I had to think about this question for quite a while -- not because there aren't incidents that come to mind, but because I really don't want to discuss them here. I've tried to be as honest as I can be, but there are some things that really shouldn't be 'on the record'. In almost all aspects of life, business is done as a result of voluntary cooperation, not because of laws or contracts -- and when people break their word, the law rarely provides sufficient remedy (if any). From my research, in a best case scenario about 2-3% of the population are psychopaths/sociopaths -- and from my experience, that percentage goes up the bigger the stakes in the game you're playing. Obviously, when you find yourself involved with people whose ethics are marginal, positions can rapidly degenerate -- and when the law doesn't provide a solution, you have to present a credible response in some other form. That's simply survival.

I know that's not the licentious story you were soliciting -- but it's the best I can do.

would a small charity casino even be watching for card counters at a 5$ blackjack table regularly or is it too small to even matter?

Smaller places are going to be even more sensitive to losses I would think.

It depend if this charity is playing for real money or if winnings are spent at auction -- in the former case they're probably watching for theft but wouldn't know it if they saw it, and in the latter case they wouldn't care. Why in the world would you want to take a shot at a charity? I mean, if it cost them money?

Well, maybe if it was United Way I could see it

In general that's true. In a small club, one guy shooting $200 a hand can blow the entire shift for the pit.

Do you think sports betting will see increased legalization in the USA (in the relatively short term)?

What's the best innovation in gaming you've seen during your career? The worst?

What's your proudest moment in gaming, both on the inside and out?

Describe your retirement club. I think this entire sub-forum would book a flight tomorrow if it opened.

Yes. I think the US will eventually follow the UK model, but there will be continued opposition from organized sports slowing it down. One thing the US needs to come to terms with is taxes on winnings, but until gift and inheritance taxes are reformed, changes there are unlikely. There are also money-transfer, credit margin, and record-keeping issues -- so the bookies will always have a market.

The best innovations have been in slot machines. Modern slots are a true marvel in their ability to exploit every fallacy of the unsophisticated player -- and they're a lot more entertaining than their precursors. This is a good trend considering you don't play the things -- it's these machines that actually foot the bill for the resorts we enjoy. As a player, it's like they put a property tax on all my neighbors but skipped my house.

The worst trend is removing the "power of the pen" from almost all of the front line employees. There's no question that it was overtly abused, but that should have been addressed by policy and enforcement, not handcuffs. A club environment should feel like a party, and every club employee should have some latitude to act as a host.

Inside -- being part of a good crew who knew how to make sure that everyone who stepped in the door had a good time. It's hard to "party" for a living -- and it takes very special people to make a club work properly. When it's working, it's like watching a well choreographed performance -- which is an experience the patrons should expect. You can tell how well a club is being run simply by observing how frequently you observe staff talking to each other instead of their customers.

Outside -- I play to win and for entertainment. Nothing to be proud of there

A small club in a high foot-traffic location, which is why I mentioned the two locations I did. No rooms, no pools -- let the neighbors take care of that. Live entertainment, good bar food, and more parimutuel wagering through jackpots and player banked games. Clubs today are almost all selling the same product, and only a small club can really afford to break the cookie-cutter mold and target a specific audience.

Modern slots (e.g. $3 "penny" slots) are just vidgames. How do they "exploit every fallacy of the unsophisticated player?" I thought they just didn't pay.

They create the illusion of skill, for one.

If you walked around the casino and asked slot players about their bonuses and if they controlled how much they won 98% of them think they have any say in how much is won in a bonus.

I was once sitting next to an older guy and the game froze during a bonus round. The slot attendant came over and fixed it but it ended the bonus and paid him his win. He flipped out because he said he would have picked better than that and he could have won a lot more.

They're brilliantly designed -- and they pay quite well, relatively. They are works of art. I'll see if I can find some info on fallacies to post -- Epstein did a nice summary as I recall.

Found it -- it's a good book. I put a link at the end.

Yes. It's like watching a five year old play a video game in 'attract mode' when they don't have any money in -- they will push buttons and pull levers, attributing everything good that happens on the screen to their skill.

It's the trademark of gamblers and politicians.

What do you think of tournament blackjack?

I've tried it a few times. The skill factor in tournament blackjack is not negligible, but it's nowhere near the factor it is in tournament poker. Even if it were, the opportunities are not frequent enough or the prize money big enough that a person could expect a substantial return. Another consideration, the casino doesn't really care if you're a pro poker player, they do care if you're a pro blackjack player -- so why out yourself.