First the crap:
Empress Joliet on Friday was taken over by new management. First thing they did was eliminate the one-deck cuts. Told all dealers to cut off two decks. Today, about half the dealers were cutting off two decks and the other half were cutting off 1.5 decks. This turns the best game in the midwest, which isn't saying much to begin with, into a very mediocre game. I scouted out the 1.5 deck cuts, and played 1.5 hours. I came home and looked in BJA and saw that this game gets a DI of 6.2 with a 10:1 spread. My spread is actually 20:1, or more at this game, but I don't find any provision in the team manual for adjusting for that, so I am taking half credit for the play. I plan to keep going there and trying to find dealers who cut 1.5 or less, but my hours may suffer if I lose interest in this game. Frog: I see from the manual that I'm supposed to check with you a week in advance if I am going to play elsewhere. I plan to go to Tunica next week, but my plans are not final yet. Results today:

Empress, 12-20
SBR:  = $3705
EBR:  =  3515
Gr:   =  -187.50
Net:  =  -190
Tip:  =     2.50 (yes, I was winning big at the time)
Unit  =    25
Hours, actual= 1.5
Hours, net   = 0.75

In an hour and a half, I only got out two max bets. Also got a few at 2x$100, but not many. That extra half deck cut off really hurts the max count.

-- Anonymous, December 20, 1999

Answers

(SF) 20-1 spreads vs. 10-1 spreads

I came home and looked in BJA and saw that this game gets a DI of 6.2 with a 10:1 spread. My spread is actually 20:1, or more at this game, but I don't find any provision in the team manual for adjusting for that...

assuming that you are following the manual and betting two units at hi-lo plus one (or equivalent) and spreading up to ten units at hi-lo plus six... this is covered (more or less) in BJA. if at counts of less than hi-lo +1 you are dropping to one unit (or less, but not quite a zero bet), then you can not possibly be doing better than betting nothing at at these low counts. so, if you are dropping to half a unit on the not quite good counts but are otherwise betting as per the schedule... and this is how you get the 20-1 that you mention... i submit that it is no better than what is listed in BJA back-counting with a 1-10 spread; a 1-10 backcounting spread as listed in BJA is actually an infinite spread (0-10).

this is just my rambling way of agreeing with DJ that 20-1 is no better than 10-1 in this case. don't get me wrong... i encourage you to do it; just don't fool yourself into thinking that you're getting a SCORE or DI that sky-rockets off the charts.

-- Anonymous, December 25, 1999

Crap is right (DJ)

This has happened to us in WA also, more than a few times. Good games turning to crap overnite happens a lot. We have had one place go from crap to good and back to crap in a matter of weeks.

By the way, when you are backcounting and keeping the same max bet at the same count, a 1-20 spread will not earn any more than 1-10. All you are doing is either betting real small in a even or neg count, and I would guess you would be underbetting at the small and medium counts. You will notice in DS's Score article, that even small spreads with backcounting do real well compared to 1 to 8, etc.

Maybe you will luck out and they will go to a one pass shuffle or something. DJ

-- Anonymous, December 20, 1999

Chicagoland

If you are still in town, check out Harrah's East Chicago. I realize I am not yet involved with your team, but I will do what I can to help you out.

Jeremy aka Revere14

-- Anonymous, December 23, 1999

Of course, you are correct (PV)

I was thinking in terms of 1:10 on the upside, and dropping to half a unit on neutral counts, but that doesn't really change the outcome, as you say. jim

-- Anonymous, December 26, 1999