A Blackjack Diary

BJ Diary:

I began this diary two days prior to beginning play. My goal was to play for 220 hours in a 60 day period and win approximately $29,500. This amount is the expected value after 220 hours with my specific playing and betting strategy. I ended up playing 55 hours in only 19 days with some very dramatic ups and downs. I took notes on all 160 playing sessions and also kept a detailed spreadsheet of all of my wins/losses and tips.

Strategy that I used: My betting unit was $100, which means it was also my minimum bet. My maximum bet was two hands of $800 each or $1,600 on one round of blackjack. When the true count dropped to -4 or less I left the table. When the true count was between -3 and +1, I bet one unit, when the true count was +2 - I bet two units, TC of +3 - I bet one hand of 4 units, TC +4 - I bet two hands of 4 units each, TC +5 - I bet two hands of 6 units each, and TC of +7 - I made my maximum bet.

Running count: a running total of the cards as they are dealt according to the following formula.

Day 1:

I checked in, unpacked, bought a 10-day monorail pass, and bought some groceries. It’s an 8 or 9 minute walk from the hotel to the monorail station at the convention center. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the hotel to the LV Hilton and about a 15 minute walk to The Wynn.

Day 2:

I took the monorail to Bally’s – timed myself to see how long it takes to go from a blackjack table in one casino to a blackjack table in the next casino. Walked through Bally’s, Paris, Aladdin, Bellagio, Caesars, Mirage, TI, Wynn, and back to the hotel. I made a new schedule – walking to The Wynn all the way down to The Aladdin on one shift and turning around and walking back on the next shift takes about 6 hours.

I found a dry cleaner in the phone book and dropped off my jackets and two pair of pants. Need to pick up tomorrow.

The cleaning lady at the hotel came to get all of ‘my linens’ since I didn’t pay the extra $100/month for them. She took all of my towels, sheets, blanket and pillows. Reminds me of the guy who bought a new car and after he paid for it the salesman said “Oh, would you like a steering wheel with that?” When I booked the room I thought they just wouldn’t bring any more ‘clean’ sheets, not take everything. Luckily I brought my own sheets. It seems ridiculous, especially to take the pillows but I’m not going to get upset about it.

Went back out – took the monorail to MGM and walked through NY NY, Monte Carlo, Tropicana, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay. I’m dropping The Venetian and the Hard Rock from my schedule. The Hard Rock is too far out of the way and I would have to drive to it. It’s also #19 out of the top 20 casinos. The Venetian is a little out of the way and is #20. I can still hit my goal of 220 hours with 18 casinos and will have a slightly higher expected value.

Day 3 (Note: [N] = number of the playing session.)

I left at 8:00am and walked to The Wynn. The high limit room had a table minimum of $300 so I went to the main room and all of the tables were H17 (or so I thought). One of the pit bosses said he didn’t have any $100 minimum tables that were S17, so I left.

As I was walking to Treasure Island (TI) I scratched off The Wynn as one of my casinos and added the Venetian back which would turn out to be a very fortunate decision today.

[1] A couple of days ago I was wondering if my first blackjack hand would be a win or a loss – it turned out to be a push and I lost the next hand at Treasure Island. I was the only one in the high limit area and basically that means (as I found out throughout the rest of the day) that the pit boss just camps out and watches every single hand. But it almost seems like they’re only watching the dealer to make sure they don’t make any mistakes and to record buy-ins and re-buy-ins from players. This pit boss watched from the next blackjack table away and was talking to one of the other dealers most of the time. The True Count went to -5 and I left. Played for 8 minutes and won $300.

[2] I took the tram to the Mirage. Played mostly by myself. The count went negative early in the second shoe and I left. Played for 18 minutes and lost $600.

[3] Walked to the Venetian and found a $100 minimum table in the high roller area and, again, I played by myself. There were three pit bosses that kept rotating in and out and there was never a minute where one of them wasn’t watching every single hand. I bought in for $1,500 (my normal buy-in) and when I lost it I bought back in for $2,000. The count went up on the second shoe and I spread to two hands and started winning – every time I won I just added another chip to each of my stacks. I stopped adding chips when I got to $800/hand. I kept on winning and at one point I surrendered one of my hands and that’s when I realized that I was betting $900 instead of $800 (my max bet) on each hand because the dealer gave me $450. I left after the second shoe. Played for 25 minutes and won $5,600. When I went to the cashier’s cage I had $9,100 in chips - I gave the cashier $900 in cash and he handed me back a pre-counted $10,000 stack of $100 bills.

[4] As I was walking to Caesars I was pretty happy that I made the decision to add the Venetian back on my list. The high limit area at Caesars only had one 6-deck $100 minimum table and there were 3 other people playing. I waited for the shuffle and ended up playing for 32 minutes (2 shoes). Two people were betting 2 hands each so every betting circle was taken – at one point the count got high enough to bet 2 hands but I couldn’t take advantage of it. Lost $1,505.

[5] Walked to the Bellagio. They have a high limit area but there are so many $100 minimum tables in the normal blackjack pit that I ended up playing out there. This is where I got confirmation of the times of the shifts. Apparently, the shifts are from 12:00pm – 8:00pm (Day), 8:00pm – 4:00am (Swing), and 4:00am – 12:00pm (Graveyard). There may be some slight variations at some casinos. I need to redo my schedule. Played for 13 minutes and won $673. Betting in $100 increments makes the math a lot easier and eliminates getting paid in dollars and 50-cent pieces. My wins and losses are after tipping. So, in this example I actually won $700 and tipped the dealer $25 and the cocktail waitress $2.

Walked to Bally’s. I couldn’t find any tables that had S17. A pit boss told me they only have one table that is a 6-deck shoe and S17 (I happened to be standing right next to it) and it was currently reserved for a guy that was betting two hands of $500 each. A few hours later when I was walking back through on my return trip through all of the casinos I walked to that table and spoke with the dealer (the guy wasn’t playing but the $500 minimum sign was up). The pit boss walked up close enough to hear what I was saying but never engaged me. I asked the dealer if there were any other S17 tables and she told me she didn’t think so. Then I asked her if they might lower her table to $100 and she said she couldn’t because it was basically reserved for the $500 guy. Since I knew the pit boss heard me, I didn’t bother speaking to him and left. So, it looks like Bally’s is going to be hit or miss and I need to find another casino to make up for it. As I thought about this over the next couple of hours I decided to go back to the Wynn since it was on my way back to my hotel anyway. I just wanted to look a little harder for S17 with a $100 minimum.

[6] Walked to Paris. I was the only person in their high limit area. There were two pit bosses rotating in and out and watching the game. Laura cut the shoe at one deck but I couldn’t win. Played for 24 minutes and lost $1,237.

[7] Walked to the Aladdin. By myself again and there were four pit bosses but only one seemed to be watching the game. Was able to get my max bet out of two hands of $800 each and ended up winning $1,497 in 22 minutes.

[8] Walked to Caesars. Had to skip playing at Paris and the Bellagio – and couldn’t play again at the Aladdin because I had played at all three of these casinos after the shift change at 12:00pm. I only play one shift every five days with a maximum time of approximately 30 minutes. The high limit area now had the lowest minimum table at $200 so I played in the Palace casino at Caesars which is the circular gaming area. Played two shoes for 35 minutes (both dealers were really slow) and won $555.

[9] Walked to the Mirage. Dealer’s name was Dave. Started off getting four blackjacks in the first seven or eight minutes – then it went downhill. One round: I was betting two hands of $600 each. I got a pair of 8s on the first hand and an A,7 on the second, the dealer had a 9 showing. I split the 8s and got another 8. I split again and got another 8. I had to buy in again and I got face cards on all four of my 8s. I hit my A,7 and got a face card. So, I have five hands and all of them are 18 – the dealer points this out and I say, “Dave, don’t turn over a ten.” Of course, that’s what happened and I lost $3,000 on one round. I ended up playing a third shoe which went against my rules. This dealer was so fast that when I left I was right at 30 minutes of playing time. Still need to stick to max of two shoes. Ended up down $1,902.

[10] Walked to the Venetian. I sat at the same table as this morning (this is the only 6-deck shoe that is S17 in the whole casino) with no other players. Lost $1,500 and bought back in for another $1,500 - and everything changed. I had my max bet out and I kept winning and winning. I ended up playing for 25 minutes and won $9,423. Since I bought in for a total of $3,000 I walked out with over $12k in chips and it was the first time I heard the expression ‘chocolate chips’ which are brown chips worth $5,000 each. The pit boss watched every single hand and at the end seemed to be rooting for me.

[11] Walked to TI. Lost $800.

[12] Walked to the Wynn. It was a lot busier and there were quite a few $100 minimum tables with S17. Played for 34 minutes and won $1,298.

One weakness that I need to correct is tipping too much to the dealers.

Day 4

[13] Bad day. Walked to the Wynn and played in the high limit area where they had $100 minimum tables. I was down around $5k before things turned around and I ended up $223. My total buy-in was $6k. Casino host introduced himself to me after my last buy-in.

[14] Took the monorail to Bally’s and walked to the Bellagio. I played in the high limit area there. They asked for my driver’s license – this happened yesterday at the Venetian also. Both pit bosses said the same thing: “To update our records.” I gave it to them without acting like I was concerned. I think it would have looked suspicious to not give it to them. They made a new card for me at The Bellagio so maybe they did update my address. Lost $2,580.

[15] Walked to Bally’s and their only 6-deck table was empty with a $50 minimum bet. I went back and forth for awhile but on the second shoe I lost many max bets. The dealer kept pulling to a 20 or 21. It happened so many times in a row that I was taking out $1500 - $2000 every two hands or so. Ended up losing $8,850.

[16] Took the monorail to the MGM. The count went up again and I kept losing max bets. Ended up losing $3,150. I ate a comped steak dinner at the coffee shop and cleared my head. I thought about taking the rest of the day off since it was pretty bad but all I would have done was dwell over the losses. As long as I could stay focused I might as well keep playing. The problem I had later on was I wasn’t mentally as focused as I should have been. It was taking longer to make decisions at the table. Also, I was losing the count whenever I had to take my wallet out to re-buy in.

Walked to the Tropicana. The pit boss said they don’t have any $100 tables unless someone requests it. All of the $25 and higher tables are S17. I’m going to scratch this casino off of my list.

[17] Walked to NY NY. Very similar situation to the MGM. Lost a few max bets. I lost $2,775. Great penetration at 1.1. The hostess gave me her business card. This may be the easiest hotel to get a comped room.

[18] Walked to the Monte Carlo. Same scenario. Count went up and I lost a few max bets. Lost $4,700. The casino host made reservations for me at their steak house for tomorrow.

[19] Walked to the Excalibur to take the tram to the Luxor but got on the wrong tram to Mandalay Bay so I had to take the tram back to the Luxor. Won $5,000 and met the hostess. I didn’t think I would like this place too much but everyone was very friendly.

[20] Walked to Mandalay Bay. I asked the pit boss if he would lower one of the tables from $500 to $100. He did but these pit bosses are the exact opposite from the Luxor. They never talk and act almost annoyed when the dealer tries to get their chips checked. This place leaves me completely alone which is good. Lost $3,950.

[21] Hung around for about an hour and a half for the shift change and ended up winning $2,200 on the second session.

[22] Walked back to the Luxor. Lost $650.

[23] Walked to NY NY. Count stayed neutral most of the time and then jumped up and I ended up losing around 3 max bets. Lost $3,430.

[24] Walked to the Monte Carlo. The pit boss walked up to me with a piece of paper and a pen and said “______, I need to get your social security number, what is it?” and acted like he was ready to write it down. I said “Why do you need it?” which I thought was a normal question to ask. He said something about how if I buy in for more than $10k they have to fill out some paperwork. I had just bought in for $1,500 so I asked him if he was talking about when I was in earlier and adding that to what I just bought in for. He said anytime someone buys in for more than $10k in a single day they have to fill out some paperwork. (GM Note: This is a CTR – Cash Transaction Report and is mandatory.) I gave it to him and as he was walking away he said something about throwing the paper away that he wrote it on or scratching it out. I had played a lot of blackjack and had some pretty big losses so I thought I had bought in for around $10k. The next day when I was recording all of my sessions I saw where I lost $4,700 so the max I had probably bought in for was $6k plus the $1,500. It seems strange he would have asked for my social security number when the most I could have bought in for was $7,500 for the day. He didn’t say another word to me. I was sitting in my normal spot at one chair in from 1st base with my body turned to the left sort of perpendicular to the dealer. I was trying to keep my open body posture and look around as much as possible. The normal place for me to look was out of the high limit room into the casino, which is what I did. The pit boss walked to where he was about 15 feet in front of me, where I was looking, and a little to the left. When I looked out of the room he looked to his left as if he was trying to see where I was looking. This makes me think that he thought there was somebody signaling me or something. So I turned and faced the dealer directly, finished the second shoe and left. As soon as I colored up he walked back behind the pit and didn’t say anything to me. The pit bosses almost always say “good luck”, etc. When I left I purposefully walked all around the casino slowly before I left just to give the impression I was wandering around but not looking for anyone, just in case they were watching me with the cameras. The next time I go to the Monte Carlo I’m going to sit at 3rd base with my back to the casino. Lost $200.

[25] Walked to the MGM. Count went up on the first shoe and stayed flat on the second. Won $3,575.

Some weaknesses: I’m still tipping too much to the dealers, not leaving the table when the TC reaches -4, losing the Running Count (RC) when I have to stop and take more money out of my wallet to re-buy-in, playing longer than 30 minutes in one session.

This was a rough day.

For the day: -$19,456 net
For the trip: -$6,263 net

Day 5

[26] Drove to LV Hilton. Their high limit blackjack tables are in the high limit baccarat room. On the last hand of the first shoe I had bought in for a total of $7,500. I kept losing big bets with double downs. On the last hand I had two hands of $600 each and I doubled on the second hand – the dealer busted. The next shoe I flat bet until there were about 2 decks remaining when the count shot up. I had my max bet out on the very last hand and I again doubled on the second hand and won. I thought I had just broken even or was up a little but I ended up $4,468. The cashier asked for my social – I had $12k in chips – so I guess this is normal. I met the casino host and he comped a room for me this Fri & Sat.

Drove to the Monte Carlo for my comped dinner at Andre’s. Nice, small restaurant – one room. Had the lobster bisque, Caesar’s salad, filet, and a great desert. The bill came to $98 with no alcohol. When the waiter brought my check he said I had been comped for $500.

[27] Drove to Red Rock. Won $750.

[28] Drove to Green Valley Ranch. Won $1,250. I stayed through some very negative counts. It’s difficult to leave the table when the count goes negative after just a few minutes after I’ve spent time talking to the pit boss, making a 20 minute drive, parking, and walking to the tables.

[29] Drove to The Palms. Lost $1,453.

For the day: $4,979 net
For the trip: -$1,284 net

Day 6

[30] Drove to Red Rock. Lost $3,600. I had one stretch where the dealer pulled to 21 four times in a row and five out of six times. Ate a comped steak and eggs breakfast – wasn’t that good. Met the host. He said the owners are big football fans and to call him for a room.

[31] Drove to Green Valley. There weren’t any tables in the high limit area but the pit boss opened one up. Met the host. Count went very negative – again I didn’t leave because of the drive, parking, and walking. Lost $1,450.

Drove to The Palms. Walked to the high limit area but there wasn’t anyone there – no dealers or pit bosses. Walked to the regular blackjack tables and asked a pitboss (he may have been a dealer) if there were any S17 tables with $100. He pointed to a pitboss and said to he would be happy to change one of his tables. He also said that the high limit area wouldn’t be open until 1:00pm – it was around 11:30am. Walked over and asked the pit boss if there were any S17 tables – he said “only in the high limit area.” I told him there wasn’t anyone in there and could he open up a table for me. He said “No.” I said “OK.” And walked away. Drove back to the hotel. Scratching The Palms off my list. If I can’t count on there being an open S17 table I’m not going to waste my time driving out there.

[32] Took a break back at the hotel and went back out around 7:00pm. Walked to The Wynn. The lowest limit table in the high limit area was $300 so I played at a $50 minimum table in the regular casino. Lost $450.

[33] Walked to Treasure Island. The count went up and I lost almost every big bet. Only played one shoe and lost $9,900. My worst shoe so far. The pit boss never said a word to me but he watched the game from the next table. When I got up to leave he turned and ignored me. I walked around for a little while in the casino and thought about going back to the hotel to clear my mind but then realized it’s better to just keep on playing as long as I’m not making any mistakes.

Walked to the Venetian but there weren’t any $100 minimum tables in the high limit area and they don’t have any S17 tables in the normal casino, so I left.

[34] Walked to the Mirage and it started off bad. Bought in a couple of times and then things turned around and I started to win some big bets. I played in the casino in a high traffic area and there were some people standing behind me watching. One lady watched the entire 25 minutes. Ended up winning $6,900 and felt quite a bit of relief.

Walked back to the Venetian to see if any $100 tables had opened up in the high limit area but there hadn’t.

[35] Walked to Caesars. Very busy. No $100 tables in the high limit area and it took a while to find a $100 table in the Palace Casino area. I sat next to a guy who was smoking, and his smoke was really annoying the dealer. The game went back and forth for awhile and then he got up to go to the bathroom. The very next hand I played two hands for either $400 or $600 each and got a blackjack on both of them. Then I kept on winning my big bets. I cashed out when the shoe was over and he came back. Finished up $8,675.

[36] Walked to the Bellagio and played in the regular casino. I walked by a table where one guy was betting $500 on every spot on the table. I ended up winning $2,500.

[37] Walked to Bally’s where I got hammered last time. Ended up winning $1,900. Since my $9,900 loss at Treasure Island I’ve won $19,975 in the last four casinos and in less than two hours of playing time.

[38] Walked to Paris and lost $800.

[39] Walked to the Aladdin and lost $400. I was the only person in the room.

[40] I had to walk back to my room because the monorail was closed (after 2:00am) so I decided to try the Venetian one more time. They had a $100 table in the high limit room. Won $550.

For the day: +$3,569 net
For the trip: +$2,285 net

Day 7

[41] I planned on playing a max of one shoe per session in order to play at all of the casinos on my schedule today. Took the monorail to Bally’s and walked to Paris. There were no $100 minimum tables so I walked to the Aladdin. This is the third time I’ve played there and I have always been the only person in the entire room. No one talks so the only thing for 2 or 3 pit bosses to do is watch every single hand. I don’t think I’ll have any longevity here. Lost $4,950. Lost almost every big bet.

[42] Walked to the Monte Carlo. Similar situation here. There were two other people and one pit boss watching both tables. Lost $50.

[43] Walked to NY NY. Ditto – only person in the room. Won $75. When the relief dealer came on he dealt a pair of 8s and I split them. I got a 6 on the first hand and signaled a hit. He drew the card and he was about to drop it and at the last second he shifted it and put it on the second 8. The card was a 9. He ended up busting. I would have busted both hands.

[44] Walked to the Luxor. Handed the pit boss my card and I counted out $1,500 in $100 bills and put it between two betting circles, like I always do, while the dealer shuffled up. The pit boss came back and when the dealer said “$1,500” the pit boss said “Hold it, don’t give him any chips.” Then he said to me “The casino supervisor wants to talk with you.” I said “OK” and thought, “this can’t be good.” About 10 seconds later the supervisor walked up to me with some papers in his hand and reached out to shake my hand. As he shook it he said “Mr. ______, we’d appreciate it if you didn’t play blackjack anymore with us.” I said “Why not?” He said “It’s a business decision. You’re welcome to play craps, roulette, or the slots but not blackjack.” I said “OK” and turned back to the table where the dealer had collected my money – I picked it up and walked out and over to Mandalay Bay. Since Mandalay Bay is owned by MGM just like The Luxor I didn’t know if I would be backed off there right away but I wanted to find out and get it over with so I sat down to play and nothing happened. The pit boss took my card (I made sure I gave him my MGM card and not the Mandalay card). It was kind of busy so I don’t know if he ever checked the computer. Ended up losing $2,200.

[45] Took the monorail to LV Hilton. Played right at shift change before checking in. Won $600.

I think I may need to change my strategy and what casinos I play in. Casinos like the Aladdin that are rarely busy invite too much attention to my play. I may need to play just in the biggest and busiest casinos where I won’t stand out. Out of the original 20 casinos, I dropped 3 (Palms, Tropicana, and Hard Rock). Out of the remaining 17, the best to play would be Wynn, Mirage, Venetian, Caesars, Bellagio, Bally’s, MGM, Mandalay Bay, and maybe Treasure Island, Red Rock, Green Valley, and LV Hilton. I’m going to stop playing at the Luxor, Aladdin, Monte Carlo, Paris, NY NY due to lack of other players and too much attention.

I could increase my playing time to 3 shoes and figure out a way to take 2 or 3 days off between playing so each casino won’t see me every day on a different shift - it won’t seem like I’m living in Vegas. I don’t know if they look at those things. I need to think about a new schedule.

For the day: -$6,480 net
For the trip: -$4,195 net

Day 8

Made a new schedule with 12 casinos.

[46] Woke up and played at the Hilton – count went very negative quickly so I left after five minutes and ate at their coffee shop. Lost $250.

[47] I went back after eating and the same thing happened – left after five minutes. Won $550.

[48] Took the monorail to the MGM. Made a lot of big bets and ended up losing $3,300. No heat at all from the pit so I’m guessing that the Luxor doesn’t share information regarding back-offs.

[49] Took the monorail to Bally’s but I was about 45 minutes early for the day shift so I walked over to the Bellagio and watched some craps games. Went back to Bally’s and lost $200.

[50] Took the monorail to the LV Hilton. Had a good shoe but couldn’t figure out how much I won because I mixed my chips in from earlier. When I got back to the room I was able to figure out that I won $3,300 – the exact amount I lost at MGM.

[51] Drove to Red Rock and played next to two guys who were betting an average of $500 to $1,000. The count stayed neutral and I won around $1,200 just flat betting the first shoe. The count went up in the second shoe and I started losing. Ended up losing $1,400.

[52] Drove to Green Valley. Had my second best shoe and, ironically, I had my biggest one round loss. I had my max bet out (two hands of $800) and I got a 7,4 and a 6,3 with the dealer showing a 4. I doubled down on both hands and lost $3,200 in one round. The count was unbelievably high – the running count at one point was +41 with less than 2 decks left and it hung around in that area. I had quite a few double down opportunities. I met another host and she comped me dinner at Hank’s. Ended up winning $8,750.

[53] I was finally up again for the trip when I went back to the Hilton and played. Played two shoes where I could not win a hand. Ended up losing $4,700.

For the day: +$2,561 net
For the trip: -$1,634 net

Day 9

Right now I’m up $45 gross and down $1,634 net. Gross – Total Tipping (Dealers, cocktail waitresses, cashiers, valet) = Net. I need to get a better control on my tipping to dealers.

Checking out of the Hilton today. They are charging me for Internet service and just my tips for the two meals that I charged to the room. Had one more meal before checking out. Lost my glasses. Lost and Found didn’t have them. Need to call them in a few days.

I have about $10k in chips from LV Hilton. I don’t want to cash them in all at once so they won’t have an accurate amount that I’ve won. If I cash out $1,000 at a time the cashier’s cage doesn’t call the pit or ask where I was playing. They may ask for my player’s card to make sure I don’t have any markers. I have a $5k chip so I’ll have to break it the next time I play blackjack.

[54] Played one shoe before eating and checking out. Won many hands betting one or two units. Won $1,400.

[55] Took monorail to MGM. Accidentally played before shift change. I’ve noticed that the shift change actually occurs about 10 to 15 minutes prior to the hour. Lost $2,250.

[56] Walked to Mandalay Bay. Lost almost every big bet in one shoe. The dealer pulled to a 21 three times in a row when I had my max bet out. Lost $8,800.

[57] Took monorail to Bally’s. The only 6-deck table had three people playing. I waited behind it until the guy in the middle, who wasn’t playing, left. Started at the beginning of the next shoe. Won $1,350.

[58] Walked to the Bellagio. The count went very negative quickly and I left. Won $600.

[59] Walked to Caesars. It was very crowded but I found an empty table. I lost $1,300 in the first shoe but came back a little in the second shoe. Lost $275. Checked my comp value at the kiosk, $143. When I print out a coupon – it’s good for 24 hours. Can’t use in the Forum shops food outlets.

[60] Walked to the Mirage. Played in the high limit area. This shoe was a total nightmare. The count went very high and I kept losing my max bets or I’d push on one hand and win the other. I ran out of cash when the shoe was almost over but the count had dropped by then. Lost $4,900.

I ended up losing about $13k tonight and I wasn’t able to play the last three casinos because I didn’t have enough cash.

For the day: -$12,963 net
For the trip: -$14,597 net

Day 10

[61] Walked to the LV Hilton. I bought in with my $5k chip from the other day. A guy came in and sat down waiting for the second shoe. I thought he was a counter although I haven’t sat next to one or seen one since I’ve been here. That’s probably not that unusual since I usually sit by myself. He started playing on the second shoe and on one hand I had a 2,3 and he got a blackjack – the dealer was showing a 7. She paid him off and then started to turn her card over. I started to say something and all that came out was “Whoa.” She realized what she was doing and let the card fall back down. I couldn’t see what it was. The pitboss came over and asked the other player if he saw the card. He didn’t know what to say but finally said “yes” and she said “well, what was it?” He looked at me and said “a ten.” The pit boss looked at me and said “she has a 17.” So, it was obvious that I had to keep hitting until I got to at least 17 – which was what I would have done anyway. I ended up busting. The pit boss was very calm about the whole thing and said something about how she made some strange mistakes when she was a dealer. Ended up losing $450.

[62] Took the monorail to the MGM. Lost $600. Found out that when a meal comp is issued it’s good for 24 hours here.

[63] Walked to Mandalay Bay. Lost $450. The shift change happens about 30 minutes prior to the actual time.

[64] Walked around and found an ATM machine in the Luxor (2nd floor) that charged $4 for each transaction – can only take out $500 at a time and it gives $20 bills. At the cage (Mandalay Bay) I could only convert $500 into $100 bills. Their policy is $500 for the day. All of the other machines in the casinos charge a ridiculous amount for withdrawals – something like $17 for a $100 withdrawal. Found a $100 table with a different pit boss and played one shoe. Won $1,000. A man sitting at the next table over about 20 feet away was betting $5,000 a hand and lost $35k in about 20 minutes.

[65] Walked back to the MGM. Count went up and I lost most of my big bets. Lost $5,000. Ate a comped meal at the coffee shop and took the monorail to the LV Hilton. Cashed in my other two $1k chips and called Lost and Found about my glasses but they still don’t have them – looks like they’re gone for good. Went to the ATM machine at the monorail station at the convention center – Bank of Nevada. These ATMs are at other stops on the monorail and probably the best place to get cash. Can only take cash out in $500 increments at $3 per transaction. Can get cash from checking and credit card. Called USAA this morning – they upped my limit on my daily maximum withdrawal amount to $3,000 on my checking account.

[66] Took a break back at the hotel and went out later – walked to LV Hilton. I was the only one in there for awhile and there were two pit bosses camped out at my table – one off of third base and one behind me at first base. I tried to look as nonchalant as possible – watching a baseball game on the big screen TV, joking around with the dealer, and looking around a lot. I was hesitant to spread to two hands due to the perceived heat. The TC went up to +4 on two occasions and then dropped back down. I just bet one hand of 4 units both times. The dealer cut just under one deck. Won $3,550.

[67] Walked to Wynn. Stayed too long with negative count. Lost $525.

[68] Walked to TI. Played about half a shoe – count went negative. Lost $750. There is no computer for the pitbosses in the high limit room.

[69] Walked to The Venetian. It was sort of busy so I thought that the one S17 6-deck shoe that they have in their high-limit room would have a $200 or $300 minimum. When I got there no one was playing and the limit was $200. I asked the pitboss if he could lower it to $100 – he asked another pitboss and he OK’d it. Won a little on the first shoe and played about even on the second shoe until the end. My last hand I split 2,2 and got another 2. I was playing two hands originally and doubled down on two of the four hands – lost all of them and ended up losing $1,200. On another hand - I won and the dealer started to pay me and said “Uh oh” and I looked down at my bet – I accidentally put a green chip instead of a black chip in the betting circle so he paid me $25 instead of $100.

For the day: -$4,334 net
For the trip: -$18,931 net

Day 11

If I make future trips like this: The best way to get cash is to take a cash advance on my USAA credit card. There is no transaction fee by USAA or the bank that I use. The maximum I can take out with a national bank like Wells Fargo is $5,000 but I can go to different branches to get more withdrawals. There’s a Wells Fargo on Maryland – take Desert Inn Rd past the convention center and turn right on Maryland – Wells Fargo is on the right about 1 mile (3433 S. Maryland Pkwy). The other Wells Fargo is at Maryland & Sahara inside the Albertsons (2575 S. Maryland Pkwy). There is a Washington Mutual in the same shopping complex. Before leaving home, I need to make sure my USAA MasterCard has a $0.00 balance and the day before I leave write a check from wherever I will be taking my blackjack money from for the amount I’ll need in Vegas. I can then pick up my money when I get to Vegas. I could take around $10k out at home in the same way about a week before leaving.

[70] Drove to Green Valley. About 5 minutes after they took my players card the host showed up and asked me how dinner was and asked me if I needed anything. About a minute later I looked up and she was gone. I think when they swipe my card the host is notified somehow. They probably get a text message to their cell phone. The same thing happened at the LV Hilton. About 5 minutes after I sat down Jim walked in and told me if I needed anything to call him and left. The first shoe the count was high with about 2 decks remaining and I kept getting stiff hands. On one hand I had my max bet out with a TC of +10. I had a 10,4 and a 10,5 against the dealer Ace. I took insurance and when she didn’t have the blackjack, I surrendered both hands. I think I won both hands only one time. All the rest were either pushes or I lost both. Lost $6k on the first shoe. The second shoe was negative the entire time so I was just flat betting $100 and I kept on winning. With double downs and blackjacks I won $1,950. It’s frustrating when the exact opposite happens - ended up losing $4,050. When I colored up I was a little bit numb and I stood up waiting for the dealer to finish figuring out how many chips I had left. She said to the pitboss “Two thousand” and I just thought to myself “That’s way too low” and looked up at the chips. The pitboss said something like, “Are you sure?” and I knew that the dealer had counted wrong. Then she said “oh, how about $4,000” and put two more yellow chips out. When I got back to my hotel room to figure out my total losses I was $200 short and I couldn’t figure out why. Now I think I was shorted $200 at this table. From now on I’m going to count the chips when the dealer colors them up to make sure that I’m getting the correct amount.

[71] Drove to Red Rock. It was a little crowded and the pitbosses pretty much ignored me. The dealer was very theatrical which drives me crazy sometimes. He turned the card over very slowly if I had a stiff hand, he would flip his second card out of the shoe in the air, or on a double down he would look at the card and if it was bad he would put it face down. The first shoe was one of those shoes where the dealer kept pulling to a 20 or 21. I was flat betting most of the shoe and when I was down to my last $300 the count went to +2 and I bet $200 and won with the count going to +4. I parlayed and played $400 and won again with the count staying at +4. I parlayed again and played two hands of $400 and won again with the count dropping back to +2. I went back to one hand of 2 units and was pretty much back to even after 3 hands. The count started dropping pretty fast in the second shoe so I called it quits. Lost $425.

I’m on a tough losing streak right now and I think I’m going to cut my losses at -$35k if it gets there. The swings are much more dramatic than I thought they would be. I think part of the reason is when I practice on my computer I always have two or three other players playing with me but I mostly play by myself in the actual casinos. So, I get dealt a lot more hands and when the count gets really high it takes longer for it to come back down since not very many cards are being dealt on each hand. This means I’m betting a lot of big hands and I’ve been losing those big hands the last couple of days. But, I’m staying positive. Just one big day can bring me back and give me more breathing room. Two big days can get me back to even. I need to start doing my practice routine before going out. 100 hands – basic strategy, 100 hands with hands that have index numbers, 100 mixed hands, 100 deck estimation exercises, 6-deck shoe running count, 6-deck shoe true count, play two shoes one-on-one with the dealer. I practiced earlier today and missed one on the deck estimation and was off by 2 on the running count on one of the shoes I played on the computer.

For the day: -$4,687 net
For the trip: -$23,618 net

Day 12

Today will be a relatively short day – playing two shifts each at Red Rock and Green Valley.

Drove to Red Rock. The high limit room had a double deck game and another table that was 6 decks where two people were playing, but the dealer was discarding into a double deck discard tray. The pitboss was at an empty table unscrewing a 6-deck discard tray from the table. He said they were going to change the layout on one of the tables – he looked a little disorganized. I left with the intent of driving to Green Valley and playing the graveyard shift and coming back to play the graveyard shift and the day shift and then going back to Green Valley to play the day shift. The traffic was bad and I didn’t get to a table at Green Valley until just before 11:00am.

[72] I walked up to a table and the dealer seemed unfriendly. She never said anything to me (until the end of the shoe). Although, I really don’t like it when dealers try to force a conversation “Where are you from?” “How long are you staying?” “Are you here on business or pleasure?” etc. Some dealers overdo acting like they’re really upset when I lose. It’s kind of annoying because it’s obvious they’re just fishing for tips. Some dealers just talk and tell stories and they really seem to be interested in the game. Of course, it’s a lot more fun playing with these dealers and I usually tip early in these games. This particular dealer wasn’t saying anything and really seemed to care less what was happening. This didn’t affect me one way or the other – at one point I thought about tipping but didn’t because of her attitude. On one hand the count was very high and I got a blackjack on one hand and 7,4 on the other against her Ace. I took even money on my blackjack and was counting out $400 in chips to take insurance on the second hand when she waved her hand and said “insurance closed.” I said something like “Hang on, I want to take insurance” just as she lifted her down card. She paused for about half a second and I put the $400 bet out and she flipped the card and it was a 10. So I ended up pushing. If I had waited another second she would have flipped the card and I wouldn’t have gotten my bet down in time. She didn’t say anything. On another hand I had my max bet out on two hands and I got a 8,3 and a 6,4 against her 3. This was almost a perfect situation with a super high count. I doubled down on both hands and she gave me a face card on the first hand and then said “doubling for less.” I immediately said “Wait a minute” and looked at my second hand and saw that I had put three green ($25) chips on top of a purple $500 chip. Any other dealer would have pointed out the obvious mistake I had made. She had the card in her hand ready to flip it and I said “sorry about that” and she just looked at me as if to say “hurry up.” I replaced three green chips with three black ($100) chips and ended up winning both hands which I believe is my biggest win on one round of blackjack, $3,200. At the end of the shoe I knew I had won big even though I was down $5k at about half way through the shoe. I ended up winning exactly $9,000. As I picked up my chips she said her first words “Have a good day, thank you” which is sarcastic dealer language that, when translated, means “thanks for not tipping me even though I just helped you when a ton of money.” I said “OK, bye.” I don’t think she got the message.

The pitbosses at both the Red Rock and Green Valley don’t watch the game very much – they seem to be busy doing other things.

[73] Drove to Red Rock. Had a very good first shoe but the count stayed negative or a little bit positive. Won around $800. The second shoe went the other way. On one hand the dealer dealt my card and then dealt her card face down and then dealt my second card. Then she realized that she dealt herself two cards face down instead of one. She called the pitboss over and he was trying to figure out what to do. I had 10,9 so I said sort of jokingly “I’m happy with my hand” and implied she should just turn over both of her cards and play them. But he said “they’re in the wrong order” and acted like he wanted to take my 10 and give it to her and give me one of her down cards. I said quickly “Well, how do we know which of the down cards is mine?” This seemed to make sense to him and he let me keep my 19 and I ended up winning. Ended up finishing down $1,263. The odd number is because I tipped a $25 bet and then surrendered so the dealer gave me back $12.50 for her tip and I kept it and bet $25 for her on the next hand.

For the day: +$7,652 net
For the trip: -$15,966 net

Day 13

[74] Drove to Red Rock. Pit boss totally ignored everyone. Seemed to be busy doing some paperwork. Won $700. Watched a guy double down with a 12 against a dealer 6. He pulled a 9 and won.

[75] Drove back to my hotel and walked to The Wynn. I had one hand where I had my max bet out with two hands. I split the first hand and doubled down on two of the three hands and lost all of them; -$4,000. Ironically, I finished up $4,700 for the shoe and left.

[76] Walked to Treasure Island. Sat next to two people and lost $2,250.

[77] Walked to the Venetian. I asked the pitboss if he could lower the minimum from $200 to $100 – there was no one playing. My average bet for the shoe ended up being at least $700. When I cashed out I said to the pitboss jokingly “I’m sure glad I asked you to lower it to $100.” I could not win a big hand. Ended up losing $7,025.

[78] Walked to Mirage. Played in the high limit room next to two Asian people. The count got high enough to spread to two hands but I couldn’t because the guy next to me was betting two hands from the beginning of the shoe. The lady at first base was also betting two hands the whole time. I could have asked him to move one spot to the left but I didn’t. Won $1,800.

[79] Walked to Caesars. Played only one shoe and won quite a few big bets. My max bet was two hands of five units each. Ended up winning $5,700.

[80] Walked to Bellagio. Flat betted almost the entire shoe and finished up $100.

[81] [82] Walked to Bally’s. The shift change happened after one shoe so I ended up playing one shoe on each shift. Won $300.

[83] Walked back to Bellagio. The pitboss was watching from about 10 feet behind me. My biggest bet was 4 units and when I made it all four hands (3 of us with one lady betting two hands) at the table got face cards (all Kings and Queens) and the dealer upcard was either a King or a Queen – she turned over a 7 and everyone won. I thought I stood out a little when that happened but the other two people were betting big throughout the shoe so I don’t think it mattered. On the second shoe I thought I got an 8,3 against a dealer 5. I doubled down and got an Ace - the dealer pulled to an 18 or 19 and paid me off. My hand may have been 8,2. Lost $750.

[84] Walked to Caesars. Running count went to -31 after one deck. Got up and left. Lost $450.

[85] Walked to Mirage. Played one shoe where I won most of my big bets. The pit boss didn’t take any notice of me. Ended up winning $6,063.

[86] Walked to the Venetian. Towards the middle of the second shoe 3 people came in and filled up the table. I left about 5 minutes later when the count went negative. Won $800.

[87] Walked to Treasure Island. Played by myself – lost a few big hands but ended up winning $550.

[88] Walked to the Wynn. Count stayed neutral most of the two shoes and the dealer kept pulling to a 20 or 21. At one point I think I lost 10 in a row. I cut the first shoe and the guy next to me kept looking at me every time the dealer won – like it was my fault. The dealer kept joking around about me cutting the cards. This guy finally got so mad he left. On one hand I got a blackjack, the guy at first base got a blackjack and the dealer had a 10 and turned over an Ace. I stayed way too long at this table when the count went negative. Ended up losing $2,200.

[89] Walked back to the hotel and drove to Green Valley. This was my last shift to finish all three shifts of all the casinos for a second time. Table was crowded. Ended up winning $550 and got a comp to the coffee shop.

One weakness I need to overcome is staying too long at a table when the count goes negative. Sometimes I’ll be at a friendly table where everyone is having a good time and winning while the count goes more and more negative. It’s psychologically difficult to get up and leave in this situation but I need to do it.

For the day: +$8,102 net
For the trip: -$7,864 net

Day 14

I go to the cashier’s cage after every session to trade chips for cash. The routine is if I cash out over a certain amount they will ask for my players card and will call the pit where I was playing to get an OK from them to cash out my chips.

[90] Walked to The Wynn from hotel. Lost every bet greater than one unit. The last hand I had two bets for $700 each – 20 and a 17. The dealer had a 5 and turned over a 10 and then a 6. Lost $2,600.

[91] Walked to Treasure Island. The running count dropped to -21 after 3 shoes. Left – won $50.

[92] Walked to the Venetian. Young pit boss stood at third base and watched every hand. Just played one shoe and won $2,050.

[93] Walked to the Mirage. I lost my buy-in of $1,500 on a rising count. Bought back in for another $1,500 and started winning. The pitboss would come over every once in awhile. There seems to be much less scrutiny at the tables that are outside the high limit area where I was playing. Ended up winning $7,175 and asked for a comp to the coffee shop.

[94] Walked to Caesars. Played one shoe and won $3,200.

[95] Walked to Bellagio. Played less than one shoe due to negative true count. Won $150.

[96] Walked to Bally’s. Count went negative quickly and I left after about 5 minutes. Won $450.

[97] Had about an hour and a half until the next shift so I walked around in the Bellagio and went back to Bally’s at 12:00PM. I sat next to a lady that I sat next to yesterday in Bally’s. She didn’t say a lot. The count went up and I kept raising my bets, and then started playing two hands. The first time I went to two hands the dealer started dealing and when the woman realized what I was doing she got upset and said “Oh, why are you playing two hands, we’re winning, why do you want to change things?” The second she finished saying that the dealer dealt her second card – Blackjack. I said “Do you want me to take back that hand now?” She didn’t say anything the rest of the shoe. I couldn’t win a big hand. When the shoe ended the pitboss whispered something to the dealer with his back turned to me – all I could hear was “shuffle.” I think he told her to place the shuffle (cut) card shallow in the next shoe. I waited a few minutes and colored up. I think I’m going to stay out of Bally’s for awhile since it’s owned by Harrah’s which also owns Caesars. I don’t want to get barred from Caesars.

[98] Walked back to the Bellagio. I kept losing big hand after big hand and ended up with a total buy-in of $5,500. Then things slowly turned around and on the last round I played two hands of $800 each and got 7,7 and A,5 versus the dealers 3. I split the sevens and got a 3 on one of them and doubled down. I can’t remember what I got but the dealer ended up busting and I won $3,200 on that hand and won $2,000 for the session.

[99] Walked to Caesars. It was crowded but I found an empty $25 table. I asked the pitboss if he could raise it to $100. “Oh, absolutely.” Lost $1,400.

[100] Walked to the Mirage. Got the same dealer, Josh, I had yesterday and for some reason he loves me. He could not stop talking to me. I was just flat betting and he was taking a long time to deal because he kept stopping to tell me another story. Finally after about 20 minutes he got through about half the deck. I had lost a few bets at the beginning but had gotten back to even with a neutral count so I colored up. He said that after I left yesterday the pitboss asked him about me (as if I was counting). Josh told the pitboss that I had just gotten on a lucky streak and I left when it was over.

[101] Walked to the Venetian. The $100 minimum table was open in the high limit area and the dealer was shuffling with an Asian lady sitting there. She was sitting where I like to sit and her purse was in the chair to her right. There were cigarettes or something in front of the seat to her left so I had to sit at third base. No big deal – I was just happy that the table was open on a Friday afternoon. The lady bought in with a $100,000 marker and had stacks of chips in every color. I knew I could stay as long as I wanted without getting any heat because everyone was watching her. The first two shoes were neutral and I just flat bet. She was spreading between one hand of $100 to two hands of $2,500 each. I thought there might have been a situation where I would take the dealer’s bust card and make her upset but it never happened. This woman was very calm and relaxed and I don’t think she would have said anything if something like that had happened. On one hand she and I both had a 12 against the dealer’s 10 and she stood. I hit and got an 8 and she said “Good hit.” On another hand we both got blackjacks but so did the dealer – second time this has happened. I colored up after the third shoe after spreading to two hands. I counted my chips before coloring up and counted $4,500 which is what I bought in for. The dealer said “Five thousand” to the pitboss and he said “Five thousand” so I left with $5,000. I guess I counted wrong. Ended up winning $500.

[102] Walked to Treasure Island. There weren’t any $100 minimum tables in the high limit area but I found out that all of the tables to the south of the high limit area are all S17 so I played out there. I gave my card to the pitboss and about a minute later he whispered something to the dealer with his back turned to me and then immediately spun around, tossed my card in front of me and said “Good luck, ____” as he walked away. I wanted to leave but thought it would look suspicious so I hoped the shoe would stay neutral and I would just flat bet and leave at the end of it. The count went up and when I bet two units, the dealer, who wasn’t very experienced, immediately looked to his left for the pitboss. The count kept going up and I bet 4 units. This time he turned his head all the way around, which is something dealers are never supposed to do, to look for the pitboss. I spread to two hands and the pitboss, who seemed to be busy, would watch the game from about ten feet away and then move somewhere else after a couple of minutes. A few minutes later another man walked into the pit area and it appeared the pitboss was talking to him about me. The count came back down and I finished the shoe flat betting. Before I started raising my bet I thought about what to do and decided to not let a positive count get away from me and bet into it. This may have been a mistake and maybe I should have just flat bet the whole shoe but then what would I do the next time? There is obviously some notation in their computer system about me since the pitboss whispered something to the dealer before I played my first hand. This is another casino I’ll have to avoid playing in for awhile. Lost $800.

[103] Walked to the Wynn. Played two shoes and lost $200.

It looks like I’ll need to readjust my schedule again. I may need to look at playing at some of the casinos that I took off my list. If I play those casinos when they’re busy like on Friday and Saturday nights I won’t stand out as much.

For the day: +$5,170 net
For the trip: -$2,694 net

Day 15

[104] Took monorail to MGM. Played one shoe that had a high true count in the middle and then came back down. After I made some big bets and brought it back down to one unit I talked a lot with the dealer and the pitboss about shows. Asked for comp at the coffee shop. Ended up having a good run during my big bets and won $2,725.

[105] Walked and took tram to Mandalay Bay. Count went negative quickly and I left about halfway through the shoe – stayed too long. Lost $550.

[106] Walked around for about an hour to wait for the next shift. Played through most of one shoe that went negative. Dealer had three blackjacks in a row. Lost $450.

[107] Went back to the MGM. I played for a little over 5 minutes and the shoe went very negative. I left up $50.

For the day: +$1,722 net
For the trip: -$972 net

I’m just about back to even for the trip but I’m trying not to focus on anything but playing the best that I can. If I think too much about how much I’m up or down it drains me psychologically.

Day 16

Updated my five day schedule in order to get enough playing time to meet my goal of 220 hours. I need to play approximately 19 hours and 20 minutes every five days which means I need to add casinos to my list. Added Golden Nugget, Rio, Harrah’s which are numbers 21, 22, and 23 on my ‘best casinos’ list. Added back in Palms, Hard Rock, and Tropicana. Also added back in Monte Carlo, NY NY, Aladdin, Paris, and Bally’s (Bally’s – just took off yesterday) but will only play these five casinos on Friday and Saturday nights (late Day shift and Swing shift) when it’s busy due to the attention I’m getting. I took Treasure Island off the list. With an average of 20 minutes/shift I will be right at 19 hours 20 minutes every five days.

[108] Took monorail to MGM. I had the $25 min table to myself for the first shoe but a bunch of people sat down at the end so I left. I need to ask the pitboss to change table minimum to $100. Lost $1,300.

[109] Walked to Tropicana. I sat down at a $25 min table and made a few big bets. A woman sat down and played basic strategy. Again, I should have asked for them to change the sign to $100 min. The pitboss left and another pitboss came over and made a phone call after I made a few big bets. I left after one shoe. The original pitboss came back and was very friendly after speaking with the other pitboss. He may have just told her how much I was betting.

[110] Walked and took tram to Mandalay. I asked the pitboss what to do on my 9 vs the dealer’s 2. He said to only double on a 4, 5, or 6, which is incorrect. The count was high so I doubled and won. A few hands later I got a 9 vs a 7 and asked him what to do and he said “Well, you’ve just got a small bet out ($100 versus two hands of $400 each that I was betting on the other round that I asked for his advice) so it’s not that big of a risk.” The dealer said “Do it, do it” because I had made a bet for her. I said “No, I just don’t feel it this time” (The count wasn’t nearly high enough) and hit. I ended up winning the hand. Part of my act is asking the dealer what to do. I’ll say something like “Should I double that?” on a hand that is not a double. Or I’ll say “How much is that?” if I have more than 3 cards. I’ll squint when the pitboss comes over and say “I can’t read that sign – does it say minimum $100?” pointing at the table limit sign at 3rd base. Also when I get up from the table I’ll act like I’m not sure which way to go or I’ll walk in one direction for a few steps and then turn around and go the other way, like I don’t know where I am. After a win I’ll walk over to the craps table and watch it for awhile like I’m deciding whether or not to play or I’ll just casually walk around the casino. I played one shoe – the count went high in the middle of the shoe and that’s where I made my money. I probably lost 70% of all of the hands. Ended up winning $1,100. Asked for a comped meal and the pitboss gave me $25 to the coffee shop.

[111] Took the monorail to Harrah’s. This was the first time I’ve played there and didn’t see a high limit room and all of the blackjack tables were H17. It was busy but I finally got a hold of a pitboss and asked him if they had any S17 tables and he said “maybe in the high limit room” and pointed to it. I went in and found a table in the back that was $100 minimum. Bought in for my normal $1,500 and the count started to slowly rise. I lost a few mid-level bets and the count kept going higher and I had to re-buy in for $3k. I lost a big bet and then got a 6,4 and a 9,9 against a dealer 3 with my max bet out. I split the 9s and got another 9. I split again and hit the first 9 and got an 8 and a face card on each of the other 9s. I had to buy-in again to double down on my 10. I asked her to put it face down (another part of my act since gamblers like to do this) and I don’t remember what it was right now (the day after) but she busted and I won $4k on this one round. I then bet big bet after big bet and kept on winning. At one point the RC was +40 with about two decks remaining and I thought ‘it doesn’t matter what happens to the count now, I’m going to bet big throughout the rest of the shoe.’ I was talking a lot with the dealer and pitboss and I lost track of the count – I thought it was around +38 so I was conservative and called it +30. Then the count started to drop fast and I pulled back to one hand of $400, then $200, and finished the last couple of hands at $100. I left after the first shoe because of all the big bets. Ended up winning $10,250 on one shoe. At one point I was down at the beginning of the shoe about ($4,000) so I won a large number of big bets. I got a few 16s and 15s against a dealer 10 and tried to surrender but they don’t offer surrender. When the count was high on these hands I just stood and won most of them. When the count dropped I’d hit and win.

[112] Walked to the Bellagio. Very busy. In the high limit room the lowest minimum was $300. One guy was betting two hands of $5k each and he had one girl on each arm. In the casino area one side had all $100 minimums and up, and on the other side they were all $50 minimum tables. I waited for one shoe to end with two players and they both ended up leaving so I ended up playing most of the first shoe with one other guy who sat down with me. I didn’t give my players card and nobody asked me for it so I never got rated. There was absolutely no heat because of this and the pitboss hardly ever even walked by the table. I could have played for hours without being noticed. I left towards the end of the second shoe because the count went negative. I’m going to start not offering my players card and make the pitboss ask for it so this may happen again. Won $200.

[113] Walked to Caesars. Count dropped before the end of the shoe and I left. Won $100. Checked my comp card balance at the kiosk. It’s $222 which is really low compared to how other casinos comp me but I can’t complain.

[114] Walked to the Mirage. I mostly flat bet and talked with the pitboss about the baccarat tournament where somebody won $750,000 in a two or three day tournament. Somebody else won a very nice Mercedes that they had parked about 20 feet away right beside the baccarat tables. The tournament was by invitation only – they basically called a bunch of very high rollers who had lost at least $200k over the last 6 months in the casino. The count stayed flat, I only raised a few times and left after two shoes. Won $600. I split aces three times (to make four hands) on one hand and ended up winning on two of them and losing the other two.

Walked to the Venetian. It was 2:30am on a Sunday night/Monday morning and was pretty busy. In the high limit room the baccarat tables were full but my blackjack table (the only 6-deck shoe with S17 in the whole casino) was empty and the double deck next to it was empty. When I walked up the sign said $500 minimum so I asked the dealer “Is there anyway we can lower it to $100?” The pitboss, who was standing about 10 feet behind the dealer and talking to someone else, somehow heard me and said “We can lower it to $200” and I said “Not to $100?” and he weakly shook his head ‘no.’ I said “OK, thanks” and walked out. Two dealers standing behind empty blackjack tables and he wanted to negotiate to try to get a $200 bettor. Unbelievable.

[115] Walked to the Wynn. I couldn’t find an empty table so I sat at a $50 minimum with a drunk guy and waited for the shoe to finish. He was losing big and asked for another marker from the pitboss. The dealer kept pulling to a win and he kept making comments after he lost. He wanted me to jump in but I said I’d wait for the next shoe. Someone else walked up and started playing and they both won a couple of hands and then the guy that joined colored up. The drunk guy yelled “No, you can’t leave!” He wasn’t mad really but he wanted the guy to stay. On the next shoe, after I joined, he kept making comments on every hand and he would look at me with a blank stare when he and the dealer would both get stiff hands but the dealer would pull to a win. I couldn’t help but laugh. At one point I had to almost turn all the way around because I thought I was going to laugh so loud. Then he started yelling things like “25!” when the dealer had a 5 showing. The first time he did it the dealer turned over a 10 and drew another 10 and I started egging him on “See, you just have to ask for it.” On the next hand he said to the dealer, “Barbara, I’m going to start asking for my hands, I want a blackjack.” He lost that hand and on the next hand I got a blackjack. He didn’t seem to get upset at that even when the dealer kidded around and said “He took your blackjack.” A couple of lost hands later he yelled “BARBARA!!” so loud you could hear it across the casino. On another hand he got a 10,9 against the dealer’s 5 or 6 and before the dealer turned her card over I said, “See, there you go, easy winner” and he yelled “Shutup, you’re going to jinx me!” The dealer ended up busting and I’m glad because I think he would have gotten really mad at me if he had lost that one. He finally left and I won a few hands before the count went negative. Ended up losing $150.

For the day: +$9,010 net
For the trip: +$8,038 net

Day 17

Tested myself on all of my practice exercises - missed one (hit multiple card 16 against dealer 10 with a TC = 0).

[116] Drove to LV Hilton. I was the only person in the room, as usual. Two pitbosses were there and at least one of them watched every single hand. Just played one shoe. My strategy now is to play one shoe in casinos that aren’t busy. I look at my watch like I’m late and have to be somewhere. Whenever a dealer or pitboss asks how I’m doing when I first sit down I give the impression that I’ve lost a lot in the last few hours and I’ve been up all night and I’m just trying to get close to breaking even. Ended up breaking even.

[117] Drove to Red Rock. Bet big on first shoe and left. Won $2,800.

[118] Drove to Green Valley. First two shoes were flat. I played with two other people and then a third shoe by myself. Lost $1,450.

[119] Drove to Hard Rock. They use an 8-deck discard tray. I need to remember this when playing. The count went negative very quickly and I left after five minutes. Lost $900.

[120] Drove to Rio. They have the same type of discard tray as the Aladdin. Played two shoes and won $1,050. When I was cashing out at the cashier’s cage Scott (his nametag said casino executive) gave me a sheet of paper authorizing 2 nights, comped.

[121] Drove to The Palms. Won $850. The high limit room opens at 11:00am during weekdays and, I believe, is open 24 hours on the weekend.

[122] Drove to Golden Nugget. Won $50.

For the day: +$2,205 net
For the trip: +$10,243 net

Day 18

[123] Drove to LV Hilton. I played one shoe and was the only person in the room. When the room is empty (which is normal) and a player walks in, one of the dealers calls a pitboss using a phone or walkie-talkie. On one hand the dealer had an Ace and I had a hard 17. The TC was +3 or +4 and I had one bet of four units. I didn’t take insurance and the dealer flipped an Ace as her down card and I said, jokingly, “Are you going to split those?” She laughed and turned over a face card and then another face card to give her 22 and said to me “Do you still want me to split those?” I said, “No thanks” and she pulled another card out of the shoe and turned it over – an Ace. The pitboss was standing right there and said “What are you doing?” and a dealer at another table said “You’ve got 22.” She then pulled another card out of the shoe but didn’t turn it over and said “What am I doing?” I said to the pitboss “That’s my Ace for the next hand” and he said to the dealer “Give him the Ace” and then said to me “I’ll give you the Ace but you can only bet $100” and I said “Well at least let me bet $200 since I just bet $400” and he said “OK.” I ended up losing that hand. Won $350.

[124] Drove to Golden Nugget. On one hand I had a K,7 (or thought I did) and the dealer pulled to a 17 and paid me. The pitboss was really rooting for me to win and I kept asking questions like “Should I double down on that?”, etc. Won $2,550.

[125] Drove to Rio. I was hit hard early in the first shoe and then came back later in the same shoe. Lost $1,750.

[126] Drove to Hard Rock. The dealer, Karen, explained that the table has sensors underneath each betting spot and sensors in the chips. A computer keeps track of exactly how much is bet. There is a small square ‘button’ next to the shoe that is some sort of sensor that works in conjunction with the microchips inside the casino chips and the sensors under the betting spots and feeds information into a computer. I don’t know if this system can also track cards. I didn’t want to ask but I kept on trying to egg her on to talk more about it.

Drove to The Palms – the high limit room was closed. I’m almost positive it opens at 11:00am which is also probably the time of the shift change.

Drove to Green Valley but the high limit room was closed. One of the pitbosses said it opens at 11:00am and there are no S17 tables outside of the high limit room.

[127] Drove to Red Rock. Tracy cuts right at one deck. Starting losing at the beginning of the shoe when I raised my bets – had to re-buy in. I made a lot of max bets with the count getting very high and staying high. On the last hand I had my max bet of two hands of $800 each and got 9,9 and J,7 against the dealer’s 3. I split the 9s and got another 9, split again and got a face card on one of the 9s and a 2 on the second 9, I doubled down and got a face card, I got another 9 (total of four 9s – couldn’t split anymore) and got an 8 on that one. The dealer had a 2 as her down card and drew a face card to get 12 and flipped another face card to bust. I ended up winning 6 bets of $800 each and won $4,800 – my biggest win on one round. I won $9,350 for the session.

[128] Drove to Green Valley. One of those shoes where the dealer kept pulling to win and I had a lot of stiff hands that I busted on. Ended up losing $2,750.

[129] Drove to The Palms. Lost a lot of one unit bets early and came back at the end. Ended up breaking even. A pitboss or supervisor came in and started talking to the dealer about a meeting he was in where they discussed a new computer system they’re getting that will track bets.

[130] Drove to the LV Hilton. I had another tough shoe where I couldn’t win two hands in a row. Lost $2,300.

For the day: +$3,663 net
For the trip: +$13,906 net

Day 19

[131] Drove to Green Valley. Lost $250. At one point I was down around $3,500.

[132] Drove to Palms. Won $450.

[133] Drove to Red Rock. Won $4,100.

[134] Drove to the Wynn. Left after 3 minutes when RC dropped to -25 after 1 deck was dealt. Lost $600.

[135] Walked to the Venetian. Won $100.

[136] Walked to the Mirage. Won $700.

[137] Walked to Caesars. Lost $250. Checked my comp balance: $129. The last time I checked it was $222 and I haven’t used any of it. I waited outside the host’s office to find out what’s going on but then decided it’s not worth raising questions about me. When I came back on the day shift my balance was at $272.

[138] Walked to Bellagio. Broke even.

[139] Walked to Harrah’s. I lost quite a few big bets and kept buying in due to high count and ended up winning $1,000.

[140] Ate lunch in Bally’s and walked back to Harrah’s. Played less than one shoe and lost $1,500 flat betting one unit. On one hand I had an A,7 and the dealer pulled to A,2,6. The dealer took my bet and I pointed to her hand as if to say “It’s a push.” She just stared at her hand and I thought to myself “How long is it going to take her to realize that it’s a push” before I finally realized that she won the hand. I realized how important it is to be on top of my game mentally to be successful. In all of my sims I calculate one playing mistake and one betting mistake per hour of play just to make the numbers more realistic. My intention, goal, and expectation is to make zero mistakes. I need to be able to recognize when I’m getting tired.

[141] Walked to Bellagio. Won $1,550.

[142] Walked to Caesars. I bought back in with a TC of +3 and a guy sat down and played two hands and the count dropped quickly. Ended up losing $1,400.

[143] Walked to Mirage. Total buy-in was $4,500 and ended up winning $1,600.

[144] Walked to the Venetian. I lost many big bets. Lost $5,550

[145] Walked to the Wynn. The same thing happened as this morning. I was there for about 3 minutes and after one deck was dealt the RC dropped to -20. Lost $400.

For the day: -$859 net
For the trip: +$13,047 net

Day 20

[146] Drove to Mandalay Bay. There was a high count but I kept losing (approx $5k) until the very end. I kept getting stiff hands. Ended up winning $750.

[147] Walked to Tropicana. There were five pitbosses in the pit and two of them kept a watch on my table. Left after one shoe. Won $675.

[148] Walked to MGM. Played two shoes and had a long conversation with Tom about real estate after he asked what I did and I told him I worked for a mortgage company. I was comped a lunch at the coffee shop. Also got into a conversation about the best Cirque de Sole production with two pitbosses. I walked into the host office and spoke with John and a guy that graduated from my alma mater about getting a room. Spoke with them for at least 30 minutes. He looked up my account and said I have a good betting average and that they look for an average bet of $200 to $250 to get RFB (Room, Food, and Beverage). I explained to him that I don’t do a lot of drinking and he said he could bump me up to a nicer room if I don’t plan on drinking that much. He told me stories about people who order 4 or 5 bottles of wine and charge it to their room to try and get them comped. Won $175.

[149] After eating I played again at MGM. Won $575.

[150] Walked to Tropicana. Mary cut at 1.1 decks. Two pitbosses watched my table but I was playing with another guy and they may have been watching him. Won $1,150.

[151] Walked and took tram to Mandalay. On one hand the dealer had four Aces in a row. Won $600.

[152] Drove to Hard Rock. I lost approximately nine out of the first 10 hands. Lost $1,000.

[153] Drove to Rio. On one hand the dealer had a 4 as her upcard and turned over a 5, then pulled a 2, then a 5, and then a 6 for a 22. On the next hand she had the exact same cards in the exact same order. When I pointed this out to her she didn’t seem very impressed. I don’t know what the odds are of that happening but they have to be pretty small. Won $1,000.

[154] Drove to Palms. Lost $100.

[155] Drove to Golden Nugget. There was only one 6-deck shoe in the high limit room and there were three people playing. The pitboss said they were going to open another table at 8:00pm which was an hour-and-a-half away. One guy left to eat dinner and I sat in his place. I played 2 shoes and won $1,850. On the second to the last hand I bet 2 units when I should have bet 4 (the pitboss was watching) and I got a blackjack. Bad decision on my part. Cost me $300.

For the day: +$5,692 net
For the trip: +$18,416 net

Day 21

I’m carrying $15k with me daily plus some extra cash in my wallet for tips, etc.

Although I didn’t know it at the time, this would be my last day playing blackjack. I started the day just like every other day and at this point I had played 18 days in a row but felt good and didn’t feel mentally fatigued at all. I was enjoying myself, I was in a comfortable routine, and had a good schedule worked out that allowed me to get all of the playing time I needed to get to hit my goal (although I had to adjust it from 220 hours to 200 hours). I was about 25% of the way through the 60 days I had planned. I was up a lot for this point in the trip, especially since I had dug myself out of a pretty big hole when I was about a week into the trip. And I was getting comped meals whenever I wanted them. I had eaten more steak dinners (I was eating steaks at breakfast and dinner) in the past two weeks than I had probably eaten in the last two years.

[156] Took the monorail to Bally’s. I watched the pitboss after giving him my players card. He swiped it through the computer terminal at the table and there was no reaction from him. I was worried that I might be flagged in the computer because they seemed suspicious of me the other day. He just handed my card back to me and said ‘good luck.’ Won $350.

Walked to Paris. Bally’s and Paris use the same chips so I didn’t cash my chips in at Bally’s. There was only one $100 minimum table and there were two players each playing two hands. I decided to walk over to the Aladdin, which is next door, and then come back to Paris. I walked up to the high limit room at the Aladdin and at first I didn’t see anyone in there. Then I saw one guy playing blackjack – there were actually two blackjack tables so I sat at the empty one. I put my $1,500 cash on the table and the dealer shuffled up, then two other people sat down at my table. I forgot to bring my players card so I gave the pitboss my name and said “There are probably a lot of “my name”, I’m from ____.” I said this because, for some reason, there are a lot of people with my name and whenever I forget my player’s card the pitboss will always come back and say “What’s your date of birth?” or “Where are you from?” This happens a lot at the cage when I’m cashing in my chips. She went to her computer and came back about a minute later and said “Did you say you’re from ____?” I said “Yes.” Then she called the other pitboss over and pointed to the computer. He walked over and said “Can I talk to you for a minute?” I knew what was about to happen so I picked up my cash and walked with him about 15 feet from the table. He said “I don’t know why but management has made a decision that you can’t play table games any more, you can play the slots.” I said “What about craps?” (I don’t know why I asked this, I was just trying to think of something to say). He shook his head “no” and said “No table games.” I said “OK” and walked away. This is the second casino that I’ve been backed-off at.

[157] I walked back to Paris and the same two guys were playing but only one of them was playing two hands so I sat down. Ended up losing $800.

This would be the shoe that would end my trip.

[158] Took the monorail to the MGM. I got there right at the shift change and sat down at one of four empty tables. It was unusual for there to be four empty tables and I remember thinking before I sat down “I hope I pick the right table.” The dealer was an older woman, ‘Stacie.’ When I sat down the pitboss seemed to really look me over. So, I started joking around with the dealer, saying things like “Stacie, I think this is going to be a good shoe, I just have a feeling.” She played along and said “Oh, absolutely, I feel it too.” The count started going up immediately so I slowly raised my bet and was betting two hands almost right away. I lost a couple of these bets and had to re-buy in for $2,500 just a few minutes after sitting down – my total buy in at this point was $4,000. The count kept going up and I was soon at my max bet with about 4 decks remaining which is very early in the shoe. The pitboss stood over at third base and another one stood about four feet behind me, I was sitting at my usual spot one chair in from first base facing third base. I like this spot because I can control two betting spots if other people join the table, however I had the table to myself for the entire shoe. On one hand the count was really high and one of my hands was a 6,3 against the dealer’s 2. The proper play, because the count was high, was to double down but I thought it would look at little strange (since I was being so closely watched by two pitbosses) so I asked Stacie hoping she would say “Go for it” or something similar but she was adamant that I shouldn’t (she was correct – this was the correct Basic Strategy play accept the count was so high I should have doubled down) so I turned to the other pitboss who had moved a little closer to the table to watch. He didn’t say anything but shook his head ‘no.’ He definitely didn’t look or act very friendly. I almost doubled anyway but just took a hit and got a face card and ended up winning both of my hands. I played almost the entire shoe at my max bet and only lost both hands twice. I got a few blackjacks and on one hand I split 7,7 twice and doubled down on one of those hands and doubled on my other hand and the dealer busted. On that round I won five bets of $800 each for $4,000. The pitbosses just kept watching me win hand after hand and I was trying to give the impression I was just gambling having a good time. The cocktail waitress came over to get my drink order and her nametag said she was from Miami so I completely turned away from the table (this was when the dealer was paying me off on the $4,000 round) and talked with her for awhile about Miami and joked around asking her if she spoke Spanish, all the time saying over and over in my head what the running count was, and then turned back to the game and kept playing… and winning. Then the first pitboss walked over to the other one and said “Well, what do you think?” It was obvious to me that he was talking about me and whether I was counting. I didn’t hear the other pitboss’s response but I kept thinking to myself “What can I do?” The count was really high so I just resolved to finish off the shoe continuing betting my max bet. Every time I won I would say something like “OK, Stacie, let’s do it again” or “Alright Stacie I’m going to keep going with two hands, it seems to be working for me.” When it was finally over I had two stacks of $500 chips and a bunch of $100 chips. I made a joke to the dealer about how I just needed five more shoes like this to break even for my trip. When it was all said and done I tipped the dealer $150 while I was playing and ended up walking away with $19k exactly in chips. Which means I won exactly $15k on this shoe – in about 20 minutes. When I went to the cage I had to give my social security number and the cashier had to make his standard call to the pit to verify I won the chips. He spoke to one of the pitbosses that was watching me and laughed when he hung up the phone. I asked what the pitboss said and the cashier said “He wanted to know if you gave me any trouble.” This made no sense unless he meant did I refuse to give my social, which would be typical counter behavior in order to keep my anonymity. The cashier just laughed in the phone and said “no.”

I thought to myself “I’ve just blown through my goal for the whole trip” but just walked to the next casino just like I always had.

[159] I walked to the Tropicana and played one shoe. Won $300.

[160] Took the tram to Mandalay Bay and played one shoe. Very high count but lost one big hand more than I won. Lost $1,200.

Now I started to wrestle with what I should do. And I very slowly realized that since I hit my goal I should probably stop playing. It took me about two hours to really think things through and make this decision. My brain was so focused on playing the 60 days and 200 hours that it was hard for me to take a step back and look at the big picture. There were some other factors that helped me make this decision. I felt that I was getting close to being backed-off at MGM, which I didn’t want to happen since that is one of the major casinos in Vegas.

Right now, after playing blackjack for 19 days in a row (nearly 55 hours of playing time) I’m up $36,495 gross and after tips to dealers, cocktail waitresses, cashiers, and valets I’m up $31,926.

A couple of days ago I made an adjustment to my goal from 220 hours to 200 hours. My expected return after 200 hours is $25,946 gross. I’m at 140% of this goal right now. I’m going to take a break and think about stopping for a couple of reasons. First, I think I’m getting close to being backed off from MGM, Bally’s, Treasure Island, and possibly Harrah’s. Also, I have a combined win of over $20k for Green Valley and Red Rock which are owned by the same company. So, I may be close to getting kicked out of these casinos. I’m also concerned about getting on a losing streak like during the first week where I went from being up $13k to down over $23k. A loss of $36k in an 8 day period (28 hours of playing time). The last 10 days (27 hours) I have been on a very strong winning streak with a total win of $55,544. This figure is at the upper end of 3 standard deviations from the norm. My expected value after 27 hours is $3,503 with a 68% probability of being between -$14,235 and +$21,241, a 95% probability of being between -$31,973) and +$38,979, and a 99.7% probability of being between -$49,711 and +$56,717. The odds of being up over $56,717 after 27 hours is 1.35 out of 1000 and I’m very close to that number. I just don’t want to lose the money I’ve won after I’ve had such a good run. For my total playing time of 54.8 hours, my expected return is $7,109 with a 68% probability of being between -$18,161 and +$32,380 so I’m just on the other side of this figure which is less than a 1 out 7 probability.

I’d like to come back one day with a team of three or four other players with the idea of each of us playing individually with no two players playing on the same shift at the same casino. We would basically be pooling our money together, playing for a total of 100 hours, with a minimum bet of $200 to $300. Our total trip time would be about 8 or 9 days and, as a team, our advantage would be that we could even out the wide bankroll swings and share information on the dealers that cut the deepest into the shoe, which is the single most important factor in getting an advantage.

I’ve spent a couple of days in my hotel room putting together a spreadsheet that analyzes all of my playing time, wins and losses, etc, for each of the 23 casinos I played in. My spouse is flying out and we’re going to spend about a week in Vegas together. I e-mailed my host, John, about getting a casino rate on a room at the MGM and made it clear in my e-mail that I wasn’t planning on playing that much so I didn’t want to make a commitment to playing the required time to get comped a room (average bet of $250 for four hours a day). He wrote back that he would go ahead and comp my room anyway and would let me have the use of a limousine. All he needed was my date of birth (because there are so many _______ in his system) so he could book it in the computer. I e-mailed him my date of birth two days ago and sent another e-mail yesterday and haven’t heard back from him. This makes me think that I’m flagged in MGM’s computer as a counter because of the big shoe that I had on Friday. It looks like I’m finished at the MGM.

It’s been awhile since I finished my trip and I haven’t been back to Vegas yet. When my spouse came out, we stayed in a comped room at the Rio and while we were there John’s assistant (from the MGM) wrote an e-mail to me saying that I would be comped in one of their suites whenever I wanted – just call her. I e-mailed her back thanking her – so I guess I’m OK at the MGM.

About a month after getting back home I started getting, on average, 2 or 3 mailers a day from different casinos offering comped rooms, shows, and meals. I am still getting them from Caesars and all of their properties – Harrahs, Bally’s, Paris, Rio. Also from Mandalay Bay, LV Hilton, Green Valley, Red Rock, Tropicana, Hard Rock and every once in awhile from Luxor which is one of the two casinos that asked me not to play blackjack any more. The other casino that backed me off, the Aladdin, sent me a 3 night comped room over New Year’s Eve with a seven course meal included – I still can’t figure that one out. I wish I could have made the trip.