April 2013 - Blackjack Apprenticeship

Archive: Apr 2013

  1. Behind the Black Dome Interview

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    Behind the Black Dome Two years ago, I received an eerie email from a Las Vegas surveillance professional by the name of “T.Dane.” He said he knew who Ben and I were (this was long before the any Documentary or major press). He said that although his day job was to protect casinos and catch card counters and other advantage players, he had a great deal of respect for what we do, having even spent some of his free time counting cards for money.

    To date, I’ve only gotten emails from a couple people who work in surveillance. Usually it’s along the lines of “I know who you are and I’ve watched you play,” but they aren’t willing to take the risk of actually meeting. Well, it turns out T. Dane was different. A few months back, he put his career on the line to write and published “Behind the Black Dome”, a book that dives into what surveillance is looking for, what the common tells of a card counter are, and how an advantage player can avoid detection. A book like this only comes around every decade or so, and it’s absolute GOLD to a professional player! T. Dane has also been kind enough to give some guest lectures at our more recent bootcamps, which is always a highlight of the day for myself and everyone else!

    If you are serious about card counting, you should absolutely check out his book here (we don’t get anything out of promoting it, just think it’s a great resource).

    We were fortunate enough to interview T. Dane about his book and experience on the other side of the black dome.

    You can read our interview below…

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  2. Casino Backoff Video

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    Many card counting trainees and lower limit card counters have yet to experience the “dreaded” backoff.

    I remember how proud and excited I was when I finally got backed off for the first time. I still asked for a comp and remember bragging to the bartender making my (free) milkshake that “I got asked to stop playing because I’m too good at blackjack.”

    Undercover Backoff Backstory

    During the filming of “Holy Rollers,” they wanted to get undercover footage of a casino backoff, so I made sure to make that happen.

    I went into a local dive known for quick backoffs, used my real name (I was well known by them), and spread my bet from $5 to 3 spots of $200 (an insanely aggressive bet spread). I I even wore the t-shirt we designed specifically for our blackjack team.

    Since I’m a well known advantage player in Seattle, it didn’t take long. BUT, I was incredibly fortunate to get the casino manager to have an entire conversation with me.

    There can be a lot of fear about backoffs, but in countless blackoffs in my career, there is usually nothing to fear but fear itself. Remember, you’re a citizen with rights, doing everything within the limits of the law (and casino’s rules). After a while, I even came to the realization that pit bosses and casino managers are usually more nervous than I was during the whole process.

    If this video hasn’t scared you off and you want to learn what it takes to beat blackjack for profit, you can start our FREE card counting Mini Course…

    Beating Casinos since 2003,