Hello all! My first time here, so I hope I can find some help. I have occasionally played blackjack recreationally over the past 7 years but have just recently started to study card counting and play the game more seriously. So far, using $10 units and the Omega II system, I have played about 155 hours and am averaging just over $10 an hour in wins.

I would like to know if there is somewhere online that I can find an honest, objective review of the blackjack conditions at different casinos (rules, atmosphere, et cetera). I recently played at a casino in the Chicago area while in town to visit some friends, and although I did book a modest win, the playing conditions were terrible. The rules were good (6 decks, DAS, dealer stand on all 17s) and the penetration was great (at least 75% if not 80-85% with some dealers). The problem was that the overall playing conditions were terrible: the casino was jammed, the facility itself was pretty cramped and overall uncomfortable, and the dealers either dealt extremely slowly so that the game moved like still pondwater or so fast that the numbers fell off of the cards before they hit the felt. Plus, it seemed as if the pit bosses and security personnel interrupted the game to count checks or put new cards into play more often than is the case at other casinos.

Since I live a fair distance from any casino, I would really like to be able to get some information about rules and atmosphere prior to planning a trip. The sites that I have found thus far have not provided much of this type of information, so maybe I am looking in the wrong place? I would appreciate any help that you can give me.

Thanks!