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BGonline.org Forums
Who are the best at other things?
Posted By: Jake Jacobs In Response To: Who are the best at other things? (Joe Russell)
Date: Friday, 25 September 2009, at 11:51 p.m.
Most of the BG players, Bob included, are amateurs. Bob's interest and practical knowledge is much greater, than, say, Neil's.
Among those I'm aware of who tried to earn at least some of their living from it were a number of players back in the 70's like Stan Tomchin (who ran a team) and Dennis Calrston.
Most good bridge players can count, but aren't card counters. Around 1980 Kit Woolsey played a lot. In my circles (hard core pros) he sometimes got rapped because he played - again by pro standards - with a lot of cover. But he was a junket player who knew how to work the air fare ticket comp scam, good enough to do at least rudimentary shuffle tracking, and was doing more than just chunking out a few $25 bets before running off to the crap table.
Wilcox apparently played a lot, and had Rich Lloyd counting down shoes and doing BP call-in for him, but I never saw him play.
Of the active BG players (aside from me) the one who I'd rate highest is Drew Giovannis.
As for Andy Bell, I don't know him, but if he played for the M.I.T. Team then he is probably quite good. Johnny Chang, who ran the team for many years, is a friend of mine, and he is very good.
Thing is that there is a monster difference between "good amateur" and "professional." The former might brag about how he uses Uston APC, side counts aces with his toes, deuces with his chips, and 7s with the cocktail stirrers from his Virgin Marys. And he is sure that, while he didn't get barred, the floor man gave him a really mean look. A pro is a guy like Chuck Andrules (who ran the Czech Team). Chuck may have been a sleaze ball (but I always liked you, Chuck!) who counted HiLo and was shaky on basic strategy. But Chuck was also the guy who, playing a frontloader dealing single deck at Caesar's back in the old days, spotted a familiar sight. He left his stool, walked into the pit to the boss's podium, bent over to inspect the wanted poster from Griffin, and realized that, yes, it was a picture of him. Then went back to his chair and continued betting the then house limit of $3000 a hand.
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