Advantage Players
Author: Michael Kaplan
329 Pages – Huntington Press, 2025
Cop Out
Teachers, and even college professors, today bemoan the fact that many students are using AI to write their papers, claiming it as their own.
In an effort to keep up with this youth movement, I also swiped a lot of this review (from fellow humans, not AI). You can click on the links below to read a great profile and listen to an exclusive in-depth podcast/interview with the author and on the book:
If for some reason you’re still around, I do have a few personal opinions on both the book and the subject of advantage players (AP).
The Book
First, this is a great read. Whether or not you are in the casino industry, everyone seems to like the wild and harrowing tales of con men/ women who use their wits to outsmart:
- bad guys
- police
- authorities
- bankers
- corporations
- poker players
- bookies
- everyone in the 1% class
- casinos
The proof is in the popularity of movies like “The Sting,” “Ocean’s 11,” “Catch Me If You Can,” and dozens of others.
In his long career as a gaming writer, Kaplan developed a fondness for advantage play and players. They trusted him to see, and (strangely) document, much of their often-cloaked world. It didn’t hurt that Kaplan himself became a proficient card counter and spent time on a pro counting team backed by investors.
As you hopefully learned from the reference sites above, Kaplan is also an excellent writer with numerous bylines from a variety of national magazines, not to mention his authorship of five other books. In this latest work he strings together some of his best tales from earlier magazine pieces. It appears each chapter could easily be developed into a six-episode Netflix streaming series with multiple seasons. I can’t believe such a show wouldn’t be a chart topper.
His chapters on the exploits of Phil Ivey and Kelly Sun are some of the best. Their celebrity is largely from their huge baccarat wins at Crockfords and the Borgata and the subsequent lawsuits. Kaplan barely mentions those incidents; instead, he provides some fascinating looks at their lifestyles and AP talents.
The first half of the book is focused on casino and betting activities. But he dives into some diverse areas such as medical research, stock trading, real estate, phone hacking, and strippers the rest of the way.
I personally found it interesting to see chapters on Ernie Moody and “Vegas Matt” Morrow in a book about APs. Neither one fits anyone’s definition of an AP. But as Kaplan chronicles, both managed to use their expertise and talents working in the casino industry to become millionaires, if not multi-millionaires.
Throughout the book, Kaplan does talk a lot about sex, prostitutes, call girls, well-endowed male models, and “fin dominatrixs” (you’ll have to read the book to define that last term). Because of this, I doubt if “Advantage Players” will ever be on the “Me Too” organization’s reading list. But these chapters are nonetheless fascinating, in the same way that we can’t look away from car wrecks on the freeway.
Some thoughts about advantage players
To clarify (as Kaplan does throughout the book), I strongly believe that advantage players are not “con” men or “con” women. They are skilled and intelligent players. The author says of advantage play, “It’s a matter of coming up with a way to win in whatever you’re competing at.”
With the rare exception of a few criminal APs (several of which Kaplan profiles in Chapter 20 and beyond) the vast majority of what they do is perfectly legal and within the rules.
That said, many of my colleagues (particularly those working in the table game pits) believe that every AP should be shipped off to Florida’s new “Alligator Alcatraz” once they become good (note: novice and weak APs are highly desirable and welcomed with open arms by all casino hosts).
The very best APs use computers extensively at their homes or businesses to formulate, test and refine their strategies. It is only illegal when they attach these devices to their bodies or use wireless comms to other computer users during live play. The same goes for those using older cheating devices such as light wands, magnets, UV daubers, loaded dice, marked cards, EMF generators, slight-of-hand, monkey paws and the like. They are lawbreakers, not advantage players.
Many enlightened casino operators read and watch everything they can about APs so that they can develop better policies and procedures. Some even employ former, or retired APs, to help them learn more. They also attend annual gatherings like the “World Game Protection Conference” to keep up on the latest threats. I highly recommend you do the same.
Buying this book and others like it is critical to becoming a stronger casino professional. While it may be impossible to thwart the best APs, you’ll quickly learn that casinos with weak P&Ps and poorly trained team members are an open invitation to see your profits walk out the door.
The book’s quote from AP Don Johnson is telling: “I used to think that guys who ran casinos were smart,” said Johnson. “Once I started working with Keith (Burks) and (James) Grosjean, I realized that they’re not so smart.”
I don’t really believe APs are any smarter than operators. But I know for a fact (from my association with some friendly APs) that each and every one of them spend more time studying, practicing and scrutinizing games and slots than almost any operator or manufacturer. They are dedicated, hardworking and willing to risk more than the average Joe. It may not sound smart to lose a million dollars in a single session. It only makes sense when you are confident that you can win two million the next day. If we want to minimize their edge, we need to work harder and smarter.
My earlier comments about table game pros thinking APs should be locked up may soon spread to slot operators. In a recent edition of Tribal Gaming and & Hospitality (TG&H) magazine, security expert Derk Boss wrote, “Advantage players, however, are not gamblers. They are investors. They don’t play unless the odds are tipped in their favor, sometimes enjoying an edge of 20% or more on a device. Compare that to blackjack card counters who operate with maybe a 2% edge. It’s no surprise that we’ve seen former card counters and even Baccarat players migrating to slots.”
Many APs migrated to slots decades ago. Teams of linked-progressive “jackpot chasers” backed by investor money are as old as coin cups and dollar tokens. Admittedly, today’s “persistence” bonuses, ill-conceived Free Play programs and “must-hit-by” progressives have given them lots of new hunting grounds. Be forewarned and get prepared.
Buying and reading this book can’t hurt either.
# # #
You’ll find “Advantage Players” on all the usual sites for $24.95. But I highly recommend buying it straight from the publisher, Huntington Press. They are responsible for producing some of the best books in our industry. I know of no other place that has published as much material on the world of casinos and advantage play. The head man, Anthony Curtis, is also behind the informative “Las Vegas Advisor”. He is also an advantage player himself and a good friend (you should be able to spot his photo and some references in the text of this book).
