Mount Airy Casino Grand Opening
- Thread starter ArcticInferno
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Mt. Airy Casino
I played at Mt Airy Friday evening and some on Saturday. Six decks, S17, DOA, DAS, split to 3 hands, except aces. One big disappointment: they are not allowing surrender "at this time." I was very surprised at this, as my reading of the Gaming Commission rules is that PA casinos have to offer Surrender. I actually elevated the question to the shift manager, who insisted that, no -- it's up to the casino's discretion. Hmm. I have to check that out further. Does anyone know of other PA casinos that do NOT offer surrender?
Many inexperienced dealers, but not as bad as the Sands in Bethlehem (topic of a separate post I will do shortly). One piece of good news: I found the penetration at Mt. Airy to be excellent -- usually 80 percent or better. One (seemingly more experienced) dealer was placing the shuffle card about half a deck from the end.
No heat to speak of. I think they are too busy watching over the new dealers to worry about advantage players.
I played at Mt Airy Friday evening and some on Saturday. Six decks, S17, DOA, DAS, split to 3 hands, except aces. One big disappointment: they are not allowing surrender "at this time." I was very surprised at this, as my reading of the Gaming Commission rules is that PA casinos have to offer Surrender. I actually elevated the question to the shift manager, who insisted that, no -- it's up to the casino's discretion. Hmm. I have to check that out further. Does anyone know of other PA casinos that do NOT offer surrender?
Many inexperienced dealers, but not as bad as the Sands in Bethlehem (topic of a separate post I will do shortly). One piece of good news: I found the penetration at Mt. Airy to be excellent -- usually 80 percent or better. One (seemingly more experienced) dealer was placing the shuffle card about half a deck from the end.
No heat to speak of. I think they are too busy watching over the new dealers to worry about advantage players.
Late Surrender is required by PA state gaming regulations. Every Pennsylvania casino except Mt. Airy has the LS rule. I suggest you and others who have visited Mt. Airy file a complaint with the PA gaming commission. Doing so will only take a few minutes. You can do so online at the link below.
http://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/?p=113
http://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/?p=113
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Sample letter of complaint
Unity is power, and large numbers is also power. Let's force Mt Airly Casino to honor the surrender option. Just cut, paste the sample below, and file the complaint through Phoenix Rising's link: http://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/?p=113
Sample letter of complaint:
Mount Airy Casino Resort ( 44 Woodland Road, Mount Pocono, PA 18344) disallows players to surrender, thus it fails to operate its blackjack games in compliance with Pennylvania Code § 549.9. (Surrender) which reads as follows:
(a) After the first two cards are dealt to the player and the player’s point total is announced, the player may elect to discontinue play on his hand for that round by surrendering one-half his wager. All decisions to surrender shall be made prior to the player indicating whether he wishes to double down as permitted under § 549.11 (relating to Double Down Wager), split pairs as permitted under § 549.12 (relating to splitting pairs), stand or draw permitted under § 549.13 (relating to drawing of additional cards by players and the dealer).
(1) If the first card dealt to the dealer is not an ace or ten-value card, the dealer shall immediately collect one-half of the wager and return one-half to the player.
(2) If the first card dealt to the dealer is an ace or ten-value card, the dealer will place the player’s wager on top of the player’s cards. When the dealer’s second card is revealed, the hand will be settled by immediately collecting the entire wager if the dealer has Blackjack or collecting one-half of the wager and returning one-half of the wager to the player if the dealer does not have Blackjack.
(b) If the player has made an Insurance Wager and then elects to surrender, each wager will be settled separately in accordance with subsection (a) and in accordance with § 549.10 (relating to Insurance Wager).
I ask that the Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement (“BIE”) takes prompt corrective action to ensure that the casino is in full compliance with the Pennylvania Code § 549.9.
Unity is power, and large numbers is also power. Let's force Mt Airly Casino to honor the surrender option. Just cut, paste the sample below, and file the complaint through Phoenix Rising's link: http://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/?p=113
Sample letter of complaint:
Mount Airy Casino Resort ( 44 Woodland Road, Mount Pocono, PA 18344) disallows players to surrender, thus it fails to operate its blackjack games in compliance with Pennylvania Code § 549.9. (Surrender) which reads as follows:
(a) After the first two cards are dealt to the player and the player’s point total is announced, the player may elect to discontinue play on his hand for that round by surrendering one-half his wager. All decisions to surrender shall be made prior to the player indicating whether he wishes to double down as permitted under § 549.11 (relating to Double Down Wager), split pairs as permitted under § 549.12 (relating to splitting pairs), stand or draw permitted under § 549.13 (relating to drawing of additional cards by players and the dealer).
(1) If the first card dealt to the dealer is not an ace or ten-value card, the dealer shall immediately collect one-half of the wager and return one-half to the player.
(2) If the first card dealt to the dealer is an ace or ten-value card, the dealer will place the player’s wager on top of the player’s cards. When the dealer’s second card is revealed, the hand will be settled by immediately collecting the entire wager if the dealer has Blackjack or collecting one-half of the wager and returning one-half of the wager to the player if the dealer does not have Blackjack.
(b) If the player has made an Insurance Wager and then elects to surrender, each wager will be settled separately in accordance with subsection (a) and in accordance with § 549.10 (relating to Insurance Wager).
I ask that the Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement (“BIE”) takes prompt corrective action to ensure that the casino is in full compliance with the Pennylvania Code § 549.9.
BTW, Mt. Airy casino was the one PA casino that had alleged ties to organized crime.
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080131/NEWS/801310314
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080131/NEWS/801310314
I love the fact that they have 6 decks and the automatic shuffler. Automatic shufflers save time and speed up the game. Bathroom breaks during negative counts. Despite the lack of surrender, I would definitely choose Mount Airy over some casino that has 8 decks and hand shuffle. The penetration at Mount Airy was pretty good, too. Three times, after the cut card came out, I asked the dealer to play one more round because I was on a streak. I placed a green chip for the dealer in front of both of my bets ($400 each), and the inexperienced dealer agreed to deal out one more round. I love inexperienced dealers. I received zero heat because the pit crew was too busy supervising rookie dealers. I would definitely return.
Obviously, the count was very high near the end of the shoe.
Why on Earth would I put out $400x2 at a negative count???!!!
I play at $25 minimum, and my usual max bet is two hands of
$400 each, although I have done $500 at two hands each.
There's no such things as an "over-bet" in absolute terms.
It’s all relative.
Shakespeare wrote, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Over-bet for you may not be over-bet for me, etc.
The concept of over-betting really has to do with your bank
roll and your comfort level of fluctuations.
You can go from $25 to $1000 if your bank roll and "psyche"
can take the hit (and also heat).
I usually play two hands, and sometimes ask my neighbor if I
can place two black chips in his/her spot at positive counts,
which spreads my bet to three hands (or even four).
In the past, I used to seek out $5 and $10 minimum tables.
But now, I only play $25 minimum even at tables that allow
$15 because I don’t want to deal with lots of red chips in
front of me.
I’m at a point where I understand what the “waiting bet” is.
The countless exchanges of $25 between the dealer and me is
all irrelevant. The only thing that matters is the large $400x2
bets when the count ascends to the stratosphere. Those large
bets will make or break your day.
Mount Airy allowed me to go from $25 to $400x3 without heat
because they were all new.
Who cares about the stupid rules if I can spread 1:48. LOL!!!
Why on Earth would I put out $400x2 at a negative count???!!!
I play at $25 minimum, and my usual max bet is two hands of
$400 each, although I have done $500 at two hands each.
There's no such things as an "over-bet" in absolute terms.
It’s all relative.
Shakespeare wrote, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Over-bet for you may not be over-bet for me, etc.
The concept of over-betting really has to do with your bank
roll and your comfort level of fluctuations.
You can go from $25 to $1000 if your bank roll and "psyche"
can take the hit (and also heat).
I usually play two hands, and sometimes ask my neighbor if I
can place two black chips in his/her spot at positive counts,
which spreads my bet to three hands (or even four).
In the past, I used to seek out $5 and $10 minimum tables.
But now, I only play $25 minimum even at tables that allow
$15 because I don’t want to deal with lots of red chips in
front of me.
I’m at a point where I understand what the “waiting bet” is.
The countless exchanges of $25 between the dealer and me is
all irrelevant. The only thing that matters is the large $400x2
bets when the count ascends to the stratosphere. Those large
bets will make or break your day.
Mount Airy allowed me to go from $25 to $400x3 without heat
because they were all new.
Who cares about the stupid rules if I can spread 1:48. LOL!!!
Think Both of You Missed It
I will give you a TC of 9 which is about a 7% advantage. Then you tipped 6.25% of it away. So your advantage was less then 1%. Does your bank support a double $400 .75% advantage bet? Your bank is approximately $100,000?
In an attempt to get 1 more round you payed a huge unacceptable price.
We often do have to play neg. expectation bets, but overbetting big bets is very costly to your long run.
Why not just overbet all bets? Forget the overtipping? Because we raise our ror or risk of drawdown.
Again, I can think of instances where your play might be acceptable, but the above scenario is not one of them!:joker::whip:
I will give you a TC of 9 which is about a 7% advantage. Then you tipped 6.25% of it away. So your advantage was less then 1%. Does your bank support a double $400 .75% advantage bet? Your bank is approximately $100,000?
In an attempt to get 1 more round you payed a huge unacceptable price.
We often do have to play neg. expectation bets, but overbetting big bets is very costly to your long run.
Why not just overbet all bets? Forget the overtipping? Because we raise our ror or risk of drawdown.
Again, I can think of instances where your play might be acceptable, but the above scenario is not one of them!:joker::whip:
blackjack avenger wrote "Why not just overbet all bets?
Forget the overtipping?"
Yes, I do "over-bet", according to most people.
However, I don’t think I over-bet because my results
have been acceptable to *me*. The operative word in
that statement is “me”.
I used to care about *precisely* ramping my bets, but now,
I’m happy to see large fluctuations because I’m absolutely
confident of the math. I will win in the long run, and by
“long run” I mean only 6 weeks (maybe 9).
You’ll be surprised to learn that I estimate the discard
tray to 2 decks! Yes, 2 decks, or maybe 1 deck sometimes.
I only need to know if the TC is greater than 1.
If the TC is very much greater than 1, then I starting
firing away black chips (or purple).
Getting an extra round at ultra high counts (with 2 or 3
hands of $400 or $500 each) is worth tipping $25 to the
dealer.
Please keep in mind that the concept of “over-betting” is
relative. If your bank roll and your mind-set can take
the blow, then you’re not over-betting.
Actually, you’re increasing your return.
The more you bet, the more you win.
By the way, on a side note, unbalanced counts were invented
to avoid having to estimate the discard tray and calculate
the TC, but if you do what I do, then Hi-Lo is much better
than any unbalanced counts.
Forget the overtipping?"
Yes, I do "over-bet", according to most people.
However, I don’t think I over-bet because my results
have been acceptable to *me*. The operative word in
that statement is “me”.
I used to care about *precisely* ramping my bets, but now,
I’m happy to see large fluctuations because I’m absolutely
confident of the math. I will win in the long run, and by
“long run” I mean only 6 weeks (maybe 9).
You’ll be surprised to learn that I estimate the discard
tray to 2 decks! Yes, 2 decks, or maybe 1 deck sometimes.
I only need to know if the TC is greater than 1.
If the TC is very much greater than 1, then I starting
firing away black chips (or purple).
Getting an extra round at ultra high counts (with 2 or 3
hands of $400 or $500 each) is worth tipping $25 to the
dealer.
Please keep in mind that the concept of “over-betting” is
relative. If your bank roll and your mind-set can take
the blow, then you’re not over-betting.
Actually, you’re increasing your return.
The more you bet, the more you win.
By the way, on a side note, unbalanced counts were invented
to avoid having to estimate the discard tray and calculate
the TC, but if you do what I do, then Hi-Lo is much better
than any unbalanced counts.
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Actually, I do indeed understand the math behind over-betting, optimal betting, money management, the cost of camouflage, etc.
I'm sure we both read the same books.
Are you willing to accept 10% risk of losing it all, or maybe 5%? Maybe 2% is better?
I’m not constantly calculating the Kelly criterion when I play, but I know what I can and can’t do.
Spreading to 2 hands of $500 each at high counts is something that my bankroll can tolerate.
The acceptable risk of ruin is somewhat relative. But more importantly, the size of the bankroll is very relative.
Some may see $500 x 2 as over betting, while someone else might see it as the normal max bet.
I'm sure we both read the same books.
Are you willing to accept 10% risk of losing it all, or maybe 5%? Maybe 2% is better?
I’m not constantly calculating the Kelly criterion when I play, but I know what I can and can’t do.
Spreading to 2 hands of $500 each at high counts is something that my bankroll can tolerate.
The acceptable risk of ruin is somewhat relative. But more importantly, the size of the bankroll is very relative.
Some may see $500 x 2 as over betting, while someone else might see it as the normal max bet.