Hello my BJ comrades:

I try when I can, to give you an Aruba update, but I must admit this is going to be the easiest report I ever had to do.

After coming here for 35 years (i'm still here), I think the Arubian's have finally made a decision that they are going to keep the Penn levels terrible no matter where you play. In this way they need NOT be concerned about people like us.

I have never seen it as bad as it has been on this trip. I'm told the casino revenue is off 30% because of the American economy. And one needs only look around, and you can see it's true.

It didn't seem to matter where I went. The conditions are just horrid.

With the exception of the Excelsior which is also the Holiday Inn, EVERYONE now hits soft 17.

I could no longer find any 2 deck games. The best you are going to get anywhere is a 6.

Most of the casino's are quiet all the time with the exception of 7 to 11 at night. Unfortunately, many of them don't open up all there tables until 8.

So prior to that they work with a smaller crew. With the exception of the Crystal, they all close up between 2 & 4 a.m. The Crystal is open 24 hours and is the ONLY casino on the island that does that.

It's a little more sleazy in that neck of the woods, especially in the late hours. So be alert.

I would say they had the 2nd best conditions on the island after the Marriott Stellaris.

The Marriott had by far the best game on the island. The only negative being the soft 17 hit. But, the penn levels more then compensated for that. In many cases they were taking out one deck of the 6 and never more then 1 1/2.

The Crystal was comparable, but was not as consistent. You could find
good levels if you walked around, but some were better then others.

It appeared to be a company decision at the Marriott. They were good at every table . The only problems were with the spreads.

$50.00 tables only went up to $500.00 and $100.00 tables only went up to $1000.00.

They did also make one nice change in almost all the casino's.

It used to be that if you wanted to play 2 hands, they insisted that you play double the table minimum. Meaning if you were at a $50.00 table and you played 2 slots you had to play $100.00 per slot. That is no longer the case.

Quite frankly my Aruba report is always much more extensive. But, I can truly say, with the exception of the 2 games I mention above, EVERYTHING without was total garbage. The penn levels everywhere else were beyond absurd. Taking 2 to 21/2 decks out seemed to be the regular order of business.

For those of you that know me, i'm only a black chip guy, so I naturally have a greater consciousness of those tables. But, for those of you that like the $10.00 game, as long as you don't mind waiting until 11 p.m. to play, you have most of the $10.00 tables to yourself.

Also, the 24 hour Crystal is the only casino that attracts locals as well as the Seaport. Everywhere else, it's only tourists.

Beyond this, if anyone plans to visit the island I would be happy to answer any questions.

So the bottom line, UNTIL SOMETHING CHANGES, I WOULD NOT PLAY ANYWHERE ON THE ISLAND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE MARRIOTT & THE CRYSTAL. IN THAT ORDER.

Happy Cards,

HOLLYWOOD