Casino-ology: The Art of Managing Casino Games [Kindle Edition]

Bill Zender (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Many things are an art, many things are a science, but a good deal of most of them are a bit of both. Casino-ology: The Art of Managing Casino Games is a business guide for casino owners who want to maximize their profits by mastering the art of defending against the con artists and cheats that casinos inevitably attract. In addition to anti-cheating tactics, poor practices that must be avoided when running a successful casino are also covered. Casino-ology: The Art of Managing Casino Games is a top pick and a must read for any running a casino or dream of one day owning one. --James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review

Product Description

Is Casino Management An Art?

It is for the best casino managers!
And Bill Zender knows the art of casino management. In addition to having worked in, managed, and owned casinos for decades, Zender has also been an enforcement agent for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, as well as spent time as an advantage player, exploiting the vulnerabilities of casinos from the civilian side of the tables. Today, he travels the globe consulting for the international casino industry.
In Casino-ology, Zender argues against excessive card-counter and shuffle-tracker countermeasures in favor of hand production to increase profits, and concludes that rhythmic dice rollers aren’t the threat they’re made out to be. He details the dangers of customer-service breaches; ill-conceived non-negotiable-chip programs; and past-posting, marked-card, and false-shuffle scams. He addresses player tracking systems, 6-5 payouts for blackjacks, the subtleties of marketing to Asian customers, nuances of the derivative pit games, even the science of turning around a distressed casino.
By challenging long-cherished conventions, Casino-ology provides contrarian and radical, but proven, solutions to common gaming issues, all in the service of refining the art of casino management.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 283 KB
• Print Length: 313 pages
• Publisher: Huntington Press (November 4, 2008)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001K3JQLU
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,943 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guaranteed Reader Advantage, December 18, 2008

By 

David G. Schwartz "writer, historian" (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Casino-ology: The Art of Managing Casino Games (Kindle Edition)

Bill Zender, a seasoned live-gaming veteran who's written several books on game protection, explains the math behind the art in Casino-ology. The book starts out with a three-part analysis of blackjack. Zender emphasizes from the start the importance of time and motion issues to the casino's bottom line: by dealing an extra round per hour on each game can add more than $128,000 to the casino's revenue stream. He makes a compelling argument for speedy game play. The first section of the book, which is devoted to blackjack, should be a wake-up call for many anxious gaming executives: Zender convincingly argues against excessive protection schemes like prohibiting mid-shoe entry and over-zealous anti-card-counter measures. He wants a casino where games are quick, efficient, but attractive to the player. 6 to 5 blackjack is a particular bete noir, and Zender demonstrates that any gains in hold percentage are offset by player backlash once they learn that they're getting trimmed.

In the next section Zender assesses general issues, like game mix and player tracking, as well as specific ones like marketing to Asian customers and the pitfalls of a non-negotiable chip program. Next, he explores game protection, trying to objectively determine how many skilled card counters actually exist and whether casinos should be hyper-vigilant against them. He's got great chapters on detecting both counters and shuffle trackers and a detailed look at the false-shuffle baccarat scam that's been plaguing casinos for several years now.

Finally, Zender wraps up with some thoughts on live game management, including the proper utilization of multiple-odds craps, the effect of eliminating the boxperson on the game, and an exploration of rhythmic rolling, a craps technique that partisans claim virtually guarantees winning.

Casino-ology makes tremendous sense: it is hard to argue against Zender's plea for a more logical, more player-friendly gaming put. I like the fact that the book starts off cold with the blackjack material instead of a long introduction that stresses the importance of proper game management-we already know that it's important to run a casino well, just tell us how you think we should do it. Zender's book is almost completely devoid of theory and jam-packed with practical suggestions for better play and better results. It's a definite must-read for the casino games executive or anyone further up in the management hierarchy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beware Kindle Edition, November 13, 2010

By 

Mark K. Anduss (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Casino-ology: The Art of Managing Casino Games (Kindle Edition)

The Kindle edition doe not include images/tables/graphics. Some of the information discussed is only shown in the images and assumes that you can see the images.

The print edition is very informative.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Casino-ology is a must for anyone in the industry!, April 29, 2010

By 

Dan P. Merritt "Yojik" (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casino-ology: The Art of Managing Casino Games (Gambling Theories Methods) (Paperback)

I'll keep this short and sweet, just like how the book was written, this book is a must for anyone in the casino industry (particularly in table games) as well as anyone interested in the mysterious world of casino management. Bill does a good job at summing everything up in chapters that seem like bullet points, so it is a quick and very interesting read.