Here is a full trip report for Riga, Latvia.

There are 10 casinos in Riga. Here is the list

Aladins CC
57 Dzirnavu iela, 32 Caka iela (2 locations).

This is a big company that also owns *tons* of slot parlours and billiards halls.

CSM is in use on 6 card poker tables, but not for blackjack.

Rules: Terrible 6D DAS D9 ENHC No Surrender
Penetration: I don't know. I never saw *anybody* play and I wasn't going to play these rules just to find out.
Minimums: 2 Lat/box. Play alone is two boxes.

Casino Labirints
32 Aspazijas Blvd.

This is owned by the same company that owns the Vegas casino. I have never been to the Western Hotel in Las Vegas, but for you Vegas pundits, the two are probably comparable. This place is really in the BASEMENT. Low cielings, smoky, dark, loud music. But all of the locals play here! While the other casinos are entirely empty, this place is packed!

Rules: Good 6D DAS, DA2, ENHC, ES10
Penetration: 4.5-5/6 decks.
Minimumums: 1 Lat/box. Don't know about playing alone, since this will likely never happen.

Casino Olympic
24 Kugu (in Radisson SAS Daugava Hotel)

This is generally a nice place to play. There are lots of progressive side-bets, but I never bothered to figure out if they were advantageous. Having them, though, means that there are all kinds of annoying computer equipment surrounding the tables.

Rules: Good 6D DAS, DA2, ENHC, ES10
Penetration: 5/6 decks.
Minimumums: 2 Lat/box. 2 Boxes when playing alone

Casino Voodoo
55 Elizabetes iela

I hope I'm not making a mistake here. I am working from both a list of casinos found in the Riga visitor's guide and from memory. The guide is a bit outdated. So sorry if this is an error

When I visited this place it was no longer called casino voodoo, but rather club 777. It had, of course, the super 7 sidebet in some sort of progressive fashion. Again, I ignored it.

If the Labirints is the Western Hotel of Riga, then this casino is the El Cortez. Dark inside. Chips look like they were fabricated in the 1930s. Felt on the tables is almost completely worn through.

Not much English is spoken here.

Rules: Good 6D DAS, DA2, ENHC, ES10
Penetration: 4 - 4.5/6 decks.
Minimumums: 2 Lat/box. Play alone is two boxes.

Klondaika CC
9 Blaumana iela

This casino came recommended by a guy who worked in Aladins (after he knew I wouldn't play their lousy games). I was told that this is where the locals go. Well nobody was there, so I don't know. Again, not much English spoken. I asked about the blackjack rules and it was a half hour ordeal to get them explained. During the explaination the boss called out the dealers. The rules were bad and I didn't want to play but since it was very cold out and I was at my third casino looking for a decent game, I decided to blast away at one shoe. I watched in horror as the dealer cut off 2.5 decks of cards! And I hadn't even played a hand anywhere yet. I played a few hands, got 8,8 vs 10 in a barely + count. Stood and lost. Bitched about not being able to surrender, and left down 2 units (I thought I was up one unit, so I gave the dealer a 1 unit tip, which I regretted when I cashed out).

Rules: Bad 6D DAS, DA2, ENHC, no surrender
Penetration: 3.5/6 decks (No this isn't a typographical error)
Minimumums: 2 Lat/box. Can play one box alone.

Play and Boy
96 Brivibas

If naked girls are your thing, play here. Otherwise, there is not much to recommend it. It is the least accessible casino in the city (except perhaps the Olympic). I checked it out when I had a meeting in the area, early on in my trip. Bad rules. Bad penetration. Pictures of naked women everywhere. Scantily clad cocktail waitresses.

Rules: Bad 6D DAS, DA2, ENHC, no surrender
Penetration: 3.5 - 4/6 decks.
Minimumums: 2 Lat/box. Can play one box alone

Tobago Casino Club
22 Aspazijas

This is the most interesting casino in Latvia and the only one with a theme that works. They are going for an old west theme. Everybody is in costume. It looks kind of like an old saloon (although very nice and modern). Mostly poker games. There was one blackjack table. Sometimes there are two, but on a busy night, they convert one of the BJ tables for additional polker.

The house calls for 50% penetration and an extremely complex shuffle. I managed to get 4/6 due to some social engineering (and thanks to a drunk ploppy who took a long time to make his playing decisions)

Even with good pen, you would not get many HPH since the shuffle takes so long. However if you dont want to be the only one at the table (and perhaps the only one in the whole casino, its here or Labirints).

Rules: Good 6D DAS, DA2, ENHC, ES10
Penetration: 3 -4/6 decks.
Minimumums: 2 Lat/box. I was told that playing alone two boxes were required. However, when the last drunk lost his money and I had only one bet on the table, the dealer dealt to me.

Tower Casino Club

I didn't stay here long and didn't see anybody play blackjack. They tried to tell me that "ES doesn't matter much." Nice try. I saw nobody playing so I couldn't gauge penetration.

Rules: Bad 6D DAS, DA2, ENHC, no surrender
Penetration: Unkown
Minimumums: 2 Lat/box. 2 boxes if playing alone (which you probably will be)

Vegas Casino

This casino is *not* listed in the visitors guide. It is near the northern entrance to the old city. Its the largest casino in Riga and you should be able to find it. It is recently reopned after a name change and some upgrading.

Dealers wear funny costumes with felt symbols representing the card suites attached to them.

The place is always dead empty. I was there four times. I was the *only* person in the place. I dont mean the only person playing blackjack (like the other casinos). I mean the *only* person. I have no idea how they are making evne a cent.

They wouldn't let me play 1 Lat/box after 7pm even though the table was set up for it and there was nobody in the place! Crazy.

Rules: Good 6D DAS, DA2, ENHC, ES10
Penetration: 4 - 4.5/6 decks.
Minimumums: 1 Lat/box before 7pm. 2 Lat/box after. Play alone is two boxes.