Since I recently moved up from playing BJ solo on the computer to actually walking into a casino and plopping down money I've learned some harsh lessons about expectations. You might think you have BS down cold, but actually making those decisions and remembering them all (damned soft hands.) with a dealer looking at you and other players feeling free to chip in their mostly crappy and ill informed advice is a whole new ball game. I practiced basic strategy for a year in the comfort of my home office and thought I knew it all. Luckily my mistakes have been mostly profitable and my meager gambling wallet is up by a few BB. Nothing to brag about. I go in with a wallet empty of everything but my id and the money I know I am willing to lose at this point without feeling any qualms.
But like I said, actually sitting down at the tables and playing is different, especially for someone who is a borderline agoraphobe. I'm sure I probably spooked a dealer or two with my rocking.
Anyway, I've been to three casinos up here in the south Puget Sound. I wish I could take the best things about each one and roll them into a single casino.
Muckleshoots: Wonderful to go into a place and not come out smelling like an ashtray. I used to smoke myself but I don't anymore. It doesn't bother me except when a smoker is completely oblivious to common courtesy (see Emerald Queen). The floors are large and the ceiling high with plenty of ventilation. Average rules on the BJ tables: 8 deck, noDAS, split aces get one card, no surrender and there is usually at least one if not many more standard BJ tables ready to go at most hours of the day (although they are lucky ladies tables) Pretty poor penetration of at least 1.5 to 2.5 decks, though I'm not a counter at this point I can see where this would be a problem. Pit bosses generally monitor the tables from afar although at one session I had this vegas type hovering over me like a hawk. Shuffle is standard and SLOW. If there are enough people at the table you will generally get a floating dealer walking around and shuffling the second shoe while playing the other. Enjoyable place, but nothing special in the rules department. They usually have at least one 5 dollar table open but as the night goes on most convert to 10 and 25. Dealers range from wonderful (Say hi to Eunice/Bonny if you see her. Delightful older lady.) to horrible (Asian guy named Dave. Got insulted when I complemented him on his dealing skills. He was tossing the cards out and they landed almost perfect from a foot away. Impressed the hell out of me.)to the completely ununderstandable (XiaXen or something like that. Wanted to engage us all in conversation but I couldn't understand a word he was saying. Plus he was SLOW.)
Excellent comps. Never had to pay for a meal any of the times I've been there. The buffet is nothing special, but all of their restaurants are at least worth burning some comp for.
The customers on the other hand, jesus christ. I suppose you get them at any place and I'm sure my tolerance is low (I've been told I don't suffer fools gladly) but I've seen some pretty crazy characters come through. This one guy started talking about the recession and how it was going to kill the casino, then turned to the dealer and with a straight face said "I know you guys talk about this in your secret meetings." I guess you had to be there, but he was blatantly racist and dumb as a brick. Left the table right after we had just had two straight hands of babies come out saying he just couldn't win. Well, duh when you leave a table like that.
Emerald Queen: Everything you've read about this place (at least the bad reviews IMHO) is true. Smokey, full of pensioneers cashing out their SS checks and the two times I went there they had one $5 dollar table with 8D, noDAS, split aces get one, no surrender and one $25 table with the exact same rules. And again penetration was poor. It seemed to average about 2, but I definitely saw it go to 3 or 3.5 a few shoes. The buffet was poor and I didn't try the other place in there for food because I really couldn't breath through the smoke.
Dealers were hit or miss. I had to correct two of them on payouts several times, a few looked like they would rather be anywhere else and not a single one of them would give anyone good basic strategy advice at all. I'm not saying they wouldn't offer advice, I'm saying their advice was 90% wrong. "No one hits a 12v2. Do you want to bust?" kind of advice.
Which brings me to the other customers. Like I said, I don't care if you smoke, but it's just common courtesy to not take a drag and blow it across the table into the dealers face and then blow the remainder over the other people at the table. The HVAC in this place needs a major upgrade because it just can't handle the volume. I finally got up and went to the empty $25 table to get away from the guys who sat down bracketing me while they chain smoked.
The second time I went was early in the day during the week and while there were less people there and no one sat down smoking I still ended up walking out smelling smoke on my shirt.
Not a place I'll be going back to anytime soon.
Finally after reading some posts here I tried out Great American Casino in Lakewood. Small, as all non tribal casinos in Washington are, but the lack of slots was a big plus. Against my better judgement I sat down at the DD table (min 10, plus side bets, noDAS, split aces get one card, no surrender, split on 9,10,11 only and VERY poor penetration. Like 40-50% penetration.) I've never played pitch before so it took me a few hands to get used to touching the cards (blasphemy!) and a different set of signals but once I did I ended up 5 units after a 120 unit swing either way. Also, the dealers change frequently. Every couple of shuffles (automatic shufflers at every table. Nice.) a dealer was tapped out and would slide to the next table. Friendly and seemingly knowledgeable.
I kept trying to get over to the 6D blackjack table (they only had one open at the time and it was packed. 6D, DAS, Resplit Aces and I believe surrender) but it never had an empty seat the whole time I was there. And boy did the pit boss watch the DD table. I don't think she looked away once while a game was playing.. Mediocre comps at the level I was playing, but at least I didn't have to pay for lunch.
Not too bad. Of the three I think I like GAC the best, I just need to go there at a time when they have more than one BJ table open. Things got a little squirrely when I pulled out my BS table to double check a soft hand at all three of the casinos, but none of them had a real problem with it once they saw what it was. I carry it in my pocket just in case, but I've only really had to check it once at the table. I pulled it at the other two to check their reactions.
I'm going to San Diego and Las Vegas in 3 weeks to visit some friends. I plan on stopping in at Barona while in SD and we are staying at the Mirage while in Vegas. Should be fun.
But like I said, actually sitting down at the tables and playing is different, especially for someone who is a borderline agoraphobe. I'm sure I probably spooked a dealer or two with my rocking.
Anyway, I've been to three casinos up here in the south Puget Sound. I wish I could take the best things about each one and roll them into a single casino.
Muckleshoots: Wonderful to go into a place and not come out smelling like an ashtray. I used to smoke myself but I don't anymore. It doesn't bother me except when a smoker is completely oblivious to common courtesy (see Emerald Queen). The floors are large and the ceiling high with plenty of ventilation. Average rules on the BJ tables: 8 deck, noDAS, split aces get one card, no surrender and there is usually at least one if not many more standard BJ tables ready to go at most hours of the day (although they are lucky ladies tables) Pretty poor penetration of at least 1.5 to 2.5 decks, though I'm not a counter at this point I can see where this would be a problem. Pit bosses generally monitor the tables from afar although at one session I had this vegas type hovering over me like a hawk. Shuffle is standard and SLOW. If there are enough people at the table you will generally get a floating dealer walking around and shuffling the second shoe while playing the other. Enjoyable place, but nothing special in the rules department. They usually have at least one 5 dollar table open but as the night goes on most convert to 10 and 25. Dealers range from wonderful (Say hi to Eunice/Bonny if you see her. Delightful older lady.) to horrible (Asian guy named Dave. Got insulted when I complemented him on his dealing skills. He was tossing the cards out and they landed almost perfect from a foot away. Impressed the hell out of me.)to the completely ununderstandable (XiaXen or something like that. Wanted to engage us all in conversation but I couldn't understand a word he was saying. Plus he was SLOW.)
Excellent comps. Never had to pay for a meal any of the times I've been there. The buffet is nothing special, but all of their restaurants are at least worth burning some comp for.
The customers on the other hand, jesus christ. I suppose you get them at any place and I'm sure my tolerance is low (I've been told I don't suffer fools gladly) but I've seen some pretty crazy characters come through. This one guy started talking about the recession and how it was going to kill the casino, then turned to the dealer and with a straight face said "I know you guys talk about this in your secret meetings." I guess you had to be there, but he was blatantly racist and dumb as a brick. Left the table right after we had just had two straight hands of babies come out saying he just couldn't win. Well, duh when you leave a table like that.
Emerald Queen: Everything you've read about this place (at least the bad reviews IMHO) is true. Smokey, full of pensioneers cashing out their SS checks and the two times I went there they had one $5 dollar table with 8D, noDAS, split aces get one, no surrender and one $25 table with the exact same rules. And again penetration was poor. It seemed to average about 2, but I definitely saw it go to 3 or 3.5 a few shoes. The buffet was poor and I didn't try the other place in there for food because I really couldn't breath through the smoke.
Dealers were hit or miss. I had to correct two of them on payouts several times, a few looked like they would rather be anywhere else and not a single one of them would give anyone good basic strategy advice at all. I'm not saying they wouldn't offer advice, I'm saying their advice was 90% wrong. "No one hits a 12v2. Do you want to bust?" kind of advice.
Which brings me to the other customers. Like I said, I don't care if you smoke, but it's just common courtesy to not take a drag and blow it across the table into the dealers face and then blow the remainder over the other people at the table. The HVAC in this place needs a major upgrade because it just can't handle the volume. I finally got up and went to the empty $25 table to get away from the guys who sat down bracketing me while they chain smoked.
The second time I went was early in the day during the week and while there were less people there and no one sat down smoking I still ended up walking out smelling smoke on my shirt.
Not a place I'll be going back to anytime soon.
Finally after reading some posts here I tried out Great American Casino in Lakewood. Small, as all non tribal casinos in Washington are, but the lack of slots was a big plus. Against my better judgement I sat down at the DD table (min 10, plus side bets, noDAS, split aces get one card, no surrender, split on 9,10,11 only and VERY poor penetration. Like 40-50% penetration.) I've never played pitch before so it took me a few hands to get used to touching the cards (blasphemy!) and a different set of signals but once I did I ended up 5 units after a 120 unit swing either way. Also, the dealers change frequently. Every couple of shuffles (automatic shufflers at every table. Nice.) a dealer was tapped out and would slide to the next table. Friendly and seemingly knowledgeable.
I kept trying to get over to the 6D blackjack table (they only had one open at the time and it was packed. 6D, DAS, Resplit Aces and I believe surrender) but it never had an empty seat the whole time I was there. And boy did the pit boss watch the DD table. I don't think she looked away once while a game was playing.. Mediocre comps at the level I was playing, but at least I didn't have to pay for lunch.
Not too bad. Of the three I think I like GAC the best, I just need to go there at a time when they have more than one BJ table open. Things got a little squirrely when I pulled out my BS table to double check a soft hand at all three of the casinos, but none of them had a real problem with it once they saw what it was. I carry it in my pocket just in case, but I've only really had to check it once at the table. I pulled it at the other two to check their reactions.
I'm going to San Diego and Las Vegas in 3 weeks to visit some friends. I plan on stopping in at Barona while in SD and we are staying at the Mirage while in Vegas. Should be fun.
