 on the main street.  If you are on the main street travelling the cars crossing are supposed to wait until it is clear............that is what I thought.  However, these days for some strange reason......it goes like this.  The car on the main street with the clear right-of-way gets close to the side street where there is a car waiting.  The driver on the side street waits and waits and waits until the car with the right-of-way on the main street gets relatively close, just close enough where if the driver pulled out from the side street to cross main street, the vehicle already on main street would have to jam on its brakes.  Exactly.  And that is what they do now more than ever.  WTF?  A game I don't know about???

Instructions.  Last night I put together two things I brought.  Both items had instructions, although not terrible complicated, the instructions used to be helpful when something was supposed to be inserted and assembled prior to another part or section of the item.  Now, I believe that instructions are just one person's opinion of how to do it.  Clearly wrong in both cases last night. 

Okay, carry on.

[alrelax]

Someone PM'd me and brought up, how I have mentioned cashing out and then keeping a couple green chips or a black chip.  Then, on the way back out pass the bac table and throw the green or one black up for one wager.  They questioned this.

You know, I never really thought about it or really why.  I guess it is silly???  IDK?  I really do that more often than not. 

Say I throw up 2 green chips and win, I would immediately stack the win and try once more.  If won I would do once again.  Then I would definitely go cash those out and leave, calling the $400.00 'mad money' or 'pocket money', etc.  Figuring if I lost, I lost $50.00 out of the win, no big deal. 

[alrelax]

McDonald's on the way to a Baccarat Tournament..........

Well, I stopped at a McDonald's along the highway on the way to a Baccarat Tournament I was given a seat at last night.  It was one of those newer style tournaments that have become so popular the last couple of years with most casinos, where as they fund the tournament with actual buy-in money 'fees' and the players are allowed to walk and cash out their chips if they have anything left, etc.  They also give you a certain amount of matching non-negotiable chips strictly for play as well within the round(s).

Anyway, I stop at the Mickey D's to use the restroom and I wanted to grab a snack and about the only thing I will eat at the place is their original Filet of Fish sandwich.  I had an hour to drive or better so I figured it was better than a bag of chips and a candy bar across the street at the gas station.

I ordered the Filet 'Meal' and the teenage kid looks up at me and says what size drink.  I never finish the drink or the fries, so that is why I ordered the 'meal deal' or whatever it is entitled--figuring it was a small drink and fries.  So I said, 'small please'.  He rings it up and it was just slightly over $7.00.  I looked at the menu and it said $5.79 and of course there is tax on that.  I really didn't think much and waited a bit and got the bag to go.  Outside in the car, I figured I was charged wrong, not a big deal, probably a buck at most difference but the way the whole thing went down, was just wrong.  The teen kid, not even a 'thank you', little eye contact, only once, and why was he asking what size drink--the 'value meal' or 'meal deal' comes with a specified size I thought.  I went back in and asked the kid.  He said, I changed the size of the drink so that automatically voids the 'meal deal' and the sandwich was $3.79, the small drink was $1.00 and the med fry was $1.79.  My total was .80 greater than the 'meal deal' which came with a med drink and a med fry.  Since I ordered a small drink, I had to pay extra.  I said to him, 'seriously'?  He looked at me square in the eyes and said, 'yes'.  I asked for the manager and she came over, I started and she interrupted.  She said she was sorry and it happens all the time, not their doing it is Mickey D's policy to ask a customer what size drink they want and then the order automatically changes, etc.  She gave me a free coupon for an entire meal and mentioned, she wished Mickey D's corporate would change that policy. 

So I drove out to the casino and enjoyed my 'free' food of sorts.  I never really pay attention to this stuff because when I go to these kind of places the kids are usually with me and the 2 ten year olds pretty much always want to do the payment transactions the past couple of years.  Of course they do that so they can pocket the change!  Little rascals, they have it all figured out already!

I finished 2nd out of my table and have a spot at one more round before the Chinese New Year big tournament the last Saturday of this month.  Must have been the luck from the fish sandwich!