Supercop Hank needs to start thinking about Walt. There are many problems with his story:

1) No way he learned to count cards that fast. It’s a skill that doesn’t require mathematical genius, just tons of practice.

2) No way he found a million dollars worth of action in New Mexico. He would have been banned before he cleared six figures.

3) No way he could have earned that much so quickly even if he could find the action. Counting cards gives you a slight edge. It takes weeks sometimes to hit a winning streak.

4) No way he’s an addict. Gambling addicts chase luck. Card counting is tedious work that requires discipline and a clear head.

5) If he’s an addict, no way hit hit rock bottom. Ever hear of a compulsive gambler quitting when he’s millions ahead? Me neither

6) Skyler’s reaction is nonsensical. Show me these women who threw their husbands out of the house for winning millions of dollars.

It’s got to occur to Supercop Hank, given Skyler’s behavior, that if Walt is a compulsive gambler, he just might be in over his head with organized crime.

Nattercast, in reply to your first post:

1. There are many different forms of card counting in regards to blackjack, some are simpler than others. I’m not sure how long it would take to master a specific form of card counting but I’m sure people who have an incredible memory and are mathematical geniuses (as Walt is) would take to it a lot faster then your average person would.

2. Walt isn’t gambling at casinos. He is gambling at backroom tables.

3. Assuming he started as soon as he got cancer it would be more more than enough time to win a large sum of money. Assuming he was gradually increasing the stakes as he went along. They also factored in the probability of luck into their story. Remember Walt’s Fugue state was explained by him losing it after he hit a steak of bad luck.

4. Your statement is a false dichotomy. Being a gambling addict and being a card counter aren’t mutually exclusive. Card counting (while it does give you a slight advantage) is still gambling and still provides a rush that can become addicting.

5. “If he’s an addict, no way hit hit rock bottom.”

I don’t know what this is suppose to mean so i’ll move on.

“Ever hear of a compulsive gambler quitting when he’s millions ahead? Me neither”

This is a logical fallacy know as begging the question. But since you asked I have, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Ma
He was an MIT student who used card counting to beat the system. He also “occasionally” guest host the ESPN fantasy football cast which is where I first heard of him.

6. I suppose Hank just assumes it had something to due with their marriage infidelity but we shall see!!!

Oy!!! I knew i couldn’t type that much without at least one grammar mistake. I meant streak of bad luck not steak. A steak of bad luck is something else entirely.

Regarding the train: on the insider cast they mentioned that that’s a real working train and it’s top speed is only about 20 miles an hour. It’s not a giant freight train, just a small local carrier. They actually had to speed up the film to make the stop look more dramatic.

Very minor thing but Todd shot the boy in the chest not the head. So it wasn’t EXACTLY like Mike’s line to Lydia, “I Am Going to Pull My Pistol Out, and I Am Going to Shoot You in the Head”. Great episode, great podcast