Las Vegas Report 10/27-31

Jeff Dubya

Jeff Dubya

Well-Known Member
#1
#1
Recently got back from a fun four days in Vegas, started with an initial bankroll of $4000 and took an additional $3200. Lots of hours at the tables, though, every night up until 3 AM or better.

Didn't end up going downtown this trip. Had huge wins (for me, $500-1000) at Hooters, MGM Grand, Hard Rock, Caesars and Bellagio. Ground out smaller wins at Planet Hollywood, Venetian, Palazzo, and Harrahs. Nearly got slaughtered at Tropicana, played down my BR to one final bet and somehow caught a good shoe and played it back up to even.

While I am still learning to count, I did not implement any of that in my play yet, I am most definitely not ready to do so. However I was playing with a friend who does count, and always sat to my right. If he went big I *might* have ridden his coattails and increased my bet.

Apparently he got backed off at Sahara on their crappy 6:5 single deck game the day I flew out.

Played an amazing $100 game at Bellagio.

Food comps on this trip were much more available and REALLY good, we ate like kings all week and never bought a meal.

I didn't bring my laptop at the last minute, and didn't have my contacts from this forum who I had mentioned possibly meeting while out there... sorry. :(

I felt like traffic in the casinos might be down *a little* from other visits this time of year. However, where I felt the economy downturn could really be seen was in the shops. Lots of people roaming around in the hallways but very few people in the stores.

My suite in the Venetian was amazingly nice. In fact, probably the nicest hotel room I have ever stayed in.
 
J

johndoe

Well-Known Member
#2
#2
backed off on 6:5?

Thanks for the report. Seems odd that he was backed off at 6:5 - I've never heard of that. Unless he was doing much more than counting I don't think that game is beatable.
 
Jeff Dubya

Jeff Dubya

Well-Known Member
#3
#3
On another forum I post on we were saying the same thing, because of the 6:5 payout. But apparently that's the shizz. Sounds like a stupid floor supervisor to me.
 
Jeff Dubya

Jeff Dubya

Well-Known Member
#4
#4
This is his story...

I decided to go back to the Sahara to get some money back and use up my comps there. I was playing single deck, having realized the distinct advantages while playing alone, despite the 6/5 thing on BJ. I was having fun with it, even though it wasn’t going anywhere. A pit boss saw me early on and I think seeing me go from 15 – 50 in one hand tipped him off. So he was eyeballing me for a while. I kept looking up once in a while and making casual eye contact with him. The first time his eyes darted away…just like mine do sometimes when a girl catches me looking at her. I knew he was watching me. But I remembered people saying that in general it is best to underestimate that sort of stuff. So I just kept going and eventually he left me alone. The Chinese dealer just kept hitting amazing hands. Just as things were getting better a different older Pit boss with an English accent walked up to me and said not too loudly “You can’t play blackjack anymore but you are welcome to play any other games.” I looked at him flabbergasted and so he just repeated himself.” I asked why, playing slightly stupid and shocked. He just repeated himself. It seemed like he was feeling uncomfortable…either scared or angry but he was doing his best to not make a scene and just do his job. So then I quietly had the dealer color me out and I cashed out. I walked right past the pit again and into the gift shop to spend the rest of my comps. So I have some nice souvenirs of the first place I ever got backed off from. Too bad they didn’t have anything good. Anyone need a keychain.? I have lots of keychains.
Click to expand...
Maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed, who knows.
 
B

bjcounter

Well-Known Member
#5
#5
I'm sure we might have ran across each other out there. Sounds like things went well. I did alright. It was not a good trip for me as far as variance goes. I had some nice six deck shoes I wonged in on with > +2 TC and still got stomped. I had some nice games with TC's > than +8 and got burnt terribly each time they got high. I think I finished down over 100 units. Palazzo suites were excellant though.
 
M

Martin Gayle

Well-Known Member
#7
#7
Is there anyone out there who has seriously tried to hit the 6:5 games? When I was in LV last I was astonished by the number of single deck 6:5 games on the strip. Even the other rules were bad. To my understanding LV is the only place to have the 6:5 game so I have not given it much thought as if doens't exist in my jurisdiction.

But the swings in the TE in any single deck game, I assume, would see a distinct advantage often. Easily overcoming the 2.5% house edge. Playing a single deck game I would often realise an +ev up to 10%. At a 6:5 game I would assume that would be around 7.5% +ev which is a hell of alot better than table hoping a 8-deck shoes and salivating over a 2% +ev.

1) Do the PC's think that the 6:5 single deck game is unbeatable by simply counting? And therefore any pay no heed to AP's?

2) Is this game beatable by merely counting and employing antique techniques ie) huge bet spreads, BS strategy deviations, gorilla play etc. that LV PC's would ban easily and quickly ban everyone on 3:2 BJ.

3) Are LV counters so used to camo at a 3:2 game that they slow to revert to Uston style aggression on the 6:5 tables?

Up until recently everyone thought that Sp21 was next to unbeatable but Ms Walker's recently literature has shown Sp21 is even more vulnerable to counting than an 8deck traditional BJ.
 
ihate17

ihate17

Well-Known Member
#9
#9
Two people do not understand the game = one backoff

Jeff Dubya said:
On another forum I post on we were saying the same thing, because of the 6:5 payout. But apparently that's the shizz. Sounds like a stupid floor supervisor to me.
Click to expand...

You have a pit who thinks a 3-1 spread on a 6/5 single deck game makes someone an advantage player. He obviously knows nothing about the game he is being paid to protect.

You have a player who is a cardcounter but has a long way to go before he is an advantage player if he is playing 6/5 single deck and is not seeing the dealer's hole card. I am sure he had no hole card knowledge because if he did there would be no reason to spread. Just put the biggest bet out each hand that you are comfortable with and flat bet your way to a big win.

So put a ignorant pit together with an ignorant cardcounter and you have a backoff for counting against someone who was still playing with a big disadvantage.

Now the Good News:
Since Sahara has no decent games to play anyway, that pit did your friend no diservice at all. Your friend also might now think single deck 6/5 games are watched too closely and may land up avoiding them altogether. Which is a good result perhaps for the wrong reasons.

Thing is, at many casinos they do watch those 6/5 single deck tables closely because probably most pits have no idea of what they are doing.

ihate17
 
Sonny

Sonny

Well-Known Member
#10
#10
Martin Gayle said:
But the swings in the TE in any single deck game, I assume, would see a distinct advantage often. Easily overcoming the 2.5% house edge.
Click to expand...
That 2.5% house edge is tough to overcome. You might see 3-4 +EV hands per hour, and the EVs would still be pretty low. With the 3:2 games the advantages come much more often and can get much higher than the 6:5 games.

Martin Gayle said:
2) Is this game beatable by merely counting and employing antique techniques ie) huge bet spreads, BS strategy deviations, gorilla play etc. that LV PC's would ban easily and quickly ban everyone on 3:2 BJ.
Click to expand...
It is theoretically beatable with counting, but you would need an enormous spread to make decent money at it. You would also stick out like a sore thumb. At least with the 3:2 games you can afford to play discreetly and use some cover.

Martin Gayle said:
Up until recently everyone thought that Sp21 was next to unbeatable but Ms Walker's recently literature has shown Sp21 is even more vulnerable to counting than an 8deck traditional BJ.
Click to expand...
There were actually some articles published about 9 years ago that gave BS, counting systems, indices and EVs for Spanish 21, but they never really caught on. It really depends on the rules of the game. In many cases (here in the US at least) the regular games are still better.

-Sonny-
 
Jeff Dubya

Jeff Dubya

Well-Known Member
#11
#11
I Just avoid the 6:5 games

Just posting what happened. I understand the disadvantage of the 6:5 games and rarely play. If I do, it's just for yucks. Kinda like BJ Switch.

But I understand all the comments offered regarding this incident.
 
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