Quick Trip to Reno

[matinex]

I'm new to the forums, and I just got back from a quick, 24-hour trip to Reno. I thought I'd share my thoughts on the place for anyone who's interested.

I should first say that I'm a tiny stakes ($5 unit) player with basic counting skills, so your mileage may vary.

Where I Stayed: John Ascuaga's Nugget. They were offering a $35.99 room with free upgrade to the Premier East Tower PLUS a free breakfast at the cafe and no "resort fee." The room was fine, but in the middle of the night, I was awakened by an amazingly loud screeching sound, which I believe was coming from the rail yard across the way. I don't know if that happens every night or what, but wow.

Where I Played + Conditions
I was all over the place. I wanted to try casinos I'd never played before. Here are my impressions.

Boomtown: SD, $3 min, DOA
I had friendly dealers and no heat. But that's probably because I was a tiny stakes player with a 1-4 spread. I broke even.

Siena: SD, $5 min, DOA
Again, friendly dealers. But I was a big winner and I noticed the PB watching me a little. No real heat, but again, I'm small time. At 8:30am on a weekday, I was the only table game player in the entire casino.

Rail City: SD, $3 min, DOA
A little more crowded than the other places. Surly dealer who's been around several long blocks. I won some money and then took off, never to return.

Western Village: SD, $3 min, DOA
Small crowd, friendly dealer. I won in the afternoon, but when I returned the next morning, the tables were closed. Not sure what time they open.

Nugget: SD, DD, and 6-deck; $5 min-D10; $25 min-DOA
In the evening, they only had one $5 SD table open, and it got a little crowded. I knew not do do much playing where I was staying, so I didn't.

Peppermill: SD-D10; DD and 6-deck, DOA; $5 min
It's a very nice place with friendly dealers. Slightly more crowded than the other places. The rules are below average for Reno.

Overall: I've always really enjoyed Reno, but I didn't realize how badly it's struggling. Maybe because I was there on a weekday, but boy was it dead, dead, dead. There were times when I was literally the only person playing a table game. But since I was just there to play, I had a great time.

My favorite spot was Siena, but if I were a higher-stakes player, I'm sure I would have been sweated. But that probably would have been the case no matter where I played.

That's all I have. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to try and answer them.

Matinex

[bj bob]

Sounds like you got a pretty good taste of the town. Like that SD,DOA, huh? You won't get too much hassle with your $5-20 spread as long as you don't make a fixture of yourself. The only things I see you missed were the "Big Three" on No. Va. Street" the Circus, Legacy and El Dorado. It never hurts to sign up for their comp cards. Finally, try to stay away from the Siena when it's dead. The place is a "fish bowl" the eye has nothing else to look for, just degenerates and card counters.

[matinex]

I actually used to be very familiar with Reno back in the 90s. I liked Harold's Club (noticed that in your signature) and Fitzgeralds, both long gone. This time, I wanted to avoid the Virginia Street casinos because I used to go there a lot back in the day. I also skipped Atlantis, which I'm very familiar with.

You're right about Siena. I would have gotten serious heat because the place is so dead. The dealers said its pretty much dead all the time. But the current owner got it for a song so it may still last a while.

[zengrifter]

Tell us %pene on each. zg

[bj bob]

Originally Posted by matinex

I actually used to be very familiar with Reno back in the 90s. I liked Harold's Club (noticed that in your signature) and Fitzgeralds, both long gone. This time, I wanted to avoid the Virginia Street casinos because I used to go there a lot back in the day. I also skipped Atlantis, which I'm very familiar with.

You're right about Siena. I would have gotten serious heat because the place is so dead. The dealers said its pretty much dead all the time. But the current owner got it for a song so it may still last a while.

If that's the case all that's left is the Grand Sierra out on Glendale tpwards Sparks and the Sands Regency, a few blocks west of Va. on 4th Street. Just be careful there after dark. They offer D-9 on DD.

[Albee]

Nice report......thanks for taking the time to share. Reno has some good games at your stakes and more. Seems like you nailed more than a few places in the short time you were there.

[matinex]

Zengrifter asked about penetration. As another poster put it after his trip to Reno, it was very dealer-dependent: 50% - 70% from what I could tell. I'm not experienced at tracking penetration, though. Heads up, I feel like I got 7-8 hands in sometimes; other times, more like 5-6. The few times I played with three other players, we sometimes could only get two rounds in before the shuffle, which caused me to bail as quickly as I could. Tipping may have gotten me another hand during plus situations.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[Wookets]

Originally Posted by matinex

I'm not experienced at tracking penetration, though.

If you don't have a good eye for estimation, simply count the number of cards dealt before the shuffle. On SD and DD, it shouldn't take long at all.

[LVBear584]

Heads up, I feel like I got 7-8 hands in sometimes; other times, more like 5-6.

It is imperative that you count rounds when playing single deck.

Single Deck Game Selection

http://www.bj21.com/bj_reference/pag...election.shtml

The few times I played with three other players, we sometimes could only get two rounds in before the shuffle, which caused me to bail as quickly as I could.

You should not even be sitting there with more than one player, except in extreme circumstances at stakes much higher than you reported. You were wasting your time.

Tipping may have gotten me another hand during plus situations.

Respectfully, you cannot afford to tip at your present stakes.

Red chip players cannot afford to tip

http://www.bj21.com/boards/free/free...es;read=141717

The following may be helpful in Reno. It is old, but still mostly correct:

Counting cards in Reno - General Guide for new players

http://www.bj21.com/boards/free/free...es;read=162654

Watch out for Sands Regency cheating. In fairness, the below incident was under previous, now bankrupt, ownership. However, some of the same dishonest employees are still there.

http://www.sweatthemoney.com/sands1.html

[AR Nick]

Originally Posted by zengrifter

Tell us %pene on each. zg

As OP posted, Reno tends to be dealer-dependent with about 50% to 70%. However, I'd like to add that at El Dorado, in the pointlessly-named high limit room, I've played with a dealer that dealt about 90%. He quite literally dealt until it was impossible to deal another hand with the cards remaining. I came to find out it's not standard for them, but I'd nonetheless recommend keeping an eye out if you're in the area. El Dorado, as far as blackjack is concerned, is the only one of the connected three casinos downtown that deserves your time anyway.