Blackjack in Belgium

[Scoup]

Most casinos in Belgium (I think all of them except Brussels) use this set of rules:

-6 decks
-surrender allowed except on aces
-dealer stands on S17
-double after split
-split twice max (even aces)
-if you double on soft totals the ace is 1
-if you split aces you can hit again but the ace is 11
-if you beat the dealer with a 5 cards hand you're paid 1.5 to 1
6 2 to 1
7 5 to 1

Casino de Spa : No CSM, 5€-250€
Casino de Chaudfontaine : they just switched to CSM same limits
Casino de Namur : CSM on the 5€-250€ table but no CSM on the 10€-250€ table.

PS: I'll update as soon as I visit other places

[JimmyFortune]

hmm CSM's, It seems they're all over the place now in Belgium and the Netherlands and I just wanted to start my ccc at the beach casino's in West-Belgium, because I thought the rules as described above were quite good for European casinos (no hole card). But if all Belgian casinos have the same owner...I'd rather play for beer at my friend's fraternity (which is a good excercise for the real thing: loud music, drunkness, screaming students, distracting girls .

gr, J. Fortune.

[Pierre]

It's all CSM and most don't have these bonuses anymore.
And the tables are always full with ploppies hitting 16 vs 3 and all that

[JimmyFortune]

Gatverdamme, So we have to go to Germany and East-European countries? do you have experience with those casinos?

gr. J. Fortune

[zengrifter]

We always want the penetration! zg

[Pierre]

Isn't Germany mostly CSM and bad rules as well?
Eastern Europe don't know...

[poker]

Namur casino non csm is with pen of 55%, at best 60.
No 567 cards bonus, unfriendly atmosphere......yuk.
France with worst rules but better pen is far better but not very friendly either.
Germany and Holland all csm, BJ are dying slowly(not so slowly now) in Western Europe.
UK too is getting more and more csm and very bad rules and yes,even heat with the worst rules in Europe.

[Scoup]

Penetration :
Chaudfontaine : 75 to 85% when the CSMs are out of order (seems to happen a lot lately)
Spa : 55 to 75%
Namur : 55 to 67%

Another thing there's no heat, they just don't seem to care. I use a 1-40 spread.

[poker]

I can not comment on Chaudfontaine but I don't agree on the lack of heat.
First in Spa, you mentionned 55 to 75 % pen, it is correct BUT didn't you notice that the 75% is for the ploppies and the 55 for the rare skilled player.......that is HEAT.
In Namur, bad pen no matter who is playing.
And if you insist on going too often you get barred all over Belgium....no heat??

[Scoup]

Originally Posted by poker

And if you insist on going too often you get barred all over Belgium....no heat??

In Spa, I know a guy who played for 2 straight months (he makes a 2 months trip in Spa every year) every single day, he had a 1-150 spread (5€ on one hand - 250€ on 3 hands). I almost could hear him counting and he sometimes asked the dealer how much decks he thinks are already dealt. He's well known there and they don't seem to care.

Do you know someone who got barred from Spa?

Concerning the penetration in Spa, it depends more on the dealer as often. But I know they're briefed to cut 45% off. Usually the bosses are the worst, I just avoid them.