I am making a trip to LV in a couple of weeks and have been sharpening my card counting skills after a layoff of about 20 years.
What are the typical rules in LV nowadays? Do single deck games have restrictive rules and/or lots of heat? I have always hated shoe games. What are some of the casinos with the best playing conditions and rules?
> I am making a trip to LV in a couple of weeks and have
> been sharpening my card counting skills after a layoff
> of about 20 years.
> What are the typical rules in LV nowadays? Do single
> deck games have restrictive rules and/or lots of heat?
> I have always hated shoe games. What are some of the
> casinos with the best playing conditions and rules?
I'm afraid you're in for a bit of a shock. Most single deck games now feature a 6:5 blackjack payout. This results in a house edge of about 1.5% (or more, depending on the other rules), making them unplayable.
There are still a handful of "real" single deck games, with 3:2 BJ payout, in a few of the downtown casinos. However, these tables tend to be crowded, poorly penetrated, and watched very closely.
If you "have always hated shoe games," you might want to concentrate on double deck games. These are still relatively abundant, with typical rules being H17, DA2, DAS, no surrender. A few casinos offer S17. The trick here is finding good penetration.
For a detailed listing of rules and conditions specific to each casino, in the form of a searchable database, consider a subscription to our TrackJack service. Details may be found at the link below.
> I'm afraid you're in for a bit of a shock. Most single
> deck games now feature a 6:5 blackjack payout. This
> results in a house edge of about 1.5% (or more,
> depending on the other rules), making them unplayable.
> There are still a handful of "real" single
> deck games, with 3:2 BJ payout, in a few of the
> downtown casinos. However, these tables tend to be
> crowded, poorly penetrated, and watched very closely.
> If you "have always hated shoe games," you
> might want to concentrate on double deck games. These
> are still relatively abundant, with typical rules
> being H17, DA2, DAS, no surrender. A few casinos offer
> S17. The trick here is finding good penetration.
> For a detailed listing of rules and conditions
> specific to each casino, in the form of a searchable
> database, consider a subscription to our TrackJack
> service. Details may be found at the link below.
Wow! I would have thought that with more gambling across the country and the rise of Texas hold'em, that the casinos would not be able to lower the quality of the games without losing players. I guess the average player doesn't know or care about the house advantage of multiple decks.
I signed up for the Trackjack and it seems great. I can really sort thru many casinos relatively easily and quickly.
One last question: I have read in some of the threads about "wonging." What is that?
> Wow! I would have thought that with more gambling
> across the country and the rise of Texas hold'em, that
> the casinos would not be able to lower the quality of
> the games without losing players. I guess the average
> player doesn't know or care about the house advantage
> of multiple decks.
Most of the casinos in Las Vegas are now owned by a handful of large corporations. The "average player" wouldn't know a good game if it walked up and slapped him. Most blackjack books say that single deck games are the best. Unfortunately, these books were written before the casinos started messing with the blackjack payout.
> I signed up for the Trackjack and it seems great. I
> can really sort thru many casinos relatively easily
> and quickly.
Yes, indeed. The search function is extremely versatile, and allows you to quickly find exactly the type of games you want.
> One last question: I have read in some of the threads
> about "wonging." What is that?
Wonging (named after blackjack author Stanford Wong, who popularized the technique), also known as "backcounting," is simply keeping track of the count at a table without actually playing. When the count goes positive, the player "wongs in," that is, enters the game. This increases EV since no money is being bet during negative counts, and allows a smaller spread to be used.
Note that in the "Blackjack Library/Table of contents" link in the left frame, you will find a glossary.
> Most of the casinos in Las Vegas are now owned by a
> handful of large corporations. The "average
> player" wouldn't know a good game if it walked up
> and slapped him. Most blackjack books say that single
> deck games are the best. Unfortunately, these books
> were written before the casinos started messing with
> the blackjack payout.
> Yes, indeed. The search function is extremely
> versatile, and allows you to quickly find exactly the
> type of games you want.
> Wonging (named after blackjack author Stanford Wong,
> who popularized the technique), also known as
> "backcounting," is simply keeping track of
> the count at a table without actually playing. When
> the count goes positive, the player "wongs
> in," that is, enters the game. This increases EV
> since no money is being bet during negative counts,
> and allows a smaller spread to be used.
> Note that in the "Blackjack Library/Table of
> contents" link in the left frame, you will find a
> glossary.
Heck, I used to do that as a matter of course. Why start at a neutral count when you can start with an advantage. Now there is a name for it.
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