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Thread: Some Action: Good-bye Advantage Play in British Columbia

  1. #1
    Some Action
    Guest

    Some Action: Good-bye Advantage Play in British Columbia

    On November 5th 2008 Gateway Casinos closed their old Burnaby location and opened the new Casino, now The Grand Villa, across the street from the old location.

    Although it was crowded, drafty and somewhat rundown, Burnaby Gateway had the advantage of being the only casino in BC with a six deck shoe, hand shuffled.

    That's over. The new version...if you want my opinion on that let me know...only has CSMs. In these very precarious economic times it remains to be seen if this move will pay off. The same company opened a new casino last December called the Starlight with CSMs and higher limits and it's empty a lot of the time.

    So drop around anytime you want but don't expect advantage play.

  2. #2
    Jake Smallwood
    Guest

    Jake Smallwood: Re: Good-bye Advantage Play in British Columbia

    Can you tell me what has happened to the riverboat casino in New Westminster ?

  3. #3
    Some Action
    Guest

    Some Action: Re: Good-bye Advantage Play in British Columbia

    > Can you tell me what has happened to the riverboat
    > casino in New Westminster ?

    Yep. The license for it was combined with the license for another nearby casino and used to open the Starlight Casino last December. Another Gateway project replete with CSMs. It's now pretty empty most of the time.

    SA

  4. #4
    bjhacker
    Guest

    bjhacker: Re: Good-bye Advantage Play in British Columbia

    > Yep. The license for it was combined with the license
    > for another nearby casino and used to open the
    > Starlight Casino last December. Another Gateway
    > project replete with CSMs. It's now pretty empty most
    > of the time.

    > SA

    Looking forward for the good old days in BC when they have 4 or 4.5/6 shoe games. Well, it's beatable, but of course everybody knows it's not a great game.

    I'll be REALLY surprised at how long these CSM casinos will last. Maybe a year, or 2 years...anyway, we'll see.

  5. #5
    Some Action
    Guest

    Some Action: Probably here to stay

    > Looking forward for the good old days in BC when they
    > have 4 or 4.5/6 shoe games. Well, it's beatable, but
    > of course everybody knows it's not a great game.

    > I'll be REALLY surprised at how long these CSM casinos
    > will last. Maybe a year, or 2 years...anyway, we'll
    > see.

    Gateway was the last company to go with CSMs. Edgewater and Great Canadian have been that way for a number of years...people still play, the tables are usually busy so no incentive to go back to the shoe game. I hear that the new casino is busy also.

  6. #6
    Trapper
    Guest

    Trapper: Could be a rumour but ..

    I was told a few years ago by someone that worked in the industry that the Lottery Corporation required that whenever a new casino opens or a casino undergoes a major renovation, CSMs are to be used exclusively. No idea if that is true but it certainly seems to have been the case that except for the odd table, every new casino over the last few years has been CSM only.

    4.5/6 LS is not single deck dealt to the bottom but it was not a bad game at all.

    > Gateway was the last company to go with CSMs.
    > Edgewater and Great Canadian have been that way for a
    > number of years...people still play, the tables are
    > usually busy so no incentive to go back to the shoe
    > game. I hear that the new casino is busy also.

  7. #7
    Some Action
    Guest

    Some Action: Re: Could be a rumour but ..

    Rumors about the BCLC change as often as the cards at tables. The only shoe game was in Burnaby and that disappeared with the move. Takes less skill to train dealers who don't have to shuffle, only pull cards from the shoe. And it gives the appearance of propriety by the casino.

  8. #8
    bjhacker
    Guest

    bjhacker: Re: Could be a rumour but ..

    Not exactly. I heard a bit of "inside" information from someone who took training courses over the Gateway casino. The trainers train newbies to shuffle and deal actual hands out of a 6-deck shoe before moving onto CSM training.

    This is so because just in case a CSM breaks down, it could be replaced by a 6 deck shoe immediately.

    > Rumors about the BCLC change as often as the cards at
    > tables. The only shoe game was in Burnaby and that
    > disappeared with the move. Takes less skill to train
    > dealers who don't have to shuffle, only pull cards
    > from the shoe. And it gives the appearance of
    > propriety by the casino.

  9. #9
    Some Action
    Guest

    Some Action: Re: Could be a rumour but ..

    > Not exactly. I heard a bit of "inside"
    > information from someone who took training courses
    > over the Gateway casino. The trainers train newbies to
    > shuffle and deal actual hands out of a 6-deck shoe
    > before moving onto CSM training.

    > This is so because just in case a CSM breaks down, it
    > could be replaced by a 6 deck shoe immediately.

    Thing is, the "inside information" changes at the whim of the company. My "inside" came from the trainer of the dealers. Just have to wait to see what's the "inside straight."

  10. #10
    the hustler
    Guest

    the hustler: Re: Good-bye Advantage Play in British Columbia

    > Yep. The license for it was combined with the license
    > for another nearby casino and used to open the
    > Starlight Casino last December. Another Gateway
    > project replete with CSMs. It's now pretty empty most
    > of the time.

    > SA

    Why is the Starlight empty? Is it because the casino isn't accessible by Skytrain, bad management, or what?

    Wondering if BCLC would get rid of the CSM's in the metro vancouver area.

  11. #11
    Some Action
    Guest

    Some Action: The bad everything...

    > Why is the Starlight empty? Is it because the casino
    > isn't accessible by Skytrain, bad management, or what?

    > Wondering if BCLC would get rid of the CSM's in the
    > metro vancouver area.

    Yes to all of the above, especially the bad management department. The minimum bj table is $10 when all of the other competitors (Great Canadian in Coquitlam and Richmond and Edgewater downtown) have $5 tables. So with everything else being equal...ie CSMs everywhere...why play a $10 table?

    Nope

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