Know the Rules of Casino Play
There are a number of things that you should "Not" do. They are critical to your attitude, and will indirectly affect the quality of your play in ways that you will not even be aware of consciously.
1. Do not drink any alcoholic beverages before or during the time that you play. If you must drink, wait until after the playing session, or before you go to sleep, so that you can sleep it off.
2. Do not play if you are disturbed, or there is an emotional crisis on your mind. Even the slightest upset in your emotional equilibrium will affect your play. Set your affairs at ease and aside. Otherwise, you are like the proverbial incompetent executive who continually brings his home troubles with him to the office. If you are overly troubled, don't play, do something else. Playing especially if you are a counter requires your total mental capacity.
3. Before you begin to play for large stakes, be sure that you are "Up" to the task. Don't kid yourself into thinking that the casino is not concerned about a winning dollar bettor, they are. If you are tired, don't play. If you cannot concentrate, don't play. If anything at all bothers you, don't play.
4. Your ability to continuously use a Blackjack system is dependent upon your anonymity and the casino's inability to recognize you and other players who use this system. To this effect, you must "Never" brag about your accomplishments. Satisfy your ego by chuckling "All the way to the bank." It is none of your friends', relatives', or anybody else's business where you earn your money. What you are doing is perfectly legal, but you must remain incognito. A casual acquaintance, especially in Nevada, could be a casino employee. Your interest is the opposite to his. He needs the casinos to take your money so they can pay his wager. You want to take that money from them. He or she will report you.
5. "Never" play with scared money. If you can't afford to lose your total playing bank, then don't play with it. It will have an effect on your mental state.
6. Do not "Antagonize" the dealer. You will lose and you will have bad streaks, just as you will have good streaks. Do not take your frustrations out on the dealer. Be friendly, smile, but "Don't" engage in excessive conversation to the point where the dealer will recognize you readily. If you sense that the dealer wants to see you lose, get up and play somewhere else. He could be cheating you.
7. "Don't" do anything that will cause the house to suspect you of being a cheat. Your appearance should be neat. If appropriate, wear short sleeves. See that your hands and nails are relatively clean so that it doesn't look like you are marking the cards. Keep your actions down to a minimum. Do "Not" handle the cards excessively. Do "Not" make fast moves with the cards. Avoid any unique hand, arm, body, or head movements that might be characteristic of you as an individual, and could serve as a basis for future recognition. Ask your spouse or a trusted associate to observe you while you play so that they can point out mannerisms of yours, which might clearly identify you.
8. Do "Not" play in the casino just after the main show gets out. This is when it is most crowded. You will only be able to put in a limited day's effort at any rate, so pick the hours that are most profitable. You will personally have to check this out, since it varies with the time of the year and day of the week. |
