Went last night.  Now it's getting dark early, around 5pm.  I have about 80 miles one way to the casino.  Stopped along the Interstate and had that rumble in the gut, so I fueled up and instead of grabbing something at the C-Store, I went across the street the Mickey D's.  Boy---it was ungodly crowded!  15 min's later I am getting the fish filet and small fries I ordered.  Grabbed it to go.  Love their fish sandwiches there and that is it, everything else sucks!  Get to the casino and the dealer is sitting there at the baccarat table.  No one is playing.  Have this gut feeling it is going to be dead all night.  So does the dealer,  We make some small talk mostly about football and no one is showing up.  The games at this casino are usually in swing by 6, maybe 7pm at the latest.   

So, I go grab a cup of coffee and a snack at the food arcade.  Head back over to the table games section and still a no go.  So I head into the high limit slot machine room.  I am not one for playing the machines but nothing else is going on. Find one of those Triple 7 machines with a huge jackpot.  Put $40.00 in the machine to play the $2 max spin for the progressive and the large jackpot.  All the way down to $4.00 and then a win of $30.00. Then all the way back down to $2.00 and then a few wins of $10.00 each.  Then all the way back down again to $2.00 and a win of $30.00 so I promise myself if I get even I will cash out, this sucks.  People actually have fun doing this?  I finally get up to $48.00 so I cash out.  I head over to the baccarat table.  Still no go.  So I go back to the slots and find one of those Wheel of Fortune machines.  Same thing, put another $40.00 in it and lose.  Put $30.00 into it and go up and down between $3.00 and $40.00 or something.  Finally cash out $22.00.  Down about $50.00 or so.

Head back tot he baccarat table and nothing.  Dealers changed up and no one playing.  So call it a night and head home.  No go, a rarity over there at that place but I can only assume everyone is waiting for tonight to head over there. 

As,  A lot of this is subjective.  At times, in fact--all times, the single word is best to remember, 'MIGHT' as you said within another piece.  #1 Problem is, all of what you mention will happen.  However, it will also, not happen. 

IMO, the largest error the highest majority make in this game, including me, including you, including the reader studying all this and those that never come on the board, etc., will be that, their mind convinces their trend of thought that 'so and so will happen'.  My best nights now happen when I clear my mind of all info and stats, etc., and focus-concentrate and play what the shoe is producing.  And, that doesn't matter if it is chops, streaks, 1-2's-3's, etc.  I am not predicting, I am playing and riding the shoe.  I rather lose the last one of the cluster than not catch a single one during the cluster.  Hopefully you guys understand what I just said. 

The entire trick or key to a more successful game is being able to put the clusters, the pieces, the happenings, etc., together and predict what will prevail based on what is happening with the current shoe (not past or history or stats) and couple that with an expected continuance before the regression to the mean develops within the shoe.

The above paragraph is well thought out--some will slam me and call it dribble.  However, the meaning to the above paragraph is, something will happen, something is happening and that happening will or will not continue for a period of hands.  At times it is very easy to figure out and at other times, extremely difficult. When you figure it out you have to ride it and stick with it, forgo and forget all the past shoes, events and stats.  The current instant shoe does not rely on anything or anybody or any superstition.  Most of us add some sprinkles for fun, take the edge off, slow the game or allow us to realize something sizable and then leave a winner. 

There are tons of similarities and for every one that is similar there is an opposite one awaiting arrival in an upcoming hand. 

I have witnessed just as many opposite side doubles or streaks to offset any commonplace similarity regarding when a double or a streak is or is not a trigger.

As far as Banker being the dominant one or as you say 'the less negative one', you are correct but that too will be varied and not a given.  One the other hand, I have sat at numerous tables and witnessed Player dominated shoes outnumbering the Banker in the end with 15+ Player wins.  The story does not end........it will continue.....................

There is a closing note here.  The big table baccarat where the shoe travelled from player to player with the 3 dealers, etc.  That game was pulled from almost all casinos and only the larger ones have it these days.  Why?  Because when it was played as normal, everyone trying the majority of the times for the Banker, the house lost money.  The game really didn't pick up speed until the introduction of the Midi/Macau style tables and the players with the 'cut' wagering mentality.  They are their worst enemies.

I have witnessed a far less player capitalization on the game since the early 2000's.  The typical player has one wagering style and one only.  Play for the cut.  They lose out on the highest majority of the streaks/runs and then they can't even capitalize on the chop/alternating weak shoe as they are then wagering for the repeating/streak (cut). 

Well, been a tough past week with lots of work on the career front.  Been to the casino once since all the Fortune 7's, the 5 in 2 shoes that I hit last week.  I think I will go to the casino tonight if nothing comes up between now and then, another 4 hours or so. 

I seem to have a lackadaisical attitude and play aura but kid you not, I do have a regime and most of the time it is pretty spot on. 

November 1st.  WOW, what a night.  2 Shoes and phenomenal Fortune 7 hits!  Out of this world, just playing on the local level for fun.

Shoe starts out, no one is playing--I am the only one and I normally do not open the shoe and play by myself.  There as a gut feeling and an inner voice screaming to play.  I wagered the first three hands on Banker and won 2 of the three.  B-P-B.  Stuck on Banker a solid 7 in a row and then back to chop.  Around hand 5 I started a quarter on each on for the Fortune 7 and a nickel up for the dealer.  I stop the nickel for the dealer and kept the quarter out on each wager for the Fortune 7.  Hand 12 I am on the Banker with a few hundred and the quarter up on the Fortune 7.  Players showing Monkey and a 2.  Banker has two monkeys.  Players draw a 4.  The dealer I knew well.  I told him, "come on 7, give me that 7, do it slow, bring it out and spin it around a full time".  He does and he flops over the 7!  We high five and he says, "I can never get the Fortune when a player has me up on it".  I look at him, and say "you going to make a back-to-back Fortune7"?  And he says, "Yes".  So I put him up on it for a nickel.  I stop him and say, "you know what, I will do one better".  And I put him up for $10.00 with 2 nickels and I point out how we have the same amount of chips, although mine were green.  He does not do it.  He looks at me when he is taking the money off the Fortune spot and says thanks for the try.  Told me, don't feel compelled to wager for him to.  I told him it was all good.  I sat up and asked him, "how about now--you feel it"?  And he said he felt it.  Of course a dealer would say that, at least the majority of them anyway.  But he was a good dealer and when players got mad at the shoe or him, you could see it in him that he felt bad people lose money at times.  So, that is why I always try for those kind of dealers when it is going my way.  I put him up for 3 nickels and myself for the 2 greens on the Fortune 7.  I point out and make fun, as to how his chips stack is bigger than mine.  He deals the cards, Players return a 5 and the Banker has a monkey and a an ace.  He pulls a monkey for the Players and looks once more at me.  I told him, "Come on, 6 baby---6 baby"!  He pulls it out and I tell him not fast, I don't know why, just feel something stupid and say do it slow, real slow. He pulls it out and lets it sit there for about 15 seconds, looks at me as to say, can it be flopped now.  I tell him do it, and I am almost yelling for a 6.  I knew it was coming and it most certainly was.  We high five and he counts out my $2k and his $600.  Floor comes over and says, 'nice'.  Dealers on both sides of the bac table are smiling for him.  BTW, this casino the dealers keep 100% of their tips for themselves.

I hit one more Fortune 7 that shoe for one quarter and 2 Fortune 7's the following shoe.  A total of 5 Fortune 7's in two shoes which is a record for me.  Cashed out and called it a night. 

http://nypost.com/2016/11/01/poker-pro-bursts-into-tears-pleading-guilty-to-31m-scam/

The best games and the best times I had were prior to the Midi/Macau tables with the scoreboards and the trend of the players to stick with continual cut wagering.

I am referring to where the shoe was giving to the players to deal and the shoe travelled to the next player after a Players winning hand prevailed.  Players did generally wager on the Banker when they received the shoe, although most people would wager a little bit just in case a Players hand did come out. 

But most runs/streaks of Bankers were caught and caught big time by everyone at the tables.  Players runs/streak were generally caught a bit less but more than today on the average that I still see.

But as a few others have said and as I always say, players would do so much better if they played the shoe and not attempted so hard to change the shoe.  The scoreboard and bead roads hurt the highest majority of the players on a consistent basis, and that is the reason they exist on the casinos. 

At least at the jurisdictions I am familiar with here in the USA, most of the regular players and players wagering more than a few hands at the min wager and hoping to stack it up a few times--win--and leave right away, get pretty good service.  Rooms, food, gift shops, shows, etc., whatever the perks are issued by the floor people or their hosts, etc.  As far as opening additional tables, changing limits, allowing their friends or family to play less than posted table min, etc., it all depends on their internal rules and reg's, some properties are more player friendly than others.  Doesn't always matter the amount of bankroll or front money deposited, unless on is a whale (well over $500k/$1M regular bankrolls), etc.

As far as running from table to table, I have seen that backfire big time on the players, just they get fueled because they win sometimes when doing that. 

Something after years of playing I have found and it is the absolute truth.  That is.....you are generally allowed to do things that benefit the casino if it concerns the rules and regulations on the casino floor.  If it was a clear and concise full-time benefit to the player---it would not be allowed.  Like bouncing around table to table, blackjack---no mid shoe entry lots of times in the H.L.  Scoring at baccarat, no problem, pen and paper provided with pleasure and even scoreboards.  All kinds of stuff.  Think about it. 

Casinos decide what their minimums should be, based upon their own personnel, floor management and ability to staff a game. 

Lots of times the minimums on the higher limit games, high limit room and specialty games are set according to other casinos in the area as a key consideration factor.

The chain of hierarchy with casino properties is tremendous, most of the times.  The floor and pti mangers are told what and how to do things with very little lee-way.  Most will not challenge their higher-ups and player request's usually fall on deaf ears. 

I have personally only seen 2 casino actually change their minimums on baccarat and both were based on other nearby casinos offering lesser minimums.  One would not lower their minimum from $50.00 to $25.00 for several months until most of their players decided to band together and not come any longer.  Really senseless because almost all of them were wagering well in excess of $50.00, when it was $50.00 to $3,000.00.  So the casino put it down to $25.00 to $2,000.00.  They also gave unlimited free hands so what's the difference, the players said they like to keep the game going with a min. wager of $25.00 at times.  The other casino in the area is $10.00 to $2,000.00. 

I witnessed another do it during weekends and slower nights and on weekends when their is no more than 1/2 the table occupied.  They used to be $100.00 to $10,000.00.  They put it down to $25.00/$50.00 to $5,000.00.  $25.00 would be for mini bac style and $50.0 min. to have them consent to Midi bac style.     

I have also seen the lower/lowering when no one is there and as soon as more than 3 players sit down the floor person will put the 30 min raising the min. sign out. 

Played many places in Vegas, and I mean many.  Same with A.C. and Southern California.  Shoes vary and one shoe or one day consistent and then the same property or table within---will be 10% different and horrible. 

Anyway, concerning Vegas, Played many trips at the V/Pal.  Lately I am favoring the off-strip properties and I do believe I wrote about this within my Blog contained on this board as well.

Sun Coast.  Gold Coast.  Palace Station.  Lots of action, although not so glamorous and touristy as the Strip properties, I am tired of the hassles and tourist/new money action at Bellagio, Mirage, PH, V/Pal. MGM, Wynn, etc. 

Well, stopped by the local casino last night.  3 other people playing.  The past several months there has been one female constantly there almost every time I go.  She self admittedly told me a couple months ago she had herself voluntarily banned from the larger casino in another part of the state with the Midi/Macau style.  This casino has mini only and with a $10.00 to $2k limit per spot and you can surpass the max if other people are under theirs, you can place additional on their spots, etc.  The other place was $10/$1k, $25/$2k, $50/$3k or $100/$5k limits with 2 or 3 tables on Midi and Mini.  She was a larger bettor there and told me before she lost in excess of $100k earlier in the year.  She claims she gets sucked in and loses her mind and can't think straight cause players are handling the cards, etc. 

Anyway,  last night she bought in for $1,500.00 and was wagering anywhere from $50 to $300 a hand.  The shoe was perfectly matching, 4 Bankers and then a couple Players, and then 4 Bankers and a tie and a Player.  Then a few spots of chop-chop and then 3 Bankers followed immediately by 3 Players, then 2 Bankers and 2 Players for 5 times.  She caught a few and then losses the majority of the wagers.  I finally asked her bluntly, how she was thinking.................

Like for instance, where the Bankers made 3 in a row and then a Player, she wagers on cutting back to the Banker.  I asked her why?  She says, most of the time it will not hold and will cut.  Of course it made 2 more Players to equally match the 3 Bankers.  She lost two in a row.  Then she says, Players will probably run.  Of course it cuts bank to Banker, leaving the 3 and 3 side by side. The when it made the 5 times doubles for each the Players and the Bankers, she is only wagering the 2 spot for the cut and she loses each and every wager.  Finally, after that section there is the standard 1's and 3's, etc.  Bankers  get to be right at the bottom producing 6 in a row and she wagers for the Players.  Bankers tie with that hand.  Then she tells me, now that it tied, it will cut back to the Players.  Of course she is once again wrong.  Makes another 3 Bankers for a total of 9 w/the tie.  She wagers on two of them and gets them and loses the last hand staying on the Banker when it does cut to the Players.   

This is the typical thought from the players.  I have just become used to the player having the trend of thought, that this will cut.  Just what floors me and I still don't understand the way of thinking, is that the majority really do believe a strong/repeating shoe should not be and it will not hold and a weak/choppy shoe will turn strong.  Not once, twice or occasionally, but always. They really do prevent themselves from prevailing the highest majority of the times. 

I still say, play what the shoe is producing, no matter if that is strong/repeating or chop/weak, etc.

Baccarat, the same as the line of work I am in.  At times everything is spot-on and perfect and other times, complete disaster.  While it is a science in the field I work in, there are more grey areas then regulated areas and those are open to interpretations by all the regulatory people.  Usually going something like, asking 4 different officials will usually yield you at least 3 different answers, and as well a rare situation when 2 of them agree on something in full. 

Resembles the baccarat table pretty well!

My only complaint is those that butt in and offer their success and their continued strike rates while offering nothing, absolutely nothing.  They also chastise, and attempt to degrade and humiliate those that do post--at least what they believe in and find to be correct, giving their best attempts to disrupt and just be an all around dissatisfied jerk-off.  All of the 4 or 5 can really offer is some 'hey hey's' or "I make my living at it and it is random but I am smarter than all of you" or the other one is  something like, "You have no idea what you are talk about and you are just a loser, etc.". 

Kind of made my morning reviewing some of the continued drab from our beloved 4 or 5 redundant, offering nothing, regular professional gamblers that are well off and comfortable gambling only, never having to work a regular job, have a career or own a business.  Now, to come to think about it, their drab dialog and drama intended is the exact same as that old newspaper column mom used to like, "Dear Abby".  LOL, once again. 

Mid week.  Planning on trying to get to the casino before the weekend, perhaps tomorrow night? 

Have a few new moves with progressions looking to try out.  More of a disciplines wagering attack rather than a uniformed one. 

Friday night Oct 14th.  Arrived at the casino and went for a snack as no one was play bac yet.  Usually the action doesn't come to well after 7pm.  Got a couple orders of wings just put in the hot box in the cafeteria style food court.  Had a $20.00 voucher for food, so I put the $14.00 food tab on my points card and used the voucher to get some of my favorite Moon Pies to go with my coffee at the office and a bag of the large candies they have, to build my 3 Halloween baskets I normally do for my three kids.  I get those large plastic open top pumpkins at Wal Mart for $1.00 each and some tissue paper and stuff candy bags, some little toys and party favors in each.  I walked back and put the bag in my car and went back to check the bac table.  A few people sat down at the bac table and started.

Unlike a lot of other casinos, more working people and recreational players seem to come here, so bac action is not 24 hours by any means with the typical grinding aggravating pissed-off player trying for a quick $100 food money I guess.   

I went and got some coffee and came back, bought in with $700.00 and another $500.00 in reserve.  Shoe just started.  Jumped in and it was strong, everything making repeats 3 to 5 and 6 times.  Started to bet the Fortune 7 around the 10th hand or so and it hit!  On about the 15th hand I think.  I had $35.00 out there and $10.00 for the dealer right nest to it.  I made a few $5.00 wagers for some of the dealers that have made me Fortune 7's in the past and hit some of them for $205.00 drop for the dealer, this casino the dealers keep 100% of their tips. 

Player was showing a monkey and an Ace and Bankers had a monkey and a 3.  The Players pulls a 4 and the whole table and the dealer goes "Poo-poo" loud!  He pulls a card and before he could flip it a few people said, "Slowly and think 4", he flips it and it's a darn 4!  Almost everyone had $15.00 or a Quarter on the Fortune 7, it was one loud table!  Dealer drops $410, pit manager and floor comes over, everyone high fiving.  New dealer comes in about 6 hands after that.  After a few hands she goes, "I will make another Fortune 7 within 4 to 7 hands".  Shoe is real strong and making money off the other repeating wagers with only the last one falling off each time.  On the 7th wager she makes the second Fortune 7 and I had another $35.00 up there.  The hand was 6 for the Players first two cards and Blackjack for the Bankers first two.  So naturally everyone is yelling for a 6 and a 6 it was.  $2,800.00 on the Fortune 7's!  She says, no dealer tip this time?  I said, oh you heard about that, she says "I was on blackjack down at the end of the row, everyone heard about it".  We all gave her a quarter each anyway.  This is a long time dealer that we all know, no offensive meant. 

The shoe is about at the 35th hand or so, and I had to run out to the nearby town to put $500 on my wife's card to get some stuff for the kids.  Figured it was a good time, strong shoe and 2 Fortune 7's already, usually 90 percentile shoe would be unplayable after all that.  The town is only about 7 miles away so I said play slow and left a stack of green chips in my empty seat. 

Did my business and got back.  It was at about hand 60 or so.  Two more Fortune 7's!!!  Oh well.  At most of the shoe there were more Fortune's than ties!  Unusual to say the least!  The shoe got almost unplayable with most players losing their bankrolls wagering $50.00 every time on tie, less ties than Fortune's.  I think their were 3 ties and the 4 Fortune's now.  I wagered smaller waiting for the next shoe.  2 more Fortune's came, I missed them both, threw up a few Fortune's but mentioned to miss bot additional ones.  Finished the shoe with 6 ties and the 6 Fortune's. 

Played another couple of shoes and cashed out $2k up plus the $500 I sent out earlier.  Called it a night and headed back.

Sat. night Oct. 15th.  Got there around 7pm and almost no one playing again.  I had a full day of stuff and wasn't feeling like hanging around.  Got a quick snack and made some phone calls. Went back and there was one guy playing, he is a determined player and most of the time her does fairly well.  Brings a large bankroll for this place and will either lose it all or win quite a bit.  He just started and I bout in with $500.00.  Some how I didn't like the aura and the rotating non regular dealers doing the game tonight.  I started out slow and steady.  Won a few and then straight down.  $50.00 wagers, some quarter wagers and then Fortune only attempts. 

No rhythm and no gut feelings, none and that is strange for me at this place.  Anyway, I went down to $150.00 and said to myself I would not buy in again with the other $500.00 I had.  Straight losing for me in the beginning is not good from my experience.  I throw a $75.00 wager out, figuring two last wagers of $75.00 each to see what I can do.  I win it, and then wager again with the $150 and win that one too.  I throw out the $300.00 and win that one also.  I decide to call it a night, not feeling it and no one else is around.  This place will not do free hands and with only one other player there, I choose to leave.  I cashed out my $675.00 I had and laughed at the $175.00 for an hour and a half each way drive, gas and my time.  LOL.

I stopped at the C-Store on the way back and filled up with gas, got my coffee and a snack for the drive and stopped at the store to get my little kids some truck DVD's and a Halloween sticker book and a Toy's R US gift card.  Almost the $175.00 gone. 

That was my casino adventures for the weekend. 

Vic, did you find a way to deal with the low-life trolls that pick and prod kind of resembling a drunk with no purpose looking for sex with another of the same gender, that there seem to be about 5 or 6 on here???