Jack of All Trades: Ben Affleck Admits Counting Cards in Casinos

REBLOG Jack of All Trades: Ben Affleck Admits Counting Cards in Casinos:
Jack Omnitrade's Original Blog

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Advantage Players

Savy Seph gave a good explanation of advantage players. “The advantage players have an edge over the house given that they tend to win more than they lose. While cheating at casinos is a criminal activity, advantage players use legitimate means to beat the house. Since they play by the rules, they deserve to pocket their winnings. The casinos may frown on the advantage players but they are not able to use legal means to throw advantage players in jail. This shows that the law recognizes advantage players to be a different kettle of fish from the unethical cheaters.” Card counting, a form of advantage play, was used by Ben Affleck at the Hard Rock Casino in Vegas to win $800,000 in May 2014.

Ben Affleck Admits

Sky News had a few interesting quotes from Affleck in their 18 Sep 2014 article. “That is a true story. I mean, that took place. I took some time to learn the game and became a decent blackjack player,” he said. “And once I became decent, the casinos asked me not to play blackjack. I mean, the fact that being good at the game is against the rules at the casinos should tell you something about casinos.”

Casino as a Sore Loser

Blackjack is the only casino game that is vulnerable to a good system. The casino is a sore loser and they will reject your patronage. “They don’t even want you to have a sporting chance, really. There’s a lot of hospitality, backslapping, when they think you’re gonna come in and dump money, and if they think you might leave with some money, it’s like, ‘You know what? Why don’t you try craps or roulette?’.”

Dispelling Rumors

Affleck dispelled the rumors surrounding his visit to the Hard Rock Casino in May. With respect to being kicked out of the premises he said, “I wish I could say they were afraid of me in every capacity, but they only said, ‘No blackjack’. That would be awesome [if they threw me out]. ‘Get him outta here! He’s a magician!’ Unfortunately, they just came up and said: ‘We can’t let you play blackjack. But we have other table games. We have Chinese poker’.” Affleck also rejects hearsay that his blackjack playing was affecting his marriage to actress Jennifer Garner.

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My Comments

Wives will not nag at hubbies who can consistently bring the bread from from the gambling table.

Filling Bottles: Gamblers Go to Vegas to Avoid Macau Corruption Bli...

REBLOG> Filling Bottles: Gamblers Go to Vegas to Avoid Macau Corruption Blitz:
Sue DaJi's Original Blog

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Nations Bow to Gambling

Gambling Tales claims that banning casinos would cause black market to flourish or drive gamblers to casinos in a neighboring country in the article "Nations Bows to Gambling". On Chinese soil, gambling is legal only legal in Macau but China would not sanction their own citizen gambling on their soil. Corruption blitz had been carried out at Macau to rid the activity on their sovereignty.

Corruption Crackdown Affected Gambling and Luxury Malls

SavySeph's blog on Tumblr covered the news on the Chinese anti-corruption crackdown of gambling in Macau and shopping outlets specialized in luxury good in Hong Kong to rid the stench of corruption from the land. Here is a reblog of SavySeph.

Reblog Savy Seph

Beijing’s intensifying crackdown on corruption is hitting the VIP rooms at Macau casinos and luxury shopping malls in Hong Kong hard, the Wall Street Journal reported on 1 Aug 2014. “This anticorruption crackdown in China is much more widespread and deeper than the VIP community had anticipated and as a result there could be prolonged weakness in the market,” said Union Gaming Research analyst Grant Govertsen.

Sales of luxury goods fell by nearly a third in the second quarter, including a 40% decline in April. With Beijing monitoring conspicuous consumption and capital flight closely, it would not be kool to be seen buying diamond-encrusted watches or punting millions at a baccarat game.

A New Playground

XingCai a tumblr user commented that these Chinese gamblers will find a new play ground soon. I have just found the news about their new playground as reported by Sidney Morning Herald on 17 Sep 2014. Junket operators, which organise casino trips for wealthy Chinese VIPs, are bringing those gamblers to other locations such as Australia, Europe or the US, according to Credit Suisse analysts Kenneth Fong and Isis Wong.

Viva Las Vegas

Casinos' revenue on the Las Vegas Strip has increased 3.7 per cent to $US3.7 billion ($4.1 billion) in the year to end-July, driven mainly by a 14.4 per cent jump in baccarat revenue, according to Robert Shore, a Las Vegas-based analyst at Union Gaming Group. This indicates "an inverse correlation" with the weaker performance from high rollers in Macau, he said in an e-mail. "Las Vegas is a brand that is clearly world-renowned and that people continuously want to come to," Dan D'Arrigo, Chief Financial Officer of MGM, said via telephone when asked about Chinese gamblers.

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My Comments

Gamblers could never stay away from gambling for long.

Light and Easy Talk: Man Commits Suicide after Ramming Truck into Casin...

REBLOG> Light and Easy Talk: Man Commits Suicide after Ramming Truck into Casin...:
Sophia Logica's Original Blog

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Suicide Attempts

Ryan Brown ramped a pickup through the glass front doors of the Stratosphere Casino on Sep 10, a Las Vegas police arrest report showed. The 40-year-old electrician was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving and possession and use of cocaine, the Reuters reported on 19 Sep 2014. Brown was released without restrictions after prosecutors failed to file criminal charges on 15 Sep. Toxicology reports were required to pursue charges and the judge set a status hearing in October. On 18 Sep Brown was found dead at the Rio All-Suite Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. The Clark County coroner’s office reported that Brown died of asphyxia and hanging, police spokesman Larry Hadfield said. According to arrest report, Brown was fired due to a domestic dispute with his wife. He told the police in a drug-fueled diatribe that he had been on cocaine and speed for six days and had smoked crack about two hours before deliberately crashing into the casino. Brown said, “He intended to run up to the top of the Stratosphere and jump off.

Doubtful Released

Brown was preoccupied with Suicide. He thought of jumping off the Stratosphere Casino but ended up crashing into it instead. He contemplated on an idea that would hurt himself but performed an act that could hurt others. “Darren Richards, assistant Clark County public defender, whose office was not involved in the case said, “I don’t know what the District Attorney was thinking, why they didn’t file some charges against someone who had been caught driving through the lobby of a casino.” The Clark County District Attorney’s Office, which provided the arrest report, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Brown’s release. “It is not against the law to be mentally ill,” Hadfield said when asked why Brown was not arrested after his release.

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Veronica Glowsome's

Gambling Tales had a good collection of gambling stories. This is good stuff for the Bizarre Section. My guess is he blown a fortune, quarrel with his wife, felt miserable and thought of suicide.

My Comments

Getting into family squabbles is one of the regular problem chronic gamblers face especially when they are losing money they can't afford to lose.

Light and Easy Talk: USDA Buying Submachine Guns

REBLOG> Light and Easy Talk: USDA Buying Submachine Guns:
Veronica Glowsome's Original Blog

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Firearm

The right to keep and bear arms is an enumerated right specifically protected by the US Constitution. This had made firearms easily available to Americans. While this constitutional right was made with protection in mind, it can be used for malicious purposes. Since guns are so easily available, it more commonly being used by outlaws than the average citizen in need of protection. With bandits keeping up with firearm technology, law enforcers should not be left behind.

USDA Requisition

In May, the USDA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) filed a request for “submachine guns, .40 Cal. S&W, ambidextrous safety, semi-automatic or 2 shot bur[s]t trigger group, Tritium night sights for front and rear, rails for attachment of flashlight (front under fore grip) and scope (top rear), stock-collapsib[l]e or folding, magazine - 30 rd. capacity.” Form the description, the adversary appears to be very sophisticated. It is hard to imagine the type of crooks they are dealing with.

OIG Operations

The justification for the weapons were the nature of their operations. “OIG Special agents regularly conduct undercover operations and surveillance. The types of investigations conducted by OIG Special Agents include criminal activities such as fraud in farm programs; significant thefts of Government property or funds; bribery and extortion; smuggling; and assaults and threats of violence against USDA employees engaged in their official duties,” wrote a USDA spokesperson.

Farmers’ Opinion

"What we have seen happen, with the FDA especially, is they have come onto small farms, raw milk producers, and raided the heck out of them with armed agents present," says Liz Reitzig, co-founder of the Farm Food Freedom Coalition. "Do we really want to have our federal regulatory agencies bring submachine guns onto these family farms with children?"

Source: Modern Farmer, 19 Sep 2014

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My Comments

Laws enforces can be a big bully.

Bolivian Catholic Witchdoctors

The Aymara Communities

The CNN, 17 Sep 2014 reported about the parallel between Bolivian-witchdoctor and Catholics. The findings were taken from Raphaël Verona's new photography book. Verona is a Swiss photographer who lived among the traditional Aymara communities. The Aymara is an ancient indigenous race found in Bolivia, Peru and Chile. They live in the Altiplano plateau, the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet. The plateau lies within Bolivian and Peruvian territory while its southern parts lie in Chile and Argentina. In this region people believe in magic.

Pachamama or Earth Mother

Pachamama is their goddess of fertility. She presides over planting and harvesting and can cause earthquakes. She is typically depicted in the form of a dragon. She is an omnipresent and commands an independent deity who has creative power to sustain life on this earth. In their conversion conquest regime, the Spaniards tried to use the Virgin Mary as Pachamama's substitute but the concept did not go well with the Peruvian. Mary's role as an intercessor could never equate with the independent power of Pachamama. As a result the Virgin Mary is a separate deity on its own

Supai

Supai is the god of death and the underworld. Supay is associated with miners' rituals. He is described as having horns and a scarlet face. Spaniards tried to equate his with the devil but it did not work. The Aymara do not fear Supai but believe in getting on his good side to be spared from harm. Supai is a reflection of power which can be used for good or evil. Satan, unlike Mary did not fit into the bill, was not included as a deity.

Hybrid Faith

Catholic gods were added into the Aymara pantheon due to their ability to accept the existence of spiritual beings. Christian rituals were easily added to traditional beliefs to arrive at a hybrid faith. "The Aymara people have an approach to life that seems paradoxical from the outside," says Verona. "In Europe you are either one religion or another, either traditional or modern. But in Bolivia people live with both Catholicism and animism, both in modernity and in their ancestral traditions. They visit the Yatiri, the priest, to pay homage to deities or give prophesies when they are applying for visas, or for assistance in businesses matters."

On Empty Thoughts: Americans' Waistlines Are Growing Ever Larger

REBLOG On Empty Thoughts: Americans' Waistlines Are Growing Ever Larger:
Guerrilla Gambler Original Blog

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I came across an interesting article citylab.com. It points to some recent on studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others. The key data is tabulated in the picture below.

The American waistline averaged at 37.6 in 1999 and 2000. It bulged to 38.8 inches by 2011 and 2012. The medical definition of abdominal obesity for men is at 40.2 inches (102 cm) and 34.6 inches (89 cm) for women. The study involved 33,000 U.S. adults. Its shows 54 percent of Americans being abdominal obesity compared to 8 percent since the start of the millennium. Almost 65 percent of females today have abdominal obesity while males recorded about 44 percent.

The authors conclude that, “the reasons for increases in waist circumference in excess of what would be expected from changes in BMI remain speculative, but several factors, including sleep deprivation, endocrine disruptors, and certain medications, have been proposed as potential explanations.”

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My Comments

This concept of abdominal obesity - waistline measuring 40.2 inches (102 cm) for men and 34.6 inches (89 cm) for women - is new to me. In addition to the BMI, this is another guideline to take note.

Bomb-Making Recipe on ISIS Forums

Beheading David Haines

After beheading David Haines, a few people saw the message as provoking American and its allies to war. Yet, President Obama had given no indication of waging or not waging war. He continued to push his of ideas supporting the opposition of ISIS in the area to do the job. David Cameron, UK Prime Minister, was outraged by Haines' execution and vowed to bring justice. Although Obama pledged his support to Cameron, the scale in which forces were deployed were not in tandem with the expectation of the American public. The people wanted something to the magnitude of the "war on terror" type of deployment.

Provocation to War

There is no doubt that ISIS wants to engage the US and its allies. They see this as a revenge for their predecessor, the Al-Qaeda. They tried to push the agitation further by setting up forum offering a tutorial on bomb-making to attack American high-profile tourist locations. New York, Las Vegas and Texas were the proposed targets. The purpose is to stir up sentiment to provoke a full scale attack as such threats would cause panic to the residents of these locations.

The Awaited Rematch

The ISIS wants a rematch. As the Al-Qaeda engaged the Bush-Blair team in the past, the ISIS wants to engage the Obama-Cameron team today. Their purpose is to show themselves and world that they are more equipped for this war than their predecessor. Although Obama knows this, the American public is totally unaware of it. All the people wanted were for the ISIS to get their ass whipped. For Obama, this butt-kicking engagement is not due yet because the enemy's morale is high and they are more prepared than ever.

The War Manual

To the American public Obama is seen to be taking a passive stand on in this "war on terror". Looking at the Chinese ancient war manual, Obama's actions are obvious. He wants to wait it out until the morale is low and the enemy had let down its guard. This is will enable him to spring a surprise attack on unmotivated troops.

Virtue is Might

The ruler with virtues is an important variable in winning a war. This is a point the ISIS's "convert or die" philosophy will lose out to the America and its allies. Troops' morale will not last long if they are against virtues. If America strikes now they would lose virtue. The issue at hand is to send rescue teams to save the hostages and not wage war when provoked.