Never Forget - Live, Learn and Go Forward

Numbers – Probability – Playing the odds

With the recent tragedy that took place on the campus of Virginia Tech there has been much debate, at least where I live, concerning gun control. There have been cries for more control, some for enforcement of the existing laws and others just crying because of the heart breaking loss of innocent life.

People who say that we don’t need more gun control love to use statistics to back themselves us. Here in Florida it is legal to carry concealed handguns, with a permit of course.

I thought I’d throw out some of the statistics that I’ve heard on this issue.

In 2003, your odds of dying from an injury were 1 in 1,755.

Your odds of dying from a motor vehicle accident were 1 in 6,050.

Your odds of dying from a handgun incident were 1 in 24,400 while your odds of dying from a drug overdose were 1 in 31,508

In case you ever wondered what the odds of dying from a poisonous snake bite are, here’s the website:

http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm

Pretty good odds overall wouldn’t you say – unless you were sitting in the classroom on the campus of Virginia Tech.

You see odds are good for large groups and they tend to give us a “big picture” outlook. So when something happens to us and we mention it to others sometimes we get sympathy, sometimes we get annoyance, mostly we just get blank stares.

When play a game, like TBJ a certain way/style/fashion and then notice that it’s not working any longer you have a couple of choices:

Continue with your style – blame variance problems and just “wait it out”
Analyze what has changed to produce such a different result

So you go back and review your playing habits/style. You see that you are still doing an aggressive progression game that should be working. I mean after all you’ve based this style of play upon Stanford Wong’s CTS book. You wait until you lose a hand, then bet 1/7, 1/3 and finally all-in. According to Mr. Wong, the grandfather of TBJ, your odds of winning one of those bets is 86% isn't it? I mean the odds of losing 4 hands in a row are what?

Finally it dawns on when you realize that the reason that your aggressive progression style of play is not having the same results. Why?

Then you go back and look at your recorded results and what do you see – lets post some ACTUAL data shall we?

April 11, 2007. $50 SNG table and you’re in seat 7 (great seat)

Dealer Up Dealers Result
Card Final Cards
7 18 Loss
Queen 22 Win – dealer bust
Queen 20 Loss
8 21 Loss
Ace 20 Loss
8 18 Loss
3 23 Win – dealer bust
Queen 20 Loss
4 18 Loss
Jack 20 Loss
10 17 Loss
6 21 Loss

The dealer drew to 19, 20 or 21 6/12 times (50%). The dealer only bust 2/12 times or (16.7%)

Probability charts tell us that the dealer should draw to 19, 20 or 21 38.6% of the time. In addition the dealer should bust 28.2% of the time.

Now, taking the above figures and using a binomial calculator we find that the probability of the dealer only busting is 19.1%.

How about drawing to 19, 20 or 21? Using the same mathematical resources we find the probability of the dealer having 19, 20 or 21 6 times in 12 hands to be 16%.

Wow, how unlucky can one person get? Unless the results are purposefully and deliberately skewed.

You see, statistics sound good and your probability of winning a single hand of BJ is 44%. So the shills of Bet21.com, the flunkies and wanna be owners try and dismiss these and other results by saying the sample size is too small or it’s distorted. Is my sample size small – yes because it’s just me. Is it distorted – only if Bet21.com is the crocked site that some believe it to be.

Just stick it out and it’ll come around the naysayers post. The trend is your friend, probability and numbers don’t matter in the short term. You’re safe to play and risk your money. Just like you’re safe at school. I mean according to the statistics your odds of dying are miniscule.

Yeah - Tell that to dead students at Virginia Tech who had their lives tragically cut short by an out of control, evil, psychotic mad man. To the survivors, friends and family members may you somehow find peace and comfort in your time of loss. The prayers of many in this country are with you.

Weapons of Mass Destruction & Blackjack

What do these two have in common? Is there an Al Quida threat for the next UBT event? Maybe it refers to Joe eating ten super deluxe burritos and playing at the tables? No again. It’s an analogy. Let me explain.

In the early 2000’s there was evidence that weapons of mass destruction existed in Iraq. Some was based on intelligence, covert, overt and in retrospect fabricated. Saddam Hussein relished the attention and did nothing to debunk the theories – in fact some of his actions actually perpetuated the theory that Iraq did have these weapons of mass destruction. In hindsight it was nothing more that a big game of chicken with neither side blinking.

So in April 2003 the US invaded Iraq on the basis that there were weapons of mass destruction and that they would be found. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and now months have turned into years. Still no weapons of mass destruction have been found.

Now there are those who claim that the 20 canisters of VX gas proved that the weapons of mass destruction were there. Others point to the current use of Chlorine Gas Clouds as a “form” of weapons of mass destruction. Those people are reaching to justify their beliefs when in reality they were conned.

Bet21.com is like Saddam and I feel like President Bush, only better looking and much more articulate :D

There have been broken promises by Bet21.com regarding the deposit bonus money – just like Saddam broke the no-fly zone. Bet21.com didn’t bother to talk about it, how they intend to make good on it, etc. Saddam simply said, “It’s my country I’ll do what I want”.

Now the non-random seating fiasco developed and was SO obvious that everyone, and I mean everyone, noticed and commented on it – except Bet21.com. Seems like when Colin Powell showed chemical weapons trucks at the UN meeting along with all the other intelligence everyone was talking about that too – except Saddam. Can you see where I’m going with this?

I truly believe that there is a software “switch” somewhere whereby with a push of a button the people who make decisions at Bet21.com can make the cards harder or easier based upon what the dealer gets, not the players. That’s why I’ve tracked the dealer’s hands and outcomes.

My philosophy is simple – it’s not what I have that matters. It’s what the dealer ends up with that’s more important. I’ve posted some preliminary data and there’s a whole lot more where that came from. The only thing is at what point do you stop, take two steps back and ask yourself why?

Principles are one thing that I hold to dearly and they guide me often – sometimes getting me into hot water. Sometimes when we ask questions we aren’t really “happy” with the answers we get.

Random My Ass!

Random – proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern: the random selection of numbers.

The word random is used to express lack of purpose, cause, order, or predictability in non-scientific parlance. A random process is a repeating process whose outcomes follow no describable deterministic pattern, but follow a probability distribution.

The term randomness is often used in statistics to signify well defined statistical properties, such as lack of bias or correlation.

Does this apply to Bet21.com? In a single word: NO!

Since my last posting I’ve been a busy little beaver playing numerous sit n go BJ tournaments at Bet21.com. Why you ask?

Simple I had 215 tournament dollars to use and I can’t “cash them out”. So I might as well put them to good scientific use.

What I found was astonishing.

Since the last “software update” Bet21.com has this “habit” of assigning people seats 1-7. Now for the uninitiated to elimination blackjack (EBJ) seating position is crucial to your longevity. Players who are “on the button” (OTB) means they have to bet first. This is a distinct disadvantage since all the other players can then know how much they need to bet in order to beat you (get the high) or how little to bet in order to (get the low).

I played 6 Blackjack tournament games on April 11, 2007 and the results were nothing if not eye opening.

But first some background:

Looking at just four (4) separate things:
Dealer having an Ace showing, Dealer getting BJ, Dealer drawing to 20 or 21 (without BJ) and Dealer Busting.

The frequency of this occurring is:
Dealer showing Ace – 7.7%
Dealer getting BJ - 4.75%
Dealer drawing to 20-21 - 25.2%
Dealer busting out - 28.2%

In the six (6) games that I played there was a total of 69 hands: Here is the frequency that occurred:

Dealer showing Ace – 7/69 10.1%
Dealer getting BJ - 4/69 5.8%
Dealer drawing to 20-21 - 24/69 34.8%
Dealer busting out - 9/69 13.0%

In one game in particular these were the dealer’s cards:

K-17, 2-21, 7-17, 4-19, A-20, J-17, 8-20, 3-18. I was eliminated on hand 8. I had 1 win (20 vs. 17) and 2 pushes (17 & 20).

Now this is a small sample size to be sure but trust me I have 1000+ hands that I am working on and will post the results later.

Bottom Line: Bet21.com is RIGGED.

Statistically this is not an anomaly but a deliberate and thought out decision to quicken their games in order to increase the rake at their tables.

But wait…there’s more…

Bet21 Customer Service

One day, a company, called Bet21.com looked around and decided that they wanted a change. So they set out on a journey on the internet. They posted and advertised for new players and kept going criss crossing the land until the government passed a bill called UIGEA which resembled a river.

The river was wide and swift, and Bet21.com stopped to reconsider their business plan & situation. Bet21.com couldn't see any way across. So they began to recruit certain players and shills all along their player network. Bet21.com checked all their players, including Team UBT, all the while thinking that they had come to far to turn back.

Suddenly, Bet21.com saw FGK playing on their site every day. They decided to use FGK for advertising and to spread the word to new players thereby helping to improve their financial situation until UIGEA was repealed.

"Hellooo Mr. FGK" called Bet21.com, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?"

"Well now, Bet21.com! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to screw me?" asked FGK hesitantly.

"Because," Bet21.com replied, "If I try to screw you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!"

Now this seemed to make sense to the FGK. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to screw me and get back to the shore!"

"This is true," agreed Bet21.com, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!"

"Alright then...how do I know you won’t just wait till after the $25,000 tournament and THEN screw me?" said the frog.

"Ahh...," crooned Bet21.com "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you by screwing you now would it?!"

So the FGK agreed to take Bet21.com across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. Bet21.com crawled onto FGK's back.

The muddy waters of controversy swirled around them, but FGK stayed the course so Bet21.com would not suffer. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream and his critics, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.

Halfway across the river, FGK suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, got some e-mails from Bet21.com and removed them from his inbox. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.

"You fool!" croaked FGK, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"

Bet21.com (the scorpion) shrugged, and did a little jig on the drowning FGK's back.

"I could not help myself. It is my nature."

Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.

Self destruction - "It’s my Nature", said Bet21.com

A thoughtful analogy

One day as the Little Red Hen was typing on his keyboard he found a discrepancy in his deposit bonus account.

"This deposit bonus should be redeemed," he said. "Who will discuss this with Bet21.com?"

"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.

"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And he did.

Soon the e-mails grew more and more disturbing.

"The CS department is not very nice," said the Little Red Hen. "Who will help me spread the word about the deposit bonus problem?"

"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.

"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And he did.

When the thread was started, the Little Red Hen said, "Who keep up the pressure and start blogging and Google searches?"

"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.

"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And he did.

When customer service didn’t answer the issue, the Little Red Hen said, "Who will take this problem to the proper authorities?"

"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.

"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And he did. He took the information to Canada and proceeded to discuss the problem with the people who issue permits.

Who will boycott Bet21.com to make a symbolic point?"

"Not I," said the Duck.
"Not I," said the Cat.
"Not I," said the Dog.

"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And he did.

Then the people at Bet21.com told the Little Red Hen that yes, there was a discrepancy and that if they were given more time it would be handled. For his problems they gave the Little Red Hen 50 tourney dollars.

He decided to look at the big picture and understand why it had taken so long. Then he said, "Who will turn these tourney dollars into cash?"

"Oh! I will," said the Duck.
"And I will," said the Cat.
"And I will," said the Dog.

"No, No!" said the Little Red Hen. "I will do that." And he did, turning the 50 tourney dollars into 215 tourney dollars and over 120 in cash.

Now the Duck, the Cat and the Dog started to attack the Little Red Hen.

“Hey how come you got something and I didn’t” the Duck said.
“You’re a traitor to your own cause,” said the Cat
“So much for your principles, you’re a turncoat,” said the Dog

But the Little Red Hen just smiled. You didn’t notice the situation, you didn’t write the letters, you didn’t do your homework, you didn’t join the boycott and you don’t even play at the site,” said the Little Red Hen. “So why should I share my hard work with you?”

It’s good to be me thought the Little Red Hen.

Run FGK Run

What the heck happened?

I declared a truce with them because I had received a promise of action, a small token as a good faith measure and something else that I’m not at liberty to say.

My mail goal in this endeavor was to get Bet21.com to acknowledge that yes, a problem exists and that yes, they are aware of it and that a suitable resolution was/is in the works.

Unfortunately there have been many people who have either misconstrued my intentions or have been using this as a device to further THEIR own agendas.

I have said in the past and I will state it again. I am an independent person in this quest. I do not encourage others to join with me, unless it is their desire. I do this on my own. It’s kind of like when Forrest Gump was jogging back and forth across the US. People didn’t understand and thought there was some deeper meaning until finally there was a great big following when suddenly Forrest just stopped…

Have I stopped…Is the quest over…Is this the end…what’s next?

My quest will stop when I have what is rightfully mine. I understand that in the grand scheme of things there are priorities and that as much as I would love to think that returning my deposit bonus money is a priority for Bet21.com in reality it isn’t.

If Bet21.com folded up shop today and closed their doors what would happen?

If playing Elimination Blackjack were removed from the web would it matter?

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear does it make a noise?

Armistice Day

When is enough enough?

At what point do you throw the baby out with the bathwater?

My quest for the Mystical Deposit Bonus is not over. But it is time to give it a rest.

Yes I have received feedback from Bet21.com and the minions that work there.

I have proof that intelligent life forms do exist behind their numerous e-mails.

As a token they have given me fifty (50) tournament dollars in hopes of keeping me “quiet”.

Now as a man of principle I can not be bought (at least not so cheaply). I feel that I have made my point.

This olive branch by Bet21.com, to me, acknowledges that yes there is a problem and they have recognized that it exists.

Why is it not being addressed immediately? At this point why don’t I push in and “go for the kill?”

That was not my original intention nor was it my goal.

Why would I kill the Golden Goose? When given magic beans should I plant them or cook them? Am I about the here and now or do I look at the future?

Being the visionary that I am I have decided that it was time to step back and look at the overall landscape. Yes I have identified a problem and it has been acknowledged.

The question is HOW LONG BEFORE IT IS RESOLVED?

What’s next?

What great evil lurks in the shadows that hinders the hobbies of millions?

Could it be UIGEA?

Bet21 won't listen so......

Sometimes you just try and try to be a nice guy.

The old expression, “nice guys finish last” – well I’m beginning to believe in that.

I’ve tried customer service again and again and again and again. Their response has been less than stellar

So I guess it’s time to go to the NEXT level – CANADA

That’s right boys and girls, Canada. In particular Kahnawake.

Why Kahnawake? Well it just so happens that Kahnawake is located on the native Mohawk Indian reservation situated on the St. Lawrence River's south shore opposite Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I hear it’s a nice place. In fact there is where the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) is headquartered.

KGC you say? Who are they? The KGC was established in June 1996 (pursuant the Kahnawake Gaming Law provisions), and comprises three members selected by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake: Chairperson Alan Goodleaf, John K. Diabo and David Montour. The Commission's mandate is to regulate and control gaming & gaming related activities performed within and from its territory.

The KGC charges permit fees of 25,000 with yearly 10,000 renewals. Why do they do this? Well since they’ve issued 443 permits we can see that it brings in a fair amount of revenue.

So what does the KGC do? These Regulations are designed to satisfy 3 basic principles:
1. That only suitable persons & entities are permitted to operate within Kahnawake; 2. That the games offered are fair to the players; and 3. That winners are paid.
REALLY? You don’t say?

Oh come on now, the KGC is nothing more than a rubber stamp for the casinos. I hear you out there. But wait what happened in 2004? At the Olympics? Remember? Well I can’t show the ACTUAL offense but you get the idea. What happened?

In September 2004, the Commission received a number of complaints following an incident which occurred at the Olympic Games in Athens involving an individual who streaked as a publicity stunt designed to promote the Golden Palace casino, a KGC permit holder.
Following an investigation, the Commission ordered Golden Palace to never engage again in the same marketing practices. Golden Palace was also required to make a significant donation to other Kahnawake organizations.

The people there are really nice and very friendly to speak with. If anyone has any complains with any of their permit holders it’s amazing how eager they are to speak with you….

Call me…let’s talk….

Who you gonna call?

No not Ghostbusters this time. However the silence from Bet21.com is spooky.

I still cannot fathom a company that advertises a loss leader, in this case the deposit bonuses, then completely reneges upon their promises.

Image you get a flyer from Best Buy saying that HD flat screen 36” TVs are only 199.00!

You rush down to the local Best Buy and are informed that all the TV’s are sold out – sorry. But here, let’s give you a rain check so that when the next shipment comes in we’ll sell them to you.

Days go by, then the days turn to weeks and the weeks finally turn to months. Several times you’ve called Best Buy inquiring about the HD sets only to be told, “We’re working on it.”

Finally after 6 months you say, “Enough is enough” and you demand to see the manager and show them your rain check. “I’m sorry but we don’t have the software to validate that rain check – NEXT”

How would YOU feel?

Happy? Relieved? Frustrated? Angry? Disappointed?

All of the above?

Now here’s the 64 dollar question: “Would you ever believe Best Buy in the future? Would you shop at Best Buy in the future?”

What would you tell your friends about that store?

How is that above scenario any different from the bait and switch being done with Bet21.com?

Tell me – I’m waiting!

Bet21.com - What will it be?

What will it take?

People always want to know what your goals are.

Why are you dong this?

Very simply put – I want answers.

I want Bet21.com to be held responsible for their promises.

I want some communication from them regarding how they plan to correct this situation.

If Bet21.com published a letter stating something to this effect:

“We at Bet21.com have been made aware that there is a problem with the redemption of the pending bonus dollars for our Blackjack players. We were unaware that this situation had not been resolved and are working very diligently with the software programmers in an effort to resolve this situation.

Therefore, until such time we would ask your patience with Bet21.com and we assure you that all pending deposit bonus dollars will be awarded effective _______________.

We apologize for the delays and promise to make every effort to keep you updated in the future.”

Now would THAT be so hard?

If they were to do that I would place my BOYCOTT on hold, assuming that their announced deadline was reasonable and not 6 months away.

So what about it Bet21.com?

Is my beef with Bet21.com really about the deposit bonus or is it something deeper?

Let’s look at the facts shall we?

My initial deposits that qualified me for the bonus money goes back to August 2006 (7 months ago). From September to February I have played in over 700 games (SNG & tourneys). During that time I questioned when the deposit bonuses would be released and twice it was answered by reputable people:

On November 19, 2006 this post was made by Joep:
"All players who signed up when Bet 21 first came on line, will receive all their due bonuses retro active from Day 1 of their deposit. As this will take some addition time to check all play from the beginning, they have told me ALL owed bonus money will be resolved by Jan. 1, 2007, at the latest."

http://www.blackjacktournaments.com/bb/showthread.php?t=2860

Then again on January 5, 2007, this quote was posted by Hollywood Dave:
The GOOD news is that not only is the retroactive bonus $$$ STILL a priority there, but now the affiliate program has been expanded as well -- which means that soon people like Ken Smith, for instance, can just create their own bonus codes (such as 'KINGKEN') that new players can enter to receive personalized bonuses, etc...The BAD news is that all of these changes -- bonus money, affiliate codes, etc -- are still a few weeks off. Projections now have been revised to the beginning of February, rather than the beginning of January as originally anticipated

http://www.blackjacktournaments.com/bb/showthread.php?t=3069

[Links are provided as to prove that I haven’t done any “fancy” editing]

As of March 27, 2007 I don’t believe anyone has had their pending deposit dollars converted to real cash by playing BJ.

But wait you say I should just go to a poker table and grind it out to get my bonus money? Well how do you explain this link from Bet21.com?

http://www.bet21.com/_htmls/game/blackjack-bonus-dollars.html

Now I ask you this, if the people in charge of Bet21.com lie to their surrogate representatives like Joep and Hollywood Dave – basically hanging them out to dry – what makes you think that they give a rats ass about you or I?

The argument goes: It’s (Bet21.com) the only game in town so don’t rock the boat.

To those people my response is this:

Why don’t you play 6:5 BJ or better yet even money BJ? At some casino’s it’s the only game in the house. Do you think Joep would ever play even money BJ? How about Hollywood? Noman, would you sit down at a SuperFun 21 BJ game and play because it was the only one in town?

I think not!

But we do it blindly with Bet21.com. Why?

BECAUSE IT’S THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN RIGHT?

Now I don’t mean to get political but there is some analogy here with our current administration and the Iraq War.

In the beginning we invaded Iraq based on the intelligence and WMD. Since that time we haven’t found WMD. In the news now is the revelation about Pat Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinal pro football player who enlisted in the special forces and was killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire – that wasn’t what was initially reported. In fact Pat Tillman’s death was used as a recruiting aid at the time. Only now are the “facts” being made public.

My point is this: With so much disinformation the American public is saying, “how can we trust anything that comes out of this administration?” This issue is not how Pat Tillman was killed (Pat Tillman is a hero regardless) but why we, the American public, were lied to in the beginning.

Bet21.com is using the same tactics as the current White House Administration. Stonewall, ignore, abuse of power. Therefore in this environment the same mistrust is being bread and spread. The lack of communication from Bet21.com is deafening! How much longer will they continue to ignore their customers. How much longer will they simply pretend that there is no problem and that it doesn't exist?

If we can't trust a company to make good on it's INITIAL promises, i.e., the Deposit Bonus - How can we trust them to live up to any one of their other promises - like a FAIR game?

How do you KNOW there isn’t a skew in the cards being dealt? How do you know that you aren’t being tracked? How do you know that your money will be returned to you? Were you part of the Neteller fiasco? How do you know that Bet21.com has enough funds to cut you that check? How do you know…..?

Trust is the answer and at this juncture Bet21.com has used up their goodwill …..

How Soon is Soon?

What’s in a word?

So how soon is soon?

Bet21.com has recently (within the past 3 (three) days) changed their promo page. They currently offer deposit bonus for new account deposits up to $350 (down from the original $650).

Wow, what a deal. Bet21.com, whose motto is, the Place to play elimination Blackjack” and “as seen on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour” is offering new players a chance to get $350!

But hold on there – let’s look at the fine print shall we?

When you click on the link it states, “…we’re giving all new first time depositors a 100% Deposit Bonus for poker.

NOTE: Blackjack Bonus Dollars are coming soon!” (yellow highligher)

Well at least they (Bet21.com) is finally being honest. But now the question becomes, how soon is soon?

soon /sun/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[soon] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adverb, -er, -est.
1. within a short period after this or that time, event, etc.: We shall know soon after he calls.

2. before long; in the near future; at an early date: Let's leave soon.

3. promptly or quickly: He came as soon as he could.

4. readily or willingly: I would as soon walk as ride.

5. early in a period of time; before the time specified is much advanced: soon at night; soon in the evening.

6. Obsolete. immediately; at once; forthwith.
—Idioms

7. sooner or later, eventually: Sooner or later his luck will run out.

8. would sooner, to prefer to: I would sooner not go to their party. Compare rather (def. 8).
[Origin: bef. 900; ME; OE sōna; c. OHG sān, Goth suns ]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006

If you had opened a Bet21.com account when you click on the Pending Bonus link here is what it says, “You can convert bonus dollars by playing in Elimination Blackjack™ and poker tournaments and Sit 'n' Gos. Bonus dollars will be converted to real money for play on the site at the rate of $1 for every 30 Bet21 points you earn at our Elimination Blackjack and poker tournaments and Sit 'n' Gos. Bonus dollars will be converted to real money for play on the site at the rate $1 per every ten Bet21 points you earn at our Raked Poker Ring Games table. You can see how many pending bonus dollars you have by clicking on "My Account" within the Bet21 Lobby. Pending bonus dollars are listed under your Real Money Account Information. One bonus per person. This bonus offer is available to new players only. Players that deposit and withdraw bonus dollars without significant amount of play will be required to forfeit their bonus dollars. Subject to change.
Copyright 2006 Bet21.com All Rights Reserved. Bet21.com are trademark owned by Blast Off Limited”

Now what is it? Can you convert bonus dollars or not?

A quasi representative for Bet21.com told a well known blackjack tournament site that he had spoken to Bet21.com. In December 2006 this gentleman posted this:

“The deposit bonuses that are due players that have new and recent deposits, will appear in your account and be available to use in 2 to 3 weeks at the most.All players who signed up when Bet 21 first came on line, will receive all their due bonuses retro active from Day 1 of their deposit.As this will take some addition time to check all play from the beginning, they have told me ALL owed bonus money will be resolved by Jan. 1, 2007, at the latest.”

That was posted on November 19, 2006.

So my original question remains, how soon is soon?

I guess that depends upon the meaning of the word is right?

[for the uninitiated click here for another famous use of words by former President Clinton http://www.slate.com/id/1000162/]

Perception or Reality?

Bet21.com – PERCEPTION versus REALITY

When a person does business with someone or some company the foundation for any and all transaction is simply this – trust.

Do I trust that what I am buying/purchasing/using, etc., is what this person/company claims it is or does.

TRUST – plain and simple.

If I don’t trust the company then very simply put why should I do business with them?

In America, most business that can’t be trusted very quickly go out of business. In fact there are some businesses that seem to know that so they purposely lie and scam people. There are certain “businesses” that sell products that are either stolen or of such poor quality as to be useless but since the company is liquidated and gone they don’t care.

Then there are other companies that are built on false advertising or crocked concepts – a great example of that is the Ponzi scheme started by Charles Ponzi in New York City in 1903. 20% on your money in only 30 days!

Some early investors with Ponzi got their 20% - others lost everything. Was Charles Ponzi a great businessman or a charlatan? I guess it depends upon whom you talk to:

PERCEPTION versus REALITY

What does this have to do with Bet21.com?

Maybe everything or then again maybe nothing.

Perception is Reality to many people. Look at Chicken Little. Chicken Little was CONVINCED that the sky was falling. The reality of the situation was that an acorn hit Chicken Little on the head but in Chicken Little’s mind the sky was literally falling.

REALITY versus PERCEPTION

So what is more important? How are we to discern between the two? Is there really any difference?

In the 1980’s the news media talked about a pending United States Recession for many many months. The economic indicators were not pointing toward a recession but the media continued with their mantra – finally the recession occurred.

Did the public’s perception of the pending recession cause the recession or was the reality that we were already headed for a recession and the news media was ahead of the curve?

REALITY versus PERCEPTION

When a company doesn’t pay their bills to their customers are they on the verge of going under? Are they having trouble meeting their financial obligations? If they can’t pay their bills what happens to any money that I have entrusted to them?

REALITY versus PERCEPTION

Early Background

What happens when a company promises something and then doesn’t deliver on that promise?

That is the case right now with an online Blackjack Tournament Gaming Site: Bet21.com

They started operations in August 2006 and offer the first and only Elimination Blackjack (EBJ)

For those of you who aren’t familiar with EBJ it is a new form for Tournament Blackjack (TBJ). EBJ is fun, it is exciting and a great game of strategy. It beat playing poker hands down.

Now for the bad news, the only licensed online company that is allowed to license EBJ is Bet21.com. This company advertised that they would match you initial deposit with them, up to $600 dollars.

Then in the fine print it says that you need to play a certain number of real dollars in order to release your bonus money. So far so good. However it turns out that the company doesn’t even have the software to keep track of your play and that the only way to receive the promised deposit bonus is to play at their poker tables!

Talk about false and deceptive advertising!

More to come……

The quest for the mythical bonus deposit dollars

The purpose of this blog is to INFORM players about the TRUTH behind Bet21.com.

This is the opening of this blog. I anticipate some lively discussions and posts and encougage other people to help me spread the word in the tournament Blackjack community