Las Vegas Red Chip Blackjack Observations

Just got back from Las Vegas. Thought I would share some observations of conditions on $5-$10 minimum tables.

The Monte Carlo had the best shoe game I found at the red chip level. 6D, DOA, DAS, S17, RSA, LS (~.36% HA). There are 3 S17 tables at the Monte Carlo, the 3 next to the mini baccarat table nearest BRAND steakhouse. The first one is $25 min and the others varied between $5 and $10.

As far as handheld games, plenty of off strip & downtown joints have a mediocre double decker, DOA, H17, no DAS, no surrender, no RSA (~.53% HA). The best handheld I saw was the single deck at El Cortez, and Binions has a game just like it now: DOA, H17, no DAS, no surrender, no RSA (~.17% HA).

6:5 games are continuing their infestation, with plenty of places dealing it out of a SHOE (Harrah's joints in their stupid "party pits" as well as the Golden Nugget poolside game).

The dealers at Hooters keep their own tokes. When I bought in the dealer gave me $5 in white. I guess she thought she would make it easy for me to bet/give them to her. She can think again, especially when she started coming out with stuff like "awwww, the dealer's ace" when she had a 2 showing. However, I believe Hooters to be a good opportunity for a hole carder. I played for a short time there but the dealers I saw seemed sloppy, probably because they were hired more for their looks than dealing ability.

With each trip I make to las vegas or atlantic city I say the players are getting worse and worse. I saw plenty of split faces, but I think the worst was the guy who split a pair of 5's against a face. He got a 6 on one and then of course didn't double. Lost both hands.


Hope this info is helpful to some......

Yes, this was helpful, thanks.

New dealers can be fun to watch, esp. ones hired for their looks!

You can even tell the realy green ones how to deal the game sometimes!

I will be going to Hooters by the way.

Thanks again.

If you think the SD game at El Cortez is the best game in Vegas,you need to study the games more. It's not even the best game in its casino. The Double D eck El Cortez game is the best low roller game in the city,bar none. Binions games suffer from poor penetration.

I was talking from a pure starting house advantage perspective.

Is Monte Carlo still a weird mix of S17 and H17, and 8D and 6D?

The last time I was there I didn't see any S17 tables remaining. I was always under the impression that the S17 games only existed because the management was too cheap to replace all the felt at once.

Even with H17, though, it's still a decent game for Wongers, and for BS players, they're one of the few places with $5 tables during the day.

Yes it is. As I posted above there are 3 remaining S17 tables, near BRAND steakhouse. These are 6 deck games. The other tables are all H17 and like you said, a weird mix of 6 decks and 8 decks. This is as of this past wednesday.

callipy, there are S17 tables remaining, and it's not because the management is too cheap to replace the felts. Some S17 and H17 tables had the same interesting designs (blue with calendars on them and stuff - weird) that looked like they were changed at the same time. I don't remember but one of the S17 tables might have been on felt advertising the new BRAND steakhouse, also indicating it's new felt. The S17 tables have been there for the past 5 years I've been going, albeit moved around a bit.

Interesting. Maybe I just missed them because I was always used to seeing them in their old places. The last time I played S17 there (2-3 years ago), it was definitely old felt and that's when I chuckled to myself and thought that management was just being too cheap to get new tables.

5-7 years ago, Monte Carlo was one of the best spots to play. One year my friends and I considered switching hotels because we were staying at MC and had to pull our punches because of suspected surveillance.

I missed them as well at first because I was looking for them in their old places. I actually asked a pit critter at the first table I sat down at about them and he directed me to them.

I would still say that MC is one of the best places to play on the strip for a red chipper.

Monte Carlo is a lower roller joint by MGM. If you are marked in the MGM computer, they won't take too much of your action.

As a smaller property, they are not as tolerant as say the MGM or Bellagio, etc.