If I win at the casino this weekend, im buying a strop. Help me out

So like the subject says, me and my girlfriend are heading to the casino for a year and a half anniversary. Im hoping to come out on top, if i do i want to buy a top of the line strop. Right now i have THE FILLY, its a decent strop and all. But its a bit small, and dinged up from when i was still learning.

If you had a bunch of money to spend on a strop what would you buy? Im not looking for the most expensive, because i know in some cases more isnt always better. I just want something that is top of the line that will last me a long time. Id also like to have a handle on one end of it....instead of the old barber style thats just cut off at the end.

Just for the sake of your relationship and enjoying your anniversary: Keep in mind that you'll lose all of the money you're willing to bet. Period. You will not win.

That makes it so much better if you actually have some pocket change left when you leave the place.

I'd go for something nice. In the US, a TM or SRD I'd say. And then it depends whether you want 2, 2.5 or 3 inch wide, and the materials you're after. In Europe, I'd probably order one of the strops from the Invisible Edge, a shop I like to use.

By the way, what's your casino budget?

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Originally Posted by Hillie

Just for the sake of your relationship and enjoying your anniversary: Keep in mind that you'll lose all of the money you're willing to bet. Period. You will not win.

That makes it so much better if you actually have some pocket change left when you leave the place.

I'd go for something nice. In the US, a TM or SRD I'd say. And then it depends whether you want 2, 2.5 or 3 inch wide, and the materials you're after. In Europe, I'd probably order one of the strops from the Invisible Edge, a shop I like to use.

By the way, what's your casino budget?

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Taking 200 with me. If i break even it will all be spending money for the strop...if i win then itll be the same of course.

Thanks for the advice of how my frame of mind should be while im there. I always approach gambling like that (big poker player). If i win i want to treat myself to something nice, thats all.

Tony miller seems to be the god of strops around here, but all honesty im not sure what material, or measurements i should be using. 3" seems like there is less room for error since you dont have to follow the exact x pattern with the blade.

Order the strop before you go to the casino, subtract the amount from your $200 and gamble with whatever is left to your hearts content, if you lose, you still get the strop, if you win you can order whatever you want tomorrow morning...some hones maybe?

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Originally Posted by Hillie

Just for the sake of your relationship and enjoying your anniversary: Keep in mind that you'll lose all of the money you're willing to bet. Period. You will not win.

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lol, my day-job is at a casino, and you are absolutely right. Take only money you can afford to lose, because you're going to lose it.


Whenever I'm not at work, I always tell people that there is a fool-proof test to determine if you are going to win at a casino, and you can perform the test instantly when you walk through the door.

It's a simple, one step test.....

Look up.



If the lights are on, it means that they can afford to pay their electric bill, and you ARE going to lose.





Now, if you find yourself with enough left over to get a new strop, I LOVE my SRD 3" latigo.

I've been using it for a couple weeks, and I can't say enough good things about it.

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Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

lol, my day-job is at a casino, and you are absolutely right. Take only money you can afford to lose, because you're going to lose it.


Whenever I'm not at work, I always tell people that there is a fool-proof test to determine if you are going to win at a casino, and you can perform the test instantly when you walk through the door.

It's a simple, one step test.....

Look up.



If the lights are on, it means that they can afford to pay their electric bill, and you ARE going to lose.





Now, if you find yourself with enough left over to get a new strop, I LOVE my SRD 3" latigo.

I've been using it for a couple weeks, and I can't say enough good things about it.

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Like i said, im ready to loose the money. But if i win...its strop time. I see quite a few Latigo 3" strops at SRD, which one did you get? And do you have any pics?

I use both sides of my strop every single day.

I've gone back and forth on the ratios, and it depens a little on the razor. For my 6/8 extra hollow henckels I do 25/75. For my FR Wedge, I do 60/60. Everything else is in between.

Winning at the casino is sometimes possible! 2 years ago my wife and I won a sizeable jackpot on a $5.00 slot machine in a Tucson casino. The resulting $4800 was spent on a Tim Zowada damascus 7/8 razor, an irrigation system for our AZ rockpile of a backyard, and of course a Louis Vuitton purse for SWMBO...Good luck!

I don't mind taking money from Casinos, but ultimately, they kick me out.

Here is how you can win and thank me for this:

Colors - Roulette. Watch the wheel hit 5 of the same color in a row and start betting on the other color. If you lose, double your bet and continually bet on the opposite color until you win. Have enough money to absorb 6 losses in a row. Now the odds are greatly in your favor!

Yep, I would stand around for 8 hours and pull in more and more. Others would start catching on and betting the same as me.

Nothing like a bunch of chips on Red and people getting real excited about "beating the wheel". Just when I thought I was going to make a huge living off of this, I was being escorted out!

I think this will help you get the money for a strop and then some, just be low key about it.

Pabster

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Originally Posted by Pabster

Colors - Roulette. Watch the wheel hit 5 of the same color in a row and start betting on the other color. If you lose, double your bet and continually bet on the opposite color until you win. Have enough money to absorb 6 losses in a row. Now the odds are greatly in your favor!

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If you win twice the bet when you win, have a roughly .5 chance of winning (keep in mind it's not .5, as there's also the green 0 ;)) and enough buffer to go on, doubling your loss in the losing streak will leave you with a bit more than what you started with. But only if you stop after a win, and only if you have enough buffer to sit through the losses.

The problem is if the wheel will hit 11 times the same color, you stepped in after number 5 and made 6 losses, thus exhausting your buffer. It's not very likely from the maths point of view, but not impossible.

But most casinos are there to make money, so you'll be escorted out in no-time if they catch you doing this. :)

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Originally Posted by Hillie

But most casinos are there to make money, so you'll be escorted out in no-time if they catch you doing this. :)

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Having worked in a casino for the last 4 years, I can tell you two very important things.

1. No casino in the world would EVER throw a person out for doing this because........


2. It doesn't work.


The roulette wheel has no memory. It doesn't know that it hit 5 blacks. Trust me. It's made of wood. It has no clue. Every space on the wheel has the EXACT same odds of landing as every other space, with every single spin. Period.




This is the difference between players and casinos.

Players play the "short game." You come up with what looks like a clever little idea, you try it a few times where it seems to work, so you think you're right.

The casino plays the "long game." They understand that given enough time, the profit and loss ALWAYS matches the odds on the game. What that means is that over time, you will ALWAYS lose. This basic concept is what makes casinos work.

There are only 2 exceptions to this.

A. Poker is not played against the house. Because of this, there are many ways to improve your odds.

B. Counting cards, which the casino will kick you out for. However, contrary to what Hollywood would have us believe, counting cards is INSANELY difficult to do with any degree of success, since most casino blackjack tables use 6-8 decks per game (and the single and double deck tables are watched very closely) and even if you are INCREDIBLY skilled at counting cards, you're still not guaranteed to win, you're only increasing the odds in your favor.

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Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

The roulette wheel has no memory. It doesn't know that it hit 5 blacks. Trust me. It's made of wood. It has no clue. Every space on the wheel has the EXACT same odds of landing as every other space, with every single spin. Period.

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Exactly. This is why you need a sufficient buffer. And the 5 runs on one color and buffer of 6 consecutive bet-doublings, in my opinion, are completely random. It may work in many times, but it can also happen that you've got enough money with you to cover 20 consecutive bet-doublings during your losing streak, yet the wheel gives you the wrong color those 20 rounds. Unlikely, but possible. It's fairly basic probability maths behind it.

On the other hand: It's good news for your cardiologist if you're running out of buffer, but the gains are fairly little with a long streak. :)

Hillie, every bet you put down you're more likely to lose than win. In the long run you lose.

Precisely why I only play poker at the casino :)

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Originally Posted by Undream

Hillie, every bet you put down you're more likely to lose than win. In the long run you lose.

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How would you reason that?

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Originally Posted by Hillie

How would you reason that?

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Well, it's simple.

Because of the two green spaces, the best odds on a roulette table are LESS than 50% but pay out only 2:1. So you are always more likely to lose that win. It's as simple as that.


I say this not as an insult to one person, but as helpful advice to anyone who thinks they can "beat the house" - If you don't understand how and why you are more likely to lose than win, you should not ever go to a casino for any reason.

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Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

Well, it's simple.

Because of the two green spaces, the best odds on a roulette table are LESS than 50% but pay out only 2:1. So you are always more likely to lose that win. It's as simple as that.

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That's true, it reduces the chance a little below .5, but I don't think far enough to become problematic when it comes to exhausting the buffer. With a decent enough bet, the sequence of doubling might boost the bets through the roof, bringing exhaustion rapidly closer. Still, I would consider going to a casino a night out, not a way to make money. And in my book a night out costs some money. :)

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I say this not as an insult to one person, but as helpful advice to anyone who thinks they can "beat the house" - If you don't understand how and why you are more likely to lose than win, you should not ever go to a casino for any reason.

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Casino is entertainment and aimed at making money, not losing.

Were you in a popular gambling area Steve?

I did put my theory to the test and did play this many times. All I wanted to do was put the odds in my favor as the house wants the odds in their favor. While buddies were being blown away in all the other games, I was slowly winning and by the end of the day, I made a decent amount.

Once the crowd picked up on what I was doing, the risky bets shrunk and the good money was on my methodology. Thats when Security would check my IDs and politely ask me to leave along with any followers that I picked up. I respected their wishes, cashed out and left.

I still laugh at the thought of so much money piling up on a color choice and the roar of the crowd when it hit. After being booted out of several casinos, I finally got the hint.

Enough on this one......good luck to all.

Pabster

Gents if you just want to lose some cash I have a little game you might like to try!!!!

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Originally Posted by Hillie

How would you reason that?

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Its called Expected value. Google it.

Every bet you make at a roulette table has negative EV.

The only casino game where you can have +EV is poker. and that is only when players at the table are worse then you, which..for me is often :D

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Originally Posted by Undream

Its called Expected value. Google it.

Every bet you make at a roulette table has negative EV.

The only casino game where you can have +EV is poker. and that is only when players at the table are worse then you, which..for me is often :D

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Yeah, I know about basic probability maths, but here it's not just the basic E. ;)

Lol, this thread has taken quite a different direction. Anyways I came out pretty much even on this one, made quite a bit at blackjack but lost some on the slots with the girlfriend.

From everywhere ive read, it looks like Tony Miller is the way to go. Just not sure what type i need to get and what is the best. I want something really nice

...check these out. Scroll down to the wooden handled leather strops.

Mac

Bespoke custom strops

This post edited out of existance because I realized that it was a circular debate with no further value.