I play here sometimes as its about a 3hour drive. The casino is over a mile long. Thousands of slot machines and though the following article suggests 100 tables it now has closer to 200 table games.

Personally, I prefer smaller casinos. This is near Southeast Oklahoma/Texas border. A safe town, with very little crime, along with nice dealers and locals.

https://www.500nations.com/casinos/okWinStar.asp

The following link is from youtube by a poster named Naser.
The title is: Baccarat-Banker or Player-Don't lose your money by thoughtless decisions.

Any thoughts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qaP8uozlZQ



Continued Success,

Hi all. Enter your extreme shoes and sessions HERE. Thanks in advance,kfb


I'm always speaking with Bac players around the globe via WWW or sharing a table. We often discuss extreme shoes (played or heard about) as well as extreme sessions. Some we have witnessed firsthand and others we heard about from a Bac comrade, or we walked through a Bac pit and took a picture of a tote board.

I also like to chat with other players and with dealers and a common question I pose: What is the longest streak or craziest shoe you have ever dealt,...etc?

Since dealers often rotate through many different games (usually 20-30m each) they may not deal just Bac. However, I would guess they at least deal 2-4 bac games per shift multiplied by several years. So, most have observed alot of extreme shoes.

The most common response I receive re: longest same-side or opposite streak: 11-14ish. I found this a little surprising as I expected to hear reports with longer streaks.

Of course, we see many other streaks that are commonly ignored or seldom noted: 1-2,1-3,2-2 ,...etc.

My personal longest streak played (16 opps). I caught 13ish as best I recall. I've seen other non-traditional streaks such as a 15 in a row of 1-3:(BpppBppp) or 2-3,...etc. I've witnessed a couple shoes with 15-16 Ties.


I frequently have Bac comrades across USA market forward a pic of extreme streaks and I "think" a 25 P run and a 19B run have been the longest. These photos were taken in the morning after the previous night's tote board were still on display. So, who knows if real or not as I do know casinos can fake tote boards(At least they could at one time when the dealer entered each outcome manually).
I once observed a dealer enter three outcomes as he opened the table for the first session: BBB with a Dragon7. I was sitting behind his table at a vacant table sorting my scorecards. He then snickered /laughed with the pitboss. The pitboss just shook her head and walked away. In about 60seconds the table was full,lol.

*Recently I was discussing the above topic with a husband/wife dealer team that I have known for a couple decades. They have each dealt approximately 25-30 years.
The husband indicated their longest streak dealt was a 30P run.
The wife said a 28P run. The wife said it was a hi-limit room in Vegas and half the table busted their buyins(Some more than once), and the other half pressed to Tmax(10K) and collected to the end.

**I played recently with two players that indicated they played a shoe once that had 22 bonus bets wins (8deck shoe). They caught one bonus bet. This was a 5-Treasures Bac table that has numerous bonus bets. At one stage they said a long string of approx nine consecutive outcomes for P8/D7: p8,d7,p8,d7,...etc.


Thanks for reading and I look forward to your posts.

Im thinking the casino employee(s) should have seen a couple red flags when "The 23-year old Gutierrez" presented himself as the hotel owner. Is it possible a couple accomplices helped this intellectual sleuth???  Cmon man.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/las-vegas-hotel-impersonation/2023/06/27/id/1125098/

Hi everyone. This Pic is me packing up to head home after a 12-day Bac run. (Hopefully I can get the pic to upload)

Ok, I didn't make quite that much but one of my better cash extractions in the past four years of full time play.

I just returned from a gold mining expedition at the Bac tables. Ill try to give more details in a day or two as trying to get caught up on a few things(plus I have road fatigue after traveling 800 miles each way to several casino markets).
The sweet part of this expedition is that I made it home with approximately 96% of my highest net+ during this run. Plus I have one very pressed up wager still alive from the original buyin that started this run.

I've mentioned in previous posts that most of my local tables only have 2K Table Max (so potentially could wager upward to 4K) if one can cap a fellow players wager (and they are not appreoaching Tmax).
My M.O. is that once Im fortunate enough to get three wagers above my local Tmax of 2K I then travel to a market with 5K Max. Sometimes I don't get three wagers to that level within one shoe or streak so it may take a few days or weeks and I simply set the wager aside until I have time to make a 4 hour overnight trip to the 5K tables. If Im successful and get three wagers above the 5K table(seldom), I then head to a 10K market,...etc. So alot of IFs.

Well, this original buyin (and gold mining expedition) started over two weeks ago as I caught a shoe starting with 16 Ps in first 22 hands. I jumped on it and pressed aggressively from the beginning. It produced five wagers above the 2K table max (2000,2060,2475,3275, plus the wager that produced these was (next bet at 4475). So two days later I was headed to a 5K table.

More to follow........

https://www.fox5vegas.com/2023/06/19/caesars-guest-wins-three-jackpots-worth-1-million-48-hours/

This is a great casino in Black Hawk, Colorado, USA. Great casino destination in an old gold mining town. Approx 25 casinos together between adjoining towns Black Hawk/ Central City. I have played at Monarch many times. Though my wins were <= $500K, as best I recall.

https://krdo.com/news/2023/03/28/black-hawk-casino-heist-is-largest-in-colorado-history/




Continued Success,

This has alrelax written all over it  .

"...The Gaming Streaming/Video/Photo Policy is launching for the Nevada properties in May 2023," the memo shared. "The new policy is aimed at allowing our guests to take photos and videos, and, when appropriate, to share that content in real or in near real-time via social media broadcasts..."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/mgm-makes-surprising-las-vegas-strip-gambling-change/ar-AA1c6EXJ



Continued Success,

https://www.casino.org/news/busting-vegas-myths-casinos-pump-in-extra-oxygen/

7 Biggest Baccarat Legends--Scroll to the bottom for the link. Thanks for viewing.kfb

The following is an excerpt from #2 John Gates:

"...His wife, Dellora, wasn't thrilled about these marathon poker sessions. But John kept diamonds in his vest pocket and gave them to Dellora to calm her down and keep his poker games going.

Gates once wagered $70,000 on a horse race in England and won $600,000 dollars. The story was exaggerated to claim that he won $1 million, which only furthered his reputation as Mr. Bet-a-Million.

Yet another famous Gates gambling story is when he bet on which raindrops would fall the fastest on a window. He and an associate made wagers worth up to hundreds of thousands of dollars on the falling raindrops.   ..."



https://www.gamblingsites.net/blog/7-biggest-baccarat-legends/

I could possibly consider playing online "Live" dealer Bac (Where we can view dealer cutting/dealing live.
Has anybody played Bac in this manner??? Thoughts/ Opinions ?? Thx in advance.


Live Casino Online - Best Live Dealer Casinos & Games May 2023

The following link shows historical/recent Nevada Gaming Revenue (by game). I was a little surprised at the low Win% of (~~5-6%) for Slots and Sportsbook vs Table Games (~~12--20%).



https://gaming.library.unlv.edu/reports/longterm_nvgaming_OAR.pdf


Additional info at same link above. Click on Home and All Reports. Then scroll down as several other reports I found interesting.



Citation:
Nevada Gaming Revenues: Long-Term Trends. Las Vegas: Center for Gaming Research,
University Libraries, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 2023

With A 1.15% H.E. Why Is Casino Hold  @ Baccarat ~~ 13%--25% Most Months??

Bac Hold %

https://www.thelines.com/best-march-madness-bracket-contests/#:~:text=5%20Best%20Free%20March%20Madness%20Bracket%20Contests%20For,ESPN%20Tournament%20Challenge%20...%206%20Honorable%20mentions%20

The Greatest Baccarat Wins of All Time
Place   Baccarat Player   Amount Won
1.   Group of Asian high rollers   $55 million
2.   Akio Kashiwagi   $15 million
3.   Lin Hasan   $12.9 million
4.   Phil Ivey   $9.6 million
5.   John W. Gates   $1 million
6.      Kung Fu Bac     Unknown

https://casinotalk.com/the-greatest-baccarat-wins-of-all-time/

https://www.casino.org/news/jackpot-caesars-palace-pays-out-over-500k-to-NFL-rookie-ronnie-rivers/

A friend sent me this list. I wasn't surprised to see Bac in the top ten.  A little surprised to see sports betting in 3rd place. Though I don't know much about sports betting. I would have guessed Pai Gow Tiles would be a little higher, especially if evaluated as decisions per hour along with H.E..

In my opinion some games would likely be a little higher ranking if the criteria was how much one would lose by time played. As mentioned above slower-decision games such as Pai Gow Tiles may fair better. Games such as Craps line bets that are often calculated as average decisions for bet to get resolved will sometimes not be resolved for several hands (or often the first hand), so in my opinion they should be evaluated for these top ten lists on a per roll(or hand) basis.

What is your opinion? Any thoughts?

The orig author indicated the main selection criteria focused on:

Ratio of amount of money the player can expect to lose -to- total amount of money wagered, including subsequent wagers like doubling in blackjack, raising in ultimate texas holdem,...etc. Optimum strategy and only base bets.



List in order 10--1:

10.Mississippi Stud
Roulette
Baccarat
Pai Gow Tiles
Spanish 21
Blackjack
Ultimate Texas Holdem
Sports Betting
Video Poker
Craps



Orig author M. Shackleford


Continued Success,

I wish more casinos offered Pai Gow Poker. A low H.E. and slow game.


https://www.casino.org/news/jackpot-flamingo-las-vegas-pai-gow-poker-player-wins-6-4m/

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE
Have a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year

See you in the Bac pit!

As of 12/22/22. The following are all the Las Vegas casinos that offer baccarat tables. We included the type of game, minimum bet, and amount of tables.

https://www.onlineunitedstatescasinos.com/las-vegas/games/baccarat/

that's an adequate ROI. This is similar to how my Bac parlays perform.

I found it interesting the Book is offering to buy his bet before the final leg. Would you take the buyout?



https://www.vegasslotsonline.com/news/2022/12/15/parlay-bettor-on-track-for-557000-if-france-beat-argentina-in-world-cup-final/

BAC Acronyms/Terms (Add yours here)

 

Like many of you I often hurriedly type or post from my phone and often use acronyms for convenience.   Below are some of the more commonly used ones related to Bac, Math, and general gaming terms.  I encourage you to add yours. You can even make up your own. Thanks in advance.

 

IAR—In a row

Wiar—Wins in a row

P—Capital P for Player.  lower case p for player sitting at the table

H.E. or HE—House Edge

SD – Standard Deviation

V—Variance

EV—Expected Value. +EV—Positive expected value

Ai—All In

AMC—All my chips

Ante—A fee charged to players before cards are dealt.

BB—Bad beat: A lost hand that was favored to win.

B&M—Bricks and Mortar casino vs online et al

BI—Buyin

Bk—Bankroll

BR—Bank Roll

BRM—Bankroll Management

BC—Burn cards

BM—Bet Max or Tmax=Table max

CSM—Continuous Shuffle Machine

CA—Casino Advantage. Also see H.E. or house edge.

EGM—Electronic Gaming Machine

EVM—Even Money Bet, paid 1:1.

FT—Full Table

Fish—The sad dejected player. If you can't spot them at your table? Its probably you.

FB—Flat betting. A player that cosistently bets the same amount.

Flea—A sponger. The player that expects everything for nothing, lie big comps for placing an occasional small bet.

GC—Gaming Commission

GAI—Going All In.

OS—Optimal Strategy

Paint—Another word for face card.

PB—Pit Boss.

Pigeon—A newbie player, rookie. Often lacks sophistication/finesse in that game.

RNG—Random Number Generator

Sawdust Joint—Often refers to a rough casino or may be small, low Tmax, sweat joint and or poorly run.

Tilt—Someone on a losing streak and yet continues.

VIP—Very important person. Often a a very large bettor.

Whale—A big player with big buyin and big wagers.

KFBW—Kungfubac For the Big Win—Ok I just made that up.

 

Press To Our Win /Never Stand Still (1st in a series)

My beliefs:

If one utilizes a fast pospro and compounding then one will bust their buyin more frequently (vs flat bet or slower pospro/and smaller or no compounding) , though will have greater potential for very large wins (>=buyin), along with consolation prizes of smaller, yet meaningful sizes. 

Be Aware: This could require some heavy lifting as one carries their bags of loot /stacks of banded 100s out of the casino. 

 

 

WARNING: The following is not recommended for women, children, or small men.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In future posts I will address and clarify some of the following in specific threads (if there is enough interest). Addressing individually or in small grouping of like topics may help us discuss in more detail.  Hopefully, some of my thoughts will spur an idea or two for all parties so that we can help each other's game. I'm constantly striving to improve my game each day. 

Re: Pospro

My main premise on Positive Progressions:

Pr1% >=Pr2%>=Pr3% (Read : As a function of my base (or initial bet in that series:

Press One percentage greater or equal to PressTwo percentage greater or equal to PressThree percentage, ....etc.

This premise is obviously based on the thought:

I will win: 1iar >2iar >3iar (Read: I will win One In A Row, more often then Two In A Row, more often then Three In A Row ) . This applies regardless of if one is betting all wagers in the same streak or across events or across shoes. 

Though the above may seem overly simplistic and obvious I find it important that we press(or regress) along a smooth and predetermined curve that is fitted to hit our >=target.

*Compounding is our friend and an important ally for winning.

*Compounding is often ignored, misunderstood, or simply not utilized most efficiently by many players.

*One can compound (or spin off) a % greater than house edge (HE) with minimal risk to buyin. I'm not saying change HE(as its written in), I'm simply saying we can neutralize some or all of the buyin erosion from HE.  I will discuss various formulas and % to achieve this. IMO we should have varied % progressions as a function (Fx) of where we are in that streak and the current ratio to our win, buyin, and bankroll. As well as where we are going with that wager. One should always know where that wager will be (3-5 wagers from now if pospro) and what will be next bet if this wager loses right here. As well as how many bets (and sizes) will I need to make up this current deficit. 

 

*Some players that do utilize compounding often use it against themselves with greater force (compound their losses against their own buyin) yet will not compound into a winning streak of a similar probability. IMO its perfectly fine to do both(a pospro/negpro) just understand the speed(acceleration) of each and its effect on our buyin.

 However, one should be willing to implement the pospro with the same zealousness as the negpro. In other words (IOW), if one is willing to live and die with a pospro then one mustn't kill said pospro when it does reach its higher ranges. One absolutely must be unafraid to win and win big. REMINDER: One isn't required to kill the pressed-up-wager just because we think that event is nearing the end. Nor are we required to kill it because it's the end of the shoe, or we have hit table max(Tmax)...etc. I see players on an almost daily basis battle a shoe(s) in a deficit, and finally claw their way back to even or slightly ahead and: "color coming in". We should never end anything when on an uptick---Its ok to end a shoe without betting to the end of a W streak. If hesitant just set that pressed-up wager aside for later compounding and finish current W streak at >= 1.0 base unit, or no bet.

 

     *That's one thing I admire about negpro bettor's vs pospro as its my observation that negpro players are dogmatic and without much hesitation will push out that final (and potentially buyin-ending wager) on that final tier. On the other hand, I frequently watch my fellow pospro bettors "chicken out" even when the majority of the wager size is the casinos own money.

*I primarily utilize a positive progression(pospro) with compounding to achieve my wins. I generally combine a fast/efficient pospro with a slower negpro when on the unavoidable L streaks. My goal is to strive to get on the casinos' monies asap in my exchange of Ws/Ls. My perception is that I perform more optimally by using both(negpro/pospro). I ponder at times if I could win consistently without the power of compounding. 

*Compounding can be utilized to compound bet-to-bet(I.e., increase the wager size as its winning), bet-to-buyin(increase buyin as a function (%) of net bet wins, and bet-to-buyin-to bankroll simultaneously. (All three).

*A players aversiveness to risk ones whole buyin is inversely (or close to it) proportional to one's unwillingness to win ones >=buyin.  We should always strive to win >=buyin or at least >=50% of buyin (if we are willing to give them a chance at our whole buyin). I find that even when I don't reach a large win goal, I often still hit a small or moderate W by striving for that loftier objective.

*Pressing (and regressing) is most efficient when compounding is along a smooth curve (visually if observing along a graph curve). If not on a smooth incremental curve, then we are incorporating a "timing or guessing effect" and our wins or losses will be mostly due to "if" we guess correctly at the perfect moment.

*RE: Never Stand Still*. It's my opinion we should never stand still regardless of if doing a pospro , negpro, and or regression as one should always be looking to improve our current standing with any single win, even if it's only a $5 improvement (*with the exception of making sure  >50% of losing wagers are at 1.0 base unit). 

Thus, my theory it's easier to win with a larger base unit (due to the $5 min increment). Sometimes this can be too much at a lower base unit. E.G.,  If one's min bet at their home casinos is low (say $25, which is smallest I've observed since covid, at my casinos)  I would recommend betting at least a couple increments ($10=2 increments) above that minimum, and if your budget allows try to wager a base unit much larger. Contrary to what many think it's easier to win with a larger base bet size. 

*If one is afraid to win (or win big—meaning >=buyin or as a minimum >½ buyin)then a pospro and utilization of a compounding scheme is not recommended. 

*A pospro bettor utilizing a compounding regime can also utilize a regressing regime (compounding back into their stack) and or start charging the casino a vig(or Commish). Either way (compounding or decompounding) should be implemented along a smooth curve vs an erratic emotion-driven ratio)

*Utilizing a pospro and compounding regime to our win is much the same as driving a car and trying to reach our destination as quickly/ efficiently as possible. It is imperative to have a very clear plan with predetermined objective(s).

1) Do I want to travel from point A to point B as quickly as possible while ignoring fuel usage (chips –buyin). Do I have more than just one objective in this race?

2) Is this a race? In other words, is there a bonus for reaching my destination as soon as possible? Is there a speed limit? Is there a limit on how many tries I will likely get? Is there a max speed limit? What is my optimal speed to reach  ""{MY}""  destination or win goal. 

3) Is my time allowed to reach my destination limited? What happens if I have poor mpg "run out of fuel(chips)" before reaching my destination? Do I have more fuel? How much fuel am I willing to use to reach my destination. Is my fuel cost greater then what I win when I do reach my destination? How often will I reach my destination (on avg) with this predetermined amount of gas in the tank? Do I need more gas at the beginning of trip so that I don't get stranded >50% of my trips?

4. What is the optimal speed and or average speed to reach my destination as efficiently as possible. Would a turbo booster at times help with my objective and reaching my destination in a timely manner. When is the best time to push the button on the turbo?

5. I find it important when driving our pospro/compounding car that we don't change directions more than once. IOW, It is most important to utilize momentum while accelerating our vehicle. It would not be efficient use of our time and fuel if we accelerated toward our destination, then suddenly slammed on the breaks at say 50mph and slowed back down to 25 mph, then accelerated again back up to >50mph. Same with betting: If one must regress(and nothing wrong with slowing our acceleration), then continue slowing down at the remaining change-of-speed stages.  Just make sure we originally reached a high enough speed that even though we are slowing down (or even cruising) we still have enough momentum to reach our destination. When changing directions more than once we just gave back our speed gained from the earlier momentum. 

 

My greattttt Uncle Confucius once told me: "Grasshopper, It's not about how fast you win, it's how well you win fast."

 

 

Continued Success to All,

Does anyone play in Macao(or have you)? Thanks.


https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/disappointing-gaming-revenue-in-macao-saddle-casinos-2686323/

WELCOME

Welcome to KungFuBacs' section.
A little personal gaming history, theories, and beliefs to follow.

I've played Baccarat since the early 2000s (2003 or so) and this is my only game. I've played full time for approximately four years. I play mostly in USA and have well over 100 casinos within an approximate 10Min to 3hour drive near a four-state junction in the Midwest.  Most of my casinos are Indian casinos. Many only have one (or two) Bac tables and some have zero.  I strive to play 1800 hands per week (Play not necessarily wager). I mostly play during the day and weekdays and by design avoid late Friday nights and Saturday night.

Primary Wagering Mode: Positive Progression with an emphasis on compounding with precise efficiency to >= my goal.

Below are a few topics that came to mind from my personal list of gambling theories, opinions, proverbs related to gambling...etc (not in any particular order), that I find worthy of further discussion.

I find all of these topics important for one trying to develop an overall gameplan for utilization on a daily basis. I'm still striving to improve my gameplan, so addendum ideas/ strategies are welcomed.

•   Focus on managing Variance including and not limited to: Bet selection, Bet size to buyin to bankroll ratios. For the most part a successful casino investor(player) its all about Money management, patience, and discipline, AND LIMITING LOSING STREAKS/SESSIONS. They happen to all.

•   Most importantly design the above gameplan to match ones personal and specific monetary objective. This trumps everything.

•   Be unafraid to win

•   Accept losing shoes and sessions. They are inevitable. Don't dwell on them and don't strive to "make up" or catch up in the next shoe(s) or session(s). We may have that opportunity in the next shoe or session. However, we can't always bulldoze our desires into that next shoe. Though one must always be in anticipatory mode for when that makeup shoe or session shows(and it will).

•   Successful gambling must be learned by doing. Most of us probably attended post-high school education for 2-12 years to learn theory and skill in our occupation. Yet I think most of us travelled our most accelerated learning curve in the first couple years of applying (doing) that occupation. Gambling is no different in my opinion.



•   If one wants to become an expert at something a most efficient path is to seek someone that has already developed that area of expertise through experience. It does not matter if that field of study is gambler, doctor, mechanic, engineer, or electrician. Most highly skilled and successful professionals are glad to assist a less-experienced comrade in their same field. That willingness to help is also a sign one is highly skilled and a professional. All things being equal seek knowledge from that old white-haired 75yo vs that 25yo.
Though we should always believe we can learn something from everybody. Sometimes that lesson may be what not to do.

•   Reading and studying Bac, running 000s, and 000000s of sims are all helpful and that's all good and fine. However, playing with real money on that real shoe that's in front of you right now is the best teacher of all.

•   Winning ITLR (in the long run) is all about limiting our losses on the really bad shoes.  MM, patience, and discipline ITSR are important allies.

•   Never feel a need to continuously chase a losing spot. Never completely depart a winning spot.

•   Variance is our nemesis. Variance can also be our best friend and crucial to our winning.

•   One should utilize ones whole buyin if we are willing to give the casino a chance at our whole buyin. IOW its disadvantageous to only use say 30-40% of ones buyin if ones stop loss is 100% of said buyin.

•   Im an advocate for managing our casino bankroll and buyin in a similar manner to managing a small business, one's stock and investments portfolio,...etc.

•   I view my buyin as Im playing my buyin against my buyin. In other words, I'm not playing my buyin against the casinos bankroll. Im trying to win >= my buyin  prior  to losing my buyin.

•   The casino investor(player) has many advantages over the casino. For the most part the casino is required to "match" our move. We get to choose when/where to place our wager along with size. Most importantly we get to make choices  after  an event or decision has occurred.

From the gamblers rules of etiquette:

Don't complain to others about losing sessions. 90% don't care and the remaining 10% are halfway glad you lost.


Continued Success To All,