Part 5 - Cheats and Thieves
This is a sore subject for AP's. True Advantage Play relies on skill not deceit. If you look at a man right in the eye, it's hard to get your hand in his wallet. Gaining an edge for the AP is a personal challenge and takes mental, physical and emotional skill not sleight of hand. No self-respecting AP would stoop to cheating to gain an edge. Ill gotten wins are not the goal of the AP. AP's get personal satisfaction from beating casinos at the casino's terms. Casinos advertise that they offer games of chance but the games are rigged in the casino's favor. The house always wins, in the long run. Try winning five figures unrated at any casino and they will hold your winnings hostage until you produce identification. Legal? Hardly but it has become the norm with Gaming and Law Enforcement's blessing. But I digress. AP's have been labeled as cheats since Griffen Investigations did so in the late 60's and early 70's. Robert and Beverly Griffin sold casinos a bill of goods, called the Griffin Book, that they ate up like free candy. The Griffin Book incorrectly labeled many AP's and ploppys as thieves and cheats with no justification and gave these "suspects" no chance to defend themselves. Casinos believed the Griffin Book as though it was the Bible but this is not the word of god. The Griffin Book was a group of opinions created by an agency that benefited from instilling fear in their customers and knowing so, created the illusion that there were thousands of cheats and thieves out there waiting to descend on defenseless casinos like bands of outlaws in the wild west. Laughable at best but I call it unconscionable.