Wamprat: Golden Gate Questions

[Wamprat]

I have always liked playing at Golden Gate; the great live Jazz band, the interesting clientele..I have not been there in a while; do they still have a good single deck game there?

[JBL]

> I have always liked playing at Golden Gate;
> the great live Jazz band, the interesting
> clientele..I have not been there in a while;
> do they still have a good single deck game
> there?
Have 1 SD table. It gets crowded in a hurry and stays that way (at least the times I have been there, both midweek and weekend). Can sometimes get short sessions with 2- 3 rounds dealt.

[Parker]

> I have always liked playing at Golden Gate;
> the great live Jazz band, the interesting
> clientele..I have not been there in a while;
> do they still have a good single deck game
> there?

The GG is one of those places where things rarely change much. There are two single deck tables, although often only one is open, and neither of them may be open in the wee hours or weekday mornings.

They are standard downtown rules (H17, DA2, no DAS, no Surrender, no RSA), usually $3-$300, and both offer the Royal Match sidebet. Pen is RO6. Since the tables are almost always crowded, this usually means shuffle every other round.

The tables do not have peeking devices, and the dealer only checks for blackjack with an ace up. If you double or split against a dealer 10, and it turns out that the dealer had a BJ, you only lose your original bet. However, it is frustrating if you draw to a 20 or 21 against a 10 and then the dealer flips an ace.

[Sun Runner]

> SD pen is RO6.

I play very little SD. Would you please elaborate on RO6?

Dealing every other round with a full table is approx 85% pen -maybe less. Right? Can SD be beat at this level of pen and a full table?

Thanks.

SR

[Parker]

> I play very little SD. Would you please
> elaborate on RO6?

> Dealing every other round with a full table
> is approx 85% pen -maybe less. Right? Can SD
> be beat at this level of pen and a full
> table?

Most single deck games do not use a cut card (there are a few exceptions), but rather deal a fixed number of rounds, depending on the number of players at the table.

The most common example of this is known as "rule of 6" because the number of rounds is determined by the following formula:

(number of players) + (number of rounds) = 6.

In other words, with two players at the table (the dealer is not counted), four rounds would be dealt between shuffles. With three players, three rounds would be dealt. Four rounds, two players. With a full six or seven spot table this breaks down, as under rule of six, two rounds are normally dealt to a full table.

Some paranoid Las Vegas casinos deal "rule of 5" (3 rounds to 2 players, two rounds to 3 players, and shuffle after every round to 4 or more players). This represents about 50% pen and is pretty much unplayable.

Some casinos in northern Nevada deal "rule of 7" (4 rounds to 3 players, etc.) which is excellent.

The two rounds/full table is indeed playable. Most serious advantage players avoid it because the hands/hour is so low, but it can be a lot of fun for the recreational counter, especially if you can lock up the two spots at third base.

Of course, if you are doing this and using a big spread, you may draw some heat. :-)