JOHN C. TURMEL GAMBLING CREDENTIALS
ACADEMIC:
In 1974, as an electrical engineering undergraduate
student at
Carleton University, I was star student and received an A+ in
the
first and only course of its kind in Canada, Math 69:140: the
Mathematics of Gambling, given by Mathematics Professor
Walter
Schneider, Ph.d.
From 1975 to 1978, I became a professional gambler while
Dr.
Schneider's Teaching Assistant in the Mathematics of Gambling
course.
During those years, I went on over 50 4-day junkets to Las
Vegas
casinos with my team of 4-man team of Blackjack counters
where I
was eventually barred from the Sands and the Hilton Casinos
as a
too-successful Blackjack card-counter. I was invited to join the
celebrated Ken Uston card-counting team but preferred to gamble solo.
In 1976, I received my degree in electrical engineering
upon
completion of a fourth year engineering project titled
"An APL Computer
Analysis of Canadian Stud" which was presented to the
Third Conference
on Gambling at Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas.
LEGAL:
In 1979, I ran for Parliament to legalize gambling.
In 1980 at Hull, I was accredited "expert"
status on matters related
to gambling by Quebec Provincial Court Judge Charron in a
charge of
keeping a common gaming house.
In 1981 at Ottawa, I was accredited "expert"
status on the Mathematics
of Gambling by Ontario Provincial Court Judge Hutton in a
charge of
keeping a common gaming house.
In 1981 at Ottawa, I was also accredited by Ontario
Provincial Court
Judge White in a charge of keeping a common gaming house.
In the late 1980s at Hull, I was to be expert witness in a
gaming
house charge at Quebec Provincial Court. On the morning of my
testimony, the Crown withdrew the charges.
In 1989 at Ottawa, I was the Crown's expert witness before
Ontario
Provincial Court Judge Fontana in a gaming house found-in
charge.
In 1994 at Mississauga, I was the expert witness before
Ontario
Provincial Court Judge Rosemay in a gaming house charge.
I was cited in the 1995 Martin's Criminal Code of Canada as an
"exceptionally skilled professional gambler and in the Federal
Court "Epel" ruling on non-taxable gambling winnings.
PROFESSIONAL:
In 1993, I made a submission to the Ontario Commission on
Gambling
favoring a large number of smaller sized municipal casinos
which has
since been adopted.
I designed the rules of Turmel-style Blackjack which
permitted me in
1992 and 1993 to successfully avoid the B prohibitions in the
Criminal
Code and own three of the largest private Poker and Blackjack
casinos
in Canadian history including the 28-table Topaz Casino
Turmel in
Ottawa.
In 1993 Ontario Provincial Police "Project Robin Hood" raid shut down the
biggest gaming house raid in the world, the 28-table Casino Turmel in
Ottawa whose poker rules with "no misdeals" "showdowns" and bet
saddles delivered over 60-hands per hour, another world record.
Casino Turmel introduced Holdem Poker to Ontario and
hosted 7 Canadian
Open Holdem Championships in the 1990s. Casino Turmel rules of Holdem
Poker were adopted by the Province of Ontario after
being endorsed by
Ontario Provincial Police Gambling Expert Joe Fotia.
I played poker professionally in the United States for 5 years in the 1990s
and am remembered as the Professor at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City for
beating "the Donald" out of millions in rake-off with a petition demanding
the poker room switch back to the $100 an hour session fees from the new
$160 per hour rake-off thus saving every long runner in the room over
$10,000 per year.
I have boasted on rec.gambling.poker the highest average win rate of 3.5
bets/hour in a 40-hand/hour $10 game minus 1.3 bets for session fee and tips.