Quiet Lion Gets Banned From Wsop By Harrahs

[ratwastard 0]

LOL!!they told Richard Brodie that they couldn't make a profit off of him so they banned him from the properties.These bastards oughta be shot, errr, i mean fired.http://www.brodietech.com/liontales/2007/0...man-empire.htmlJune 2, 2007Fall of the Roman EmpireIn an overreaction of thermonuclear proportions to my recent good luck, Harrah’s has barred me from playing in the World Series of Poker, and in fact from even setting foot in any of their hotels.When Harrah’s Entertainment bought Caesars Palace, many industry pundits predicted they would have trouble managing the high-roller business. Harrah’s was built on the high-margin, low-volume player. They produce a predictable win, cost little in comps, and there are many, many of them. High rollers demand games with a slim house advantage, generous comps, and the possibility of actually walking away with a win once in a while.Harrah’s doesn’t like that.For 40 years, Caesars Palace had a reputation for welcoming big action. At one point they were the biggest place in town. They loved big players and didn’t sweat if somebody won. They wanted to keep him coming back. Eventually the house edge would kick in, but for now they’d let the player enjoy his good fortune.That reputation is gone.On May 10, Harrah’s sent certified letters to several high rollers informing them that their business was no longer wanted at Caesars Palace or any of the other Harrah’s properties in Nevada, California, and Arizona. I was one of them. I called the office of Tom Jenkins, regional vice president, and got a call back from Terry Byrnes, the VP of customer service. He told me I was being 86ed because they couldn't figure out how to make a profit off me.Now understand, the only games I play are poker and video poker. In poker, the house makes a 100% guaranteed profit straight off the top. In video poker, the house controls every aspect of the game: the paytables, the amount of the house edge, and the promotions and incentives they offer. There is no way to use skill – or even cheat – to beat video poker. You can’t count cards. You can’t peek at the dealer’s hole card. It’s a machine. The best you could possibly hope for is to play computer-perfect, which I don’t, and even if that were possible the machine still has a maximum theoretical payout chosen by the casino. The only thing the casino can’t control is luck. One reason I like video poker is because you can get lucky and win. You hit a royal flush every 40,000 hands or so. If you’re lucky enough to hit two, you’re ahead! If you hit three, you’re ahead for a long time!Boy, have I been lucky at Harrah’s.I hit four huge royal flushes in the last year at three of the Las Vegas Harrah’s properties. Not surprisingly, I’m ahead, although I’ve put 80% of it back. This seems to rub them the wrong way. But I have trouble imagining the thought process that would cause someone to decide that kicking out one of your most loyal customers is an appropriate solution to the problem of him having extremely good luck. If they think the machines are too loose, make them tighter. If they think they are giving me too much in comps, give less. They control every aspect of the game. Except luck. And kicking out players who have been lucky makes about as much sense as banning people from playing the lottery because they win it.Reactions to lucky streaks in video poker are not unique to Harrah's, but the usual response is to cut down on the promotional offers to players who aren't losing as much as they hoped. Even that is potentially unsound business: lucky players get unlucky and you want them to be at your place when that happens.If it weren’t for the WSOP, I’d laugh about this rather than cry. I don’t think they’re trying to punish me, I just think they don’t understand their business and are compounding one costly mistake – offering way too much in comps and incentives to video-poker players – with another. My friends, if you can’t figure out how to make money from people who only play games with a built-in house edge, you may as well give up on the casino business and close your doors.In the meantime, know that the winner of the main event this year cannot be considered a true world champion.Not when the Quiet Lion isn’t allowed to play.Labels: poker, Vegasposted by Richard

[silkyjonson 1]

LOL!!they told Richard Brodie that they couldn't make a profit off of him so they banned him from the properties.These bastards oughta be shot, errr, i mean fired.http://www.brodietech.com/liontales/2007/0...man-empire.htmlJune 2, 2007Fall of the Roman EmpireIn an overreaction of thermonuclear proportions to my recent good luck, Harrah’s has barred me from playing in the World Series of Poker, and in fact from even setting foot in any of their hotels.When Harrah’s Entertainment bought Caesars Palace, many industry pundits predicted they would have trouble managing the high-roller business. Harrah’s was built on the high-margin, low-volume player. They produce a predictable win, cost little in comps, and there are many, many of them. High rollers demand games with a slim house advantage, generous comps, and the possibility of actually walking away with a win once in a while.Harrah’s doesn’t like that.For 40 years, Caesars Palace had a reputation for welcoming big action. At one point they were the biggest place in town. They loved big players and didn’t sweat if somebody won. They wanted to keep him coming back. Eventually the house edge would kick in, but for now they’d let the player enjoy his good fortune.That reputation is gone.On May 10, Harrah’s sent certified letters to several high rollers informing them that their business was no longer wanted at Caesars Palace or any of the other Harrah’s properties in Nevada, California, and Arizona. I was one of them. I called the office of Tom Jenkins, regional vice president, and got a call back from Terry Byrnes, the VP of customer service. He told me I was being 86ed because they couldn't figure out how to make a profit off me.Now understand, the only games I play are poker and video poker. In poker, the house makes a 100% guaranteed profit straight off the top. In video poker, the house controls every aspect of the game: the paytables, the amount of the house edge, and the promotions and incentives they offer. There is no way to use skill – or even cheat – to beat video poker. You can’t count cards. You can’t peek at the dealer’s hole card. It’s a machine. The best you could possibly hope for is to play computer-perfect, which I don’t, and even if that were possible the machine still has a maximum theoretical payout chosen by the casino. The only thing the casino can’t control is luck. One reason I like video poker is because you can get lucky and win. You hit a royal flush every 40,000 hands or so. If you’re lucky enough to hit two, you’re ahead! If you hit three, you’re ahead for a long time!Boy, have I been lucky at Harrah’s.I hit four huge royal flushes in the last year at three of the Las Vegas Harrah’s properties. Not surprisingly, I’m ahead, although I’ve put 80% of it back. This seems to rub them the wrong way. But I have trouble imagining the thought process that would cause someone to decide that kicking out one of your most loyal customers is an appropriate solution to the problem of him having extremely good luck. If they think the machines are too loose, make them tighter. If they think they are giving me too much in comps, give less. They control every aspect of the game. Except luck. And kicking out players who have been lucky makes about as much sense as banning people from playing the lottery because they win it.Reactions to lucky streaks in video poker are not unique to Harrah's, but the usual response is to cut down on the promotional offers to players who aren't losing as much as they hoped. Even that is potentially unsound business: lucky players get unlucky and you want them to be at your place when that happens.If it weren’t for the WSOP, I’d laugh about this rather than cry. I don’t think they’re trying to punish me, I just think they don’t understand their business and are compounding one costly mistake – offering way too much in comps and incentives to video-poker players – with another. My friends, if you can’t figure out how to make money from people who only play games with a built-in house edge, you may as well give up on the casino business and close your doors.In the meantime, know that the winner of the main event this year cannot be considered a true world champion.Not when the Quiet Lion isn’t allowed to play.Labels: poker, Vegasposted by Richard

bSeems akward that a guy like brodie would play a ton of Video Poker. Maybe they suspect him of cheating but don't want to come out and say as much. Although it would'nt suprise me if a company like harrah's pulled this stunt.

[freak2304 0]

I thought everything he said was pretty right on. That is, until he said the following:"In the meantime, know that the winner of the main event this year cannot be considered a true world champion. Not when the Quiet Lion isn’t allowed to play."BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...gimme a break.

[ratwastard 0]

I thought everything he said was pretty right on. That is, until he said the following:"In the meantime, know that the winner of the main event this year cannot be considered a true world champion. Not when the Quiet Lion isn’t allowed to play."BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...gimme a break.

u gotta be kidding?he's making a joke; he knows he's only average at best

[GWCGWC 83]

LOL!!they told Richard Brodie that they couldn't make a profit off of him so they banned him from the properties.These bastards oughta be shot, errr, i mean fired.http://www.brodietech.com/liontales/2007/0...man-empire.htmlJune 2, 2007Now understand, the only games I play are poker and video poker. In poker, the house makes a 100% guaranteed profit straight off the top. In video poker, the house controls every aspect of the game: the paytables, the amount of the house edge, and the promotions and incentives they offer. There is no way to use skill – or even cheat – to beat video poker. You can’t count cards. You can’t peek at the dealer’s hole card. It’s a machine. The best you could possibly hope for is to play computer-perfect, which I don’t, and even if that were possible the machine still has a maximum theoretical payout chosen by the casino. The only thing the casino can’t control is luck. One reason I like video poker is because you can get lucky and win. You hit a royal flush every 40,000 hands or so. If you’re lucky enough to hit two, you’re ahead! If you hit three, you’re ahead for a long time!

I call BS. He's playing perfect strat and he's figured out how to beat the game. Why isn't Harrah's just banning him from the slots and letting him play the WSOP. this makes no sense. FTP will get this cleared up since they have some clout with all the sponsorship they do. How does Andy Bloch play after beating the Harrah's properties for large sums in BJ?

[freak2304 0]

u gotta be kidding?he's making a joke; he knows he's only average at best

I know it was somewhat said in jest, but your kidding yourself if you think most pro's don't consider themself a top 5 player in the world. Look at Phil Gordon for christ sakes!

[No_Neck 0]

this really is bullshit.... harrahs sucks. Next year we should set up a poker tournament back at the Nugget for all the people who would hate Harrahs.

[silkyjonson 1]

I thought everything he said was pretty right on. That is, until he said the following:"In the meantime, know that the winner of the main event this year cannot be considered a true world champion. Not when the Quiet Lion isn’t allowed to play."BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...gimme a break.

I think, nay I hope he is joking. I would give him the benefit of the doubt just because it would be so embarassing for him personally if he actually thought that.

[BigDMcGee 3,367]

Some video poker games can be beaten, if you know the correct strategy.. skalansky wrote a great deal about this back in the day. I love that Brodie isn't at the WSOP, he's such a complete hack. I have no idea how he's a "full tilt pro" or is on the "Professional Poker Players Tour" or what ever that thing is called. What the fuk has he ever done but invent the freaking squiggle.

[mrdannyg 274]

a comment by doborman on Terrence Chen's blog:Some years ago, I heard that (now deceased) Australian media magnate Kerry Packer was booted from the MGM Grand because his heavy blackjack playing was having an effect on the company's quarterly earnings. I have absolutely no proof of this, but you can imagine a bean counter wanting to reduce variance even at the cost of EV.Note that Richard wasn't singled out - they booted a whole raft of high r00lers. I suppose it's possible that as a group, their variance was giving stomachaches to the bean counters. But:The net effect of multiple high rollers should be to cancel each other out and push Harrah's closer to the long run EV faster.It's difficult to imagine that any one high-roller short of a Packeresque whale could really move out of the noise in Harrah's' quarterly earnings.Just for grins, I'll offer two possible thought scenarios at Harrah's:Casino people are notoriously stupid about math and probability and stuff. What if Somebody In Charge actually thinks that Richard is lucky? You know, that there's lucky people and he's one of 'em, and they don't want his kind around there?One slightly less absurd theory: the "I don't know what you're doing but whatever it is I don't like it." Richard has hit four big jackpots in the last year, which probably puts him in 3-sigma territory if not further out the tail. Maybe a statistician looks at this result and says "From a Bayesian perspective, the probability that the guy is playing on the square is .00014%. I'm more willing to live without his action than the apparently high probability he's up to no good."But whatever. Casinos lost their appeal for me years ago, and this is one of the reasons. They're not willing to gamble (even with an edge) and that's just no fun for anybody.Regards, LeeCopied without permission:http://terrencechan.livejournal.com/170622...430654#t1430654

[chgocubs99 0]

Some video poker games can be beaten, if you know the correct strategy.. skalansky wrote a great deal about this back in the day. I love that Brodie isn't at the WSOP, he's such a complete hack. I have no idea how he's a "full tilt pro" or is on the "Professional Poker Players Tour" or what ever that thing is called. What the fuk has he ever done but invent the freaking squiggle.

Then, if you were playing, wouldn't you want him there?

[theresa113 0]

I am curious of the language of the actual letter that was sent.

[BigDMcGee 3,367]

Then, if you were playing, wouldn't you want him there?

THat's a totally separate issue than his merit to be there.

[chgocubs99 0]

THat's a totally separate issue than his merit to be there.

So, you why do you love the fact that he isn't there? You agree that he should be banned for the reasons they banned him, or you're happy he's banned because he's a bad poker player?

[KentuckySlim 0]

I thought everything he said was pretty right on. That is, until he said the following:"In the meantime, know that the winner of the main event this year cannot be considered a true world champion. Not when the Quiet Lion isn’t allowed to play."BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...gimme a break.

I think he's actually a pretty effing good LIMIT hold 'em player...

[H_Factor73 2]

How does Andy Bloch play after beating the Harrah's properties for large sums of BJs?

FYP

[Huskers20 0]

bSeems akward that a guy like brodie would play a ton of Video Poker. Maybe they suspect him of cheating but don't want to come out and say as much. Although it would'nt suprise me if a company like harrah's pulled this stunt.

First reply is saying he is cheating....come on. What a joke, last thing this guy needs to do is cheat.Why does someone always have to go this route.

[mrdannyg 274]

First reply is saying he is cheating....come on. What a joke, last thing this guy needs to do is cheat.Why does someone always have to go this route.

that is a horrible response. mathematically, its very likely he was cheating. having money suggests exactly nothing about how likely he is to cheat.

[ratwastard 0]

that is a horrible response. mathematically, its very likely he was cheating. having money suggests exactly nothing about how likely he is to cheat.

care to elaborate. how do you suppose he was cheating a video poker machine?and i disagree, a very wealthy person like him would be far less likely to cheat.

[cubsfan44 0]

I dont know about the cheating but I think we can all agree there has to be more to this story.

[mrdannyg 274]

care to elaborate. how do you suppose he was cheating a video poker machine?and i disagree, a very wealthy person like him would be far less likely to cheat.

I have no reason to think he was cheating, except mathematics would suggest it. Seems like if he was cheating, he wouldn't make a big stink of getting banned.a very wealthy person is certainly less likely to explicitly cheat, in terms of the potential for getting stuck in a hole in the desert somewhere. but if you consider what the casino would consider 'cheating' (i.e. winning), a wealthy person is not less likely to do so.

[EStormOk 0]

Judging from the tv appearances I have seen of him, I find him to be somewhat of a dbag. I admit that may be narrow minded, but I just can't feel sorry for him at all.

[ratwastard 0]

I dont know about the cheating but I think we can all agree there has to be more to this story.

no, i think it boils down to harrahs only wanting the business of careless, sloppy players -- the guys who play a little bit reckless, the whales who may play when heavily intoxicated.Brodie and the others on that hit list don't match up with harrahs idea of a "good customer"

[cubsfan44 0]

no, i think it boils down to harrahs only wanting the business of careless, sloppy players -- the guys who play a little bit reckless, the whales who may play when heavily intoxicated.Brodie and the others on that hit list don't match up with harrahs idea of a "good customer"

Correct me if im wrong But no matter how perfectly he plays the casino still has the edge. I assure you there is more to this story.

[ratwastard 0]

I have no reason to think he was cheating, except mathematics would suggest it. Seems like if he was cheating, he wouldn't make a big stink of getting banned.a very wealthy person is certainly less likely to explicitly cheat, in terms of the potential for getting stuck in a hole in the desert somewhere. but if you consider what the casino would consider 'cheating' (i.e. winning), a wealthy person is not less likely to do so.

according to brodie he gave back 80% of his winnings. his player's card would back that up. 20% up on his money is well within reason.here, brodie, talks about losing $150,000 to the machines in a couple of days..."..........I thought I had to bottom out eventually but I finally gave up stuck a whopping $150k."http://www.brodietech.com/liontales/2007/04/lucky-me.html(doesn't sound like cheating to me. )