Snoqualmie Casino?

#1
Anyone know what sort of game they have at Snoqualmie Casino in North Bend, WA? It just opened this week.

I wonder if any of the other Indian casinos in the Seattle area (Tulalip, Muckleshoot, etc.) will offer better games to try to compensate for traffic lost to this new place?
 
#4
Nice looking casino. On opening night pen varied from good to bad depending on where you looked. I would suspect it will normalize to bad in the near future. 8 decks all MD2 shuffled. Appears they have very low tolerance for players they suspect of having a brain. I doubt the casino will have much impact on 2-lalip or Mucks conditions. That road to the parking garage will be fun when it snows.
 

Diver

Well-Known Member
#6
Asm

I didn't note a brand, but they're using automatic shuffling machines at each table. There was one table with six spots taken and the cut card in the shoe was at 2 decks remaining. At a near-by table where only one person was playing, the cut card was at 1 and 1/2 left at best. There are a lot of bj tables, probably 15 between three pits. So while it would be possible to back count effectively, the 8D game and rules are pretty lame.
I expected a little better air quality for a brand new casino with presumably good HVAC, but this doesn't seem to be the case. There are some great views from the lounge and restauants.
 

Jeff Dubya

Well-Known Member
#7
Snoqualmie Casino Debrief

So last night (11/30) I had the opportunity to play at the new Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, WA. Here’s my report...

First, I have to say that the convenience is amazing. I love to play when out visiting family, and the roughly 30 minute drive time is far superior to my now second favorite, Tulalip Resort Casino in Marysville. That drive is nearly 90 minutes. So quicker in, quicker out, stay later, all that good stuff.

First impressions on the facility were very good. They have a very nice, large parking garage with easy access to the main facility. Even on a packed Saturday night it was easy to find a spot. The casino is very large and spacious. Amazing tall ceilings are the focal point here down a single, long corridor, two large pits with a bar facility separating them - and a LOT of blackjack tables.

Dining options were NOT impressive. They had a nice sit-down restaurant, a dessert/coffee shop, a cafe, a sushi place and the buffet. I think that was everything we saw. I’ll jump forward a bit and say that when I received my first food comp, we were turned away for coffee and dessert at the nice restaurant (which is mostly understandable because it was getting late, but the staff were EXTREMELY rude) the so-called dessert/coffee shop was really just a coffee shop, very few desserts to speak of, and when all we wanted was a coffee and cheesecake, the buffet and cafe just seemed like overkill. So - the obvious is revealed to me - food comps are only good if you can use them.

Now on to the game. We saw no single or double deck games. Everything was 8D H1S7 with no surrender and mostly crap penetration. Additionally we ran into at least one dealer who seemed hypersenstitve about counters, and I got my first heat ever... which is a complete joke considering where I am with my counting.

I was surprised that certain rules seemed a bit lax, The player to my right at one point had a 7,7 against a dealer 5. When it was pretty clear he was not going to split, I asked if I could buy one of his 7s and when he said yes, the dealer didn’t intercede. I was under the understanding that under WA law this wasn’t allowed. However, the play ended up being a bust as the dealer turned a 5 and caught an ace.

Which is the perfect opportunity for me to interrupt my own story to mention what I believe the inverse relationship to many so-called black chip players and quality play. There were more ****ing morons GIVING away their money last night than at most casinos I have patronized. Mostly arrogant Seattle/Bellevue yuppie types who didn’t have any more of a clue at what they were doing than the average stiff at the $3 tables in my hometown joint. I watched more than one person hit the cash machine and try several cards before they found one that would release another handful of cash to them. Sad, but whatever. Just remember, just because someone is playing black doesn’t mean ****.

So back to the story. At our first table I was getting hammered. Up about $350 early but it all went to hell from there. Loudmouth yuppies at the table were annoying, dealer was ultra hot (why oh WHY did I not move then?) and the second dealer who rotated in every 20-30 minutes was possibly the worst dealer I have ever seen. I think basic math was beyond this kid’s grasp. He paid out several times when he shouldn’t have, tried to take chips several times when he should NOT have, and stood at least twice on S17 to the benefit of the table. He was a native, so I am guessing affirmative action on that one.

As for the other dealer, he was good, right up until the point that I bought that seven. Then, all the sudden he starts cutting the deck, and DEEP. First, 1/3 and then 1/2. It got to the point that I even said something about it, asking why he was cutting that deep, and what the average penetration in the casino was. He looked right at me and said “I always cut deep when I know I have a counter at the table.” I’m thinking... wierd. The crappy dealer was so slow I was taking the opportunity to practice my counting, but was doing nothing more than flat betting. The dude who was cutting deep was way too fast of a dealer for my abilities, so I wasn’t even trying. Anyhow, I finally got up from that table down about $800 which was the worst loss of my career.

I haven’t thought much about asking a dealer about penetration. Probably not a smart move in terms of cover, since it’s not the kind of question the average ploppie would ask. I actually didn’t even intend to say anything, I just kind of blurted it out when I saw him cut so damn deep repeatedly. Wierd. I guess since he thought I was counting that there’s no harm in asking

We then tried to get dessert and coffee and afterwards I was ready to lick my wounds and go home, but the wife actually convinced me to stay. Good thing, because we found a table with a couple of very nice asian female dealers that got hot a few times, and I came back significantly. I was still flat betting quarters, but had a significant amount of split and double opportunities, which had been part of my earlier downfall. My high point of the night was getting to $600, at which point I bet $100, only to have to double (looked at the dealer and sarcastically said... GOD DAMN YOU with a smile on my face, knew that would happen, my 11 against her 10...) and take the hand down when she flipped a 10. If I had left then, would have been even but I was having a good time at that point.

So, we left down only a couple hundred, which considering I played $1000 down to $50 and rode it most of the way back up, to come back that far was good enough for me on this particular night.
 
#8
Jeff Dubya said:
I was still flat betting quarters, but had a significant amount of split and double opportunities, which had been part of my earlier downfall.
Is doubling after a split allowed at Snoqualme? Does anyone know? Thanks! ;)
 
#9
8d h17 rsa da2 das ns

Here's the rules:

8-deck, ASM
Dealer must hit soft 17
Resplit aces
Double any two cards
Double after split
No Surrender

Penetration varies from dealer to dealer. I've seen it vary from 60% to 85%.

They have a some $5 tables, but these go up to $10 during busy times (weekend evenings). If you care about comps, you will earn 2X points on Tuesdays. I've heard that you earn points by the amount of time you're at the table, not the amount of money you're wagering.
 

callipygian

Well-Known Member
#10
Jeff Dubya said:
I haven’t thought much about asking a dealer about penetration. Probably not a smart move in terms of cover, since it’s not the kind of question the average ploppie would ask.
If you ask using vocabulary that a ploppy would use, it wouldn't look as weird. When I was a new player, I'd ask the dealer about all sorts of stuff that was (retrospectively) actually quite valuable to a counter - what time shift changes were, why the "cutoff point" (penetration) was where it was, etc. I never felt any weirdness.
 

mdlbj

Well-Known Member
#11
don said:
Here's the rules:

8-deck, ASM
Dealer must hit soft 17
Resplit aces
Double any two cards
Double after split
No Surrender

Penetration varies from dealer to dealer. I've seen it vary from 60% to 85%.

They have a some $5 tables, but these go up to $10 during busy times (weekend evenings). If you care about comps, you will earn 2X points on Tuesdays. I've heard that you earn points by the amount of time you're at the table, not the amount of money you're wagering.
So if you play a comp game its good? Sounds like a aight place to play.
 
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