Episodes

  • Vagabond: Beating Casinos Around the World

    Vagabond: Beating Casinos Around the World
    Nov 3 2026
    This is a throwback episode that I cut from 2 episodes in 2019.

    Vagabond has played in over 100 countries. A former Air Force interrogation analyst who spent five years at Fort Meade working for the NSA. He talks about how that training shapes the way he questions dealers, how he moves cash across borders.

    Show Notes
    00:00 Introduction — Vagabond, 100+ countries (and a bad mic)
    00:45 How he got started — Deuces Wild in Finland, The Frugal Gambler
    02:07 Moving to blackjack — overcoming shyness, talking to dealers
    04:50 Intelligence background — NSA, Fort Meade, interrogation analyst
    07:19 The Don Johnson inspiration
    08:49 Avoiding backoffs — travel anywhere, leave when heat comes
    10:06 Carrying cash and customs — Vietnam, the $100 ask
    14:27 Currency traps — Colombia, Argentina pesos, Peru soles
    16:34 Staying connected — SIM cards, Google Fi
    17:34 Cambodia — tracking two eight-deck shoes, $40,000 win
    20:30 Favorite and least favorite countries — Mexico, Vanuatu, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Trinidad
    23:58 The 15% loss rebate game — triple-down, multi-card surrender, $100K swing
    29:59 Madagascar — $70,000 declaration, tiny limits
    33:29 Traveling with his wife — and her two passports
    35:24 Cheating abroad — Mexico City, Cambodia second-dealing
    37:09 Currency headaches — Peru, Chile, India
    42:04 Taking notes — detailed casino notes, information broker
    45:08 Backoffs abroad — Griffin/OSN, polite Korea tea ceremony
    47:49 Coupon AP — Lowe's, Kellogg's, Starbucks, Walgreens
    56:36 Staying safe traveling with cash
    60:06 Wrap-up
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    1 hr
  • Mark Billings: The Ultimate Edge — Beating Blackjack in the 1980s

    Mark Billings: The Ultimate Edge — Beating Blackjack in the 1980s
    Oct 28 2026
    Mark Billings — author of The Ultimate Edge — joins Bob Dancer and Richard Munchkin to talk about beating blackjack in the 1980s: shuffle tracking, hole-carding, and computers strapped to players' legs. Mark tells the stories behind the plays, from the "slicing and dicing" cut-card move to the shoe computer busted at the Desert Inn — including the gaming agent who went on TV and completely made up how they caught the team. Plus the time Richard's brother Jake had to stand up in a casino and swear he wasn't a card counter. Originally aired April 4, 2013.

    Show Notes
    [00:00] Throwback episode context
    [02:03] News about a structuring charge
    [04:31] Munchkin’s brother, Jake, was asked if he was a card counter
    [07:04] Introduction of Mark Billings, advantage player, and author of The Ultimate Edge
    [10:03] Slicing and dicing hand cuts
    [12:12] Shuffle tracking with computers
    [16:49] The small world of card counting in Las Vegas and Atlantic City
    [18:25] Sharing advantage play secrets
    [21:10] Shuffle tracking computers in shoes
    [25:13] Casino eavesdropping on in-room phone calls
    [27:45] Building shoes for the computers
    [30:00] Richard’s shoe making story
    [31:50] The Ultimate Edge method, computers and video laws
    [38:34] Does Mark feel like his teams caused device laws to change?
    [42:07] How is blackjack different today?
    GWAE Episodes Referenced:
    https://youtu.be/Wj1DTHlkaIA
    https://youtu.be/PrrFP3-XwB0
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    47 mins
  • Gina Fiore - New Book: Advantage Player

    Gina Fiore - New Book: Advantage Player
    Oct 20 2026
    This week we sit down with Gina Fiore to discuss her new book, "Advantage Player: A Memoir of Blackjack, Backrooms, and Beginnings".

    Get the book - https://amzn.to/3W7mZyL

    Show Notes
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    50 mins
  • The Christians Who Took Millions From Casinos

    The Christians Who Took Millions From Casinos
    Oct 13 2026
    This is an episode that originally aired in 2013. It has been reedited.

    They were Christians. They counted cards. And they took millions from casinos. Colin Jones co-founded the Church Team — the blackjack team featured in the documentary Holy Rollers — and went on to found BlackjackApprenticeship.com, where he's trained a generation of card counters. In this episode: the disguises (including Hollywood makeup tricks), how the team tested new players, card-counting training and apps, and what life looked like after the documentary.

    Show Notes

    [00:00] Notes on editing
    [00:45] Playing in disguise
    [08:38] Introduction of Colin Jones from blackjackapprenticeship.com
    [09:10] More on playing in disguise, using makeup, accessories, mannerisms, etc
    [14:14] Blackjack apprenticeship.com content, training, and forum
    [19:52] Does Colin still play blackjack?
    [21:20] Can people make a living counting cards?
    [23:55] Casino 411, a Yelp for card counters
    [29:53] Developing a Google Glass app
    [34:01] Blackjack bootcamps

    Links:
    blackjackapprenticeship.com
    lasvegasadvisor.com/gambling-with-an-edge
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    39 mins
  • Are casinos cheating on slot machines?

    Are casinos cheating on slot machines?
    Oct 5 2026
    Many casinos are resetting slot machines after players have built up free spins or other bonus features. We speak with Buddy Frank, a former slot director who contacted the Nevada Gaming control Board about this. In addition we talk about some of the new things Buddy saw at the annual Global Gaming Conference.

    Show Notes
    [00:00] Introduction of Buddy Frank, experienced slot and casino operations executive
    [00:51] Are casinos illegally resetting slot machines?
    [05:57] Evidence of Money Balls being reset
    [09:34] Checking Phoenix Link reset numbers, repeated RAM clearing
    [12:53] Lack of consequences for casino corporations that cheat players
    [16:50] G2E, facial recognition, eConnect, prediction markets
    [23:00] Lack of persistent state slot machines at G2E, new version of Sigma Derby,
    [26:45] Roll to Win Craps
    [29:53] Marble Run by Interblock, wide area progressive slots
    [32:02] New offerings from Zitro and Light and Wonder
    [33:28] Buy a bonus features, Buffalo Power Play
    [35:52] Higher W2G limit impact on ambiance and Blueberi Gaming's jackpot speaker system
    [38:42] Self pay for W2G's, $1999 jackpot machines
    [42:04] Ainsworth Playboy theme, popular themes, and copycats
    [45:00] Licensing fees for Dragon Link versus Spooky Link
    [47:20] Skill-based slot machines
    [49:32] Recommended: Ann Patchett's Bel Canto, Art Manteris' The Bookie

    Links:
    http://cdcgaming.com/writers/buddy-frank
    http://willyallison.com/post/white-paper

    Recommended:
    Ann Patchett's Bel Canto - https://amzn.to/4yjWGDf
    Art Manteris' The Bookie - https://amzn.to/4hFHObM
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    55 mins
  • Laurance Scott - beating roulette

    Laurance Scott - beating roulette
    Aug 26 2026
    Laurance Scott has been beating roulette for over 30 years. He was first on our show 13 years ago. (Link below to that episode) He is now retiring, and joins us to talk about his start and how the game has changed.

    Show Notes[00:00] Introduction of roulette player, Laurance Scott
    [00:48] Getting started in roulette
    [06:00] Playing Huxley wheels
    [07:27] Roulette teams
    [09:12] Device laws outside of the U.S
    [10:32] Mistakes made by beginner roulette players
    [15:40] Surveillance of wheel watchers
    [18:24] Timing back door
    [23:00] Playing in France
    [29:04] Playing in Macau
    [36:48] Playing biased wheels and distracting dealers
    [41:56] Contacting surgeons to implant a computer
    [47:12] Games and heat in Las Vegas


    Links:

    Laurance Scott episode from 2013
    https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4082481490083758475/9122198373771667070

    Interview with Keith and Marty Taft
    https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/gambling-with-an-edge/interview-with-keith-and-marty-taft/?srsltid=AfmBOooeWKDCJlJPx-KphISabY621YkT1Qh7Yt_Vth2YZfdnN4j6JxHZ

    http://mezzobistro.com

    Checkmate by Ben Mezrich https://amzn.to/4ce7xq1
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    52 mins
  • Sports bettor Milkshake

    Sports bettor Milkshake
    Aug 12 2026
    Milkshake lost all his money following a tout, and it set him off on a journey to figure out how to win money sports betting.

    Show Notes

    [00:00] Introduction of sports better, Milkshake
    [00:38] Milkshake’s path into advantage play
    [03:09] Top-down betting and going to BetBash 2
    [05:25] Moving for professional bettors
    [09:38] Odds screens, arbitrage, limiting, and nuances of top-down
    [15:42] Why did $600 move a major market?
    [16:45] What percentage of Milkshake’s action today is moving versus modeling?
    [18:24] Making in prediction markets
    [19:10] Evaluating potential movers
    [21:57] Betting at kiosks
    [24:50] Source of truth
    [26:44] Setting up partnerships
    [28:22] Camouflage bets, priming accounts
    [30:45] Faking the market
    [32:28] Should winning accounts go dormant before being limited?
    [33:43] Shifting the closing line to avoid CLV
    [34:51] Milkshake's book and podcast recommendations
    [36:10] Using sportsbook bonuses

    [39:29] How will Milkshake's betting evolve over the next few years?
    [41:54] Relevant knowledge of sports when top-down betting
    [43:09] In-game betting
    [44:17] Can value be found in a team's losing streaks?


    Links:
    x.com/BeBetterBettors
    x.com/halfkelly
    Logic of Sports Betting by Ed-Miller https://amzn.to/4x6Wx67
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    46 mins
  • Charles Star

    Charles Star
    Jul 27 2026
    Charles Star is a self-described podcast slut. He went from lawyer to comedian and is now on a quest to do 53 podcasts in 52 weeks.

    Show Notes
    [00:00] Introduction of Charles Small
    [00:36] Podcast appearances bet
    [03:25] No Homework and City Saint, Country Saint podcasts
    [05:57] Transitioning from law into comedy
    [14:07] Leaving standup
    [15:58] Podcasting
    [17:08] Gambling and sports better stories
    [20:33] Legal career after temp jobs
    [26:07] Civil asset forfeiture
    [29:11] The Moth and strange legal cases
    [34:16] OST realistic legal shows and movies
    [40:22] Travel stories
    [46:15] Favorite Las Vegas restaurant that is not in a casino

    Links:
    http://nohomework.website
    http://soundcloud.com/hwpod
    http://davidhill.substack.com/p/introducing-american-gambler
    http://nakamurayalv.com
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    49 mins