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Post of the Month - April
gunslinger - 11:40am Apr 13, 2009 PT
GTC Graduate,Refresher,Advanced Graduate,
Money Lady (ML) and myself(GS) visited Tunica 3-6 April 2009. I had eye surgery on 31 March and just knew that the soft green of the felt was just the ticket to help speed my recovery, not to mention the smoke and stale air etc., Oh well, we can rationalize anything.
On Monday morning we were at a table next to an elderly gentleman and we both were attracted to his play. A very frail looking gentleman, slightly stooped, small in stature, but he knew his way around a craps table as evidence by his full chip rack We observed for a few rolls and then moved to our favorite table at this place. We could still see him and noticed the hue of his chip rack turning from green to black. The dealer on our end of the table overheard me talking to ML about him and said " Oh that's Mr. P--------, he plays all the time. He knows more about this game than we do, and do not make a mistake paying him." That intrigued me. In a few minutes we saw him leave and we also left to get some lunch. Mr. P-------- was setting alone having lunch and I approached him and told him that we had observed his play and would like to speak with him after he finished eating, if he was so inclined.
In a bit he stopped by our table and had a seat and the lesson began. He is 81 years old and has been playing since he was 5. At age 12 he ran a craps game for some "backers" for a 10% piece of the action. He started playing poker at age 16. He said he was "BAD GOOD" at a cash game of poker. He lives 105 miles from Tunica and drives himself there to play. In February he played 27 of 28 days and he cleared north of $$,$$$.$$ for the month. He spent at least 30 minutes talking with us and we had the feeling we were talking to "The Captain" of Tunica. He confirmed the following principles that Frank and Dom have always advocated in GTC:
POSITIVE ATTITUDE: He carried the attitude that he had the knowledge and the discipline to play the way 71 years of activity had taught him to play. He said most folks can't play the right way because they won't take the time to learn and benefit from the knowledge of others.
KNOW HOW YOU ARE TO PLAY PRIOR TO GETTING TO THE TABLE: He has a way of playing that he reviews each time traveling to the casino and role plays in his mind what his move will be when certain things happen. He said he did not want to be guilty of holding the game up.
KNOW YOUR BANKROLL AND PLAY WITHIN IT: He only plays at 3 casinos and divides his bankroll into 3 parts. If he gets down a predetermined % he takes a break. He stressed that it's even more important to force yourself to quit while ahead. He said that anytime he can double his buy-in he is content. He noted that so many players have no concept of managing their bankroll and betting within that bankroll. KNOW THE GAME: He said that knowledge of the game and knowing the numbers, especially the odds for each die combination is essential. He said "Now, don't ever put and money on those crazy bets in the middle of the table, they'll eat your lunch. I been playing for 76 years and ain't bet one yet and I have done OK" He added "You two remember the odds is the best bet, load up on t
hem according to your bankroll.”
KEEP YOUR FOCUS: He said he didn't like a lot of talking and carrying on at the table. He said he keeps telling himself that he is there to win and take their money. If he gets distracted he calls his bets off for 2 or 3 rolls or leaves the table. He said that most people can not be long term winners because they do not understand the "VIG" they are fighting if they do not bet the proper way. The real treat was being able to play with him later in the day at a different casino.
When we arrived he was at SL1. ML got SL2 and went to the opposite side hook. Mr. P-------- got the dice and had a great roll going. I did not think he was watching me but in the middle of the roll I made a bet that was not just like he had told us and he looked at me and says" Damn boy(I'm 64)you don't listen very good do you--your partner here catches on a lot faster than you do. Not mention that she's a lot better looking than you too” after the roll he colored up and had more than doubled his buy-in of $2K. He looked at us and said "Gotta go--don't you be dumb asses and stand here and give it all back”.
Everything Mr. P-------- shared with us is espoused by Frank and Dom and we feel really fortunate to benefit from the knowledge of the "Captain of Tunica" and GTC. We hope each of you can some day find the wealth of experience that we did we can't wait to get to Tunica at the end of April and play with Mr. P-------- again.
Post of Distinction
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