Boycotting blackjack 6:5
February 3rd, 2010 | 
Author: If there’s something I wish I could teach new blackjack players, it would be to boycott tables that pay 6:5 on a blackjack.
The Gaming Commission doesn’t regulate the payouts in blackjack. The house has every right to set them at whatever they want. The game of blackjack, however, has traditionally paid 3:2 on a blackjack. First, we saw single deck games go to a 6:5 payout. Now, the payout of 6:5 for blackjack is rampant in Las Vegas. I’m not even going to get into the number of 8-deck shoes I saw on the Strip. When I was in Vegas last year, it hadn’t spread to the downtown area, and the downtown casinos were full of the more savvy players who were refusing to play the Strip games paying 6:5. This year, however, there were casinos downtown paying 6:5 on blackjack, and the ones that didn’t were not allowing double down after split and/or splitting of aces more than once.
Folks – just boycott blackjack 6:5 okay? Do the blackjack-playing community a favor and refuse to play it. I suspect I can say this until I’m blue in the face and even if this blog goes viral, there will be no shortage of people going to Vegas or other venues and playing blackjack without a clue. But if you read this blog, now you know better – and you have no excuse.
Let me make something clear: the house always has an advantage and you will, over time, lose money. The only time you can play blackjack with an advantage is if you’re counting the cards. So why look for the game with the lowest house advantage? Well – why do you look for the best deal at the grocery store? Why do you wait until that big screen TV you want goes on sale before you buy it? Go to Vegas, have a good time, but at least make your money go further.
Let’s say you find what seems to be a typical game of blackjack on the Strip these days: 8-deck shoe, dealer hits soft 17, you can only split aces once, you can double down after a split (except aces), you can double down on any two first cards, and blackjack pays 6:5. The house advantage on that game is just slightly over 2%. Now – make the blackjack pay at 3:2 and the house edge is just under 0.65%. See the difference? Make it a 6-deck shoe, same rules, paying 6:5 and the house edge moves slightly, to just under 2%. Same game paying 3:2 moves the house edge to a little under 0.62%.
By playing the 6:5 game, you’re giving the house almost 1.5% advantage over you.
That’s like buying that big-screen TV this week at full price, even if you’ve been told it will go on sale for half the price next week. It doesn’t make much sense, does it?
What happened at Harrah’s
I knew that Harrah’s was on their way to spoiling what was probably the friendliest little casino on the Las Vegas Strip (O’Shea’s) when I was there last year, but this year confirmed it.
My husband has a conference he’s attended in Vegas for years now. It’s been at Caesar’s all but one year, and that’s where we’ve stayed. I liked O’Shea’s because it’s a small place, right across the street from Caesar’s. I could go there early in the morning, before my husband woke up, get a decent cup of coffee in a decent-size cup and play $5 minimum blackjack and talk to the dealers, all of whom I’ve found to be very friendly. The tables were all hand shuffled and they played pretty good rules on blackjack. Shoes were 6 deck, they played a couple of double deck tables and a couple of single deck tables. If you play early in the day, as I did, you could easily get a seat at one of the $5 tables. Later in the day, when it’s busier, they shut down to only one $5 table – but I was usually gone by then, anyway. They hit soft 17, but you could resplit aces and you can double down on any two cards (except, of course, aces).
Now – O’Shea’s and Caesar’s are both owned by Harrah’s. I don’t know how long Harrah’s has owned O’Shea’s, but if it’s been for a long time, then they left well enough alone until the last two years or so. And maybe the tanking economy inspired the ridiculous raping of customers that I’m seeing in Las Vegas this year. I can’t figure out why people are still flocking there, but I can tell you I was somewhat relieved when my husband said we probably won’t be going to this conference again. If I’m going to go to Vegas, I’m going to find the best deals – and Harrah’s properties aren’t it.
Let’s talk about Caesar’s itself for just a minute. The only deal they gave me was an upgrade to the Palace Tower at no additional charge, which was nice of them. I booked in one of the older towers because my husband wasn’t sure his company would reimburse him this year. But still – you’re talking at the conference price almost $200 a night. In a day and age when most hotels are offering free wireless internet, Caesar’s is charging a whopping $14.99/day for a wired connection to the internet, and $24.99/day for each wireless connection. Yes, you read that right – $24.99 per connection. If my husband and I had both wanted to wirelessly connect to the internet using our laptops, it would’ve cost nearly $50/day. I was glad to have my AT&T wireless air card because in the four days we were there, it would’ve cost me more for the wired connection at Caesar’s than I pay for a month of air card service. Suffice it to say that I’d never stay at Caesar’s if someone else wasn’t paying for it.
Last year, I didn’t play much at O’Shea’s because when I walked in, I saw that all the tables were paying 6:5 on blackjack. I don’t play games that pay 6:5 blackjack. I didn’t check out anything else, so I’m not sure if the changes I saw this year happened a year ago – and I just didn’t look close enough last year – or if they happened in the interim. But – given some time constraints I was working with, I was really hoping O’Shea’s would have something worth playing because I couldn’t really spend a lot of time tromping up and down the Strip. So I tried to look past the 6:5 blackjack to see if there was anything else that might compel me to sit down and play in spite of that.
What I found was actually pretty horrifying. And not just in terms of what a great place O’Shea’s used to be, but in terms of blackjack games in general.
First of all, in addition to the 6:5 on blackjack, they’ve gone from a 6-deck shoe to an 8-deck shoe. You can’t get even money if you have a blackjack and the dealer has an A showing. You’re no longer allowed to resplit aces. All the double deck games are gone – they have 8-deck shoe and single deck.
This is not a game worth playing.
I fully understand that casinos are in business to make money and we would all be fools if we acted as though they weren’t. But at some point, consumers (and players in a casino are consumers) have to draw a line and refuse to feed corporate greed. I’m no economist but it seems to me that when people are hanging on to their money tighter, you have to offer them better deals. Harrah’s seem convinced that the opposite is true – squeeze as much money out of the few(er) customers you have.
I’m not sure when I’ll make it to Vegas again, but I can assure you that I won’t be staying or playing at a Harrah’s property.
Preparing for Las Vegas
Just a quick note that I’m not dead and I will tell you all about my recent trip to Las Vegas.
What with the holidays and work, I haven’t had much opportunity to get out and play blackjack, so there wasn’t much to talk about.
Well, I now have a lot to talk about! Like – what the hell has happened to the game of blackjack in Las Vegas???
You’re gonna hear all about Binions and the Four Queens, the Harrah’s properties on the Strip and how Harrah’s has completely ruined a friendly little casino they call O’Shea’s. Still love the dealers – but I’m afraid with the changes Harrah’s has made in blackjack at this and their other casinos, I’m going to have to say goodbye to some of the friendliest dealers on the Strip until someone at Harrah’s comes to their senses. Which will be about the same time all the clueless blackjack players GET a clue and start boycotting casinos playing these lousy games. Which is to say – never.
But more on that this weekend. Stay tuned!
The blackjack “expert” at your table
I just returned from a couple days in Palm Springs, where I played at The Spa the entire time, mostly because I was winning most the time and I was too lazy to drive somewhere else.
This was not a fun-filled, carefree couple of days. It started out really good – I got into town, had a glass of wine with a friend, she “saged” me – then I dropped my bags off at her place and went to the casino. The next day, I was having server problems, one of my biggest web sites got shut down for resource abuse, and I’d forgotten my laptop power supply, so I couldn’t spend a lot of time online dealing with this.
Consequently, because I (a) arrived in the afternoon on the first day and (b) dealt with problems the morning of the second day, it wasn’t until (c) the third day that I played in the morning, which is actually one of my favorite times to go to the casino. As a result, it wasn’t until my last day of play that I ran into one of the regulars who fancies herself an expert.
For all you new blackjack players: beware the “expert” at your table!
This woman was full of advice (most of it wrong) for everyone she thought was making a bonehead move. This included: you never split 9s, you never split 2s or 3s, you never ever double down a soft hand (A+ another card) except when the dealer is showing a 5 or a 6, you never hit soft 18 (A,7) – and so on and so forth. If you’ve done your homework and learned basic strategy, you know that this advice is wrong wrong wrong. I try my best to ignore this kind of behavior but it has required nearly biting my tongue in half at times. Counting my chips helps. Tracking the amount of hands the “expert” loses versus the amount of hands I win also makes me feel better. 
I used to give advice at the table. I used to ask for advice. One usually isn’t welcome and the other isn’t smart. Don’t ask others at the table for advice. Go to the Blackjack Basic Strategy engine, print yourself off the basic strategy for the various rules – then memorize them. Carry them in your pocket or your purse, if you need to – the casino doesn’t care if you pull them out and look at them. You can even buy the cards at the same site as the Basic Strategy engine.
Don’t tell other people how to play their hand unless they ask for help – and even then, only tell them how you would play that hand and always say “but it’s your money so do what you want.” If you don’t like how someone is playing their hand, either sit out a couple hands or change tables. (I know – this isn’t always an option when tables are limited.) And for gawd’s sake – make sure YOU aren’t giving bad advice! If you aren’t solid about having memorized the basic strategy, just tell them you really aren’t sure. You are under no obligation to teach others to play, especially if you’re still kind of shaky yourself. Sometimes, the person making bonehead moves knows better – and doesn’t care. There was one fellow at my table who was regularly splitting 10s. If you know what you’re doing (i.e., you count cards), you may sometimes split 10s because it’s to your advantage to do so. However – I am 99% certain this guy was no card counter. He was hitting stiff hands against a dealer bust card and splitting 10s and he simply didn’t give a flying <whatever> if nobody liked it. The little voice inside of me cheered every time he lost big when he did this.
In summary, get the basic strategy cards or print them out and memorize them and then you don’t need to qualify some stranger as being an “expert.”
A week in blackjack
It finally happened – I was in proximity to numerous casinos for a long enough period of time to get in a lot of play and by the time the week was over, I was tired of playing blackjack.
I know – difficult to believe, isn’t it? I surprised myself!
Here’s what happened…
It started with an invitation to a week-long party in Palm Springs. I had a one-night comped stay at the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, so I went out one day early so I could get in even more playing time. I started out at the Spotlight 29 casino in Indio, not only because I couldn’t check into the hotel until after 4:00, but I knew I’d be spending a lot of time at The Spa and I wanted a little variety.
A few things about Spotlight 29…
Their blackjack rule variations aren’t optimum, but they play a lot of low-limit tables ($5) and it’s usually about the right kind of quiet for me – not so dead that I’m not socially stimulated, but not so crowded that I’m waiting for a space at a table, either. They do play one $2 minimum table out of a 6-deck shoe, but that one is almost always crowded. However, if you do get a seat at that table, it’s a good place to practice your basic play strategy and betting strategy without losing your shirt. I sat down at the double deck table, which I occasionally like to play, and immediately started off on a winning streak that didn’t end all day. I was up a couple hundred dollars when I decided I really needed to go check into the hotel and get something to eat.
About Spotlight 29’s double deck game…
On the negative side, you are only allowed to split once and you cannot double down after a split. I find that incredibly annoying. On the positive side, they burn 1 card and they don’t place the cut card deep into the decks. (More on this later when I get to The Spa’s double deck game.)
In spite of this, I had a good winning streak, so I was happy. I occasionally like to play double deck and I like winning even more.
However, I did spend most of the week at The Spa because the party was right in Palm Springs and The Spa is convenient. Unfortunately, management knows it’s convenient. There’s only one $5 minimum blackjack table and most of the day, it’s difficult to get a seat there. However, my winning streak continued and so I was willing to play the $10 minimum tables.
About the double deck blackjack at The Spa Casino Resort…
The folks at The Spa like to think they’ve got it all over Spotlight 29. It is true that The Spa has a completely different vibe and clientele than Spotlight 29. But they would also like players to think The Spa has much better games. New players and those who don’t really pay attention might actually buy that line, but if you know a little about blackjack and pay attention, you’ll find it’s casino hype. Big surprise, huh?
They’re quick to point out that they allow multiple hand splits and double down after splits. And yes, that’s great on any blackjack game – bring it on. But when a casino burns a card – and then approximately 20 more – on a double deck game, then places the cut card another 20 to 30 cards in, it takes away any advantage the split rules give you. This is not a good game to play, folks. You’d be better off driving the 30 miles out to Indio to play the game at Spotlight 29, where you can at least play for a $5 minimum instead of the $15 minimum The Spa seems determined to hold its double deck game to (I’ve never seen it for less).
The Spa has initiated a Lucky Lucky side bet since I was there last, earlier in the summer. My comps suffered as a result of my extended absence, but damn – Palm Springs is just too hot in the summer! You’d burn up just walking from the hotel to the casino, since they are on different blocks. Close – but still a walk in triple-digit heat. And I had other commitments northward.
But back to that Lucky Lucky side bet…
I know side bets are sucker bets and I rarely play them. But, as I said, I was up a couple hundred dollars and feeling lucky, so I started to play it at $1 a bet. Now, I’m a bit obsessive-compulsive, so I was keeping my side bet play chips separate from my blackjack play chips and doing pretty good on the side bets, not so good on the blackjack. And if you ask the dealer which spot they want their tip played on, they usually pick the side bet. If you win, they get paid more than they will on a blackjack hand win. And I was winning that side bet pretty steady – 2:1 pay on 19 and 20, 3:1 on 21, 15:1 on suited 21. I also hit a couple 30:1 and 50:1 plays. All in all, the side bet winnings were carrying what I was losing in blackjack and it was fun. A warning is that if you start playing it, it’s hard to stop. Inevitably, as with any side bets, as soon as you don’t bet it, you’ll hit the hand that would’ve paid umpty-bajillion to 1 and then you’ll be kicking yourself around the casino!
One evening, I went with some of the others from the party to play. It was really busy – Thursday night, after the Palm Springs Street Fair. If you’re thinking this casino is going to be quiet midweek, think again – Tuesday is their drawings day and it’s crowded and Thursdays after the street fair is really busy, as well. I was at first base and my friend – after getting her ass kicked on the double deck table – finally got a seat at the table I was at and came over to sit next to me. I got dealt 8♣. Next, I got dealt 7♣.
Suited 6,7,8 pays 100:1 on the side bet. OK, I know it’s a measly $1 bet – but 100:1 is nothing to sneeze at. I start chanting under my breath “6♣, 6♣!” It took my friend a minute to realize what was happening, then she got excited. By the time the dealer turned over his card, we were both halfway to excited. When he turned over 6♣, they probably heard us at the other side of the casino. That win put me $50 over my losses on blackjack – so we cashed out and left. It was 3 a.m., anyway.
Surprisingly, I hit suited 6,7,8 again the next morning. What was even funnier was the dealer, who apparently isn’t on board with this whole side bet thing. It slows down the table. She made it clear she didn’t like it. Then, she kept telling me I was down because I was playing the side bet, even though I pointed out to her that I had two separate chip stacks going – one for blackjack and one for the side bet – so I knew what I was winning and losing on each. About 10 minutes after insisting that I was losing money on the side bet, she dealt me a suited 7 and 8, then turned up a 6 of the same suit. I was happy to take the $100 and leave – again, having my blackjack losses more than covered by the side bet winnings.
The day before I was to leave, I went to the casino for breakfast and just happened to get snagged by a blackjack table. The $5 table was full and although I don’t like going head-to-head with the dealer, I sat at the empty $10 minimum table to play. I went on an unbelievable winning streak – if I had a lousy hand, the dealer busted. In 30 minutes, he only turned over 2 blackjacks. This went on quickly, with me upping my bets and laying out tips on both the side bet and the blackjack hand for the dealer, who made probably $100 in tips during his 30-minute shift. I left – without breakfast – an hour later with several hundred more dollars in my pocket.
But then… there was Sunday night. Now I remember why I avoid casinos at night, especially during the weekend. Why do I continue to allow myself to be surprised at people who sit down and play without knowing a damn thing about how to play? At one point, all the $10 minimum tables that were open were full and I was stuck at a table full of young bucks who agonized over hitting a 12 against a 10, or doubling down A,6 against a 5. And why is it people who play like this seem to actually WIN? It only reinforces their belief that they know how to play! I sat back and stayed out of play hand after hand. I could have left, yes, but there came a time when I was just bemused and amused at what I was witnessing! I realize that – over time – how other players play their hands don’t affect mine, but at that particular time it WAS affecting my hand and not in a good way. I was willing to concede that these particular players were never going to play in a way that would swing things over to my favor. A pit boss kindly took pity on me and held a seat for me at another table when one opened up. OK – maybe he wasn’t being kind, he was just tired of watching me take up space without putting any money in the circle.
All in all, it was a good trip, money-wise. But – I went home tired of sitting in a semi-circle!
As we all know, that doesn’t last for long – I’m planning another trip next week.
Pechanga Casino in Temecula, CA
I have to congratulate Pechanga Resort Casino for a well-run blackjack tournament. I understand they’ll be running a tournament monthly, so keep checking Blackjack Tournaments listings for updates.
As far as the actual blackjack games at the casino – I’m not impressed. I was in the casino to watch the tournament and planned on playing some blackjack while I was there. I got there at approximately 8:30 a.m. on a Monday and left at approximately 4 p.m. and played probably less than half an hour because the blackjack tables simply didn’t offer anything I found playable, especially with better games 10 miles down the road at Pala.
On this particular day, there was a large area of the floor under renovation. I am pretty sure from the layout and my prior trips to this casino that it’s a slot area and therefore the renovations didn’t remove any blackjack tables from play. It’s possible the tournament displaced some regular games – I couldn’t say for certain because it’s been quite awhile since I was at this casino last.
First of all, let me go on record as saying I absolutely hate the continuous shuffle machines (CSMs), which I’ll bitch about in a completely different entry.
These things are all over the Pechanga blackjack pits. On the regular floor, all the low-limit blackjack tables are dealt out of a CSM. Any table with a $5 or $10 minimum (and there weren’t many of them) were being dealt from a CSM. I did see one $15 minimum table not only being dealt out of a shoe, but hand shuffled, as well – you don’t see that very often any more. I would say that was a 6-deck shoe, not 8-deck.
Still, resplitting aces is not allowed. I am not so in love with playing blackjack that I will sit down at a game that doesn’t allow resplitting of aces. There is also no surrender and the dealer hits soft 17 (A/6). Bundle all this together with a CSM and it pretty much kills any desire I have to play at that casino.
All the tables I observed paid 2:1 on blackjack
If you have a larger bankroll, it might be worth checking out the high-limit rooms. One of the tournament contestants told me they had a pretty decent double deck game with a $25 minimum, but I admit I didn’t go into the high-limit room to check it out.
All in all, my feeling is the casino can afford the prizes for the blackjack tournament because the regular tables are raking in the dough off players who don’t know enough about blackjack to know they’d be better off at Pala or players who have so much money they simply don’t care how fast they lose it.
Posted in Casino reviews | 
Tags: blackjack, blackjack tournament, continuous shuffle machine, CSM, H17, no surrender, Pechanga, RSA, tournament | 
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You waited how long to play??
I made the mistake of going to a casino on Sunday, the middle day of a 3-day holiday weekend.
Oh.My.God. I know I should know better – but what about all the other people there??
I’m not going to name the casino or do a review about that visit – I figured I’d give them a chance midweek some time and do a review when there were fewer people there.
I went over to the pits to check out the blackjack and some tables were not only full, there was a crowd behind the players, waiting for a seat. Obviously, this was more prevalent at the $5 min table, but the $10 tables were nearly as bad. There were two pits and only one $5 in each, with one being a non-smoking table. At this particular casino, probably 50% of the tables had a CSM – and I won’t play at one of those. So – I decided to just stand and practice counting. The crowd waiting for a seat at the $5 gave me good cover for the practice and with the number of people, nobody was going to recognize me another day of the week.
(I won’t even talk about the crowds at the numerous slot machines – holy moly. It was a fight to get to the bathroom. Which also had a line.)
Here’s something I don’t understand… there were people who waited 2 hours to get a seat at the $5 min table, then sat down and pulled… $40 out of their pocket.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph – who spends 2+ hours waiting to play a whole whopping $40? One woman lasted a whole 15 minutes before she lost her $40 buy-in. Lessee – 2 hours for 15 minutes of play that costs $40?
Someone explain to me how that’s fun.
When I got tired of practicing the count (or lost it completely and gave up for the shoe – this is why I’m not a card counter), I’d talk to some of the people who were waiting. Very few had any clue how to play – they were there to have a good time. And wait 2 hours to have it. God help the player who got up to stretch or go to the bathroom or go have a smoke. There’d be a rush for the seat, at which point the player – and the dealer – would have to explain that the seat wasn’t being vacated, the player was just taking a break. And even if the seat wasn’t being vacated, there would then be a discussion about whose seat it would be if it was being vacated. The poor dealer, head down and dealing, had no idea who came when or who had wandered off to see if something else might be available – then come back. At one point, the pit boss numbered off who was next (I stepped away so I wouldn’t be numbered). That was when there were only 3 people waiting. Another fellow arrived shortly after the #3 numbered person – no doubt feeling safe that a place at the table was assured – went to the bathroom. When she returned and the dealer told her replacement who was who and what order they were in, he had a fit. I mean – there wasn’t even a seat available yet and he was fighting over it! He told her she wasn’t there when he got there – how could she be #3? She explained she’d gone to the bathroom, at which point he insisted that meant she lost her place. A real gentleman, that. He left long before even the person in the #2 spot got a seat at the table.
One poor woman who was waiting (after the pit boss gave up numbering) took a nap at one of the slot machines. And what was really hilarious was that, in this very crowded casino where obviously slots are the #1 game in town, some fellow just couldn’t resist playing the slot machine she was sleeping in front of – he was just trying to be very, very careful not to disturb her slumber.
In addition to waiting an unbelievable amount of time to play, most of these people showed how little they knew by the way they played. People, a “no-bust” playing strategy is a losing strategy. If you’re afraid of busting, don’t play blackjack. Your chances of pulling a card and making a hand are much better if you hit a stiff hand 12-16 against a dealer’s 7 or higher than your chances of the dealer busting if you don’t. I’m wondering if some players don’t realize that 12-16 cannot beat any hand the dealer may make and that the dealer must bust in order for them to win. Well, I’m here to tell ya – that’s how it works. If the dealer has 7 or higher, you need to hit 12-16 even if you think you might bust. Standing on it is just plain stupid unless you’re a card counter – and trust me, there aren’t any card counters at a $5 min table on a holiday weekend, especially any willing to wait 2 hours to get a seat.
By the same token, don’t stand on 14 against a dealer 10 – then hit 13 against a dealer 6! Honest to God – what I saw on Sunday wasn’t bad strategy – it was no strategy!
I continue to be amazed at how many people will sit down and play a game about which they (apparently) know absolutely nothing. We were all beginners once – but there’s no excuse for remaining a beginner.
Posted in Blackjack Basics |
Tags: 21, blackjack, blackjack strategies, blackjack strategy, how to play blackjack |
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How to play blackjack – the Stern Asian Dealer
I’m not always going to say where I was playing blackjack when I report on my gambling trips and adventures – I’m afraid one of these days someone will recognize me from the posts.
However, I just returned late yesterday from a three-day playing binge where I actually made some money. What I like about blackjack is the social experience. I talk to the other players, the dealers, the pit bosses – it’s all part of the game to me.
I’ve been a regular at a somewhat local casino for the last several weeks and encountered a dealer I nicknamed the Stern Asian Dealer. I think in all the times I’ve been at her table, she’s cracked a smile once or twice. Most of the time, however, she’s just there to do her job. And I gotta give it to her – she does it very well. She deals the cards nice and neat, not too fast, not too slow (another dealer at the same casino is painfully slow – and he always seems to come on shift at my table just when I’m trying to make a few extra bucks before I have to meet my deadline to leave). The Stern Asian Dealer does not give any indication to players that their blackjack strategy is good, bad or nonexistent – she just deals the cards, plays her hands and collects or pays out the chips. If you want to hit a hard hand against her bust card, go right ahead. She will not even hesitate to give you another card – you don’t even get a polite “are you sure?” – which, for most dealers, is the nice way of saying only a complete moron would hit this – are you asleep or just drunk? Not the Stern Asian Dealer – she will stand there with one hand on the shoe, waiting to pull a card out of it once you are done agonizing – but she will not offer unsolicited advice.
Now, should you ask her what you should do, she will quietly and nicely tell you what “the book” advises. Her basic strategy is good – she knows how the game is played.
But that’s only if you ask. If you don’t ask, she will deal you a card if that’s what you want. She will watch while you double down a 4 and a 2 against her 5 or 6 and then efficiently lay your next card face down over the others. If you put out a matching stack of chips and indicate you want to split your 10s, she will line up the cards with the chips and deal you a hit on the first split hand.
At no time while the hand is being played will her facial expression or other body language indicate to you that you are about to spit in the face of basic strategy for blackjack and do something no player with a brain would do.
However…….
When the hand is done being played, she will look at you and tell you – in a tone of voice I’m positive her children never want to hear for as long as they live – exactly what you did wrong and how it affected the play at the table for that hand. God help you if you do something stupid while playing at the table where Stern Asian Dealer is dealing cards! If you thought your fellow players were tough to deal with after a stupid move, it’s nothing compared to the stern matriarchial expression and tone of voice you’ll encounter at this table!
So remember: if you’re not sure about your basic strategy, don’t hesitate to ask. Some dealers will give you subtle signals, but table etiquette says not to tell someone else how to play unless they ask and there are some dealers who won’t even give you subtle signals.
Posted in Blackjack Basics |
Tags: 21, blackjack, blackjack strategies, blackjack strategy, dealer, etiquette, how to play blackjack |
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Morongo Casino Resort & Spa
I was visiting in Palm Springs back in May of this year and my friend suggested we go to the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, in Cabazon. Going into Palm Springs from Los Angeles, the (fairly new) casino and hotel tower are about 30 miles west of Palm Springs. I hadn’t been there to play since it was less than a year old, so I said sure.
This was a Wednesday night, so the casino floor was busy, but not crowded. The last time I had played there, it was crowded. We wanted to find a $5 table, so we wandered through the pits for several minutes, looking for one that was open. The casino floor was busy enough that all the easily accessible $5 tables that were close to the restaurant and the doors were full. Even the $10 tables were pretty busy. As is usually the case at these casinos during the week, the $25 tables were dead. We finally found quite a few $5 tables further into the casino (by the bathrooms!) – the problem was, these looked really sad. I was shocked at the shape the table felt was in – it was stained and looked like it hadn’t been changed since they opened the new casino.
To make things look even sadder, the entire group of tables in this section by the bathrooms weren’t very busy. While the tables closer to the front were popping, there was very little action at these tables. I think it’s because they had a side bet feature, with a light inset in the table (which I’d never seen before). I was pretty sure the side bet wasn’t required, but I asked, just to be sure. Maybe other people didn’t feel like asking. Or maybe they sensed something strange about these tables and just moved on.
I don’t think my friend and I played for more than 15 minutes before we got up and left the casino. Aside from the strange vibe and the stained table felt, the dealer was one of the rudest dealers I’ve ever played against. I understand it’s a job and you get tired and want to go home, but it’s like any other job where you’re dealing with customers looking to socialize and have fun – suck it up and put on a smile. How would you like it if you went to Disneyland and Goofy moped around, telling everyone he wanted to go home? This dealer was the equivalent of a limp handshake. It wasn’t just that she didn’t want to talk – my friend and I are perfectly capable of carrying a conversation between us – but the attitude was confirmed came when a co-worker passed and she told him how much she wanted her shift to be over.
The last straw, however, was when I asked her if we could get drink service over to take orders. In a barely audible monotone, she responded: “They come by here every hour or so.”
That was it. We cashed in our chips and left the casino.
Let me tell you how I tip dealers: I tip them if they’re making it fun. It’s not on them whether I win or lose money. All they do is deal the cards. Therefore, my tip is completely unrelated to my winnings. A lively, fun, engaging dealer has a good chance of getting some generous tips from me.
I won’t be going back to Morongo unless someone writes and tells me how management has really made some changes and it’s a great place to go.
Friday night at Chumash Casino
I was playing blackjack at the Chumash Casino, in the beautiful Central Coast region of California (near Solvang) last Friday night. I had a deadline for leaving and a goal for how much I wanted to win before I left.
Yes, newbies – you CAN win at blackjack. Some of us are actually there to win – if we weren’t at a casino, it would be called earning money, but for some reason when you have to work for winnings in a casino, it’s called winning, not earning. I haven’t figured out why because – thanks to people like the ones I’ll feature at this blog – it sure FEELS like earning.
My husband comes home and complains to me about the stupid people he has to work with. Well, honey – I can’t call them co-workers, but when I sit at the blackjack table with some of these people, I feel like I have stupid co-workers.
I especially want to thank the older gentleman who thought it was amusing to play around when placing his bet, rather just plunk his chips down in the betting circle. Fella, you’re screwing up the average hands per hour. And when I have to leave in 15 minutes and I am a mere $20 from my goal for the night, the extra time you spend doing what you (apparently) think is cute and funny isn’t so much funny as it is just downright annoying.
I could’ve lived with that, but your lack of attention was another issue that just added to the annoyance of your coy betting habits. You’re sitting at the blackjack table, honey. What the hell is so interesting at the other tables, the slot machines behind you – and apparently everything else in the casino except the table where you’re sitting? I mean, really – do we have to poke you every damn time it’s your turn to signal your hand? And God forbid the dealer should hand you the cut card because it will take the rest of the table 5 minutes to bring your attention back around to the table so we can get the deck cut and continue playing.
And apparently, you learned to signal your play at the same place you learned to place your bets. The dealer is unable to interpret facial expressions and grunts. It’s necessary for you to give a hand signal that the cameras can see and interpret. Screwing up your face and looking like you’ve got really, really bad gas is not cute – it’s a waste of time. Look at the cards, geezer. The dealer has a 10. You have a 6 and a 2. Do you really have to spend a minute trying to decide what to do with that??
In spite of the antics of this player, I managed to make my goal and I was only 5 minutes over my designated departure time.
So what’s the lesson, New Blackjack Player (hereinafter referred to as NBJP)?
- Yes, we’re having fun. That doesn’t mean we aren’t also serious about our fun.
- Play the game and pay attention. It’s okay to chit-chat with others – heck, one reason I love blackjack is because I’m a social animal – but don’t let it interfere with the play at the table.
Thanks and I hope you come back to NBJP soon!