Quote: ThatDonGuyIf it's a single-deck or double-deck game, shouldn't you stand on 16 when the dealer shows a 10?
Nope. If forced to always play the same way, then hit.
Have you or Heather been to a smash room? It's a place where you pay to don protective gear and use a softball bat to smash things like e-waste and thrift store dinnerware.
It sounds like fun at first, but I feel like it might be just sad afterward.
Quote: smoothgrhApologies if this has been asked:
Have you or Heather been to a smash room? It's a place where you pay to don protective gear and use a softball bat to smash things like e-waste and thrift store dinnerware.
It sounds like fun at first, but I feel like it might be just sad afterward.
That has not been asked, thanks. I can't speak for Heather, but I never have. Doesn't sound like the kind of thing I would enjoy. I never understood the pleasure others get in breaking things.
We have been to some escape rooms.
Quote: WizardNope. If forced to always play the same way, then hit.
I know as a "math guy" you are all about squeezing every advantage, playing every hand optimally, hence the comment "If forced to play the same way", which I take to really mean play optimally for each situation. In some cases that will be hitting, in others standing.
But as a card counter who's top priority is longevity, that 16 vs 10 hand is one of the most telling for a card counter. A "tell" if you will. So I avoid that "tell" by playing every hand the same regardless of count. And you pick the way to play based on what will be correct the majority of the time when your bigger bets are out. You will be playing incorrect a very small amount of time when your minimum wagers are out. So for 16 vs 10, I would always stand. I am sure you (wizard) know but for those that don't this concept is know as card counters basic strategy.
The one card counter basic strategy play I have trouble with is insurance. CCBS says to always take insurance. The cost of that starts to be a little higher so I usually do a hodge podge sort of play, insuring my better hands, 19, 20, 21 at the low counts and everything at +3 or more. Not optimal. Not really CCBS, kind of a middle ground.
Quote: WizardThat has not been asked, thanks. I can't speak for Heather, but I never have. Doesn't sound like the kind of thing I would enjoy. I never understood the pleasure others get in breaking things.
We have been to some escape rooms.
Thanks for the answer! I tuned in today but see no livestream.
From an exhaustive 10 seconds of Googling, it appears Vegas has two smash rooms and Reno has one.
Quote: kewljBut as a card counter who's top priority is longevity, that 16 vs 10 hand is one of the most telling for a card counter. A "tell" if you will. So I avoid that "tell" by playing every hand the same regardless of count. And you pick the way to play based on what will be correct the majority of the time when your bigger bets are out. You will be playing incorrect a very small amount of time when your minimum wagers are out. So for 16 vs 10, I would always stand. I am sure you (wizard) know but for those that don't this concept is know as card counters basic strategy.
I agree with you 100%, especially on standing if you're counting and you always play the same way. However, I must admit, I hate giving up EV for the sake of cover. I was always a recreational counter who didn't really care if I got backed-off.
With borderline plays, I sometimes ask the dealer for advice, with the intention to follow whatever he says. However, most of the time, they refuse to give any advice, probably for fear of getting blamed if I lost.
I hope you get a chance to read this post, a lot of work went into it.
Stream Date: 12-03-2020
Length: 01:00:10
Topic: Ask Me Anything
Subjects
What's the Wizard doing?
Red Rock and Calico Basin
Wonder Woman
Lottery: Sequential numbers
Silly Poker Games
Winning a long shot bet
Smash rooms
New table game problems
Online casino certifications
Vegas casino theming
Rolls/spins/hands per hour
Father Michael confessions
Craps: Quick reference stats
The US national debt
Star Trek: Q
Tipping for a room upgrade
Slots: Skill based games
Moon Pi
Sports Betting: Touts
Las Vegas Raiders
Is the Wizard a pro gambler?
The McNugget challenge
Craps: Wizard's side bets
Silverton and Circa
Craps: Hedging bets
A bankroll based on taxes
Casino card shuffler cheating
A whammy
Craps: High minimums
Quote: googling 'whammy etymology'associated from the 1950s with the cartoon strip Li'l Abner, in which the hillbilly Evil-Eye Fleegle could ‘shoot a whammy’ (to put a curse on somebody) by pointing a finger with one eye open, and a ‘double whammy’ with both eyes open.
Quote: odiousgambitbtw the story of at least the 'double whammy', if not the whammy, really begins with Lil Abner ...
I was surprised that Mike didn't seem familiar with the guy who APed Press Your Luck — he studied the reel strips before playing!
Quote: smoothgrhI was surprised that Mike didn't seem familiar with the guy who APed Press Your Luck — he studied the reel strips before playing!
Yes, at the time the game did not have an RNG so you could memorize patterns in how each of the squares lit up.
Quote: smoothgrhI was surprised that Mike didn't seem familiar with the guy who APed Press Your Luck — he studied the reel strips before playing!
I'm familiar with the story, and a great story it is. However, I obviously didn't remember the name of the show when put on the spot, so didn't trust myself to explain what happened properly.
Quote: WizardI'm familiar with the story, and a great story it is. However, I obviously didn't remember the name of the show when put on the spot, so didn't trust myself to explain what happened properly.
One thing nice that the show did was to bring back the other two contestants to play again (against Michael Larson's son, I believe), this time with a randomly generated big board.
Unfortunately, Larson's story had a sad ending. I'll let you readers find the rabbit hole if you wish.
Do you think humanity could advance to the point that 9-year-olds would be taught calculus?
Quote: odiousgambitDo you think the NFL has gone too far with making the game safer and has become too close to just being "touch football" ... would you like to roll it back?
I don't have a strong opinion on that, so don't plan to answer it. If forced, I applaud the changes made after seeing a show about how many players from the 70's and 80's suffered severe brain damage due to the game.
I heard that the Circa resort will not allow anyone under the age of 21 on the property at all. Adults only. When you visited, did you see any signs or mention of this?
Bloomberg has a recent article about Ole Peters and a +EV coin game. I think you would not recommend playing this game, but am I wrong? Is it an exception to your mantra, "It's not whether you win or lose; it's whether or not you had a good bet"?
Of course I think you can't answer unless you checked out the thread started by Michael Bluejay, https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/questions-and-answers/math/35452-ole-peters-coin-flip-problem/#post789545
questions:
1) How has the $2.4M from the sale of your websites affected you?
2a) Have many people commented negatively on your current hairstyle?
b) Would you try an image consultant for 1 session?
3) What's causing all that grey hair? (you're only 55)
4) Are you still thinking of being a Gaming Commissioner? (Please do!)
(i havent watched the livestream yet.)
Calculus is a series of rules that teaches wrote memorization and symbol manipulation. The subject, as taught in h.s. and to first year college students is a ritual. Both geometry and trigonometry are useful subjects, but in my whole life as a professional mathematician I have probably needed to take a derivative of some function fewer than 5 times.Quote: smoothgrhDo you think humanity could advance to the point that 9-year-olds would be taught calculus?
I would suggest that after Trigonometry, the next subject should be "Finite Mathematics." And then move on to Calculus (as it is needed for engineering and sciences).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite_mathematics
"Contents of the course include an eclectic selection of topics often applied in social science and business, such as finite probability spaces, matrix multiplication, Markov processes, finite graphs, or mathematical models."
tax deductions:
since you have 7 figures, if you are only claiming the $12k/person standard deduction, you might need to consult a good tax attorney.
ps- Buy the boat before you're too old to ski/wakeboard off it!
Stream Date: 12-17-2020
Length: 01:03:46
Topic: Ask Me Anything
Subjects
Pet birds & Pickle poop
Hanukkah trivia (throughout show)
Promotional wagers
Blackjack: Single deck games
Circa resort: Adults only
Game show: Card Sharks
What would you ask from Santa?
Crazy Time: The wheel game
Ole Peters' coin flip problem
Video Keno vs Video Poker
Leaving the table a loser
The best designed casino card game
Jackpots & taxes (part 1)
Baccarat: What's the appeal?
Good Guys Bad Guys & drinking
Are casinos honoring pre-Covid comps?
A small money wager
Fishing probability & water sports
Come on down!
The Wizard and magic
Slots: Skill based games
Jackpots & taxes (part 2)
Casino dealer incomes
Craps: Buy bets vs Place bets
Wizard the vagrant
Hitting on Heather
Millennium Prize Problems
-------------------------------
Quote: teliotCalculus is a series of rules that teaches wrote memorization and symbol manipulation. The subject, as taught in h.s. and to first year college students is a ritual. Both geometry and trigonometry are useful subjects, but in my whole life as a professional mathematician I have probably needed to take a derivative of some function fewer than 5 times.
I would suggest that after Trigonometry, the next subject should be "Finite Mathematics." And then move on to Calculus (as it is needed for engineering and sciences).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite_mathematics
"Contents of the course include an eclectic selection of topics often applied in social science and business, such as finite probability spaces, matrix multiplication, Markov processes, finite graphs, or mathematical models."
Wow, very profound thoughts. I happen to agree with literally everything you say. The only thing I would add is that the limits to these branches of mathematics are still being discovered & what can be done today with calculus might be nothing compared to what we could achieve with calculus in the future. I'm going to tell you something that I'm hoping will blow your brain 🤯. I'm currently re-learning calculus because I believe I may have discovered a way to combine calculus with combinatorics. Just think about expressing a function using a deck of playing cards but every time you draw there would be a different subgroup of the deck to draw from. Now imagine defining the sum of all possible variable subgroups into either a 2d or 3d vector space and using integrals & derivatives to define that subgroup changes over time. This sounds incredibly difficult to imagine since a standard deck of playing cards already has quite a lot of combinations, but combining those combinations into all possible subgroups could make someone go mad. I'm very close to solving this I swear, if my calculus skills were better is swear I'd be finished with it by now. But on a side not my combinatorial statistics theorem is ready to be published & I'd very much appreciate your help ;)
This Christmas, Santa gave me a copy of Musante's pai gow tiles book. In it, there's a funny story about you receiving a bizarre lesson in Chinese pai gow etiquette while playing a game in the Casino Lisboa at 3 o'clock in the morning.
Could you tell us this story? And is this what can be expected when playing in Macau?
Your hair is so white now---did it vote for Trump by itself?
Quote: smoothgrhIn Season 1 of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a boy who appears to be about 9 years old runs into Commander Riker while fleeing his calculus class, proclaiming "I hate calculus!"
Do you think humanity could advance to the point that 9-year-olds would be taught calculus?
I humbly resubmit my Star Trek/calculus question (above) from December for your consideration.
What is the name of the accent that Mr. & Mrs. Howell have? There is a general name and a specific name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_accent
Quote: smoothgrhGilligan's Island trivia for YOU!
What is the name of the accent that Mr. & Mrs. Howell have? There is a general name and a specific name.According to the Wikipedia entry, the Howells have a Mid-Atlantic accent, specifically the Locust Valley lockjaw accent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_accent
Interesting. I lived 10 years in Baltimore and the real long-timers had an accent that I don't know had a particular term. It was rather slow and nasal, but not as pronounced as the deep south.
Mike, that accent was a fake accent that was created for the movies, roughly beginning in the 1930's.Quote: WizardQuote: smoothgrhGilligan's Island trivia for YOU!
What is the name of the accent that Mr. & Mrs. Howell have? There is a general name and a specific name.According to the Wikipedia entry, the Howells have a Mid-Atlantic accent, specifically the Locust Valley lockjaw accent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_accent
Interesting. I lived 10 years in Baltimore and the real long-timers had an accent that I don't know had a particular term. It was rather slow and nasal, but not as pronounced as the deep south.
Quote: teliotMike, that accent was a fake accent that was created for the movies, roughly beginning in the 1930's.
Thanks, I did not know that.
Stream Date: 01-07-2021
Length: 00:59:36
Topic: Ask Me Anything
Subjects
The Monty Hall Problem
Marilyn vos Savant was right!
Dawn Wells R.I.P
Gilligan's Island trivia (throughout show)
Casino host vs independent host
Craps: Put bets
Sympathy or empathy?
Are comps based on losses only?
Gilligan's Island video game
Long shot payouts vs parlay betting
The Mid-Atlantic accent
Gilligan's Island original pilot
Casino War: Where can you play?
Star Trek, calculus, and 9-year olds
Pai Gow Tiles: Macau superstitions
An angry bird
------------------------------
Quote: Gialmere
Gilligan's Island Pilot Credits
The composer of Gilligan's Island music went on to arrange music for cult movies like "Jaws" and "Star Wars."
The official Burning Man organization took a huge financial hit last year. Do you think people should buy 2021 Burning Man tickets if they announce there will be no refunds should the event be canceled?
Quote: GialmereQuestion
The official Burning Man organization took a huge financial hit last year. Do you think people should buy 2021 Burning Man tickets if they announce there will be no refunds should the event be canceled?
I suppose that would depend on one's tolerance for risk. Of course, the question was not for me to respond.
Quote: GialmereQuestion
The official Burning Man organization took a huge financial hit last year. Do you think people should buy 2021 Burning Man tickets if they announce there will be no refunds should the event be canceled?
Good question. I'll address it on the next show.
I went to the Burning Man web site to see what they say about BM 2021. The front page still announces the the virtual Burning Man of 2020, as a future event. That is not a good sign their house is in order.
Here is an article on the topic, This is not a drill': Burning Man pleads for donations, says 2021 event in danger.
I will give my personal comments on the next show.
Quote: WizardQuote: GialmereQuestion
The official Burning Man organization took a huge financial hit last year. Do you think people should buy 2021 Burning Man tickets if they announce there will be no refunds should the event be canceled?
Good question. I'll address it on the next show.
I went to the Burning Man web site to see what they say about BM 2021. The front page still announces the the virtual Burning Man of 2020, as a future event. That is not a good sign their house is in order.
Here is an article on the topic, This is not a drill': Burning Man pleads for donations, says 2021 event in danger.
I will give my personal comments on the next show.
Yawn
So the big boy is having financial problems
Maybe this event is too big
I've been to massive festivals such as Bonaroo twice at over 100k when you include everybody.
Its absurdly massive and I'll never go back
Maybe the big Burner not happening is a good thing for the smaller regional burns. Yes they dont get the ink but they are out there and you would probably have a better time. I have a better time at smaller music festivals.
Instead of a donation to the big boy.
Support your regional Burn.
My next question:
As a collector of stuff, have you thought about what your kids will do with them after you go to the great math lab in the sky?
I still have much of my parents' stuff, and am hoping my kids will appreciate my stuff like 8-bit computers — but I think they don't.
Hello Heather; Hello Wizard! I’m a resident of New Jersey and I’m interested in opening an online account at the Golden Nugget Casino here in Atlantic City, NJ.
My wife and I are concerned as to the legality of online gambling. Can you explain the laws concerning online gambling in NJ, and perhaps a little about the process of responsibly paying state and federal taxes on winnings.
Stream Date: 01-21-2021
Length: 00:50:05
Topic: Ask Me Anything
Subjects
A porn star mustache
Kayaking to Lake Mohave
Palindrome dates
$50 vs 50$
Ultimate Texas Hold'em: Trips bet
Biden and online gambling
Craps: How the Wizard plays
The Wizard Seal of Approval
Arcade advantage plays
Status of Vegas comps
Wills and Inheritance
Craps: All, Tall & Small bets
Hedging bets
Being an adjunct professor
Three Card Poker: Pair Plus bet
Burning Man: A bleak future?
Your last meal in Vegas
Using an aiding device
Thoughts on Bitcoin
Casino power outage protocol
Lottery: Mega Millions odds
Slots: Video recording
Free Bet Blackjack: House edge
Vegas is a town that's always rebuilding and reinventing itself. As local residents, can you or Heather ever recall a time when the cityscape didn't include at least a few giant cranes amongst all the glitz and glitter?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkGjg25ZEo4
Stream Date: 02-04-2021
Length: 01:00:36
Topic: Ask Me Anything
Subjects
Super Bowl LV wagering
Facial hair & glasses
The Majestic Hotel
Card Counting: The Knockout system
Blackjack: The Insurance bet
Low risk comp earning
Coin toss wagering
Heads vs tails psychology
Karen Puzzles & celebrity crushes
Craps: The Don't Come bet
Low limit Vegas casinos
Video Keno: Is it rigged?
Dice Influence: Is it real?
The Wizard's Super Bowl bets
Hand vs automatic shuffling
A coin toss game
Craps: All, Tall & Small bets
Ultimate Texas Hold'em: HE vs EoR
Can auto shufflers be manipulated?
Craps: The Iron Cross bet
Video Poker: Is 9/6 JoB still available?
New Game: Flushed
Casino Covid vaccinations
Cashless casinos
"Fair" and the house edge
Video Poker: Return tables
The Martingale betting system
------------------------------------
Addendum
Karen Puzzles on YouTube
Note that the above is the roulette-style, big-table version where players have their own color chips.
The next video is a tutorial and shows the blackjack-style table with individual betting areas...
Note that the video shows 6 player positions. The version now on trial at the Strat, however, has only 4 player positions.
After decades of talk, there is now new talk of building a bullet train that connects Southern California to Las Vegas via the I-15 corridor. Considering the new administration is pro rail, would you bet for or against this new talk amounting to anything?
Question
Wizard: Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum or Mr. Green?
Heather: Miss. Scarlet, Mrs. Peacock or Mrs. White?