Do you want some pie?

Sorry, but I've realized I really need to do one more thing before we really kick off. I have to tell you a little bit of my personal history so you understand how I came to discover all the things I'm about to explain to you. If I don't tell you my story then why would you trust me?

As I've already said, I live in Southern California, where there are a great GREAT SURPRISINGLY GREAT many casinos. But I was born and raised in the UK, where gambling is ridiculously legal, to the point there are bookies on every single road in the land. Google it. William Hill, Ladbrokes, Corals, Betfred, Paddypower, Stan James, the list goes on and on. Each store has slot machines and a dozen TV screens and in the good old days were full of ashtrays and newspapers and torn up losing betting slips. If you liked to gamble you could live in these establishments. Later on I joined my favorite snooker club, which also had slot machines and big TV screens and lots of snooker and pool tables and ashtrays. And eventually a poker room too. And then came online gambling. So that after a long day gambling I could go home and gamble too. And then everyone was suddenly into online poker. And then I started making twice-weekly trips to the casino to play poker with real people. And later still I would save up enough money to make an annual trip to Las Vegas and get to the universal home of gambling. And finally, when I was 40 years old, I moved to California.

I didn't come here for any other reason than to better the lives of my family, to work hard and to live the dream in sunshine and luxury. But I quickly discovered there were SO many casinos near where I lived and they were so inviting for someone who loves to gamble. I also quickly realized that gambling in the US was a very different experience to gambling in the UK, on many levels, and I had to go through various growing pains to come to appreciate their differences and ultimately come to discover how I could get the most out of what the US casino's had to offer me.

The most important lesson for me came in about 1994 on one of my Vegas trips. I was there for 2 weeks (that was my first mistake!) and after 7 days was running low on funds, so to pass the days more cheaply I decided to visit ALL the casinos and see what was happening in each. I also broke the back of the Englishman inside me and actually started to TALK to people! That proved to be SO beneficial it grew on me. The Brits do NOT talk to strangers. But I started chatting to all the Americans (who LOVE to talk to strangers!) and I got to learn so much about what makes Vegas tick. And since then I've continued to learn that way, until now, when I get to tell you all that I know.

So, it has been a long journey here. But I think I've got this mastered now. 

OK, You can go and grab some pie now, and on the next page I will begin the bit you really came here to read.