Casino Game 42

I came up with one solution for on-line collusion.  It has the advantage of preventing collusion but the disadvantage of changing the structure of the game.  The solution is for the computer to run the tables hand for hand and randomly assign players to the tables at the beginning of each hand.  This can be done in such a way as to maintain each player’s position relative to the button.  From any individual’s perspective he/she would remain in the same seat, at the same table and the button would move normally.  On each hand a random group of players would be seated in the other seats.  If there were N tables I would only be seated with my collusion partner 1/N times.

Answer 1:

Believe it or not, this concept has been discussed. It leaves large teams able to communicate and identify themselves to each other, though. Still interesting. It would probably reduce collusion attempts, but it’s difficult to implement and explain. The main way this idea comes up has less to do with collusion. If players are shifted to new games as soon as they fold, you can have new hands dealt almost instantly. This requires a large number of games, Otherwise you spend too much time waiting for the seats to fill with players who have folded at other tables, and you might as well stay at the same table.

Answer 2:

If this really worked it would be awesome. Of course it would take away one of the fundamental elements of the game, observing how other players play and adjusting your play accordingly. Seems to me, however, that many of the people who wouldn’t play due to this are already not playing in online games. I know some online players go so far as to keenly observe other players and keep notes on their play, but I bet most don’t. One other thing to consider as a player – if you get used to getting a new hand within seconds of folding the old one, going back to a live game could really try your patience.

Answer 3:

 That’s exactly the disadvantage to which I was referring.  You wouldn’t be able to do that.  Also, it would take longer to learn your opponents play because they will only be at your table 1 time in N tables.

I’ve read about this book by Frank R. Wallace. It seems to be geared toward house games. Will reading it is of any major help in the casino.

Answer 1:

I don’t think that it would be of much help for playing in a casino game. Although there are sections on playing, much of the book is dedicated to the ‘business’ of poker, or making money playing poker as a sort of semi-professional hobby. I thought some of the sections on money management, game selection/management were interesting, but the stuff on legal issues is dated. There is some good historical material as well and decent probability tables of various sorts. The book is strongly geared toward house games and all kinds of manipulative ways to extract as much money as possible, over the long run, from the people in the games. As an example, he encourages playing crazy wild card games because players will not understand the games as well and gives up more of their money. This book is almost more of a business administration guide to poker than a how-to-play book. As far as guaranteeing an income for life, well, this book did not help me nearly as much as Jones, Sklansky or Malmuth have.

Answer 2:

This is actually a fascinating book because of its insight into utter ruthlessness. It’s not a how to, but it does have useful insights into the treatment of long-suffering fish (stroke them when they’re down, praise them for their rolling suck outs) and control. Worth reading, despite the way that it’s aged.

Answer 3:

This book is a great book to read.  I suggest you look at it and decide for yourself whether you can use any of the information in the casino. I have found the book to be very useful, even though the author has clearly gone off the deep end in later publications.  He pushes ethics to their extreme and is, unintentionally I’m sure, amusingly intense. This is also a great book to read if you are worried that you are becoming obsessed with this great pastime.  You will see that no matter how compulsive or obsessive you may be, by contrast to Wallace, you are quite OK!

Remarkably enough, after organizing and running one magnificent tournament for many years, the management of The Orleans has seen fit to terminate David Hriscina, the Poker Room Manager! Reasons are sketchy and unknown at this time. Playing and Dealing

Answer 1:

David resigned under an understanding with/from someone upstairs. The reasons are unknown to my source, but said, “There was a “disagreement of some kind with upper management”. Mike Vento is interim card room manager. He is having meetings with EXEC’s today and we’ll know more today about his future role, possibly. I intend to go byOrleansand speak to him. David is not taking any calls and is in seclusion.

Answer 2:

It differs very much from industries that require lots of precise knowledge whether it is cutting hair, fixing cars or programming computers. People who know these things can usually get a similar job somewhere, especially if they are young and are willing to take a small pay cut. Casino jobs are different.  I have known many shift bosses and card room managers who became dealers after they were fired. This is because most casino jobs pay more (including tips) than supply and demand would dictate the skills involved are worth. The most obvious examples are valet parkers and cocktail waitresses, but the syndrome holds to a lesser extent for dealers and managers as well. They are all overpaid by the standards of normal organizations. That is why “juice” counts for a lot when it comes to these jobs, as opposed to pure merit. Thus when someone is fired from one of these positions, he or she is in extreme danger of not being able to duplicate anywhere near that high paying a job unless they still have that juice or they are somehow so incredibly good at what they do that they can overcome the juice that someone else has. Bottom line. Learn something real if you don’t like the idea of being in this spot.

Answer 3:

Exactly what I’m saying.  People get fired all the time just for the hell of it in the poker industry. It’s amazing. In my line of work, it takes years for someone to get fired and they have to do something serious like rob or kill someone for it to hold up.  The industry needs rights like us…

Let me see if I understand the problem. You stop by the casino for a poker game and pick up a free magazine on the way out. It includes several articles by leading poker writers, reports on several tournaments, schedules of future tournaments, reports on poker related activities from around the world and many advertisements which are in themselves quite informative. Now you believe that if Card Player did “a more honest job of reporting”, it would “provide a better service to the readers?” Would you invest in a magazine start-up that required poker players to use part of their bankroll to pay for subscriptions??

Card player has done it again! They continue to write favorable press for their advertisers. July 7 card player magazine “Atlantic City scene”, ‘the taj mahal poker room’s new nonsmoking policy has helped immensely according to both player and personnel alike”. Just for the record , i played at the Taj on a daily basis for a number of years. The Trop’s 10-20 holdem game which used to break up more often than not is a very strong game now. Not only that Trops overall business is up. Why is that? The reason is many of the Taj’s regular players now come to the Trop (both smokers and non-smokers).

What the Taj’s “management team” failed to consider is they violated a cardinal rule in the casino business, “never give a player a reason NOT to enter your casino”. In addition they failed to understand that just 2 or 3 players can mean the difference in a game breaking down or lasting through the night. Getting back to the card player magazine, here is just another instance of them presenting a favorable image to a poker room in this case the Taj Mahal. I would be in favor of the Card player doing a more honest job of reporting as opposed to shedding such a favorable light on every card room across the country. Wouldn’t this provide a better service to the readers? Oh and it would be appreciated if some Card Player staff member doesn’t respond to this post by saying “we as a practical matter must try to appease our advertisers”. This type of journalism is inexcusable.

Answer 2:

Card player and Poker Digest are both nothing but advertisements with articles sprinkled in. Neither magazine will ever do an honest review on a card room, simply because it might offend an advertiser. Read the articles, gaze at the ads, but don’t expect anything but rays of sunshine when you read an article about a card room/cruise/casino/tournament.

Answer 3:

Of the four CP covers he’s had, two were unconnected with any sponsor, while one was for the first major tournament ever held on the east coast (World Poker Finals, which he founded, named, and hosted) and one was for the four-color deck (Yaquinto, which he promoted). The other two covers were given because two different publishers thought that he deserved them. And he felt honoured. Significantly, the four Caro covers have been ranked #1, #2, #4, and
#7 as the all-time most interesting in Card Player history. That’s out
of nearly 400 issues that readers could choose from. He feels honoured by that, too. It makes him feel humble.