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Blackjack Insider Newsletter, January 2004, #48

A WORD FROM HENRY

We begin the New Year with more informative blackjack reports and articles to improve your game. We even have a few predictions for 2004 courtesy of Frank Scoblete. CC Rider reports on blackjack playing conditions in several casinos along the Gulf Coast and the Big Easy and for football fans, offers his opinion on the national college football polls. Riverboat Flyer takes a blackjack-playing holiday trip to the Tunica casinos and summarizes how he did and what he found. Ditto for LV Pro who hits Sin City during the slow December period and focuses his play on mostly 6-deck games. Check out what he discovered where he played, and how he faired in his always-entertaining Las Vegas Trip report. Alene Paone and Frank Scoblete report on blackjack conditions in Atlantic City and which casino currently offers the best game. Yours truly summarizes the legality of card counting including a link to a recent, important court case where a judge ruled in favor of a card counter. If you are a tournament player or thinking about becoming one, check out the tournament articles by Kenneth Smith and also the newest member of our excellent cadre of writers, Tournament Pro who has won over $375K playing tournaments. You'll also find a schedule of blackjack tournaments courtesy of Kenneth Smith in this issue of BJI.

NEW! Blackjack Card Counting Course

...taught by Henry Tamburin & Frank Scoblete
...features the revolutionary, unpublished Speed Count System

In 2004, I will team up with Frank Scoblete and Dom LoRiggio to teach the Golden Touch Blackjack 2-day course, a new advantage-play blackjack course featuring Speed Count. Created by blackjack software developer, Dan Pronovost (www.HandheldBlackjack.com), the revolutionary Speed Count is unlike any other advantage-play blackjack method in its use, and ability for the average player to learn and master in just two days to give a verifiable, mathematical edge over the casino. The first class will be held the weekend of April 24-25 in Las Vegas. Courses are also scheduled for Chicago, Atlantic City, Tunica, and Biloxi/Gulfport during 2004. Blackjack Insider Newsletter subscribers will receive a special introductory $200 discount (mention "Blackjack Insider" when you call to sign-up, to get your discount). Click here for more details on Golden Touch Blackjack.

A reminder - 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

E-mail subscribers can also read each month's issue online at our web site: BJI Issue #48, Jan. 2004.

Henry Tamburin

Editor

ATLANTIC CITY BLACKJACK REPORT by Alene Paone and Frank Scoblete

"I love to play prophet and I am darned good at it. When my two sons were little guys, instead of strapping men as they are now, I once made a prediction about a movie called Mac and Me, a spin-off of the ET theme, a movie my sons did not want to go see. "Guys," I said, "I predict you are going to love this movie. If not, I'll eat a frog..."

Read the Paone's and Scoblete's complete article.

THE SUGAR BOWL …THE REAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME by CC Rider

"Okay, I'll be upfront and honest. I am an LSU alumnus. I have been an LSU fan for over 40 years and have spent countless thousands attending athletic events and tailgating there, and in various sundry places….South Bend, Atlanta, College Station, Los Angeles, and, yes, even Starkville…. As you can imagine, the playing conditions in New Orleans were extremely crowded during the Sugar Bowl weekend. The mood in the downtown area of New Orleans was absolutely unlike any other event I have seen there, including Mardi Gras..."

Read CC Rider's complete article.

TUNICA TRIP REPORT by Riverboat Flyer

"It's the holiday season and that means it's time for my year end blackjack sojourn to Tunica, Mississippi. This year I'm up slightly. Coincidentally I'm playing much less at the southern Indiana riverboats close to my home because the casinos are crowded and have poor penetration. Instead I'm spending more time at places like Tunica that offer conditions more favorable to card counters like single and double deck games, less crowded tables and generally more favorable rules..."

Read Flyer's complete article.

LAS VEGAS TRIP REPORT by LV PRO

"I especially love Las Vegas during the third week of December. After National Finals Rodeo is over, and before the week of Christmas to New Years, this seasonal weeklong lull is the slowest of the year. There are little or no conventions and many of the shows are dark. Room rates are low, casinos are empty and roads are clear. Wonderfully uncrowded blackjack conditions can be found. I always make sure to visit Sin City during this time..."

Read LV PRO's complete article.

IS CARD COUNTING LEGAL? By Henry Tamburin

"The issue of the legality of card counting is a complicated one. Historically most of the known court cases have come from Nevada and Atlantic City. Most other gaming jurisdictions are still grappling with this issue. Since I am not a lawyer, I will say up front much of the response you are about to read was gleaned from the excellent book, Blackjack and the Law by I. Nelson Rose and Robert Loeb..."

Read the Tamburin's complete article.

A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE GOES A LONG WAY by Kenneth Smith

"In tournament blackjack, having just a little knowledge about tournament strategy can dramatically improve your chances of success. In recent months, my articles have focused on details of play appropriate for a player who already has some tournament experience. Today I'll take a step back, and look instead at more general principles that form the most important ideas in tournament strategy. These concepts will give you a big edge over most opponents, and they're simple enough that you don't have to study to make use of them..."

Read Smith's complete article.

HI. MY NAME IS TOURNAMENT PRO by Tournament Pro

"I was born and raised east of the Mississippi. In 2000 I moved to Las Vegas to pursue my interests in blackjack tournaments and to better my skills at the intriguing game of blackjack, which as we all know is not a game of chance. I've won over $375,000 in tournaments and I intend to share my thoughts and knowledge with you on how to play skillfully in blackjack tournaments in this and in future articles for BJI..."

Read Tournament Pro's complete article.

BLACKJACK TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

"Check out the schedule of major blackjack tournaments by region as complied by Kenneth Smith in our Blackjack Tournament Report..."

Read the complete article.

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