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By: Mickeba

Mickeba — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 23:24:07 +0000

Players are already being driven away by all sorts of changes. Closing the Mirage is the worst change of all. I predict in 2 years the name will change to “Hard Rock Mirage” or “Mirage at Hard Rock.” This place is going to tank.

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 21:06:57 +0000

In reply to Craig Stambaugh. I gave up on all blackjack in Las Vegas twenty years ago. I switched to video poker where there are still plenty of places to play with an advantage at the quarter level.

By: 1eye Jack

1eye Jack — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 19:13:16 +0000

“We’ve never a document like this, so a lot of this is new to us, too. Have a look.”

You missed a word.

My days of blackjack in Vegas are all but over. Good memories. It’s not 1999 any more. The world moved on without me. Oh well.

By: BruceV

BruceV — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 15:51:57 +0000

In reply to Craig Stambaugh. Wholeheartedly agree. Mirage even tried shills at the BJ tables inviting prospective players to join in. I would just laugh at them and tell them "6:5? get serious".

By: Craig Stambaugh

Craig Stambaugh — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 06:21:50 +0000

I have quit playing minor limit blackjack at any strip casino several years ago. I have also stopped playing any of the higher limits as well. Most, if not all table game limits on the strip have been nurtured by the various rule changes. Blackjack has been basically eviscerated on the strip. I NEVER play it on the strip. The strip casino fleece the mindless dolts on this game. It is gambling. Know your odds. On the strip, you are insured to lose

By: William Wingo

William Wingo — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 16:11:57 +0000

Nowhere do these rules tell us the most important thing: the Blackjack payout. Since they didn’t tell us and since it’s the strip, we can assume the worst–that is, six-to-five–and we really don’t need to read any further.
Blackjack is a game of small percentages that add up. Surrender, standing on soft 17, and resplitting pairs each add only a small fraction of a percent to the overall player advantage, because the opportunities rarely occur.
The number of decks also makes only a minor difference to the casual player. For card-counters, six decks require more concentration and a bigger bankroll; but six decks are only a little more difficult to count than two, and this is sometimes offset by the advantage of deeper penetration in shoe games.
The various side bets all favor the house heavily unless there’s a large progressive jackpot built up by previous losers, and even then you might not hit it in a month–or ever–or somebody else might hit it before you.
Counters and teams have played multiple hands to advantage as described in various books, but again this is a minor point for the ordinary player. Also, switching back and forth between single and multiple hands tends to blow your cover.
The number of spots on the table is not a big deal either. Historically, it’s been used to control the number of rounds between shuffles, and therefore penetration, in single-or-double-deck games. Years ago at the old Mint downtown I saw some tables with five spots, so they could play two hands from a single deck and still shuffle with plenty of cards left. It was a delicate balance between maximizing hands-per-hour, and minimizing the potential advantage to the dreaded, loathsome card-counters.
But all of these things together have only a small effect next to the six-to-five Blackjack payout. I’ll skip the calculations, but this adds a huge one-and-one-half percent to the house advantage, which no counter can overcome. If they pay six-to-five, they could stand on soft 17 and offer surrender, unlimited resplits, resplitting of aces, and all the rest, on all games in the casino; and still rake in the money. They could even put up a sign: “Go Ahead and Count–What Do We Care?”
And another thing–oh, there’s the doorbell–excuse me, I’ll be right ba…