Flute Player

It’s an old saying. When can’t confronted with a threat, we instinctively look to protect what is most vital to us. Sometimes that is ourselves.

Yesterday I witnessed a Banker streak of 13 at the Baccarat tables.  What’s notable about this streak was it had no ties, not one. This is a good example of the difference between ‘real world’ Baccarat and ‘computer modeling’ and how in spite of the best shuffling machines, cards are harder to randomize than numbers. A streak of 12, with no ties, is as high as it goes for the ‘Wizard of Odds’ 1000 eight-deck shoes yet there it was, 13 Bankers in a row at the tables.

In spite of those that contend otherwise, the eBook is the way print publishing is going. The advantages of eBooks far outweigh their printed predecessors in a number of ways. For example, cost. Printing books is already expensive and is only going to go up and up. Such are the costs to print a book on paper and then ship it. No such costs for eBooks.

Search. You can’t search a printed book, but you can an eBook. From a scholar’s point of view, the eBook is the obvious choice.

Group participation. Again, the eBook has it all over print. The ability to engage an infinite amount of participants in dialog over a particular passage or sentence is already being used by teachers.

Coming back to playing Baccarat after a four year hiatus overall has been fun and entertaining. Unfortunately, the same conclusions I have about casino gambling have remained largely unchanged, as they have since I was sixteen and that is, the math sucks.

I know for a fact, simply because I spent a lot of time studying the subject, that each time going in to the casino the odds are against me. This makes it difficult for me ever to get too enthusiastic or optimistic about my chances. Especially at Baccarat, which in spite of its appearances, is just a glorified coin toss. So most of the time, I just watch other people play, fascinated by the spectacle.

When I do play, I hope that I can hit my target number in one bet and then cash out. Playing as little as possible I’m convinced is the best way to survive the casino without a system. As for systems, Avant Dernier and Last Bet are the only two that make any sense because they hook into the shoe. When they hit it’s magic. When they don’t, it’s disaster. So unless you’re willing to stick it out and hope you’re going to get a good shoe, playing a system can really be dangerous to your wallet.

Harry, never say anything unless you have to.
— Chili Palmer (John Travolta, Get Shorty)

Yup.

For documentation, Softaculous is using WordPress and the Twenty Sixteen theme. Seems to work well.

Been drinking too much beer lately, two to three pints a day and putting back on the pounds which I just got off! Time for a break.

New from Sher Music!

I saw a young woman today at the Baccarat tables betting $1,000 a hand. When I showed up, she had a stack of $500 purple chips, maybe $10,000 worth, maybe more. Within an hour she had lost it all and was buying more chips. She didn’t appear to be playing any kind of system, but simply guessing. Coupled with the table limit of $1,000, her chances of winning it back are slim. Moral of the story, play long enough and “old man percentage” will take your money.