Security

From the Las Vegas Review Journal

I don't quite believe them. Maybe they don't just rely on facial recognition or use other means in coordination but this kind of thing this article is about, is to calm the justifiably paranoid. Seems maybe there isn't much need to be sure someone can't hide their face if there isn't a need to see their face. They seem able to do their job well enough, so all that really can be said is maybe they're lying.

I saw a long video when Aria opened, they
have more cameras from more angles than
any other Vegas casino. By the time you
get to the floor, they already have you from
5 different angles. Just wear a Nixon mask
and you'll be fine.

Venetian has the same thing... many cameras at different angles and heights. Anyone entering who is looking down at his shoes will still be photographed just as if he is looking up gawking and looking directly into a brightly lit advertisement is just dandy... they automatically take clothing and merge faces into one image looking into one standard direction and compare the face to twelve standard faces and store the resulting index number. Retrieval is by index number not features or image. Retrieval yields a list of possible hits, never one hit and rarely in real time.

If anyone enters talking on a cell phone, watch a guard greet them and chat briefly...gets the phone out of the picture briefly.

This is most noticeable at the Siberia entrance where the airport shuttle deposits people .. a long twisting walk to get to the check in desk. Narrow area.

Cameras are good quality and field of focus is good. Images are useful if any incidents occur but I think mostly its just digitally stored.

Quote: FleaStiff

.. a long twisting walk to get to the check in desk. Narrow area.

The Aria is big on narrow areas also. Like a
cattle pen that narrows down and all the
cows have to squeeze through at the end.
Very good for getting good pics of everybody
coming and going.

Good just avoid Aria then. IMO Other then poker, they have mostly crap anyways maybe table games are different. I have never heard of a NON table games AP getting tossed.

They ave been talking about FR and other methods for years now, they always say how great it is. Tats how they sell the crap. Casinos Like people believing the same thing.

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It seems like chasing counters is a waste of time and money--yes, some people might get an advantage over the casino, but it sounds like hard work, long hours, and a kind of lonely way to make a living. Not for everyone. However, every rumor of a counter making a good amount of money will lead to others who can't do it as well joining the group and helping the casino profit...

Isn't that how blackjack got a boost in popularity in the first place? The idea was put in people's minds that it could be beaten...

Casinos sometimes cut their noses off to spite their faces because bean counters rule the roost!

Quote: RonC

Isn't that how blackjack got a boost in popularity in the first place? The idea was put in people's minds that it could be beaten...

Its like picking up pennies in front of a highway steam roller. The money is great but one false move and its not just your wallet that is flat... its your hand. Everyone has dreams, everyone wants to risk it...and casino stays rich.

Quote: RonC

It seems like chasing counters is a waste of time and money--yes, some people might get an advantage over the casino, but it sounds like hard work, long hours, and a kind of lonely way to make a living. Not for everyone. However, every rumor of a counter making a good amount of money will lead to others who can't do it as well joining the group and helping the casino profit...

Isn't that how blackjack got a boost in popularity in the first place? The idea was put in people's minds that it could be beaten...

Casinos sometimes cut their noses off to spite their faces because bean counters rule the roost!

Only lonely if you play solo and make it lonely for yourself.

Quote: RonC

It seems like chasing counters is a waste of time and money--yes, some people might get an advantage over the casino, but it sounds like hard work, long hours, and a kind of lonely way to make a living. Not for everyone. However, every rumor of a counter making a good amount of money will lead to others who can't do it as well joining the group and helping the casino profit...

Isn't that how blackjack got a boost in popularity in the first place? The idea was put in people's minds that it could be beaten...

Casinos sometimes cut their noses off to spite their faces because bean counters rule the roost!

One person the casinos have to thank for blackjack's rise in popularity is Ed Thorp. When Dr Thorp released Beat the Dealer in the early 60s everyone thought they could beat the game. Very few could and the casinos' coffers were bursting at the seams.

The initial reaction the casinos had to the book was to tighten the rules. When the tables were boycotted and when the casinos realized that most people still lost, they quickly went back to the old rules.

Quote: 1BB

The initial reaction the casinos had to the book was to tighten the rules. When the tables were boycotted and when the casinos realized that most people still lost, they quickly went back to the old rules.

And what were the typical rules at that time?

Quote: JimRockford

And what were the typical rules at that time?

How old do you think I am, Jim? :-) I didn't play until over a decade later.

I would guess that there were a lot of single and double deck games with S17 and dealt all the way down.

Quote: JimRockford

And what were the typical rules at that time?

Anyone got a copy of Beat the Dealer, first edition? I expect it's covered in chapter 8.

A quick review of my 1966 edition doesn't seem to state it outright (and does list that there are numerous casino specific variations), but I'm inferring 1D, S17, DA, DAS as fairly common, along with deep penetration (some houses even occasionally dealing to the last card and needing to reshuffle the discards to complete the hand).

When was the last casino offering 5 card Charlies?

Quote: onenickelmiracle

When was the last casino offering 5 card Charlies?

Vegas Club had them, I think. (Or was it six cards?)

Quote: JimRockford

And what were the typical rules at that time?

The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack - Journal of the American Statistical Association, September 1956

The article says these rules are "common, but not universal" - 1d, 3:2, S17, DA, DAS, No resplits, 1 card only on split aces, Ties push.


_{This looks like a repeat of my previous post, but this adds a citation and link to another source.}