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Casino-ology must read for enlightened management

20 November 2008

Bill Zender is a dedicated jack-of-all-trades. He's a former casino manager, and was a gaming enforcement agent. He's also an expert on casino surveillance who has written a book that anyone worth his salt should read. It's a text that will help improve the plight of the player or the house. Titled Casino-ology -- The Art of Managing Casino Games, the 313-page paperbound work ($39.95) covers some of the most recent changes made by casino management for the player and answers many of the questions players have asked in the past year.

There are almost three-dozen chapters divided into four major sections -- Blackjack, Casino Management, Game Protection and Live-Game Management.

Perhaps the most valuable or innovative areas include proper treatment of Asian players, vital table etiquette by the house and an analysis of the most recent innovations by players involving dice control.

Zender, always active and aware of trends impacting bet makers and bet takers, examines the newer 6-to-5 (compared to the original three for two) blackjack payoffs, a need for more protection of the baccarat and mini-baccarat games where major cheating scandals have increased in recent years and a close look at the effectiveness of continuous shuffling machines.

Pressures on the dealers to deliver more hands per hour are always there. Zender focuses on "live game pace" and the impact of speeding up decisions in roulette, craps and 21.

An expert on detecting cheats, the author offers tips on detection of moves like marking cards and "past-posting" (betting after the decision has been made in a game).

With a handy index and more than 30 tables showing the effect of changing deck penetration in a six-deck game and the increase in theoretic hold percentage and the like, it's mandatory reading for veterans and newcomers to casino management and should be required reading for anyone planning a career in the gaming industry.

Howard Schwartz
Howard Schwartz, the "librarian for gamblers," was the marketing director for Gambler's Book Club in Las Vegas, a position he held from 1979 to 2010, when he retired. Author of hundreds of articles on gambling, his weekly book reviews appear in numerous publications throughout the gaming industry.

Howard Schwartz Websites:

www.gamblersbook.com
Howard Schwartz
Howard Schwartz, the "librarian for gamblers," was the marketing director for Gambler's Book Club in Las Vegas, a position he held from 1979 to 2010, when he retired. Author of hundreds of articles on gambling, his weekly book reviews appear in numerous publications throughout the gaming industry.

Howard Schwartz Websites:

www.gamblersbook.com