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The GameMaster Advisor
for June of 1999

Dear gamemaster,
I have read your lessons about card counting and I feel rather confident in my skills and in your system. The thing is I'm not sure if I perfectly understood the true count lesson and I would like it to be crystal clear before I hit the tables again. Please explain a little more about the rounding because I'm not sure that I got the concept.
A card counter.

Dear counter,
The true count adjusts the running count to a standardized 'count per remaining deck' and my advice is to round the numbers in a conservative manner. For example, if there are two decks remaining and the running count is 5, the actual true count would be 5 divided by 2 or 2.5. My advice is to treat that as a true count of 2, rather than 3.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/30/99


Dear Gamemaster,
I visit your site quite often - to find out what's happening in the world of on line casinos.

Some of your advertisers are excellent, some are not so fair in their rules. But then as they say "caveat emptor".

However there is one on line casino that is not only listed in your magazine but which "comes highly recommended" and has " a high reputation" and is "worthy of note" - Casino Royale.

Something has happened to this on line casino and I think that you should investigate and inform your readers on what is happening. For several days I was unable to log on to them even after repeated attempts. On May 27 my e-mail to them was returned with this quite alarming message - "connection timed out with mail.casinomail.com - message could not be delivered for 1 day - message will be deleted from queue". Another message to their webmaster at a different address was returned with "unable to send message....recipients were rejected by your mail server". Needless to say futher attempts to log on to this casino were not successful.

I suspect that Casino Royale has turned belly up and my credit balance with them in serious jeopardy.

Could you advise me whether there is any way that I can get my money back? Do I face this possibility in all on line casinos? I think that you should sound a warning to your readers of this danger.

I am thinking of writing to America on Line to inform them of this situation. Do you think this would serve any purpose? Do you know in which state/country the casino is registered to enable me to take up the matter futher?

Please help.
Tomitan.

Dear Tomitan,
I, too had an account with them and am unable to get any response. I seriously doubt that they'll be taking on any new customers. This casino was, as I recall registered here in the U.S. and they relied upon the concept of 'fun bucks' to get around the law. I don't know anything at this moment, but we'll post this and I'll do some sniffing around.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/30/99


Hello, my name is Seth. I am a beginner at the card counting game of black jack. I've read a couple of books and your lessons and feel that I'm starting to get the general idea. I was reading Lesson 9 on Blackjack.com and I am a bit confused about your standard deviation table. I was wondering if you could send me the formulas that you used to construct that table. In particular, I don't understand how the player could ever have a 1.25% average advantage unless this is some sort of weighted average based on the amount bet, because it seems the average advantage would be precisely the dealers advantage when playing basic strategy. What am I missing?

The 1.25% advantage is the expected return on all the $$$ bet. Because we are counting, we bet more when we have the advantage (which may be 6% or more in a good game with a 'high' count) and less when the casino has the edge. It's a weighted average, as you surmise.

Also, on the 68% and 95% confidence intervals, I don't understand why the expected win is not at the mid point of the ranges since I was under the impression that these ranges were expected win plus standard deviation to expected win minus standard deviation, in the 68% case. Can you explain this to me or send me the calculations, I would really appreciate it.
Seth

Those figures were calculated by using the formulas from Stanford Wong's book, "Professional Blackjack" and were done by me about 5 years ago. I've gotten lazy in my old age and now use a program called "Blackjack Risk Manager" which I reviewed on my site: www.gamemasteronline.com/, but all the info you want is in Wong's book. In any event, the difference should be twice the expectation; i.e, for a 12-hour session, the expectation is $144 and the range is +$552 to -264 = $288. There appears to be an error on the 3-hour session, but I may have been extra-conservative in my math; better wider than narrower.

I hope this helps.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/30/99


Hello to the Gamemaster,
Thanks for your last reply. I went to the Canberra Casino yesterday to practice my card counting with real dealers !! I only placed small bets and used the time as a learning exercise to see where I stood on real play!! Back to practice. I'm still practicing the card counting in pairs but the quickest I can get to date is about 40 secs on a single deck and after going to the casino I know I have to practice more.

My question is: does it matter when people open and close boxes (play a second hand) on the table ? I have had people do this to me very regularly just when I expect a good hand they open another box ! They get the good hand and I get the leftovers. Should I just ignore this type of play or should I leave the table and come back later ?

This situation does not hurt you, in the sense of getting good or bad cards. However, it may be that some of the other players are also card counters and this action 'chews up' positive decks. You can generally tell if someone else is a counter (their bets go up with the count) ; if they are, I'd leave. But, if they aren't counters, this may help you, since they could also chew up negative decks. I find that situation much more often and I like it, since one of my strategies is to play 2 hands in a 'positive' situation and, if other, non-counters are doing it, the action makes me blend in as another gambler.

question 2. Should I have regular breaks while I'm playing at the table or not ? I found it very difficult to concentrate after 2 hours and made some silly decisions on basic strategy, so I stopped play.

I never play more than an hour with at least some sort of break. Walk away when the count has gone deeply negative.

Thanks in advance for you info
Kind regards
Shane

You're welcome.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/25/99


Gamemaster,
I have been practicing to count cards for a year now, so i made a trip to my local casino, to my suprise there was a card shuffler there so it ruined my chances of counting.Could you tell me if card shufflers are on the increase?, how popular are they at vaious casinos?, and will card counting last for a few more years?
thanks
steve

Dear Steve,
I am not aware of any casino which uses auto shufflers exclusively; most have one or two and players don't like them, so it's doubtful if they'll ever take over the game. Card-counting has benn valid for 35 years now and I believe it has a long life ahead of it.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/23/99


GameMaster,
I been reading and studying your strategy on blackjack and I believe I have the counting down. I can count the cards pretty good from Minus to Plus and so on. But my question is how do I use this knowledge of knowing how to count at a table? I mean I can count the cards but what good does that do? I probably did not understand one of your lessons, but I been going through them more than once, and I can not understand what good does it do for me to know how to count cards.

Do I hit or stay when they have a negative value or positive value? I do not understand; could you please fill me in on what is it that I am missing? I will appreciate it.
Ray

Dear Ray,
Knowing the count tells you two things: how much to bet and whether or not to vary the play of the hand from the 'normal' Basic Strategy. The lessons you need to read are the one called "True Count" and all the lessons on money management. They are archived at the bottom of the Blackjack Page of my site. Varying your bet according to the count is where you'll make 90% of your $$$. The changes in how to play the hand, according to the count, is a refinement which you can add later. The lessons for that can be found in the same place.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/20/99


Hello,
I have just recently found your website and begun your lessons on Blackjack. Let me say right now your site is a godsend. I begun to play at "Casino Canberra (Australia)" and after having my bankroll go up and down observed the play of other players and realised there was some form of methodology to their play. I have stopped playing for the moment until I have learnt all of your lessons well enough to go back and be a serious contender. In the interim I have a few questions to ask:

1. In Australia the casino's all seem to use 8 decks; am I still able to apply your rules for multipack games where in your lessons it refers to 6 pack games ?

Yes, the multi-deck strategy is for two or more decks.

2. I have played at the "Carribean Sands On-line" and applied the basic principals but lost very quickly. I have read in their description of the game that they use 8 decks but reshuffle after every hand. From what I have read in your lessons (I'm up to lesson 4) this would be a disadvantage to me. Should I stop playing at the online site and just continue with my lessons and then go to Casino Canberra ?

Card counting is ineffective when the deck(s) are shuffled after every hand.

3. In Australia there is always so called experts at the table and are quite outspoken about how other people play their hands at the table and how it affects them in the long run. I have made decisions based on the basic play and had players and even dealers raise their eye brows at the play i.e. doubling on A,7 3 thru 6. I have just ignored them. I suppose I just need some reassurance that what I am doing with this particular hand in the long run is correct ?

It most definitely is. How others play their hands at the table will not affect the long term, simply because their mistakes will help as often as they hurt. People only think others affect their play because they want to blame someone else for their losses. Play according to Basic Strategy and, if that causes others to complain, don't let it bother you. This happened to me many times and once, after hitting an A-7 against a 10 and busting, another player said to me: "That was the wrong play." My response was: "If you think I played that hand incorrectly, this game is going to cost you a lot of money". A few hands later, he left.

4. Once I have finished up to lesson 4 and if I apply the A,5 count do you think I would be ready for some play or should I just use the A,5 count to experiment and learn and wait until I can count properly ?

The Ace-5 count is only marginally effective against an 8-deck shoe. Learn the Hi/Lo count instead.

6. In one of the lessons you mentioned a program available on the net that could help with the count. Do you know the website URL for this site ?

Unfortunately, that site is now inactive. But just do it at home with 'real' cards and you'll learn just as quickly.

I would appreciate any other imput you can offer, I am prepared to spend what ever time is needed to learn properly.
Kind regards
Shane

I have a feeling you're going to do very, very well. Don't hesitate to contact me again if I can help.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/16/99


Hi There.
My name is Andrew and I am from South Africa. I started gambling about a year ago or should I say giving away lots of money a year ago. I have lost about R50 000. (Rands) in this time - about $10 000.00 and got myself into abit of trouble with the wife and bank. I would like your advice on whether to quit playing or learning a system and giving it another go. Our minimum bets here are about $10.00 which works out to a payroll of $6000.00 and I don't have that kind of money. I have about $1000.00 that I can use without putting myself into financial trouble again. It has taken me since December to get myself over the last loss. I have tried the Hi/Lo system twice and I know that you say it only works over a long period of time but the first time I tripled my money and the second time I lost half those winnings. I feel confident that it will work for me but I am worried that my bankroll is to small and it would take 2 years of saving to get to the required amount. I have been practicing the system at home with a deck of cards and a calculator to keep track of my winnings and losses ie. I put in 1000 then minus 50 when I bet. The one thing that worries me about the system is that when ever I am in a positive situation I seem to always get a 10 and a 6 or 7 and the bank always seems to pull a 10. However when I am in a minus I seem to win more hands. I don't know if I am counting wrong. 10/A = -1 7/8/9 = 0 2/3/4/5/6 =1. I must admit I did not know about the TRUE count senario and was mutipling my bet by the actual count ie.+7 I was betting R350.00 and losing it. However when doing this at home on a one deck system with a natural True count I also seem to always lose when in a positive. I only found your website this evening and have printed all the pages. I will study them carefully and hopefully see where I am going wrong.

Thank you for your website. Hope to here from you soon.
Greetings from Sunny South Africa
yours sincerely
Andrew

Dear Andrew,
My advice is to learn the True Count aspect to counting before you go any further. With a $1000 bankroll, you haven't got a chance to win; believe me. You'll be much better off to take the two years to save your $$$....er, RRR while you're developing your skills. The biggest reason why people fail at card counting is under-capitalization and/or over betting, which is what you were doing when you lost the $10,000. Please take your time with this, since it's a skill which you can use for the rest of your life and you've got a long way to go. You are using the count correctly, but need to bet with the True Count.

As for losing when the count is up and winning when the count is minus, that's going to happen a lot, since high counts are much, much rarer than negative counts. It simply boils down to playing a lot more hands in neutral or negative counts than high counts.

Everything you need to know about winning at Blackjack is on my site; practice, patience and discipline will get the $$$ (RRR).

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/14/99


HI Gamemaster,
I've been lurking on your excellent website for several months now. Since I also live in St. Louis, I've enjoyed reading about gambling events closer to home-for example the BJ tournament out at St. Charles. I was sorry to hear you didn't win, but I was fascinated with the strategy you needed for tournament play.

I've been seriously playing VP for about a year now and am fortunately ahead on the number of expected Royals per hands played. (I read Jean Scott's book, The Frugal Gambler last June, checked a strategy table for 9/6 JB, and went out and hit a $4000 Royal right off. Now I KNOW that was just good timing, but it sure was great positive reinforcement!)

Anyway, since my friends are tired of hearing about gambling, I am wondering if there is a group of St. Louis VP (or BJ) players that get together, or meet at the casinos, at the buffets, or whatever. You know, other people who know what 9/6 vs. 8/5 means or Basic Strategy for BJ. I love reading about people's successes on line. I'm a member of Skip Hughes' mailing list, but it would be more fun to meet people who gamble here in St. Louis, too.

By the way, I LOVE Las Vegas, but every time I pay the horrendous airfares to travel out there, I also think that it's great that I can just go out my door here in St. Louis and find some pretty good games, too. So I agree with your latest Vegas trip report.
Thanks for the great website!
Marge

Dear Marge,
Thanks for the kind words and I'm glad to hear your VP investment is paying off. I don't know of any groups that get together here in St. Louis, though I do sometimes go to the casino with friends who know my 'real' identity. We'll post this on our site and, if there are players who'd like to get together, maybe we can work something out.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/11/99


Dear Sir,
I've read your tips and practiced the basic strategy and card counting. It worked! One day, I went to play BJ(Spanish 21, 6 decks, late surrendar, DAS, Split Anytime on anything) and won about $200 in an hour. That was crazy so PB and dealer noticed that I was doing something. I was a bit nervous at that time and didn't know what to do because I was a beginner. Anyway, they changed the cards and I lost 3 times out of 4. I think I should have been more careful with my bets. What's going to happen if I come again? I think they got my face. Will they still allow me to play if I still win? I don't know if I can send this kind of message but I will appreciate your answer.

Thanks a lot.
Jaekyu

Dear Jaekyu,
First, you need to stop playing Spanish Blackjack, because the game is almost unbeatable, even with counting. Consequently, I doubt if the pit critters will have a problem with you playing there. Counters win, but so do gamblers; just act like a gambler and the welcome mat will remain out for you. But switch to a beatable game.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/11/99


Hello Gamemaster, here is a brief trip report that I encountered over a six night stay in Las Vegas . I play Uston APC [ ace sidecount ] 1-8 in green, double deck games only:

#1 UNION PLAZA : + 2.5
#2 GOLDEN GATE : + 14 I can't explain it, but I've played this joint about 10 times and have never lost a session here. They only give about 60% pen. at best .
#3 GOLDEN NUGGET : + .5
#4 IMPERIAL PALACE : +7.2 I played here for a total of 12 sessions. They have good rules and pen.
#5 IMPERIAL PALACE : - 14.8
#6 MIRAGE : - 7
#7 IMPERIAL PALACE : + 1.5
#8 TREASURE ISLAND : - 18.5
#9 IMPERIAL PALACE : + 7.5
#10 CIRCUS CIRCUS : - 2.5
#11 CIRCUS CIRCUS : - . 5
#12 GOLDEN GATE : + 10.2 I had some bad players at 1st and 3rd base, and still came away with a winning session .
#13 IMPERIAL PALACE : + 7.2
#14 IMPERIAL PALACE : - 14.8
#15 IMPERIAL PALACE : + 21
#16 HARD ROCK CASINO : - 12.5 I usually do well here, but not this session .
#17 IMPERIAL PALACE : + 28.5 My biggest winning session .
#18 SAM'S TOWN : + 2.5
#19 IMPERIAL PALACE : - 8.5
#20 IMPERIAL PALACE : + 7.5
#21 IMPERIAL PALACE : + . 5
TOTAL UNIT WIN : +31.5

I never play for more than 1 hour . Nor do I play with more than 3 other players . I have a maximum win goal of 35-45 units or one hour which ever comes first . My question for you is this : How does your session win rate compare with my example ? Do you play more aggressively ? I bet True Count minus one in green with an 8 unit top bet [ tc = + 9 ] Thanks for your help .
-"MUSICIAN"

Dear Musician,
Your trip appears to have resulted very close to expectation, if your total play was about 16 hours. (I assume that, because you mention you never play more than 1 hour and you had 21 sessions.) So, in a DD game with a 1-8 spread, you'd expect to make about 2 units per hour (at a rate of 75 hands/hour). Thus, 32 units would be your expectation, and 31.5 was your result. It just goes to show you that 'bad' players at the table (session #12) have no long term effect on your income. According to Blackjack Risk Manager(TM), your trip could have resulted anywhere between a loss of $7500 and a profit of $9200 (a 3 SD result). That's a sobering thought, is it not?

My own betting schedule at a game like that is similar, but I top out at 8 units on a true count of 6, so it's a bit more aggressive.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/11/99


GameMaster,
I even hate to ask this question because it is so stupid but I don't know you so here goes.. What exactly is the 9/6 video pay, etc?
Thank you

Dear Darlene,
The only 'stupid' question is the one you don't ask. It's never a problem to help our readers. The 9/6 is a kind of shorthand that we use to describe video poker games, in most cases it's for Jacks or Better. It is the pay out for 1 coin played on the Full House (9 for 1) and the Flush (6 for 1). From that pay schedule, we know the long term payback of the machine. Thus, a 9/6 Jacks or Better machine pays back 99.5% if played properly, whereas an 8/5 Jacks or Better machine only returns 97.3%. We also use these to describe such games as Bonus Poker, where the 8/5 version returns 99.1%, but the 7/5 version only returns 98.0% and Double Bonus where the 10/7 version returns 100.15%, but the 9/7 version returns only 99.1%. Game manufacturers manipulate the pay offs on Full Houses, Flushes and Straights, primarily because those hands occur with similar frequency and, by adding or dropping one coin from the payout, the total return of the game goes up or down about 1%. You should be aware, however, that in games with wild cards, the payout on other hands are usually changed. I did a series of articles which are called "Pick a Game" parts 1-5 that show you the various pay schedules and total return of many popular VP games. It can be found in the "Video Poker Bible" page of my site.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/9/99


The GameMaster Plays VP in Vegas

GameMaster,
If you had ventured downtown, you would have found plenty of full pay vp. If you had gone to the boulder strip, you would have been overwhelmed. These two areas have the highest overall pay-backs of all Las Vegas. We never , never play on the Strip, unless there is a high progressive. The Mirage properties all screw the 25c player, even downtown at the Golden Nugget, but all the rest of the downtown and Boulder Strip casinos cater to the locals who all demand a good slot club. When you come back to Vegas, book a room at one of the Boulder Strip properties. We go to Vegas every 6 weeks, and we have been playing vp since the old Bally games came out in 198-something.
Always enjoy your articles.
howard

Dear Howard,
Glad you enjoy the articles. I understand what you're saying, but I was in Las Vegas for meetings, had to stay on the Strip and the VP was just a diversion. However, the vast majority of visitors to L.V. stay on the Strip (else, why all those GIGANTIC hotels?) and I just wanted them to see what it's like from a somewhat knowledgeable point of view. Yes, as I stated in my article, there's a lot of good VP in Las Vegas, but I still feel good that I drive 15 minutes to some excellent VP, right here in my own backyard. Thanks for your comments; I'm sure they'll help many of our readers.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/4/99


GameMaster,
I think your Vegas VP report is so biased that you are going to lose credibility with you readers. You recommend visiting Skip and John’s web sites. Anyone that does will know that you were comparing Las Vegas’s VP wasteland to St. Louis. Both Skip and John recommend the outlying casinos for good VP. The Santa Fe, Reserve, Fiesta, etc. When people say they must stay on the strip and want to play VP I recommend the Frontier. They have more than 20 full pay DW. A bank of 12 JB 9/6 that pays double on quad 7’s (over 100% EV). The EV on the Dbl. Dbl. Jackpot machines is 100.34%. They have more than 20 linked 8/5 JB with a 4 of a kind progressive bonus that is over 100% EV about 4 hours a day. They also have full pay DB. There are probably other full pay machines but I don’t go there often enough to remember. I have been playing most of the time at the Reserve since they opened. For established slot club members the Frontier offers a 2-room suite on the weekends for putting 300 points on your SC card. It takes 30 quarters for 1 point. The last 9 months they have been giving double points. That means it takes $1125 coin in per day for a suite. Even the VP impaired can get a suite for 3 hours at 300 hands per hour on a quarter machine. The slot club gives cash back and a separate account for food comps. This is a far cry from the picture you painted of Las Vegas VP. Art Harris

Dear Art,
I reported on Vp where I stayed and where I walked. I didn't go there to just play VP, but I reported what I saw. I still feel good about the games I have here and I don't have to worry about getting room and meal comps. If reporting accurately what I saw makes my credibility suffer, then so be it.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/3/99


GameMaster,
Just a question about the count system for Black Jack?? When I finish counting a deck of cards plus the remaining 3 cards, I suppose to end up with 0 as my final answer?? And does this go for both "pairs" and "3 cards"????
A Black Jack fan

Dear Fan, Assuming that you're using a 'balanced' count like the High/Low, then the final result should be zero, either way.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/5/99


GameMaster, can I ask you a dumb question?
What is a 9/6 Jacks game or a 85 Jacks game? you talk about these type of VP games and I am not sure what they are and therefore don't know how to find them...I am going to Las Vegas on Thursday. P.S. A friend of mind just got back from LV last week and said he had done very well at Mandalay Bay slots/ and VP.
thx Jim Wallace

Dear Jim, Those numbers are a sort of 'shorthand' we use to identify various VP machines. In the case of 9/6 Jacks, it refers to the pay schedule: 9 for 1 on the Full House and 6 for 1 on the Flush. This machine returns 99.5% if played properly (and for a long time). An 8/5 machine pays 8 for 1 on the FH and 5 for 1 on the Flush. That version has a long term return of only 97.3% and should be avoided, if at all possible.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/3/99


GameMaster,
I've yet to lose my v.p. virginity & hit a royal flush. On a .25 machine with a $1000.00 pay out won't the tax man get a hefty cut (25%) off the top? I estimate this "tax" will cut about another .5% off my long term action. No one ever seems to address the IRS percentage on a players bankroll but it's a "problem" I'd like to experience in Vegas. How does it figure out in % ?
cheers,
virgin bruce

Dear Bruce,
While all gamblers are required by law to report all winnings, a form W-2G is issued at Video Poker only when the Royal hit is $1200 or more. There is no requirement for the casinos to withhold any $$$ if you are a U.S. citizen. Yes, taxes do affect the percentages of the game, but as for me, I'm happy to pay them because it means I'm winning.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/2/99


GameMaster,
A book I have (actually a few) tell me to stand on a 16 against a 10 on any positive count (with no surrender option) but tells me to hit the 16 versus a 7,8,9 or A, like usual. Why would you ever be standing against a 10, while hitting against a 7,8, or 9? It just doesn't make sense.

It really boils down to the "expectation" differences between hitting and standing. Against a 10, the expectation when standing with a 9,7 is -..541 and the expectation when hitting is -.535; not a big difference. But against the 9, it's -.543 for standing and -.505 for hitting. That comes about because IF the dealer doesn't have a 'pat' hand with a 10 up, s/he'll likely bust. With a 7, 8 or 9 up, s/he'll bust less often, so you've got to improve your hand.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/2/99


Gamemaster,
I'm heading to Europe this June and am looking forward to being able to put my blackjack counting skills to the test. As a nineteen year old, I am severely-- wait, make that completely limited locally, but my trip across the pond should allow several chances to play. Any idea what blackjack conditions are like internationally? My big questions are: What table rules can I expect?

It varies, but most offer 6-deck shoe games where the dealer stands on A-6 and the player may double on 9, 10 or 11. Double after split is sometimes available.

What customary differences exist?

The biggest difference is usually that the dealer doesn't take a 'hole' card until after all the players have finished playing. If the dealer makes a 'blackjack' on his or her hand, the player loses BOTH bets if s/he has doubled or split pairs. If this rule is in effect, don't double or split against a dealer's up card of 10 or Ace, except split Aces against a dealer's 10.

How counter aware are European casios?

In my experience, other than in England, they are not aware of counting.

Where I can find the best games? I'll be taking a whirlwind tour which will bring me through Paris, London, Amsterdam, Venice, Florence, Rome, Vienna, Madrid, and Munich.

London probably won't let you in; as I recall, you have to be over 21. In Germany, they require you to present your passport and wear a jacket and tie, but there are good pickin's there. Venice has a nice casino and Austria has a ton of them. Spain also has casinos, but I don't know of any in Madrid; check it out. When in Amsterdam, don't waste your time in casinos; there are too many other fun things to do there.

I played very effectively in Germany by making 'rider' bets which is standing behind the table and betting on another player's hand as the count warranted. Many countries permit this, but you have to first find a player who looks like s/he knows what s/he's doing, because good basic strategy is a rarity in Europe and your bet is bound by the play of the player who's sitting in the seat. But, by betting this way (which isn't at all unusual), your $$$ or Fr. or DM are just going down on good counts, so it's a form of "Wonging".

Another hint: keep a chip from each place you visited. When you're old and gray, they'll bring back some fond memories. Why, I could tell you a tale of a woman named Diedre at a little casino in Berlin..........but that's another story for another time.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Greg

I hope this helps.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
5/2/99