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BJI Newsletter, December, #131

Read this issue as a single web page

A WORD FROM HENRY

Need a Christmas gift for a friend or relative? The new 2011 edition of the American Casino Guide is now available and it makes a terrific gift. You can get as many copies as you want at the discounted price of only $13.95 from our BJI store (the books contains over $1000 in casino coupons). See below for details. We also have blackjack books, strategy cards, and DVDs in our store, as well as products on video poker, slots, and other games. Click here to visit our store and give the gift of winning this year!

Vinny DeCarlo kicks off our December issue with sage advice for card counters who want to prolong their playing careers. Basil Nestor completes his two part excellent article on how to minimize the tax consequences from casino wins (heed his advice!). Ralph Stricker begins a series of articles on how one of his blackjack team members self-destructed (don't make the same mistakes). John Grochowski provides news for blackjack players from the recently held Global Gaming Conference in Las Vegas. We have trip reports from these regions: Council Bluffs, I.A. (by JPB); Deadwood, S.D. (by Charles Hondi); and Tunica M.S. (by Mark Gruetze). Frank Scoblete reports on the blackjack games in A.C. as well as offer his opinion on the state of N.J.'s planned take-over of the casinos in A.C. Ever wondered whether you should cover an opponent's blackjack in tournament play? Check out Ken Smith's article for the answer. Frank Kneeland explains the importance of payback tables for different video poker games, and Bill Burton offers advice on how to play Queens in Texas Hold'em. Last, but not least, we have a summary of major blackjack tournaments in different regions of the U.S.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Henry Tamburin
Editor

GIVE THE GIFT OF WINNING

Are you looking for a gift for a friend, relative, or business associate who enjoys casino gambling? Check out the products in our secure BJI store. We have books, strategy cards, DVDs, and instructional software for just about all the casinos games: blackjack craps, slots, video poker, poker, and more. Here are some suggestions (prices include shipping to continental US):

Poker Drill Master CD... Play better Texas Hold'em poker: learn pot odds, pre-flop decisions, outs calculation, and much more. This is not a game... it is a training tool, designed to help you master expert poker decision decision making quickly, in a fun and fast training program. Only $64.95.

Video Poker for Winners CD... This computer software program will teach anyone how to win at video poker. Only $47.95.

Slots Conquest... The new book for slots players by Frank Scoblete. Only $20.25.

Casino Craps: Shoot to Win... The new book for players who want to learn how to play and win at craps by Frank Scoblete. Includes basics of dice control. Only $23.45.

Smart Craps Roll Recorder CD... Record your craps rolls at home and find out if your throw can give you an edge over the casino. Calculate your SRR, and the new Pro Test dice control metrics that provide the most accurate measure of dice influence possible. Only $40.

Cutting Edge Craps... A new advanced book on dice control by Frank Scoblete. Only $20.25.

Smart Craps Professional CD... A complete software package for dice controllers. Includes the Roll Recorder, and the Smart Craps analysis program. Find out if your throw can beat the casino, then let the program tell you the unique optimal dice sets for your given skill! Simulate any craps bets and games, and use the bankroll tools to know how much you need to play with to win. Only $134.95.

Beat Blackjack Now... The new book on how to play and win at blackjack including the details of Speed Count by Frank Scoblete. Only $20.25.

Speed Count Blackjack Bundle CD... This computer software program teaches you Speed Count, the simpliest blackjack card counting method invented, yet gives you a great edge over the casino. Only $70.

Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution DVD... Watch Frank Scoblete, Dominator, and Henry Tamburin demonstrate Sped Count in simulated play. Only $135.95.

How does a paid BJI Membership work?

New readers to Blackjack Insider may not know that you can purchase membership to our monthly online magazine for only $19.95 a year. As you read through the articles each month, you'll notice that some require a 'login' to read the full article. That's where a paid membership comes in! About 1/2 of all articles each month are reserved for paying members only. Of course, they tend to be our best articles... the ones that will help you make the most of your dollars in the casinos!

So... what are you waiting for?! If you have not yet bought a membership, now is the time:

Click here to purchase a one-year membership only $19.95 for one year (12 issues)!

If you come across an unfamiliar blackjack term in one of our articles or reports, see our Blackjack Glossary: www.bjinsider.com/questions_glossary.shtml.

Did you know we have all past newsletter issues available in our archives, with online search?

BJI Search: www.bjinsider.com/newsletter.shtml#search

E-mail subscribers can also read each month's issue online at our web site: BJI Issue #131, December 2010.

BJI Newsletter, December 2010, #131
single web page for printing and offline viewing

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BJI offers...

HOW TO BEAT CASINO SURVEILLANCE , An Insider's Secrets for Card Counters By Vinny DeCarlo, taps into his 27 years in the casino industry to unveil behind-the-scenes information on the strengths and weaknesses of TWENTY-FIVE Las Vegas casinos AND their ability to catch card counters. Available only as an e-book, downloadable immediately after purchasing.

Our Blackjack Tournament Pro and BJI columnist Kenneth R. Smith has written his first book, How to Win More Blackjack Tournaments, which summarizes the blackjack tournament strategies contained in his articles from Blackjack Insider (plus three new articles not available anywhere else!). $14.95 for the e-book, available immediately after purchasing.

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TEN DON'TS FOR CARD COUNTERS by Vinny DeCarlo

"Here are ten tips you want to avoid doing if you are a card counter who wants to play under the casino's radar..."

Read DeCarlo's complete article.

BLACKJACK AND TAXES: Part 2 by Basil Nestor

"In last month's column in BJI, I mentioned that gambling losses could be deducted from your taxable income, but only up to the amount of your gambling profits. However, if you want to deduct your gambling losses, you cannot simply subtract the loss from the profit and declare zero dollars won..."

Read Nestor's complete article.

HOW IT BEGAN: LACK OF DISCIPLINE LEADS TO DESTRUCTION by Ralph "Silver Fox" Stricker

"I remember it as if it were yesterday. After appearing on a TV show in Boston, I was teaching a blackjack class. There were three "high rollers" in the class who received every perk that a casino can offer. Why? Because they were LOSERS, and the casinos wanted to keep them coming back..."

Read Stricker's complete article.

NEWS FROM THE G2E by John Grochowski

"ShuffleMaster Inc. is the casino industry's largest purveyor of proprietary table games, but it has roots firmly embedded in the development of automatic shufflers. Therefore, it was only natural that at the Global Gaming Expo in November at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the company would be showing off its new games while using its iDeal shuffler..."

Read Grochowski's complete article.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA TRIP REPORT by JPB

"In early October, I had the opportunity to travel to the Omaha, Nebraska area. For those not familiar with this area, Omaha is right on the Missouri river. Although there aren't any casinos in Nebraska that I am aware of, just across the Missouri river, on the Iowa side, there is a cluster of three casinos in Council Bluffs, Iowa that I visited. The blackjack games were ..."

Read JPB's complete article.

DEADWOOD, S.D. TRIP REPORT by Charles Hondi

"There are currently 14 small casinos in Deadwood, mostly housed in the city's original downtown buildings. Bets on table games are limited to $100 per spot and gaming is regulated by the State of South Dakota. Beer and wine are offered complementary to players. What follows is a sampling of the town's gambling halls and blackjack conditions as of Fall 2010..."

Read Hondi's complete article.

TUNICA TRIP REPORT by Mark Gruetze

"My 21st excursion to Tunica included eight nights in casinos, spanning the Columbus Day weekend. Here's a recap of blackjack conditions for the casinos I visited..."

Read Gruetze's complete article.

ATLANTIC CITY BLACKJACK REPORT by Frank and Alene Scoblete

"The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, which is a mouthful to say, will be taking over the running of Atlantic City if Governor Christie and the New Jersey legislature get their way. Recognizing that the declining revenues are hurting not only Atlantic City but also the entire state, the politicians are on the move to restructure the state's relationship with its once cash cow. So move over Nuke Thompson..."

Read Scobletes' complete article.

TOURNAMENT BASICS: COVER A BLACKJACK, OR NOT? by Kenneth R Smith

"Ken Smith gives tips on when you should cover an opponent's blackjack in tournament play..."

Read Smith's complete article.

PROGRESSIVE VIDEO POKER-Part 3 by Frank Kneeland

"I have often mused on the disparity between how important looks are when meeting people, and how little they matter in the process of knowing them. What attracts us does not keep us, and what keeps us does not attract us. Fortunately, when picking video poker machines, one can make judgments based solely on appearance and not have to worry about years of counseling, a messy divorce, and backbreaking spousal payments..."

Read Kneeland's complete article.

TEXAS HOLD'EM A TO Z: "Q" IS FOR QUEENS by Bill Burton

"I have a love/hate relationship with pocket queens. Sometimes they will give me great pleasure and shower me with riches and the next time they steal my money and kick me to the gutter. Queens are fickle and you have to play them cautiously or they will break your heart..."

Read Burton's complete article.

BLACKJACK TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE by blackjacktournaments.com

"Check out the schedule of major blackjack tournaments in December and January by region in our Blackjack Tournament Report courtesy of blackjacktournaments.com..."

Read the tournament report.