This continues the interview with Lee McKenzie. The first part of this interview can be found here:
https://www.reddit.com/playingcards/comments/be2p5s/interview_part_1_with_playing_card_designer_lee/
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How many decks have you designed so far, and which of these have been your most popular and successful designs?
Over the last 11 years up until 2018, I've designed approximately 14 decks. Some have yet to see the light. Some I created for Ellusionist (Arcane, Artifice, Infinity, Fathom) and the rest I created for my brand Kings & Crooks, which are the Empire Limited Editions, Empire Bloodlines in royal blue, emerald green and Limited Edition black/gold. Then my most recent deck, Outlaw, a badass design in original black and white and the Outlaw Hell Riders edition which is a heavily distressed, lo-down and dirty Limited deck (that's also fully marked).
The Arcane deck I created for Ellusionist was one of the very first completely full custom decks that had been created at the time (approx 2009). Until then, almost all decks were just simple re-colors or treatments using standard Bicycle faces and backs. Soon after Arcane launched we saw the surge of more and more custom decks hitting the market, which actually led the way for the United States Playing Card Co to open a dedicated custom cards part of their business which has continued to explode to this day. I am so proud to have had the opportunity to work alongside Ellusionist and take on their first signature decks. Being a part of the pioneering custom card movement was such an exciting and fulfilling part of my life. I only hope to continue pushing the playing card world forward and keep giving my all to create cards people love.
The first deck of my own was Empire, an obsessively detailed and ornate design which, at the time, was something very different and unique to what existed out there. Since then its style and original features seem to have inspired other decks that followed, which I'm flattered by. I think Empire has been my first and most successful deck to date. Now sold out and a rare find, they've been seen to command a price tag of $150 or more in aftermarket sales (!) which is mind-blowing to me. I still receive emails from people 5 years since it launched, asking how they can get a hold of them. It's such an honor and wish I had more to give. But I guess the limited nature is what contributes to the value.
The follow up to Empire, the Empire Bloodlines edition was also extremely well received. However it wasn't just a simple re-color, I redesigned the entire deck including backs, courts, everything. I wanted it to visually feel part of the Empire family but also have its very own bold style, which people seemed to really like. I think it would be a long time before I ever released another Empire deck, if at all. I have so many ideas I want to get out, and so many ways to I want to try and push and innovate. I just need to hurry up!
Which deck (or decks) in your portfolio of created designs is your favourite, and why?
I'd have to say, at the time of making each one, they were my favorite. Once you get absorbed in a project you're passionate about and managed to see your vision through to the end, it can't help but be your new favorite. And that happens each time. So far I've designed a bunch for Ellusionist and bunch for Kings & Crooks.
Among the Ellusionist decks, Infinity and Artifice were my favorites by far. Both because of this secret other-world story. Artifice specifically because of the association with that shadowy side of sleight of hand, the hustler at the table, the deceiver sharpening their skills. Also running in line with Daniel Madison's narration [for the first Artifice deck trailer] in relation to his own life events in deception, I think that deck definitely holds a special place for me. It's the Crooks side of Kings & Crooks. Among my own, I'd say they're all my favorites, but for unique reasons.
How would you describe the style of your playing card decks? Are there any particular features or characteristics of your decks that you hope people will notice and appreciate, or help make your decks different from the many others out there?
I would say the style of my decks is very much about telling a story. I like to think each back design and its detail emits its own energy. One of the key visual aspects of my style so far is the sheer amount of attention I like to pay to details. It's the emotion and the way art makes you feel that I find so appealing to myself. The ability to transport someone to another place in their mind just by witnessing the art. That's what I find I'm always drawn to achieving. In summary, I'd say my style is cinematic, striking visual storytelling with a soul.
Like many creators, my art is extremely personal to me, I take an insane amount of care over the details and ideas behind creating my decks. So much so the process has often taken me up to a year or more to complete. If I keep going at that rate, I won't be able to build my life around doing what I love. So while trying to improve my decision making to become more effective at hitting my vision to eventually be able to bring out at least 4 decks a year, I will still wholeheartedly be committing to the same high-quality standards I set for myself with regards to both technical execution and vision.
Every time I see a deck that looks like it took 5 mins or so to design but everyone raves about, it's usually because the person behind them has worked hard to achieve a following based on their other valuable traits (card skill, cardistry etc), that people want to own a deck that the person they admire has made. And that's great, we need more people stepping up to express themselves and opening up this card world to inspire as many people as possible. It's like fashion in that sense. Stick a Gucci logo on a t-shirt and suddenly it's a luxury item worth $300 for a t-shirt. Or when a music artist starts a clothing brand or perfume, it's the same thing. Fans want what their heroes have, no matter how much or little thought has gone into making the item.
I'm thrilled the card world is growing so fast, and I just hope I can continue to give my all for those who love the kind of art I create. All I'd ask is: don't contribute to the noise, do what matters to you first and not for the money, and then no matter if is an incredibly detailed masterpiece or an elegantly simple design, it deserves to be out in the world..
Which printer do you use to make your playing cards, and why? What has your experience with them been like?
I have worked with both The United States Playing Card Co and a Taiwanese company represented in the US by Expert and Legends Playing Card Co.
I wanted to work with USPC from the very beginning because all of my magic and card learning life I have been using their decks. Not only do they hold that special part of my youth and are a world standard in quality cards, they actually deserve to be in that position because their product is very, very good. However, they're a big machine, and like a big business everything is systematised, so it's very difficult to implement innovative or quick tests to try an idea out. It's not as nimble as a smaller operation, but I think they are making steps towards this flexibility, but very slowly.
One of the things that KK in Taiwan or Cartamundi in Belgium has over USPCC, is their militant adhesion to strict registration in printing. There's very minimal to zero movements when the inks hit the decks, so you don't have a back design jumping all over the place when you riffle through them. Also, smaller white borders can be executed to precision, allowing a design to get more creative without worry about getting the design cut off etc. USPCC do a fantastic job, it's just not as consistently tight as it could be, that's all.
Also, the blades used to cut USPCC decks have not always produced the cleanest cuts. My Limited Edition Empire Bloodlines black and gold deck has almost glass-like edges, smooth as anything, and it's consistent from deck to deck. I've also had the same types of decks from USPCC, but the variation from rough to smooth is more frequent. However, I don't have any knowledge of their operations and how they are set up, as to why doing this may be more complicated than it seems. They've been around for a long time and all I can think of is that change happens slowly in a place that big. And rocking the boat for small things like that, although making the product consistently better, might be quite a feat to achieve for them given their current set up and machinery. I just don't know.
When it comes to stock, USPCC again has long reigned supreme, and with good reason. However with Legends, Expert and Cartamundi now constantly evolving and tweaking their stocks, things are getting very interesting. I known of Cartamundi since I first started practicing card magic in the early '90's, so I'm glad to see they're taking more notice of the cardistry/magic world and trying to up the game to bring a more quality product to our community. I've been extremely happy with both USPCC and Legends stocks, and will always keep a lookout for evolutions out there to help bring more value to my supporters.
What are some of the easiest, and what are some of the hardest parts of the process in making a deck of custom playing cards?
To be completely honest, I find the hardest part of designing a deck of cards is that once you've decided on a style for your court cards, you have to roll that out over 12 other detailed illustrations, customizing each one to not just fit each court, but also to fit the established style you've set out in the first place. I like the new, fresh, exciting nature of a black canvas or new task, style or idea. So, rolling out the almost identical style out over 12 other cards is brain numbing. For me, this is the most tedious and gruelling part of the process. I find everything else about creating a deck extremely satisfying and enjoyable, apart from rolling out a chosen style across 12 other similar but very different (in the way they're built) court cards.
I actually love the standard faces we've come to expect in a regular deck. The European descended highly stylised but simple and iconic courts. Coming from a magic background, the standard deck and similar cohesive styles give off a "real" deck vibe, not a suspicious or cheap childish angle unless you're actually going for that. Personally, I always like to try and design court cards that actually look like they belong and stay away from getting too colorful and cartoonish as they remind me of cheap licensed cards with famous cartoon characters on them. Unless of course, that is exactly what you're going for with the deck, but this style hasn't been something I'm drawn to. But, I am so happy once I've actually put in the time to finish the courts and they look exactly how I'd like, it's a great moment.
However, I do understand that for those people who create decks and don't exactly have the skills to go fully custom, opting to stick with the standard courts but change a few colors is always an easy way to get by, but it also shows. There's somewhat of an expectation these days I believe, that everything needs to be custom for it to be of the highest value. Like I said, though, I don't have much of an issue with standard courts, as long as it was an intentional and fitting decision with the rest of the deck, and not a lazy/cheaper option by the producer or creator. But hey, it's all about enjoying life at the end of the day. Take things too seriously and the only person you're punishing is yourself. Just do what's right for your deck and I'll do what I think is right for mine.
What is it about designing a deck of playing cards as a creator that you wish consumers realized more?
I don't think there's anything I wished consumers realized more. Having to convince someone of something, or trying to make someone realize something they don't already know only seems to serve a purpose of a creator wanting to convince someone to buy your creation. Or at least value it more, which may as well be the same thing.
Personally, I think there are a lot of "artistically challenged" decks out there. And that's ok. It's a free world, people are free to do what they chose, and I support anyone's right to do exactly that. But for me, one of the main driving forces is to create work that actually enhances and raises the level of quality and expression in the world of playing cards. It's something that matters to me a great deal and it actually causes me pain to see what seem to be half-assed decks out there, or money grabbing ploys to take advantage without having the guts to do something that contributes less to the noise and more to raise the art for us all.
BUT - and it's a big but - at the end of the day, all art is subjective. What one person likes, another could hate. That's why there is no real right or wrong way, no matter what my gut or my eyes tell me. I save that judgment and guidance for my own work. Outside of myself, it's just a collection of people expressing themselves in different ways, and there's not a damn thing wrong with that. However, in the art world, there are pieces that sell for millions vs those that sell for hundreds, or nothing. Someone somewhere has to draw a line to enable curators and galleries to justify their existence, but how that line is drawn is the question. Is it all pretense and illusions of value, or is there a very real way to evaluate work and a decisive way to know one piece is of more value than another? While its true beauty is in the eye of the beholder, that eye can also be the subject of brand or celebrity influence, trend, and marketing that makes your decision of what beauty is for you, without you realizing. But does that matter? If the choice makes us smile, I'd argue it doesn't, whether that's actually the truth or not. But in that case, only the best marketers and promoters are relied on to draw the line for you. For me it takes months and months, often hundreds of hours to execute my vision according to my personal tastes, but does that make it better than someone who took 2 minutes? Technically maybe yes, but artistically not necessarily.
I'd say any artistic project backed by real passion, an unwavering commitment to a vision and a skilled, thoughtful, high-quality execution is a project worthy of anyone's attention. I just get the feeling that sometimes the opposite is what happens. And what you bring in brand-focused celebrities putting their logos on decks, they're almost an exception in my eyes. They've built their brand and put a tonne of work in doing it, and then decide to release a deck with their logo. I don't mind it at all, and I don't really categorize those decks in the same way. As long as you're busting your ass doing what matters to you on your journey that's what matters. A logo deck is just an extension of that person's offerings from all the work they've done to be able to get here, and it makes sense from a "merchandise" point of view for fans.
In the bigger picture, life is nothing but change, and having it any other way would probably disrupt the fabric of what it means to live in such a diverse world, no matter if you feel it would be a better place with or without certain things or not. Or things done the way you think they should be. It's good to know what works for you, but what you resist, persists, so don't worry about things that don't marry with your point of view. Let it go and just focus on your thing, your art, your people, and enjoy life.
The playing card industry has changed rapidly over the last decade. Do you have any thoughts on the explosion of custom playing cards that we are seeing today?
Above all, it's great that it's become much more popular and people can connect and share their passion with others around the world. However, I feel the level for quality and creativity has become a little diluted as a result, or better said, I'm not as excited about what I see around these days. As I've rambled on about before, art is subjective, but it's clear to see not everyone has a focus of contributing a high-quality execution of their vision, or said another way, aren't experienced in how to do that. Art and creating is fun, it's expression, so it all belongs. But for me and what I like to see, it's becoming rarer to see exciting decks. I feel there's a responsibility to produce quality, to push the art and give people something to be excited about, especially if you're asking for their hard earned money in return.
Maybe that's a limiting belief of mine and maybe I'm fearful of doing any less than that for some reason. It's a lot of pressure to keep up with such standards, and maybe that stops me from being a little more free and fun with my ideas. I've seen some very minimal and lack-luster decks that at first I didn't like at all, but then they grew on me and my perspective changed to embrace the fun expression side too. Decks that you'd enjoy and change like you would your hair style or a new shirt or sneakers. Does it have to be so heavy and focused on excellence and pushing the limits all of the time? What about the light and fun ideas, made just because. Something to think about anyway.
What impact has crowdfunding like Kickstarter had on the custom playing card industry? And what has your own experience with this been like?
Crowdfunding is an incredible way for people without much or any money to actually get their design made, which is amazing. Without crowdfunding, I would have had to take a bank loan or something to get me started. Eventually, if Kickstarter didn't come around, that's exactly what I would have done.
Before Kickstarter, that higher barrier to entry helped to make sure if you were going to make something it had better be great. Now it's a free for all, which invites just as much noise as it does quality. So it's hit and miss, but it's here and things are only going to get crazier as time goes on.
There's also a conversation here about marketing and gathering your tribe to support your visions, and that makes a big difference once you launch. It's modern marketing at work and things like Instagram follows or YouTube subscribers get you a lot of attention, so when or if you decide to launch a deck, you have many folks who you can share you new product with and who may jump on to support you, which is truly amazing.
Where do you think the custom playing card industry will go from here, and what innovations or changes might we see in the coming years?
As the younger guys and girls are coming up, getting into magic and cardistry, and with technology only getting more and more "social", I see it getting more and more popular. With that, I imagine there'll always be a bunch new decks and cardist popping up and things will get even wilder. But hopefully there'll still emerge a solid bunch of creators from that, continuing to do great work that keeps us excited.
What do your family and friends think of your love for designing playing cards? How do you explain your work to non-enthusiasts of playing cards?
My friends and family are hugely supportive in what I do. New non-magic or card people are often surprised to hear about what I do. But ultimately by bringing my own excitement to the forefront, regardless of what they think of what I do, they at least recognize I love doing it. To make a living doing what you love and from anywhere in the world is still quite an insane thing to be possible, but it's more and more common these days.
Everyone is where they are in life because of every single decision they ever made to get there. Their perspective, outlook, mindset and vision for themselves and life. If you don't like where you are in life, you have to start making different decisions. Do the work to find your path, believe in yourself, keep taking steps no matter how small to see where it goes, and it may just surprise you.
Do you belong to any playing card organizations, or connect with other designers, either online or in any other way?
I don't belong to any organizations or connect with other designers much. Since coming to Australia after traveling, I've been trying to start my business and working for years to get it rolling. Working for yourself has its benefits, but when you don't have to go out to work or have teammates etc to work with, it's pretty lonely. Since leaving the UK in 2008, traveling and ultimately trying to develop Kings & Crooks, it doesn't bring too many opportunities to meet people when your always a stranger in a new land and work so much. I love spending real time with like-minded people, and digital tech/social media doesn't really do it for me.
However I do occasionally speak/skype with other creators (not exclusively designers though) who've become friends in the magic and playing card world. Whether it's entrepreneurial stuff, advice or just catching up, it's always good to have another trusted ear to bounce things off. That's what I miss most of the traditional job setting, as I like being around good energy and people, but while also being able to focus on my work. Maybe a co-work space might be a good idea.
What advice would you give someone just starting to collect playing cards today? What do you consider to be important elements of a quality design, and what they should look for in a quality deck of playing cards?
I wouldn't class myself as a collector, as to me that implies grabbing every deck out there through fear of missing out. Although I definitely like to get my hands on any new decks that please my eyes, so you could say I'm an extremely picky collector. To be honest, it's difficult to say what a person should look out for, it's just so personal. And everyone's tastes are different.
What I look out for is a very good execution of design, style, composition and color, throughout the deck and tuck box. It's difficult to put it into words as my eyes just know what to look for and I know if I like something in 2 seconds. But my tastes are exactly that, mine, and what I see as "good" is based on an almost intuitive sense that's been honed and refined with my own preferences in mind over years.
In terms of actual deck quality when using it, I like the classic (Bicycle) or premium (Bee) stocks print on by the U.S. Playing Card Co. Also, Expert Playing Cards and Legends Playing Cards use a Taiwan factory and have some great cut and feeling decks. Cartamundi in Belgium, a brand that I've known since childhood has now started producing a very nice Linen B9 and Touch stock aimed at magicians and cardists, which is also nice.
Do you have any recent, current, or upcoming projects that you can tell us about?
I do have an upcoming deck I'm releasing that's a completely new style, and I'm absolutely thrilled with it. It's also using an amazing traditional printing technique on the tuck box which will make it such an appealing and luxurious piece of work. I don't want to ruin the surprise so if any readers are interested in hearing when it's released, you can sign up to my email list to get notified first at www.kingsandcrooks.com.
Also, I'll soon be releasing the Warrior Card Armour at long last. It's project that started in 2014 but I've faced significant challenges in bringing to life. The years of sacrifice will be worth it as it looks amazing. Half card clip, half battle armour, all beast. Again, feel free to sign up to be the first to know when it launches.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about designing playing cards, or about playing cards?
I'll just leave it at this, and it's nothing to do with design or cards. I believe you should earn your existence. Dive deep into yourself and ask the hard questions. Who are you, what's the truth? What fears control you and how can you overcome them? Do you know what makes you come alive?! Then try to do more of that. Decide what or who you want to be in life, take action and be a good one. Be a kind one. Give your all to yourself, your passion and anyone you encounter along the way. We're all here on this little blue rock together, and we can either make things better or make them worse for each other.
Above all, don't forget that there are no rules or set paths in life, only what's common and uncommon. Test your comfort zones, invite a little risk, play a little dangerously and do it with a smile with people you care about. At the end of the day you're not going to be laying on your death bed wishing you earned more money or worked longer. You're going to wish you had spent more time doing things you love, the amazing things and the everyday things too, making memories with the people you care about.
Don't get too focused on where you want to go and end up missing where you are. It's ok to know where you want to go, but getting there is made of here and nows. Enjoy the ride, learn to ride the storm of life. The only constant thing is change, the ups and downs are the journey, don't wait for them to pass to be happy. Embrace change quickly and kindly. Let go quickly of the negative so it doesn't blind you from the next horizon, because ultimately, life is either a great adventure or nothing at all. Stay bold and enjoy the journey, it's all we have.

Final Thoughts

It's not hard to see that Lee McKenzie has very high ideals. But he's also not afraid to hold himself to these high standards, and as a result he has produced some very high quality decks of playing cards that are highly regarded by collectors. For Lee, designing a deck of cards is intensely personal, mainly because of how much he gives himself to the process, and invests in terms of the physical and mental resources required to accomplish it. Not only does he have the skills needed to create art that is unique and lasting, but he also has the passion and personal drive needed to make this all happen. It's evident from the quality of his designs and also from the quality of his website design that he's absolutely committed to excellence and perfectionism in every respect. His own success speaks volumes, not just with the impressive decks of playing cards he created for Ellusionist, but also with his later designs under his own label.
This positive attitude also embodies what Lee's lifestyle brand is all about, and his vision about this is carefully articulated along these lines with all the philosophical mottos and quotes you'll find scattered throughout his website. The theme behind much of Lee's mission is about carving your own mark on the world, telling your own stories, and forging your own path. The Kings & Crooks brand is about having the courage to take risks, refusing to follow the herd, and creating your own pathway in life. Kings & Crooks will especially be a welcome home to those who feel the magnetic pull of Lee's invitation for curious adventurers seeking a road less travelled, and willing to play by their own rules and to live to tell their own stories.
But it's not just Lee's work that gives a positive message, because his own personal journey is a perfect case study that confirms his outlook on life. Despite experiencing loss and hardship, he has chosen to respond by embarking on a journey forwards, forging a new path that uses adversity as a stepping stone to growth rather than becoming stagnant. This is the sentiment that also runs deep in the veins of the fine playing cards that he has produced. If you're a connoisseur or an explorer at heart, you're likely to see the appeal of Lee McKenzie's work, and appreciate how his contribution to the playing card industry ahead of the crowdfunding era not only contributed to its momentum during a critical phase of its development, but how his products also are an inspiration for people to live freely and to excel with confidence.
Clearly Lee has invested an enormous amount of passion and time in creating his playing card designs, many of which have been forged in the furnace of personal trial and tragedy, and what has emerged is something truly special. The results speak for themselves, and the fact that his decks have been received so enthusiastically and are highly regarded by the discerning collector confirms that the investment in time and effort has produced the quality he advocates and strives for. Many of his decks have an epic feel, capturing something of a grand story, which is communicated via intricate details, and they embody important attributes such as beauty and style.
But undoubtedly Lee McKenzie isn't the only one with high standards. If you are a discerning consumer that appreciates class, and can also appreciate something of Lee's important contribution to the playing card industry and the quality of his work, then definitely check out some of his decks to see if these will add some welcome sophistication to your collection!
Where to get them? You'll find some of Lee McKenzie's newer designs here on playingcarddecks, including Empire Bloodlines (Emerald Green & Royal Blue). Many of the designs he produced for Ellusionist are also available, including Infinity, Arcane White, and Artifice, and Fathom.
Also check out Lee McKenzie's official website (kingsandcrooks.com), or stay in touch with his projects on Kickstarter (link) and social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube).
Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks.com here.

For one week every year in the town of Lancaster, New Hampshire, something truly remarkable happens. Libertarians of all stripes and shades travel from around the world, from Mexico to Canada, from Australia to Great Britain, and create the society that they want to see. It is called the Porcupine Freedom Festival, or Porcfest for short.
There are no cops, there are no rulers, and the only laws that exist are the laws that exist between men as they deal with each other as equals. Gadsden flags ("Don't Tread on Me") and Market Anarchist flags (gold and black bisected) were waved instead of the usual Red White and Blue. Almost one in every three men had a sidearm strapped to their legs. People were excited about Bitcoin as a currency, and hopeful for the future.
I arrived on Wednesday night at around 11:30, and I did not have a campsite. I drove up and parked along the side of a path, and walked down a hill where I saw a large collection of party-goers hanging out in the rain beside a campfire. I walked down and met up with a friend of mine from London, named Harold. He stared at me for a second before drunkenly hugging me and making sure that I was provided with a beer. He then introduced me to his group of friends.
"This is Edward Snowden, everybody," he declared to those he was talking with. They laughed. I suppose I do bear some resemblance to the famed whistleblower, but I doubt my accomplishments will hold much light in comparison. Still, it wasn't the worst nickname I have been given.
Harold then led me to Jonathon, who is a man from French-Canada. Both of them had visited me at my house earlier in the week
I had loaned Harold one of my tents earlier in the week when he, along with Jonathon, had visited my house on their way to New Hampshire. They were being given rides by our friend Phillip, who was attending with his wife and his two daughters. While Phillip had opted for a hotel, they had opted for a campsite.
The tent that I had loaned him was apparently flooded. As such, Harold asked if he could sleep in my car. Jonathon, on the other hand, had brought his own setup, and it was very dry, and didn't need to use my vehicle for such things. I consented, and we decided to see if any food was available this late at night.
We found a vendor in a tent selling ice-cream. They accepted Bitcoin. I decided to try their ice cream, which they assured was made without the permission or license of the state. It was delicious and did not kill me.
We then wandered by to the fire with our ice cream. There was a man in nothing but a loincloth sitting on a picnic table, and he seemed to be selling moonshine. There were a few young men enjoying some cannibis. There was no more beer. I decided to go to bed.
The next morning, I met a man and a woman who were sitting on top of a large boulder that I'd apparently parked next to. They were watching the sunset, and I was told that if you sat on that rock, you'd have an amazing view. I took their word for it before I took a waddle around the campsite. It amazed me the sheer number of men walking around with all manner of firearms. The most common were hip-holstered openly carried pistols, but there were also several men wielding shotguns and semi-automatic (assumedly) sporting rifles. There was also a tent that I found with a class on constructing an AR-15. The class was 700 dollars. You kept the AR-15 you had built when the class was over.
The amount of vendors that were operating was also pretty interesting. There were hot-dog vendors, a bacon-pancake vendor, vegan and paleo specific foods, raw honey, and even entire bars and saloons with a wide assortment of strange spirits.
Other businesses included gold and silver trade, a Bitcoin ATM, blueprints for automatic weapons, unlicensed tattoo parlors, unlicensed casinos, and even a strip-club called the Thunderdome (I would give you the scoop on the happenings in there, but I abstained; those who did not inform me that I did not miss out on much).
We went on a beer run and headed away from the campsite past another campsite (one with a Christmas theme) and into the town of Jefferson. Even though it was less than 5 miles away from the campsite, few here seemed to know what Porcfest was. When told that Libertarians really liked New Hampshire, one local resident replied, "Why? There's nothing here."
Their pizza was good, their cigarettes (what Jonathon called "Darts") were cheap, and their alcohol was about what you'd expect at a gas station.
I spent that day talking with Jonathon, the Canadian man who I loaned my bed eariler in the week. He was 19 years old, and had been all over the world. He was well-travelled, and had spent his adult life so far travelling the world. He paid for this with undefined Bitcoin-related riches, no doubt an early investor.
Harold was a man in London who is an organizer for a Libertarian club and also heads the Anarcho-Capitalist Steam group, with over 800 members.
We did Karaoke that night, and though most of the singers were about what you expect at a Karaoke event (with me butchering Tainted Love by Soft Cell), Phillip from Ohio blew the crowds away with his rendition of Frank Sinatra's hit My Way, which spoke to the hearts of the freedom-loving crowd. Phillip was classically trained and had attended 4 years of voice school, and I sympathized with the act that followed his. The event was not a contest, but he won it anyway.
On Friday morning, I woke up early with Jonathon and Harold and we attended a safety brief for the range. A local gun range had agreed to allow us to shoot on their range, and an NRA instructor gave the classic safety rules to everyone, just in case they weren't aware of them previously. We then drove in a caravan over to the range, and were treated to a wide selection of highly powerful automatic weapons. For 25 dollars, you could get a 30 round magazine of 5.56 or 7.62 and safely fire it at a paper target through an M16 or an AK-47. I decided to skip that and fire a .50 caliber Desert Eagle.
It takes a lot to impress me when it comes to firearms, I've fired my fair share of fully-automatic weapons when I was in the infantry. From Ma Deuces to Saws, I've fired a lot of weapons. The Desert Eagle was, by far, the most absurdly over-powered. Needless to say, I'd like to own one.
.22 ammunition was free to shoot, so after firing the Deagle as it's called in the Counter Strike community, I went up and went plinking with a variety of .22 caliber rifles and pistols while my friends went crazy with M16s.
A gay dance party was held on Thursday night at the camp-site. I was told by one persona attending that it was easy to tell the gay people from the straight people there.
"The gay people are dressed normally," I was told.
I bought a cookie from a pair of sisters who were no older than 6 years. It was delicious, but 1 dollar for a cookie is a bit expensive in retrospect. Who can say no to kids selling cookies? Certainly not many of the people there. Even those who ate Paleo would taste a cookie if a 6 year old tried to sell it to them.
The Paleo diet is very interesting, as many of the people at this event would eat only paleo food. The diet of low-grain and primitive blueprints doesn't, on the surface, have anything in common with Libertarian philosophy or politics, so why was it that they were in such showing at the event? I may never know. Another oddity was the amount of Libertarians with beards. I do not refer to your typical goatee, but I instead talk of fully-blown lumberjack beards. Perhaps it's the fashion in New Hampshire, it'd certainly be in keeping with their reputation.
I took Jonathon and a man who runs a video-blog (Lengthyournarther on YouTube, but let's call him Steve) out to lunch. The wings had something to be desired, and the pizza seemed manufactured, but then again, Western New York sets the bar high in this regard, and I consider myself a connoisseur in this respect. When we got the bill, Steve decided to pay for his share with a 1 troy-ounce silver coin with a buffalo on it. Silver was regarded as acceptable all across Porcfest, but in the town of Lancaster, it wasn't as readily accepted. I, however, do accept Silver as a method of payment, and was more than willing to pay on his behalf for the shiny coin. Gold was also completely acceptable in Agora Valley (one name for the campsite), but neither of these were nearly as popular as Bitcoin. Everything was for sale if you had bitcoin, from guns to poker-chips to sex. There was a bitcoin ATM machine, and bitcoin stickers, and bitcoin shirts. I got a free shirt from a 12 year old that ran a booth. He surveyed me on my experience with bitcoin, and provided me a knife, an umbrella, a t-shirt, along with other goodies. It was, by any metric, a completely fair trade for me.
On the last night, I was getting rather tired. Too much alcohol and not enough sleep will get any man, and if you combine sunburn with these you get a man who is quite tuckered out. I attended a few folk-music concerts, saw a man get an entire tent hopping as a one-man band, and saw a large wooden porcupine get lit up in a bonfire. I went to bed early before my eyesockets got too heavy.
When I woke up on Sunday Morning, however, it was all gone. The booths were getting packed up, many people had already left, and people were wandering around cleaning up after themselves. I said goodbye to my friends, and after packing up my things, I began the long ride home.
At first, I was feeling rather somber for the fact that I would have to return to New York, a land of statism and silliness. The thought of leaving New Hampshire, where seat-belts are considered optional, was pretty depressing, but then I remembered some wisdom passed by Dr. Suess.
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened".
Just over three days I spent in New Hampshire, partying and rallying with all manner of free people. That was enough to render me completely exhausted, but a younger man might want a bit more. For one week, in the tiny town of Lancaster, in Coos (pronounced "Koo-Ah-s") County New Hampshire, a Libertarian society existed. It was amazing due to what I saw, but also the things I didn't. It was liberating with what I could do, and also what I didn't have to do. It was amazing to be accepted as an individual, while being part of a larger group. It gave me a glimpse of what a Libertarian society could be, and hopefully, what such a society will be.

Hello again, my friends, and welcome to the ninety-second edition of the Nintendo eShop news and discussion thread! Of course, this is where we'll discuss new and upcoming releases that are on the way to the Wii U eShop, the news surrounding these titles and more! Thanks again for joining in.
Final eShop Thursday of February, and it's been a mostly quiet affair, until Nintendo decided to release the Kongs in North America! As for the future, March is looking to be a hugely promising month with releases such as Mario Party 10, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, and the Super Mario series of amiibo, and future Hyrule Warriors DLC. Though the latter is out in Europe and Australia today!
Without further ado, let's begin!
 

News & Articles

• Choice Provisions bringing Woah Dave! Deluxe to Wii U

The latest from Choice Provisions has been somewhat of a hit with fans with a penchant for old arcade-style games with the focus on high scores and the like. Woah Dave! Deluxe looks to improve on that excellence with new characters to play as, plus new levels, new boss battles, and more under the hood. And of course, Dave is making his way on over to Wii U soon!

• /WiiU AMA: Dark Roast Entertainment (Lucadian Chronicles)

Last week, we had a developer AMA with Dark Roast Entertainment, the developers of Lucadian Chronicles, and it went fairly well! If you haven't seen it yet, check the link! James goes into many details, including the game's lore, the reasoning for its Miiverse integration, and the intricacies of a card battle game!

• Shantae and the Pirate's Curse director James Montagna reveals Dot Arcade for Wii U

I admit that I was pretty excited to hear that James Montagna was working on a secret Wii U project, and I was expecting something wildly creative. Dot Arcade is a rather interesting project that leans on an abstract graphical style (think of those old LED games of years gone by) which was expanded from another personal project of his. The exclusive feature with Destrucoid reveals more plans, and while the screenshots don't look as hot, I am willing to see this in motion.

• Eurogamer Interview: The Eccentric Perfectionism of Dakko Dakko

Dakko Dakko brought us the wonderful Scram Kitty and His Buddy on Rails to Wii U last year, and while the feline is making the deluxe jump to PlayStation platforms in Scram Kitty DX, that doesn't spell the end for he dev's efforts on Wii U. They are working on a new project for the system, though there's not much they can readily say in this interview.

• MixedBag provides updates on the upcoming forma.8

MixedBag has been hard at work prepping forma.8 for release, and by the looks of things, it really is looking to be quite a good-looking game. The update comes via the EU PlayStation Blog, but we can more or less experience these improved visuals in the Wii U version as well.

• Bizerta: Silent Evil making its way to Wii U

As the story goes, this game (made by Edrox Interactive) was planned to be a PlayStation Vita/PlayStation Mobile title, but the studio ran into issues with publishing restrictions and had to find a new platform. As it turns out, the Wii U seemed to be a great place to bring the survival horror title, Bizerta: Silent Evil. I'd say to read the interview for more info, since it reveals just enough to get by.

• Serenity Forge bringing The King's Bird to Wii U and multiple platforms

Another day, another new indie game coming to Wii U! This time, it's The King's Bird from Serenity Forge, a game that appears to take on the freedom of flight as the platformer’s story centers around a young girl’s attempts to rise above the oppression of a tyrannical king’s rule in a land filled with birds. The game is in a pre-alpha state, so don't expect it to be out until either later this year, or in 2016.

• Ralin-Dwarf Wars coming to Wii U

Another new game? Sure, why not? Developers Ogardonix don't have a Wii U devkit as yet, but they do have plans to bring this game to the console soon. For now, there's gameplay footage via the link.

• Q.U.B.E.: Director's Cut resurfaces, planned to be released in April/May

It's been a long time since we last heard about Q.U.B.E.: Director's Cut, bu it appears that Toxic Games are quite close to the end of their laborious journey of bringing this to multiple platforms. While we do know of a sequel to the game (currently confirmed for the PS4), we don't know if that's coming our way either. Besides that, an April/May release period for Q.U.B.E.: Director's Cut has been made, so now we wait.

 

Kickstarter Watch

Thanks again to LiveRadar for his work on the Kickstarter section of our subreddit wiki. Go check it out for more info!
 

Name	Developer	End Date	Description	Info
Super Cucumber & Down the Drain	Cubicorn Games	22 MAR 2015	A platformer with a classic feel, and a 2D shooter rooted in exploration. It's two games in one campaign!	Base goal: $10,000.
Spooky Poo's HAPPY HELL	Occultimate Games	19 MAR 2015	A 3D platformer set in cartoon Hell. Sell Spooky Poo's soul to The Devil in exchange for black magick powers & one wicked wish.	Wii U stretch goal: $66,000.
Blue-Collar Astronaut	Mutated Software	13 MAR 2015	Imagine Atari's classic Lunar Lander dialed to 11 with modern artwork by Maki Naro!	Base goal: $15,000.
Sneaky Ninja	Starfall Studios	12 MAR 2015	A Mario-meets-Mark of the Ninja 2D stealth platformer. Use your weapons and your wit to escape the enemies!	Base goal: $10,000.
Strength Of The SWORD ULTIMATE	Ivent Games	11 MAR 2015	A Fighting game combined with a BRAWLER! With a huge sword, rocket launcher and a FLAMETHROWER!	Wii U stretch goal: $40,000.

 

• Strength Of The SWORD ULTIMATE ($48,549/$14,000) has surpassed its Wii U stretch goal!
  
• Starr Mazer ($193,566/$160,000) has been funded, but unfortunately, it did not reach its Wii U stretch goal.
  
• This Is The Police ($35,508/$25,000) has been funded, but unfortunately, it did not reach its Wii U stretch goal.
  
• Battle Box: Clash ($332/$80,000) has cancelled its crowdfunding campaign.
  

 

New & Upcoming Releases (eShop + Downloadable Retail + DLC)

 

[NORTH AMERICA]

• GravBlocks+ (From Nothing Game Studios) — $4.99

 

[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA + JAPAN]

• Hyrule Warriors: Majora's Mask Pack (Nintendo) — €2.99 / £2.69 / AU$3.90 / ¥500 OR Free (with Season Pass*)

^{* The Hero of Hyrule Season Pass is €14.99 / £13.49 / AU$19.99 / ¥3,000.}

This DLC pack will include:

• Ganon's Fury: A special Challenge Mode where you become the beast, Ganon, and lay waste to soldiers on the battlefield!
  
• Boss Challenge Mode: Fight the giant bosses of Hyrule Warriors in quick succession!
  

-- Five new alternatively-colored costumes are offered as rewards for beating these modes.

 

[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

• SDK Paint (HullBreach Studios) — €4.49 / £3.99 / AU$5.85

 

New & Upcoming Releases (Virtual Console)

 

[NORTH AMERICA]

• [SNES] Donkey Kong Country (Nintendo) — $7.99
  
• [SNES] Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong-Quest (Nintendo) — $7.99
  
• [SNES] Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (Nintendo) — $7.99
  

 

[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

• [SNES] Pac-Attack (Bandai Namco) — €7.99 / £5.49 / AU$10.40
  
• [SNES] Cybernator (Konami) — €7.99 / £5.49 / AU$10.40
  

 

[JAPAN]

• [SNES] Axelay (Konami) — ¥823
  
• [MSX] Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu (Konami) — ¥823
  
• [FC] Shadow Land (Namco) — ¥514
  

 

> > > [For prices regarding Canada, check out marioman63's update in the comments!]

 

[ Next Week on the Nintendo eShop! ]

 
Next week in North America, we'll be seeing the release of Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars from Nintendo. Note that it will feature cross-buy, as you'll be able to get the 3DS version of the game for free, and vice versa. Japan will be getting both Nyamyam's Tengami, as well as a Wii downloadable title, Pandora's Tower.
As for Europe and Australia, there's no available news on upcoming eShop titles. For future reference, do check out our upcoming games table on the sidebar.
As for Virtual Console games, we have no confirmations for upcoming titles in regions outside of Japan at this time. Japan will be getting 2 VC titles in the form of:

• [SNES] Metal Marines (Namco)
• [FC] Sky Kid (Namco)

 

Deals & Promotions (New & Ongoing)

 

[NORTH AMERICA + EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

 

> > > Discount

• BLOK DROP U (RCMADIAX) — $1.99 / €0.99 / £0.79

^{Until March 18th [EU] / March 25th [NA].}

 

[NORTH AMERICA]

 

> > > Discount

• Ice Cream Surfer (Dolores Entertainment) — $1.49
  
• TNT Racers - Nitro Machines Edition (Keen Games) — $4.99
  

^{Until March 5th.}

• Toon Tanks (Petite Games) — $1.49
  
• Abyss (EnjoyUp Games) — $TBC
  
• 99Moves (EnjoyUp Games) — $TBC
  

^{Until March 12th.}

• BLOK DROP x Twisted Fusion (RCMADIAX) — $1.99
  
• Shut the Box (RCMADIAX) — $0.99
  
• Poker Dice Solitaire Future (RCMADIAX) — $0.99
  
• Toss 'N Go (RCMADIAX) — $0.99
  
• Spikey Walls (RCMADIAX) — $0.99
  

^{Until March 25th.}

• Cake Ninja 3: The Legend Continues (Cypronia) — $TBC
  
• Angry Bunnies: Colossal Carrot Crusade (Cypronia) — $TBC
  

^{Until March 31st.}

 

[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]

 

> > > WB Games Sale (Ends March 4th)

• Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition (WB Games) — €19.99 / £15.99 / AU$24.95
  
• Batman: Arkham Origins (WB Games) — €19.99 / £15.99 / AU$24.95
  
• Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate - Deluxe Edition (WB Games) — €14.99 / £10.99 / AU$17.95
  
• Game Party Champions (WB Games) — €19.99 / £15.99 / AU$24.95
  
• Hot Wheels: World's Best Driver (WB Games) — €19.99 / £15.99 / AU$24.95
  
• Injustice: Gods Among Us (WB Games) — €29.99 / £19.99 / AU$39.95
  
• LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (WB Games) — €29.99 / £19.99 / AU$39.95
  
• LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (WB Games) — €29.99 / £19.99 / AU$39.95
  
• LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (WB Games) — €44.99 / £34.99 / AU$62.95
  
• LEGO The Hobbit (WB Games) — €29.99 / £19.99 / AU$39.95
  
• The LEGO Movie Videogame (WB Games) — €29.99 / £19.99 / AU$39.95
  

> > > Activision Sale (Ends March 5th)

• Angry Birds Star Wars (Activision) — €29.99 / £24.99
  
• SpongeBob SquarePants: Plankton's Robotic Revenge (Activision) — €24.99 / £19.99 / AU$34.95
  
• The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition (Activision) — €24.99 / £19.99 / AU$19.95
  
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Activision) — €29.99 / £24.99 / AU$34.95
  
• Transformers Prime: The Game (Activision) — €24.99 / £19.99 / AU$19.95
  
• Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (Activision) — €29.99 / £24.99 / AU$34.95
  

 

[EUROPE]

 

> > > Discount

• Spy Chameleon (EnjoyUp Games) — €3.99 / £3.59
  
• Angry Birds Trilogy (Activision) — €19.99 / £14.99
  

^{Until March 5th.}

• Rock Zombie (EnjoyUp Games) — €3.99 / £3.59

^{Until March 26th.}

 

Wrap-Up

Looks like that'll be all for today! Of course, you guys are free to discuss your wishes for any eShop or Virtual Console game to come to the eShop. Also, usual thanks to my sources from Nintendo Life, Vooks, GoNintendo, NeoGAF, and other sites.
Question prompt for this week:

• What games are you picking up today?
  
• DK! Donkey Kong is finally here! Will you be picking up the DKC trilogy today?
  

I'll see you guys next week with more eShop news!

Verified? (This bot cannot verify AMAs just yet)
Date: 2014-05-07
Link to submission (Has self-text)

Questions	Answers
So if he was making more than 500k it would be okay in your book? That's pretty messed up.	Seems like I'd be even more of a piece of shit if I was that successful.
Are you involved much with the general goings on of the casino? If so, what goes through your head when you see huge amounts of money being gambled away by someone who doesnt know when to walk away?	Yes, I'm an executive so I'm in touch with most everything that goes on. Most of the time when I see something like that, I just say "good for us" and try not to think about whether or not the person can afford it or not.
How much do you make a year? Unless you are making like $500,000+, then you are a piece of shit. you are destroying thousands of people's lives so that you can make a living and afford your bmw and other status symbols.	I don't make $500K a year so I guess that makes me a piece of shit.
What is the worst most tasteless thing you or the casino in general did to make money?	I, obviously, like to think I'm uber classy. But in general I think paycheck cashing promotions are pretty tasteless. E.g., Cash your paycheck and get 5% of the total value in free slot play.
Can you ELi5? Sorry, to me that just sounds like you hand over your $1000 you earned, and get back $50? Which seems wrong...? Or do you get an extra $50? Hmmm... Thoroughly confused myself.	Let's say your check is $1,000. The casino will cash your check and then also give you $50 in promotional credits to be used on the slot machines. The idea is that since we've given you some "free" money to begin playing the machines you will also dip into the $1,000 cash that we also handed you.
Are there any clauses that prevent you from just spending the $50 in free bets and cashing out the $1k without actually playing with it?	No, you get the $1K in cash and the $50 can only be used in the slot machine. I've done this once when I started my new job and my direct deposit wasn't set up yet so they issued me a live check.
How many people just walk directly out of the casino after cashing the check with their 5% bonus?	I don't know, I've never run this promotion but generally speaking when we give away promotional credits, the "walk rate" is in the 25% range.
How often do you go to the strip clubs in vegas? If you go how much do you spend? Do you get treated better if they know what your job is?	I really don't like them so not often unless someone is in town that wants to go. I don't have a moral objection, just think it's a waste. "Hey do you like to eat steak? Give me $20 to smell this delicious steak! No, you can't try it!!!".
	So that having been said, I might spend $20 to give to the girls on the stage and maybe a lap dance.
	No, I don't get treated better because of my title really. They usually just care about how much money you spend and that's it.
What are some sneaky strategies that you use to get people to spend more money? I don't mean obvious things like having ATMs...but things related specifically to gambling..	Ummm... Off the top of my head I think the sneakiest thing is probably side bets on table games (e.g., play an extra $5 and if your two cards are a pair then you win $25) because the odds are terrible or things like advertising low table game limits but modifying the rules (e.g., blackjack pays 6:5 vs 3:2) to increase the house advantage.
Some casino customers are super cheap and only play $1 Blackjack. Others are whales and the casino spends a lot of money to attract them, but they are rare. Somewhere in between, I imagine, there are customers who spend a significant amount and exist in numbers to make most of the casino's profits.	First, we quantify most everything by "theoretical worth". That is, how much we can expect to win from you based on the house advantage of the game you play and how long you play. The general formula is decisions per hour X house advantage X hours played X average bet. So, $25/hand at blackjack X 1.5% house advantage X 2 hours played X 60 decisions per hour = $45 in theoretical worth.
Is that true? How much does a "bread and butter" customer gamble in a day?	Second, It really depends on the particular property. The number is a lot higher for Wynn then it would be at Joker's Wild (a really, really dumpy casino on the outskirts of Vegas). That having been said, most places will be very happy to have you if you are in the $150-300 a day in theoretical worth range.
That sounds pretty affordable. Assuming a 30% comp return I guess that comes out to $50-90 in comps a day.	30% includes the stuff we send you in the mail generally too so at the $300 range you could expect a room and a meal a day.
What kind of awful rules are you using to have a 1.5% house advantage, or is that number based on the average player being really terrible? How much in comps would I actually generate for two hours of $25 a hand Blackjack?	I just threw the 1.5 number out there. We also factor in skill into house advantage so as to be more favorable to the player, comp wise. comp wise we'd probably give you 15% of the $45, or $6.75. That's just in what we call discretionary comps that the pit supervisor or host can give you. Then you could expect another 30% in the mail via free bets, hotel, food, etc.
I guess you need to register with the casino loyalty club so you know what we are spending.	Correct.
I currently reside in Arizona, where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an Indian reservation and - as a result - a casino.	Well I've worked all over the country and, yes, of course we always keep an eye out on new competition that would impact our existing customer base, especially as the business has seen much more legalization in new jurisdictions in the past 20 years.
The casino/resorts are getting increasingly sophisticated. Better facilities, better entertainment, and better marketing.	For Vegas, I think most strip properties have dealt with this by investing in properties in regional markets so as to send their customers to their Vegas properties so it is pretty accretive. Someone from Harrah's Ak-Chin in the Phoenix area gets offers from Harrah's Las Vegas quite often.
Is this something the Vegas casinos consider a rising threat, welcome competition, or something else? How do you - as a marketing guy - react to the fact that a trip to a casino no longer necessarily means a trip to Nevada or New Jersey?	The bigger problem really is for the markets where they were a monopoly for some time and really rested on their laurels. Reno and Atlantic City come to mind. Those markets are dying fast and there really isn't much upside. In Atlantic City, for example, you have casinos buying competitors just to close them so as to reduce the inventory.
What really happens when somebody wins on a slot machine? Like, what is the behind the scenes stuff that we don't see? Are they checking out the cameras to make sure it was that specific person before they payout? What if you switch seats? What if an underage gambler wins?... What if they switch seats with an of-age gambler?? Honestly, I've never done that, but I've always wondered the underage stuff because I've never ever got carded on slots! I've won hand-pays before (nothing really exciting) and they always hit me with the tax form. What do you guys do with the tax form? Does it get sent out from you guys or does it remain my responsibility from thereon?	I worked as a slot analyst (analyzing machine performance) years ago and never on the floor so I don't know/remember the exact steps. Essentially, though, it's verifying that the machine is functioning properly and recording the details of the jackpot for audit/regulators. If it is a taxable jackpot ( >= $1,200) then we are required to fill out the IRS W2G form to report it to them for tax purposes so at that point we have to get your ID, etc. to facilitate that. Then of course, there is the matter of actually paying you the money, verifying that it is the correct amount, etc. The tax form does get sent to the IRS. You can request the taxes not be taken out of your jackpot as you are only taxed on the net win at the end of the year.
How did you get involved in the casino bussiness?	1/2.) Just needed a job and applied to a very entry level job and worked my way up.
Did you set out to work at one or did it come about another way?	3.) It can be fun and exciting.
What do you enjoy most about your job? Least?	4.) There's a lot of pressure to make money/meet your budget so all of the bullshit that goes along with that. Dealing with politics, having to adjust staffing, etc. And I don't like that at my level the usual tenure is 2-3 years so you move around a lot. I'd like to be more settled, especially in a place I'd really want to live for a long time and I don't feel like I have much control of that in this business.
1) When you talk about being moved around a lot, is that relating to being moved around in what you do at a particular casino? or more like which casino your working at? 2) Do you feel that your skills at this current job gives you fallback options should your tenure run out? ( Such as in other service based industries?)	1.) I mean there is only one of me at every casino so if something happens whether I don't like where I work or what something different (e.g., more money) or they don't like me (shocking, it happens!) then the likelihood that I have to move is high, especially if I'm in a city that only has a handful of casinos. 2.) I obviously feel like my skills could take me anywhere! But in reality, it has been tough to change industries when I've tried. Usually places like hotels don't pay as much as casinos and look for more sales-related skills and restaurants don't really have marketing people except at the corporate office whereas my skills are more analytics-oriented. And both usually pay less than casinos.
time I went to Vegas (around 30 years ago) it still had that "mob" vibe. When I got married there in the 90s (I joke now that I gambled on marriage in Vegas and lost half my stuff) it was much more "corporate" and "family friendly." The "What Happens in Vegas" campaign seemed to try and change that perception. Do you think there's value in returning Vegas to a more "wise guy" kind of feel...playing up the classic vibe, or is it just a big collection of theme parks with gambling?	The problem with returning to that type of vibe is that it's difficult/impossible given how big the casinos are. Sure it was easy for Benny Binion to control everything and not be "corporate" when the old Horseshoe was literally 1/10th the size of MGM Grand.
What was UNLV like? Did you live in the dorms? It seems like a strange school where everyone commutes and there's no college life around the campus. What are the pros and cons of going there?	I went there for grad school so was older and had a wife and a house. It is definitely a commuter school so there's not a lot of school spirit. I went to undergrad a school with a huge, huge, huge, football program so it was a bit of a change for me. I also didn't find the students to be terribly bright (with exceptions, of course). On the upside, a lot of people like living in Vegas and the Hotel Administration College (where I went) has very, very good brand recognition.
Do you find people have lots of misconceptions about the casino industry?	That the games are rigged and that we love giving away a lot for nothing/little in return are probably the two biggest.
So what's up with prostitutes and the casinos? I understand that prostitution is illegal in Vegas, but that they're still there. Is it like the movies, where they're just hanging out in the casino bars waiting to be picked up?	Yes, they hang out at the bars and then there are services you can call and have them sent to your room. If it's overt, casino security will clear them out of the bar area but the vice cops generally focus on human trafficking kind of stuff.
As an insider, what do you think the job prospects are in the industry for someone with a similar education background, but no casino experience?	1.) The industry relies heavily on industry experience so job prospects are good if you're willing to start in a low position and work you're way up. If you go to UNLV and get the degree I got and expect for some casino to make you a Director of VP with no experience then you're going to be very disappointed.
Is that just bizarre luck?	2.) Bizarre luck.
What does the industry think about states with Indian reservations that prohibit casinos like Texas?	3.) Definitely potential opportunity. I've read about that small tribe in Texas. It'll happen eventually in Texas. The people in Louisiana will not be happy, though.
Is it viewed as a potential opportunity for growth with a small tribe, more competition, or a wedge to open the state to gambling?	4.) No problem!
For every average person out there, would you suggest not playing? I mean, in the sense that, it's just not a viable option?	Viable for what? Making consistent money? Then definitely not. If you are entertained by thrill of gambling and have the discretionary funds to do it, then by all means.
Aw okay! cool. Any idea why people do it? Is it just a thrill? Would being a "whale", make more of a difference?	For the people that do it for entertainment, it's the thrill of anticipation.
Was it hard getting a job with such a detailed degree?	My undergrad degree is pretty bland, political science, so it wasn't hard at first. I did my grad degree in casino management because I was living in Vegas, wanted to get an MBA, didn't want to take 2 years off from work to get a full-time degree, didn't have the support of my job to get an executive MBA, and didn't like UNLV's MBA program.
EDIT: Thanks for answering my first AMA question! Really good answer too!	NP! Keep asking away!
What's your favorite aspect of your job? And do you like to gamble yourself?	1.) It can be exciting. Picking new acts to play in your showroom seems more exciting to me than selling propane. 2.) Yes...
What is the best way for tourist to get the best bang for buck in your casino for entertainment, food, gambling etc to have a good time and not go broke?	I'm currently working at a Vegas strip property.
If you can answer in terms of Vegas, that would be great also.	Unless you have something more specific in mind, the first place I'd direct you to is the Las Vegas Advisor Top 10 Deals List.
With legal online poker gaining momentum which might mean eventual legal online gambling for other house games online; are the casinos doing what they can to kill this before it starts or your thoughts on this?	Las Vegas Sands / Venetian is actively trying to kill it (which I don't really understand) but everyone just sees it as a means to make more money so are ready to pounce when it's legal.
I don't know if you're still answering questions, but what are the qualifications for being, say, a Texas Hold'em Dealer in Vegas, specifically your casino, and are the dealers specific to just one game? I.e. omaha, hold 'em, pai gow, stud... Also, without being too specific, what is the average annual income for said occupation? Are the dealers payed solely by tips/do they get to keep all tips?	1.) Generally there are poker dealers and table games (e.g., blackjack) dealers. Few do both. Among the table games dealers, most know multiple games as the more you know the more hirable you are. In terms of the qualifications it's just that you've gone to some sort of dealer school (there are commercial ones and some casinos do it in-house), experience, and a live audition. 2.) Really depends on the market and the casino. At the high end like Wynn or Venetian they will do close to $100K/year but at an entry-level place it could be more like $25K/year. It's base salary plus pooled tips (aka tokes).
	3.) You've never thought of dealing the WSOP? They need as many dealers as they can find.
Do Casino's design their decor for different target groups?	Of course. Hard Rock and Cosmo are designed for younger demographics and Wynn and Venetian for older affluent ones.
I find all Casino's to be outright horrible to my senses due to the noise/flashing lights.	Encore and the new Barrymore are definitely designed for the Asian gambler. And you'd, obviously, have to assume the casinos in Macau are, too, although I've never been.
Could you describe your typical work day? also I've had some great times a Joker's Wild!	Ha! I honed my dice skills at JW!
	Typical work day is get to work and look at the previous day's financial results and react accordingly. I.e., ask the analysts to pull numbers, talk to the head of a certain department about their opinion on something, etc.
	Emails emails emails.
	Then it's usually a lot of meetings about upcoming things whether it be planning an event, approving new advertising, doing the strategic planning for the property for 2015, meeting with vendors, etc.
	Emails emails emails.
	By this time the numbers or reports I've asked to be run are ready so I sit down and look at them and act accordingly (e.g., hey, looks like we're spending too much on postage to mail to customers too far away, let's change the way we do this for next time), etc.
	Emails emails emails.
	Then it's usually time to go home but 2-3 times a week I'll have a dinner or event to go to with a vendor or colleague or someone from the press.
	Emails emails emails.
	Probably 2-3 Saturdays a month I'll go in and work for a few hours just to catch up on stuff or if there's an event to meet and greet players, make sure everything is going well, etc.
	Emails emails emails.
Has the rise of 6:5 blackjack been hurting the game's popularity, or are there enough people who don't "get" the odds change (or don't care) that it all works out in the end? Is the odds change enough to swing the game back in the casino's favor in the long run even if players count cards? And what about continuous shuffling machines: have any of the casinos you've been with used them, and how did the players react?	The masses don't care about either especially if you're able to offer low limits. The limit and the number of decks is what attracts people to a bj game. Still never going to allow counting.
Is is harder to get jobs in the background or management functions of the casino?	Well certainly there are more what we call "front of house" positions (dealers, porters, servers, bartenders, etc.) than "back of house" positions (accountants, IT, warehouse, etc.) so in terms of pure numbers, yes it's easier to get -any- FOH than -any- BOH position.
I'm an IT grad looking to move back to Vegas and wondered if there were more "non-floor" jobs than actually functional jobs.	That having been said, if you're wanting an IT position shouldn't be too hard if you're willing to work anywhere and have a little experience. If you're wanting to just jump into the CIO job at Bellagio, more difficult.
Great! thank you. I've got about 8 years under my belt, but dear god...no CIO for me. This really eased my worry about options. thanks.	You should be OK as long as you're not too picky.
Just how rigged are the automatic roulette machines?	They aren't. The games have to go through pretty rigorous testing by the state or an agency of the state to be allowed to be sold. Gaming Labs International is one such company.
I would think that SEO campaigns and similar web based marketing would be ineffective techniques for a casino in a place like Las Vegas. Is this the case? I know I'm quite late but I would love to know if you have time.	We definitely do SEO/SEM campaigns but primarily for hotel related keywords for people looking for hotel rooms. I worked at a place a little outside of the main city in the south one time and we'd buy broader search terms for people looking for "entertainment in main city" in case they didn't know there was a casino nearby.
Thanks for the response. I was just curious about engaging people in person in public? Do you operate campaigns on the street such as call to action flyers or similar? Are there laws specific to this type of promotion in Las Vegas?	Not a typical marketing channel most casinos explore, but it's not entirely unheard of. Sorry I'm not entirely sure of the laws.
Who owns the casino you work at? Is it one guy or a publicly traded company?	I'd rather not say as I don't want to be outted but I have worked for large publicly traded companies, privately held companies (e.g., owned by hedge funds), and publicly traded companies where one individual owns the majority of the shares. I've never worked at a privately owned casino owned by one individual, though.
How do I get over 65 year olds excited about my product?	Without knowing what said product is, the best thing I can say is to figure out how to make it relevant to them.
What does a marketing exec. at a casino make a year?	Depends on the size of the property. 75 at a small riverboat casino to 250 at a large place like Bellagio.
To succeed in marketing, what is the first step to landing a successful job? and what should be the over arching goal in mind to maintain a competitive advantage over fellow competition as well as new shifts in market trends?	1.) be tenacious. take any job you can get. be a sponge and learn everything you can.
	2a.) don't be afraid to fail, but be smart (and profitable) about it.
	2b.) don't rest on your laurels. stay in touch with your customers.
Go on ... What does a casino do in that regard?	From a gambling standpoint, people in that age range like penny slots so we offer a lot of penny slots. We put on shows that would appeal to them. We would make the decor more classic vs hip. Etc.
I've always wanted to work in the gaming industry. I have a strong sales background and a B.S. degree... which department would you recommend to get my feet wet?	Probably player development which is the department that deals with VIP guests or maybe special events/promotions.
What's the best movie you've seen this year? You did say we could talk about life in general...	Absolutely! 12 Years a Slave.
	Edit: Also, Dallas Buyer's Club.
Dang, haven't seen it yet...will have to wait for it on DVD or streaming. Edit: Haven't seen that one either. I'm starting look like a Philistine.	It's pretty heavy but sometimes that's good.
Do you prefer to market for families or adults? Casinos are adult fun, but I've noticed a shift in the past decade.	Definitely adults.
Your AMA was one of the best, you answered almost every question, so if you're still answering here's one: If a young person comes in and wins more than 100k and then just leaves, would you suspect him/her of anything?	It really depends more on the manner in which you win and how you behave. We're required by law to fill out a Currency Transaction Report for transactions over $10,000. So if you got to that point you would have already given us your ID, etc. We'd obviously make sure that surveillance is watching you to make sure you're not cheating but if you're on a random hot streak and betting $10K/hand then it wouldn't be a huge deal at most strip properties.
How about a free load just this once? lol. But hypothetically what would 10 grand get you :(	At my place, (which is not an uber classy place like Wynn or Venetian), you'd get pretty much whatever you'd want. Suite, dinners, limo from the airport, show tickets, etc. We'd generally reinvest in you 30% of your loss so just figure out what $3,000 in comps would get you.
What advice can you give to new grads who want to get into marketing, but can get work due to lack of experience?	As I mentioned in a previous post, I believe you really just need to be tenacious and take anything to get your foot in the door. It's a very crowded field, especially on the what I call "pretty picture" side of marketing. I wish I had a more specific answer to give you.
What does being a marketing executive involve?	I usually say I'm in charge of driving profitable revenue. The departments that report up to me are charge of advertising, promotions, entertainment, public relations, direct mail/database marketing, and VIP marketing.
I'm coming to Vegas in December from Australia, can you PM me your email address?	Just PM me. Happy to see if I can help
Do casinos hire interns? I'm currently a student at a public university.	Absolutely. I think most of the major companies have management training/internship programs. Go to their careers websites. Caesars Entertainment, MGM International, Pinnacle Entertainment, Penn National Gaming, etc.
Would you recommend a job in marketing? what skill sets would be helpful for marketing? i'm interested in it but not entirely sure what it's about.	I think the best combination in today's world is to be more right brained with a creative bent as more and more the question asked of marketing folks is "quantify how your idea makes me money?" and less and less "what's the most most creative idea you have?"
	It's a crowded field especially on the left brained side (e.g., advertising and public relations) because people think it's "cool". So if that's you're interest, I'd say being tenacious and creative is what is going to get you far in that world because it's tough to get your foot in the door and you have to have thick skin and then when you do get your foot in the door you are going to have a very short leash to prove yourself.
Any specific company you recommend?	If you're at the intern stage, apply liberally.
Do you have the sides backwards, or do I?	Um, well I think of left brained as creative and right brain analytical?
How selective is the casino management program at UNLV?	The hotel management program in general is not selective but the casino management program is difficult because it's pretty quantitatively-focused so there's a lot of attrition.
What do you do for family entertainment in Vegas?	I'm single so that having been said, there's all your typical family stuff to do here: parks, camping, hiking, movies, bowling, etc.
You don't have any family in Vegas? What's something that you go do with your friends, then?	I'm not from here and my ex-wife hated living here thus why she's my ex. My friends and I go and see concerts, go to bars, we like guns so go shooting sometimes, and most Sundays cook for each other.
Sounds like a nice life!	It's OK. City is kind of soulless and superficial.
One of my favorite aspects of Vegas is that if you want your experience to improve, it's usually a strategic $20 tip away... whether that be a tip to upgrade your room when you check in, to skip the long line at a club, to get a table with a great view at dinner... What potential 'Experience' improvements would you recommend in Vegas?	Link to thetwentydollartrick.com
Vegas or Macau. Which is better?	Better for what?
Have you read The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester?	I haven't.
So basically I should just buy from the half off kiosks?	Yes.
How do you feel about those who are addicted to gambling and those who have lost everything because of it?	Bad, obviously.
Late to this ama, are you still taking questions?	Sure!
Sure buddy.	Do you mean to say that you don't believe me?
I just got started in hospitality marketing, any advice?	Doing what, exactly? Just be willing to make not a lot of money for awhile and be willing to relocate frequently if you want to move up the ladder. I guess those are the first things that come to mind.
Have you had any good marketing ideas that you couldn't do due to marketing regulation.	Not necessarily due to regulation but a lot of times you're gun-shy to do a promotion because well, what happens if no one shows up?
Bastard.	Danka.

Last updated: 2014-05-11 03:39 UTC
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