4 ms·

Two things. One - Ivy got greedy. Had it make it appear as though he was losing some of the games, he probably would've gotten away with it. If you lose, then

Two things. One - Ivy got greedy. Had it make it appear as though he was losing some of the games, he probably would've gotten away with it. If you lose, then win, then lose and are up at the end of the night, it's more plausible you weren't cheating. The way all of the articles I've read about it, he basically ran the table for several hours and then left. Two - you go into any casino and use card counting techniques (like the ones the MIT team used) and within ten minutes, the pit boss will cut you off because its obvious what you're doing. This is the very same technique Ivy was using. Lowering his bets when the cards were low, then increasing his bets when the cards were favorable. I'm actually pretty shocked the casino let him play for so long when it was so obvious what was happening.

pc86 10y ago
> I'm actually pretty shocked the casino let him play for so long when it was so obvious what was happening. This is what surprised me as well. I can understand them accepting he's doing something and trying to figure out what it is, but to let him go for that long? Perhaps it had something to do with the private room, etc?
Steeeve 10y ago
> Two - you go into any casino and use card counting techniques (like the ones the MIT team used) and within ten minutes, the pit boss will cut you off because its obvious what you're doing. When I was a blackjack dealer we had people counting cards all the time. Most were very easy to spot and were touristing. They never got harassed, but when you got one you would usually chase him away because for some reason they were really bad tippers. (chase them away by making them uncomfortable, not by asking them to leave) Occasionally you'd get a grinder - guys that do it for a living and rotate between casinos before they wear out their welcome. They were fine too in small doses. The ones I recognized were sociable and had a system for tipping just like they had for everything else. Guys like Ivy/Johnson... never ran into one. If this had happened in my day, a trip to the desert would have been an option.
- nommm-nommm 10y ago
  This is interesting, what are some examples of things you'd do to make them uncomfortable?
  - Steeeve 10y ago
    It really depends on the situation and the person. You could call them out on what they are doing. Burn extra cards or change up your shuffle. Slow down or speed up the game. Have a quiet conversation with the pit boss. Ask for new cards. Steer conversation in a particular direction. Flirt. Make mistakes. The list goes on. When you play cards 5 hours a day with 2 1/2 hours of breaks there is a lot of opportunity to think about how to maximize your tips.
cr0sh 10y ago
Actually, it sounds like he got greedy when he later tried it at a London casino after; they found out, and kicked him out and sued him - and won: That tipped off the Borgata casino. Had he not done that (ie - went to London to pull off the same), the Borgata would likely would never have known.

pc86 10y ago

> I'm actually pretty shocked the casino let him play for so long when it was so obvious what was happening. This is what surprised me as well. I can understand them accepting he's doing something and trying to figure out what it is, but to let him go for that long? Perhaps it had something to do with the private room, etc?

Steeeve 10y ago

> Two - you go into any casino and use card counting techniques (like the ones the MIT team used) and within ten minutes, the pit boss will cut you off because its obvious what you're doing. When I was a blackjack dealer we had people counting cards all the time. Most were very easy to spot and were touristing. They never got harassed, but when you got one you would usually chase him away because for some reason they were really bad tippers. (chase them away by making them uncomfortable, not by asking them to leave) Occasionally you'd get a grinder - guys that do it for a living and rotate between casinos before they wear out their welcome. They were fine too in small doses. The ones I recognized were sociable and had a system for tipping just like they had for everything else. Guys like Ivy/Johnson... never ran into one. If this had happened in my day, a trip to the desert would have been an option.

nommm-nommm 10y ago
This is interesting, what are some examples of things you'd do to make them uncomfortable?
- Steeeve 10y ago
  It really depends on the situation and the person. You could call them out on what they are doing. Burn extra cards or change up your shuffle. Slow down or speed up the game. Have a quiet conversation with the pit boss. Ask for new cards. Steer conversation in a particular direction. Flirt. Make mistakes. The list goes on. When you play cards 5 hours a day with 2 1/2 hours of breaks there is a lot of opportunity to think about how to maximize your tips.

cr0sh 10y ago

Actually, it sounds like he got greedy when he later tried it at a London casino after; they found out, and kicked him out and sued him - and won: That tipped off the Borgata casino. Had he not done that (ie - went to London to pull off the same), the Borgata would likely would never have known.