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.