Casino Rama Trip report

[Guest CarlosM]

I went to spend time with my younger brother at his condo with his wife and my 1 year old nefew. My first nefew. We decided to take a drive to casino rama just north of Barrie Ontario, in Orillia. We arrive there just before 2 PM. Itès pretty bussy. He doesnèt play blackjack. He likes his slots and poker. He played the $1 slots, the wheel of fortune. In 2 minutes, he hits 1,000. So, he made $1,000 and quits and cashes out. I swear that guy has horse shoes up his ...! All blackjack tables look full or near full so, we get something to eat. After our nice meal, which he paid for as my birthday treat, we look at the blackjack tables again. There was only one I saw that had less than 5 players. It had 2 players. An Asian man sitting at first base and an Asian women at seat number 6. Well, she was playing her bets on spot number 6 but, sitting in the chair of seat number 7. They are not doing too well. The game is not over clumped or heavily clumped but, very dealer biased. My brother recalls when we first arrived at the casino that those 2 were always there. So, I assumed the player number remained for a long enough time to creat that bias. So, you can have a game that is random or near that and still have a strong dealer bias and not just when the game is highly clumped! I see it is not a first base game or advantage betting game. The woman playing seat 6 is losing 3, 4 and 5 in a row. But, I notice had she played each hand the way I would have, she would not lose 3 in a row. So, I buy in for $900. I get a combo of green and black chips. I put my first $25 bet on betting spot 7. So, now the woman has to get off that seat and sit on number 6. Sheès betting on spot 6 anyways! The table is $25 min and $500 max. That's not so great. Oh well! I test 7 hands at flat bets of $25. I win the first 2, lose the third hand, win the fourth hand, win the fifth, lose the sixth, and win the seventh. So, now I go 1-4-6 like so, $75-$300-$450. This table was the easiest I've ever played. At times a player would eneter or one of the 2 players would play 2 hands. Never went to head to head or more than 4 players. I played 14 shoes. At one point the dealer became pretty strong because a bias would develop from the player number remaining the same for long enough. So, then I added a sacrafice hand to my right. I only had to do this for 2 shoes, then back to one hand at seat 7. By shoe 12, 2 players get in. Now we are in a 5 player game. I'm still doing well. Next shoe it's a full table. I do not too bad. Next, the final shoe, number 14, I struggle and eventually lose a pile. I quit and cash out. I leave with my buy in plus $10,800 in profit. Not bad for a couple of hours of play on a busy day with barely any table selection in a dealer biased game. It was dealer biased at first. Then I changed it to a Carlos bias game! What's funny is this casino still uses the same shuffle, plugging, etc.. as they did when I first played them over 5 years ago! This casino has always been easy to beat. It was hand shuffled, 8 decks. They don't use any machines for blackjack. All hand shuffled. Main area is 8 decks, high stakes room is 6 decks, hand shuffled, same shuffle. They take the 8 decks and make 4 piles. Call it Pile A, B, C and D. They take the first pick from A and B and shuffle it together and take a pick off that and a pick from C. And so on. Till they have an 8 deck pile. This takes them 15 picks. Then a staraight thru, which takes 8 picks. So, they are using half deck picks with a normal intertwine. Not tight or loose. Say 3-5 cards max between laces. The game deals 75-80% penetration. When a shoe ends. They take the 2 decks cut off cards and place it on the table. Before plugging those, the cards in the discard tray, they take 2 decks off the top and plug it in the centre of that discard pile. Then they take the cut off cards and plug 1 deck in the top third of the discars and the other cut of, 1 deck, they insert/plug in the bottom third. Same shuffle and plugging as always. What's different in this casino is how the dealer cards are dealt. I'll give you an example. 2, 4, 5, 10. The 5 is her up card, the 10 is the hole card and the 4 and 2 are her hit cards. She picks up break cards the same. Her cards ontop of the third base players cards in the discard tray. If she has a blackjack, the round ends right there. Insurance is offered. She stands on all 17's. Split up to 4 times. Double after split. They have a bonus optional side bet that you can bet with your original bet. If you get a pair of any, you win the bonus. I never play that bonus.

[Guest chuck24]

Carlos, you said it was a dealer biased game. Why did you sit dnin a dealer biased game? And what changed so drastically to allow you to win so big?

How did those other 2 players do after you sat down?

[Guest CarlosM]

Even though it was a dealer biased game, I got in because I noticed that the woman at seat number 6 never lost 3 in a row playing my way. Also, I enter and I know I will change the player number. I find it easier to break a dealer bias by sitting at third base and games with 3 or less players are good to break a bias. Also it takes longer for a bias to return in a 3 player game than it does in a 6 or 7 player game. If the player number keeps changing, like with me, 3, then 4, then 3, makes it tougher for a bias to return or re develop. Even if the player number remains the same all that time, it takes longer for a bias to re appear in a 3 player game than it does for a 6 or 7 player game. The other 2 players did a little better. From losing to holding their own because I was breaking the dealer. It was a very easy game. Then a bias would develop and they start losing again. I then added an extra sacrafice hand for 2 shoes. They did better again. Then players slowly began to enter the game. Eventually making it a full table. Now, keeping the table at 7 players constat will develop a bias quickly. Then I canèt do anything. I canèt add a hand. 3, 4 or less player games are easier to controll and easier to break dealer biases and to creat a player bias or at the very least, a Carlos Bias!

[Guest chuck24]

Even though it was a dealer biased game, I got in because I noticed that the woman at seat number 6 never lost 3 in a row playing my way. Also, I enter and I know I will change the player number. I find it easier to break a dealer bias by sitting at third base and games with 3 or less players are good to break a bias. Also it takes longer for a bias to return in a 3 player game than it does in a 6 or 7 player game. If the player number keeps changing, like with me, 3, then 4, then 3, makes it tougher for a bias to return or re develop. Even if the player number remains the same all that time, it takes longer for a bias to re appear in a 3 player game than it does for a 6 or 7 player game. The other 2 players did a little better. From losing to holding their own because I was breaking the dealer. It was a very easy game. Then a bias would develop and they start losing again. I then added an extra sacrafice hand for 2 shoes. They did better again. Then players slowly began to enter the game. Eventually making it a full table. Now, keeping the table at 7 players constat will develop a bias quickly. Then I canèt do anything. I canèt add a hand. 3, 4 or less player games are easier to controll and easier to break dealer biases and to creat a player bias or at the very least, a Carlos Bias!

Carlos, thanks for the explanation. Makes sense.

[jsintl]

Hi CarlosM,

Good to know about your success in BJ.

I'm also from Toronto and still a newbie at BJ.

Can you recommend something to start with in Canadian environment?

Is NBJ a good way to start?

Your comments will be highly appreciated.

Brgds,

jsintl

[Guest CarlosM]

NBJ, honestly, is not a good way to start. It is in fact the ONLY way to start or play, ever! There is no other way to best play BJ. This is the BEST way you can ever play blackjack! It's honestly the only way! The casinos or any bj book or author will ever tell you this. Many people do not know this. Even for some personel and authors who know the truth I just told you, they will not tell you that! Are you in downtown Toronto. I'm in the East end, Scarborough, near Port Union, right by Rouge Hill. Our casinos down here are perfect. Niagara uses hand shuffled and machines. Rama uses no machines. I was just there. All BJ games there are hand shuffled and are 8 decks. They still use the same shuffle for the last 5 or more years. They do nor strip. Very simple shuffle. I find that game types stay that way for a long time. We have the best and easiest casinos to beat. You can go to Niagara during a week day, daytime, and find most tables 1, 2 and 3 players and will not find 7 player games. You'll find that more on a Saturday night. Even then, you won't find all or a lot of the tables with 7 players. We have it made here. Of all the decks used in the world. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8, 8 deck, especially hand shuffled with the shuffles here, no stripping (But, only Niagara uses a mild strip), 8 decks is the greatest for NBJ. Third base is beautiful here. First base is a ball down here. When are you planning to go to the casino again? When was the last time you played in one of our casinos? Aside from Rama and Niagara and Fallsveiw, have you been to the smaller ones like Port Perry "The Great Blue Heron" or Brantford Casino? Let me know when you go agin!

[jsintl]

Hi CarlosM,

Many thanks for your input.

I'm actually on the west side, Mississauga.

Frankly, I have not played BJ nor Baccarat in any of our casinos. Seldom, I played Roulette for fun but that's about it.

I've been studying Baccarat for sometime and still not confident enough to play live. I will be retiring in a couple of years and would like to find something that will augment my measly pension. Now, I'm thinking of studying NBJ.

Good luck!

[ECD]

Good going Carlos! You're making a real habit of this. You might mention for the newbies here that good 8 deck games last much longer than good 6 deck games. It simply takes longer for the same number of players to change an 8 deck game.

You know, in our old NBJ forum a few years back I used to get inundated with criticism from the many card counting groups and their gurus. Now, we don't hear from those guys at all any more. That fits right in with that news release you sent me about my big competitor Doug Grant. He quit teaching card counting altogether, joined up with Ron F. who I taught NBJ to, and now they teach a form of NBJ. You would think this would make me angry but it doesn't at all. The way I look at it is NBJ is so little known by the general public that every little bit helps my overall cause. Besides, they can never teach it as well as the originator.

I don't know if you know this but likewise, Stanford Wong, the biggest living card counting guru, also recently quit card counting altogether and threw in with my old NBJ publisher Jerry Patterson who also had quit card counting to teach a form of NBJ. It's like rats off a sinking ship. Given enough time, the truth always wins out.

Of course it always helps to have show offs like you, Mad Dog and Charr running around America performing BJ feats, the likes of which, no card counter has ever experienced. Thanks for your trip report and keep up the good work.

[Mad Dog]

Mad Dog will be performing nightly at the Wynn...

[jsintl]

Hope I can duplicate you guys. However, I heard that it's difficult to teach new tricks to an old dog like me. Ellis, can you tell me where to start, if I still have the chance to change my life for the better.

Tks in advance.

[ECD]

Sure, start with NBJ and In Search Of. If you can't afford both at the same time Get NBJ first. Also start looking for a place to get casino quality cards cheap. You'll be needing lots of them. If you've got anything that plays the old video tapes, Send me 50 bucks and I'll send you a home practice video. I've also got the NBJ and WCB audios. I know Keith has some so you can listen on computer but the guys like to listen to them in their cars. Those are $50 ea. Ea audio package is 4 tapes about 2 hrs each package. The video is as long as my son could balance a Sharp stereo super eight on his head. But even my critics say that the WCB audio tapes are the best in BJ history. I take you right along on a casino trip to Turning Stone and tell you everything I am doing and why. I still listen to it myself before a casino trip to get my mind in the right place. But first step is get the nbj manual from Keith. Read through it quickly the first time. A couple of light bulbs will turn on. Then read through it slowly several times. With each reading more light bulbs will turn on. Then set up a practice area at home. The video shows you how and start practicing. Then read some more. BTW, you certainly won't be the oldest person I ever taught, not by a long shot. And remember, you'll have some darn good mentors who like being mentors.

[Guest CarlosM]

Hi Jsintl! When you read the NBJ manual for the first or first few times, you will have questions like I did. When you do, you can ask me anything, anytime as well as all other mentors/teachers. I wish you the best and practice a lot and work hard. Donald Trump said the luckiest people are those who work the hardest. In other words, hard work and dedication will produce your own good luck. In other words, good fortune! Another quote, not by him, By Mr.Lombardi, winning is not everything in life, it's the ONLY thing! I'm very happy for you. I remember how excited I was when I got my NBJ manual and first read it. After that, all I wanted to do all day, every day is keep reading it over and over. You'll love it. Guarenteed!

[ddbcinti]

For E. Clifton Davis

I am just purchased the New Blackjack and the World Class Blackjack. I would like some more advice on tracking the TR and identifying a signature of a deck.

Also I saw your post on the Casino Rama Trip report. I am also interested in the video tape you mentioned that could be used for home practice. I might also be interested in the NBJ and WCB audios. Please let me know about the cost and where I would get info about purchasing these audios. Is a CD available or only audio tapes? Thanks! I'm anxious to get started practicing.

db

Sure, start with NBJ and In Search Of. If you can't afford both at the same time Get NBJ first. Also start looking for a place to get casino quality cards cheap. You'll be needing lots of them. If you've got anything that plays the old video tapes, Send me 50 bucks and I'll send you a home practice video. I've also got the NBJ and WCB audios. I know Keith has some so you can listen on computer but the guys like to listen to them in their cars. Those are $50 ea. Ea audio package is 4 tapes about 2 hrs each package. The video is as long as my son could balance a Sharp stereo super eight on his head. But even my critics say that the WCB audio tapes are the best in BJ history. I take you right along on a casino trip to Turning Stone and tell you everything I am doing and why. I still listen to it myself before a casino trip to get my mind in the right place. But first step is get the nbj manual from Keith. Read through it quickly the first time. A couple of light bulbs will turn on. Then read through it slowly several times. With each reading more light bulbs will turn on. Then set up a practice area at home. The video shows you how and start practicing. Then read some more. BTW, you certainly won't be the oldest person I ever taught, not by a long shot. And remember, you'll have some darn good mentors who like being mentors.