CABOT — The name Sam Barrington sounds aristocratic and strong. And that’s why Jeff Duncan chose it to be his nom de plume for his book Ask Dr. BlackJack, which reveals the secrets to winning at blackjack that he’s developed over the past 30 years.
In the early ’80s, Duncan took his first trip to Las Vegas with a friend, and they ended up in Caesar’s Palace.
“He came back with chips in his hand that he had gotten from the blackjack table,” Duncan said about his friend. “So I started watching. There’s no talking in blackjack. I just watched the hand motion, and I was mesmerized by that.”
He said that since then, he’s read nearly 40 books on how to play the game, and it took him about seven years, but he has developed his own strategy to winning.
Hanging out with the likes of Tony Bennett and Jack Banyan, Duncan of Cabot has learned that if one wins at the game, the casinos will offer up some rewards, such as elaborate suites, food, show tickets, shopping sprees and trips. However, he also discovered if he always wins, and the casino realizes that it may not get its money back, he can be banned from returning — ever.
“I was pulled aside and deemed a card counter,” he said. “I’m not a card counter. I told them that if they went back and looked, they’d see that my bids were consistent, and I wasn’t counting cards.”
His book not only gives secrets to winning, but he also tells stories of his visits to casinos, such as the heightened security, a near robbery and finding a dead body in a parking garage.
Some advice Duncan offers to someone who has never played blackjack is to get a beginner’s guide to learn the basics of the game. His book is geared more toward those who know a little about the game.
“It’s for the guy who’s played and wants his money to go a little farther,” Duncan said about his book. “It’s not that complicated. I just boil it down where it’s easy to understand.”
He also gives away the
inside secrets of the High Roller Room.
“The room is quieter, drinks come faster, girls are prettier, and bets are higher,” he wrote in his book about the room.
Growing up in Stuttgart as a rice farmer, Duncan decided that farming wasn’t the direction he wanted his life to take. So when he was only 17, with 72 bucks in his pocket, he said he came to Little Rock and walked the streets until he found a job.
He worked as a valet parking attendant in 1970 for National Garages, and he continued to work in the parking business throughout his career.
In July 2004, Duncan and his longtime friend David Bogard formed Best Park, which owns and manages many parking lots and garages in the city.
Duncan also offers blackjack advice on his website, AskDrBlackJack.com.
Staff writer Jeanni Brosius can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or jbrosius@arkansasonline.com.