Blackjack, Laughlin and Las Vegas
Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 4:06 pm
Thought I'd try to recall the table rules and conditions at the casinos at which I played blackjack during the 10/22 thru 10/25 trip in 2008. You have to be pretty specific with dates becasue the conditions are constantly changing even more so than with Video Poker pay tables!
All of the tables listed below had the dealer hitting all soft seventeens. All had no double after split unless otherwise noted.
$3 tables...I saw none that were played on anything other than constant shuffle machines except one time at 4-Queens.
Laughlin:
Harrah's: $5 pretty much limited to non-peak hours and I didn't ever see a double deck at $5. Single Deck BJ pays 6:5.
Golden Nugget: $5 Double Deck. 60% pen. Tables usually crowded. Minimum goes up in the evenings, but $5 players are grandfathered.
Pioneer: $5 Double Deck and $5 Single Deck. Pen on Single Deck is on rule of 6. Single Deck was 3:2 on BJs. Pen on Double Deck is a good 70%. THIS IS A VERY GOOD BLACKJACK CASINO! Too bad they took all my money <LOL> But if I am ever again in Laughlin, I'll either be playing at the Pioneer, Golden Nugget or Tropicana.
Tropicana: $5 Double Deck. 60% Pen. Pretty good game.
Fremont:
4-Queens: $5 games were all 6 or 8-deck. They did offer surrender. 75% pen. Just an average game.
Fremont: $5 tables were Double Deck. Pen was determined without a cut card whenever the dealer felt that they would be dealing out more than half the shoe! Really SUCKED!
Binions: $5 only at slow times. Double Deck and Single Deck. 60% pen. Good game when you can get it for $5 and good still at night if you are willing to bump up to $10 a hand.
Las Vegas Club: They deal face up out of a shoe. Pen is between 50 and 60%. They do have $5 Single Deck Pen on rule of 6. It's only "okay". $5 minimum goes up to $10 during peak times.
Plaza: They no longer offer Single or Double deck so I didn't play there.
Fitzgerald's: They have one $5 Double Deck table with 60% to 75% pen. This is the best place right now under the canopy on Fremont to play! But you have to get there early on busy nights to get on the $5 table. They do have a few $10 tables though.
El Cortez: I only played Single Deck here. 3:2 rule of 6. I like this place because they ALWAYS have enough single and double deck $5 tables so that you never have to wait for a seat. You just have to put up with the smoke and how shall I say this (?) "Lower Income Clientele".
Western: $3 Double Deck! Good rules and penetration too! But you do need a body guard and you need to be able to tolerate drunks and druggies if you go there night OR day!
Vegas Locals:
South Point: Great $5 game. Good 75% pen. This is one of the cleanest casinos that I've ever been in that is located off the Strip. Roomy too. You can Double after Split here.
Fiesta Rancho: Really good $5 tables. Good pen. Double after Split. They have at least 2 of these tables and possibly more during busy times.
Arizona Charlies: $5 Double Deck but they cut off half the cards (50% pen). I stayed for two or three shoes just to be sure that it wasn't just a mistake on the dealer's part but every shoe was cut off at 50%. Recommend staying away from there for Blackjack.
Cannery Eastern: They had Blackjack, but I was still rattled from the wreck and don't recall playing there. I'm sure I did and because because I came home with a $1 souvinere chip! So, I am sure they had $5 tables. But I do not recall the details.
Jerry's Nugget: Forget it! They have $5 Double Deck but the pen is 50%. They have a $3 6-deck with constant shuffle. Don't even bother going there for table games.
All of the tables listed below had the dealer hitting all soft seventeens. All had no double after split unless otherwise noted.
$3 tables...I saw none that were played on anything other than constant shuffle machines except one time at 4-Queens.
Laughlin:
Harrah's: $5 pretty much limited to non-peak hours and I didn't ever see a double deck at $5. Single Deck BJ pays 6:5.
Golden Nugget: $5 Double Deck. 60% pen. Tables usually crowded. Minimum goes up in the evenings, but $5 players are grandfathered.
Pioneer: $5 Double Deck and $5 Single Deck. Pen on Single Deck is on rule of 6. Single Deck was 3:2 on BJs. Pen on Double Deck is a good 70%. THIS IS A VERY GOOD BLACKJACK CASINO! Too bad they took all my money <LOL> But if I am ever again in Laughlin, I'll either be playing at the Pioneer, Golden Nugget or Tropicana.
Tropicana: $5 Double Deck. 60% Pen. Pretty good game.
Fremont:
4-Queens: $5 games were all 6 or 8-deck. They did offer surrender. 75% pen. Just an average game.
Fremont: $5 tables were Double Deck. Pen was determined without a cut card whenever the dealer felt that they would be dealing out more than half the shoe! Really SUCKED!
Binions: $5 only at slow times. Double Deck and Single Deck. 60% pen. Good game when you can get it for $5 and good still at night if you are willing to bump up to $10 a hand.
Las Vegas Club: They deal face up out of a shoe. Pen is between 50 and 60%. They do have $5 Single Deck Pen on rule of 6. It's only "okay". $5 minimum goes up to $10 during peak times.
Plaza: They no longer offer Single or Double deck so I didn't play there.
Fitzgerald's: They have one $5 Double Deck table with 60% to 75% pen. This is the best place right now under the canopy on Fremont to play! But you have to get there early on busy nights to get on the $5 table. They do have a few $10 tables though.
El Cortez: I only played Single Deck here. 3:2 rule of 6. I like this place because they ALWAYS have enough single and double deck $5 tables so that you never have to wait for a seat. You just have to put up with the smoke and how shall I say this (?) "Lower Income Clientele".
Western: $3 Double Deck! Good rules and penetration too! But you do need a body guard and you need to be able to tolerate drunks and druggies if you go there night OR day!
Vegas Locals:
South Point: Great $5 game. Good 75% pen. This is one of the cleanest casinos that I've ever been in that is located off the Strip. Roomy too. You can Double after Split here.
Fiesta Rancho: Really good $5 tables. Good pen. Double after Split. They have at least 2 of these tables and possibly more during busy times.
Arizona Charlies: $5 Double Deck but they cut off half the cards (50% pen). I stayed for two or three shoes just to be sure that it wasn't just a mistake on the dealer's part but every shoe was cut off at 50%. Recommend staying away from there for Blackjack.
Cannery Eastern: They had Blackjack, but I was still rattled from the wreck and don't recall playing there. I'm sure I did and because because I came home with a $1 souvinere chip! So, I am sure they had $5 tables. But I do not recall the details.
Jerry's Nugget: Forget it! They have $5 Double Deck but the pen is 50%. They have a $3 6-deck with constant shuffle. Don't even bother going there for table games.