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My NFL Week 4 POTW is sponsored by my friends at Sportsbooks.ag. Check out their welcome bonus, where they match your deposit up to 50% on the first $1000, by clicking here .  My pick of the week is the Chicago Bears, giving up 3 points at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here is my analysis: Defense (and the turnovers created by it) wins football games. It's that simple. And Chicago, with the addition of Khalil Mack, might turn out to have one of the best defenses ever. They apply pressure to the quarterback, get sacks and create turnovers (8 takeaways and a league-best 14 sacks so far). Tampa Bay's QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has been great so far this year, but he has turned the ball over a lot in his career. Look for him to throw multiple picks in the first half this week, just like last week , and get replaced by Jameis Winston mid game. It won' matter. On offense, Chicago QB Mitch Trubisky has been criticized for only throwing underneath and not stretching the field. Tha

This weeks NFL three team parlay is sponsored by Amazon Prime. If you're not watching Amazon Prime video already, you can click  here  to check it out for 30 days for free.   Here are the night game match ups this week and my picks TNF - Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams (-7). The Vikings got embarrassed last week by one of the worst teams in the league, the Buffalo Bills. They will be anxious to get that taste out of their mouth as soon as possible, so this game coming on a Thursday night is perfect for them. The Rams have injury problems in the defensive secondary, and will have 3 rookies on the field when in "nickle" coverage. This is a bad thing to have happen during a short week. Minnesota may not have enough to win, but should keep it close. Take the Vikings+7 . SNF - Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3). Pittsburgh had an impressive first half last Monday against Tampa Bay, then held on in the  second half to win. Since the start of last year, the S

I want to start out by saying that the table games management of the casino industry, including those tasked with surveillance and game protection, is made up mostly of experienced, level headed professionals who conduct themselves in a professional manner, as ladies and gentlemen. Some of them have a college education and a degree, although for most, the education has come from the "School of Hard Knocks".  No one, and I truly mean no one , comes into this industry knowing everything there is to know, so we are all recipients of on-the-job training, in one form or another. That having been said, you do not have to go very far to find persons who are overly opinionated, prejudiced and envious of others who have more talent, opportunity and/or are more successful than themselves. Still others have just been at this for too long, and have a bad case of cynicism and a poor attitude toward everyone and everything. Although this kind of thing happens in every industry, for whate

This post is sponsored by my Amazon affiliate page, were you can click on this link to pick up some good  books about Casino gambling  and surveillance, starting at just $8.99, even less if you're a Kindle user. So week 3 is in the books, and my pick of the week again failed to come through for me. I had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers + 1.5 at home against the Steelers, and they lost 30-27 despite a late comeback effort. Lots of money came in on the Bucs over the week, who ended up being  1.5 point favorites, but I had recommended buying them earlier in the week when they were still dogs. It didn't even matter, however. This makes me an embarrassing 0-3 on the season with my POTW.  Ugh....... It's ok, I plan on finishing strong!  At least I'm doing well with my college picks (3-1 so far). And once again my 3 team parlay didn't fare so well. I had the Browns on TNF, and they won (and covered) for the first time in years! But the Pats and Bucs let me down. I didn't h

Winner winner chicken dinner. I won again last Saturday, making my picks 3-1 on the college football season. Once again I backed the Michigan Wolverines giving up major points. This time they were taking on the Nebraska Cornhuskers at home and were favored by 18.5 points. They had that covered by the end of the first quarter enroute to a 56-10 ass kicking.  Be sure and check back in with me on Twitter (@casinologger) and in this blog next Friday for my next college football pick of the week. And don't spend your winnings all in one place. In the meantime you can go to my Amazon affiliate page and purchase some good  books about Casino gambling  and surveillance, starting at just $8.99.  Good luck everybody.

I've been noticing a lot of stories in the news recemtly about cheating (in casinos) at the game of baccarat. I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you what I know about the subject. Which turns out to be quite a lot. If you are reading this blog, you probably already know how Baccarat is played. For those of you who don't, I suggest going to The Wizard of Odds website ( click here) to read their excellent primer. They explain how the game is played, and some of its quirks and intricacies, much better then I could here, and with a lot less typing on my part. So if you're not already familiar with how the game is played, go and read that now, then come back. Now on to the cheating. Unlike cheating at other card games in the casino, every case that I know of that involves baccarat cheating, is a conspiracy of two or more persons, at least one of whom is on the inside (a casino employee). The somewhat recent Phil Ivey case is an exception that we will discuss at a l

My week 4 college football pick of the week (POTW) is sponsored by online betting site Sportsbetting.ag. For those of you who don't have access to a local Sportsbook, and/or aren't already using an online app to make bets, check them out by clicking here .  Don't forget to check out their Welcome Bonus,  where they match your deposit up to 50% on the first $1000! For today's pick of the week we go back to the Michigan Wolverines, who we won on in week 2  This week they are 18 point favorites at home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Here is my analysis and pick: Michigan has rebounded nicely from a season-opening loss to Notre Dame, getting blowout wins each of the last two weeks. The pressure is still on head coach Jim Harbaugh to compete for the Big Ten title this year, and they really need to win this game to get off to a good start in league play. Nebraska had the worst defense in the Big Ten last season (436 Avg. yards allowed per game) and they don't appear

My NFL 3 team parlay of the week is sponsored this week by Amazon Prime.  You can get a free 30 day trial by clicking here . Here are the three night games of the week and the 3 team parlay I think you should invest a few bucks on. TNF: Jets at Browns (-3).  The Browns, at 0-1-1, are off to their best start in years. They would have won last week had their kicker not missed both a PAT and a makeable field goal in the closing minutes. Since the start of the 2016 season, the Jets are 4-9-1 (30.8%) ATS as a road underdog, failing to cover by an average of 9.8 points per game. Jets rookie QB Sam Darnold is off to a great start, but I think he might be due for a let down here, especially on a short week.  After 2 near wins in weeks 1 and 2, the Browns get it done here and cover. Take the Browns -3. SNF Patriots at Lions (+6.5). Everybody knows the stats. Since 2003 the Patriots are 38-13 ATS  after a loss, covering the spread by an average of 7.7 points per game. Do you want to bet a

Well, another week of poor results. In week 3 college football, I lost on Ohio State, who won 40-28 over TCU, failing to cover the 13.5 point  spread. That makes me 2-1 on the CFB season. In NFL action I also sucked ass, losing my POTW as the 49ers failed to cover the 5.5 point number, winning 30-27. The makes my POTW 0-2. My Three Team Parlay did slightly better. The Ravens lost by 11 on a pick'em game, the Cowboys won and covered, 20-13 and the Bears covered, beating the Seahawks 24-17. Two out of three ain't bad, but I don't count this a win unless all three win.  So I am 0-2 on parlays. I didn't have an Underdog POTW, so I am still 0-1 on those. At least I have plenty of room for improvement in. I'll have my three team parlay picks posted by Thursday morning. Look for some big winners next week. And heres your reminder that you can get a free 30 day trial of Amazon Prime by clicking  here .  Good luck everybody.

Okay, some of you are not going to agree with everything I say here, and some of you won't think I should be saying it at all. That's fine, everyone's entitled to their opinion. And while it is not my intent to give anyone a step by step tutorial on how to get away with an armed robbery in a Vegas casino, or anywhere else for that matter, there may be some people out there who might use this information to do so, or at least attempt it. so be it. I have my reasons for saying the things I'm about to say, and those things should become clear by the time I finish with this post. First of all, I'm having trouble attaching photos to my posts using the Blogger app. They hang up while uploading, and I end up having to delete the post and start over. So I'm not going to show you the picture that was released of the white male who committed an armed robbery at the Excalibur Casino last Wednesday, the 13th.  What I am going to tell you is that it is a very poor photo (r

The Excalibur Casino, on the Las Vegas Strip, was robbed on Wednesday (9/13/18) around 10:15 a.m., when an armed man reportedly went to the casino cage and came away with an undisclosed amount of money. A surveillance image of the suspect was released later that day, and I will talk about that in a later post. Look for it!

Before I begin I want to highlight our new sponsor, an online sportsbook, Sportsbetting.ag. They offer a great sign up bonus. Check them out by clicking here .  Now on with the show. We have four home underdogs to look at this week. And I don't like any of them. Still, from a statistical point of view, at least one of these underdogs should cover if not win outright. Here are my thoughts on each game. The Jaguars are a 1 point underdog at home versus the Patriots. I like the Jags to win here, but I'm not betting against the Patriots unless I get at least 3.5 points. Especially since Gronk is back in a big way. Lay off this game . The Buccaneers are 3 point home underdogs versus the Eagles. I like Philly to win here, mostly because of their defense. I just find it hard to bet on them when you don't know what kind of quarterback play they're going to get from week to week. Just like in the Eagles opener, I look for this game to be low scoring and fairly close. If you

I am proud to announce that I now have a sponsorship deal with an online betting service named Sportsbetting.ag. I have checked them out and they are totally legit. For those of you who don't have access to a Sportsbook, or aren't using an online app to make bets, you might consider checking them out by clicking here . 

As we begin, here is a reminder that you can get a free 30 day trial of Amazon Prime by clicking  here .  My five-star pick of the week this week, is the San Francisco 49ers - 5.5 at home against the Detroit Lions. Here is my analysis. Janeane Garofalo, sorry I meant Jimmy Garoppolo, finally lost a game as a starter in the NFL, as the 49ers lost 24-16 to the Minnesota Vikings last week in Minnesota. This week is the 49ers home opener and they are looking to get on the winning track. The Vikings defense is one of the best in the game, which is why the 49ers had trouble scoring points. They are not going to have that problem this Sunday. The Lions are a hot mess. They got the score run up on them, at their home opener, by the Jets, of all teams, with a rookie QB starting his first NFL game, who also threw a pick-six on his very first pass attempt. After that play, the Jets outscored the Lions 48-10, with Matt Stafford throwing five interceptions of his own. There is no way that Det

ItBefore I begin I want to remind everyone of my new sponsor, Sportsbetting.ag.  Check them out by clicking here .  Here is my three team parlay for the week, based on all the night games. TNF - Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (pk). Last week the Bengals used an opportunistic defense and turnovers to come from behind and beat the Colts in Indy. Meanwhile the Ravens crushed the bills 47 - 3 for their third highest margin of victory in franchise history. They  are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games in September, and look to have one of the best defenses in the AFC. I feel like they should be favored by at least three points here, so getting them at pick'em is good value. Take the Ravens to win. SNF - NY Giants at Dallas Cowboys (-3). The Giants failed to cover last week as home underdogs. Now they go on the road to take on a Dallas team that's having trouble scoring points. The Cowboys lost to Carolina 16-8 in a game that was not really that close. Eze

Last night, after watching the Philadelphia Eagles/Atlanta Falcons penalty fest on Thursday Night Football, I was too amped up to sleep so I decided to go out and play some blackjack. I live in Sparks now, so instead of going to downtown Reno I just went to the nearby Western Village. I got a seat on first base at one of their $5 minimum, single-deck tables, and bought in with a c-note. I know a lot of card counters like to be the only one at the table, going "heads up" against the dealer. I actually find it easier to count cards at a full table. On a single deck game you're only going to get two hands before the dealer has to shuffle up again. As a result, after you've made your hit/stand decision on the second round, you no longer have to pay any attention to the cards coming out. Take that opportunity to look aimlessly around, ("casino gazing"). Also, the game pace is slower at a full table. thus giveing you even more opportunities to casino gaze, or B

Okay here it is, my first 5-star free NFL pick of the week, for the season.  My pick is the Green Bay Packers - 7 at home versus the Chicago Bears. I also picked the Packers in my free 3 team parlay for this week, and normally I would not double up and choose them here. however, there really isn't another game on the schedule in week one that I like this more than this one, so I'm betting it.  Here is my analysis. You might think Chicago will be on a roll having just picked up Khalil Mack in a blockbuster trade, and that that might give them an advantage against Green Bay. Media sources however, say that Mack will be on a "pitch count", and only play 20 to 25 snaps, so he might not make that much of a difference. Chicago has a good defense, even without him, but I think it's being overrated by the betting public. This game opened at - 8, but is down to a seven point spread as of Saturday morning. Green Bay, meanwhile, is coming off a 7-9 season where they failed t

I just read a very good article on LinkedIn by Richard Marcus, a Casino table games protection trainer and author:  "Has Casino Game Protection Gone too Far? Or Should we just Change its Name?" Click here to read it. Links: Amazon's page of  Good books about Casino gambling .   Free 30 day trial of Amazon Prime. Click   here .  Support me on Patreon, if you enjoy my posts and want to see more of them. Click  here . Click   here  to go to my eBay listing to advertise your product or service on this blog.

Well I hope everyone was on the UNLV Rebels yesterday, as my first pick of the CFB year came in a winner. I had UNLV + 26. 5 on the road at USC. The final score of the game was 43-21, with USC winning but failing to cover, just as I predicted. The betting opened with USC favored by 31 points. By kickoff the number had dropped to 24. 5. So obviously there was a lot of money coming in on the Rebels, who actually had an early lead and only lost when USC pulled away in the fourth quarter. The game was much closer than its final score would indicate. So let me tell you how this is going to work, as far as my free picks go, throughout the season. I will give out one free pick on the college side each week, hopefully it will be ready by Thurssday of each week at the latest. I'm going to do something a little different with pro football this year. I will still have my "5-star Pick of the Week" every week, and usually have that posted on or before Friday. This pick may be on th

When you drop 60 bucks in less than 3 minutes playing  Blackjack, it's time for a strategic withdrawal  and a re-evaluation of your personal risk-reward paradigm.  So I cashed  in and decided to write it off with a blog post, thus making it a tax-deductible learning opportunity. Don't you wish you could write off your gambling losses like that? I stopped at the tables at the Bonanza, in North Reno, just after lunch, and got fleeced. I'm not saying I got cheated or anything, the dealer was just hot that's all. No big deal, this kind of thing sometimes happens. Some of you might think that I walked away too early, that only spending three minutes (six hands) at the table is not enough to determine how things are going to go. To that I call bullshit. I have a hard and fast rule that if at any point during your session you lose 5 Hands in a row, you should move to another table or quit. Since there was only one table open I opted for quitting. Losing six hands in a row is