The Bear Growls at Harrah’s, the "King of Ripoffs"

The Bear Growls: Harrah’s Bally’s rips off patrons worse than ever

Long-time Las Vegas-based advantage player, casino critic, and frequent BJ21.com contributor LVBear offers his opinions on things that sometimes go wrong in the world of casinos. Current and past growls can be read and comments posted at LVBear's website, TheBearGrowls.com

By LVBear
[email protected]

According to Current Blackjack News, Bally’s has introduced eight-deck “blackjack” games that pay only 6 to 5 on blackjacks. This is ridiculous. The house edge with correct basic strategy exceeds two percent. The true house edge against patrons ignorant enough to sit down at such a garbage game is probably in excess of five percent – worse than many carnival games and even slot machines.

Harrah’s has long been the King of Ripoffs by offering garbage table games to gullible chumps, but this is beyond sickening, even by Harrah's low standards. To make matters worse, Harrah's is notoriously stingy with comps for table game patrons.

If you still doubted that Harrah’s management considers its patrons to be anything other than rank suckers, this should eliminate any such doubt. Harrah's should be ashamed of itself.

NOTE: Harrah's did not respond to a request for comment.

And I bet you can't even get a seat at those tables during peak periods. Bastards.

Very likely. These guys are trying their best to get the public to forget that naturals ever paid 3:2 and make 6:5 the standard.

I don't see it ever really happening though. They tried it in AC and it died, because they got no big bettors, just a bunch of $10 bettors who went in there planning on losing their $100 anyway. It didn't catch on in Reno either because everything is single deck there and the 3:2 stores took the opportunity to publicly embarrass their 6:5 competition.

The problem as I see it is the old-time cognac-and-cigar style high rollers who would go play someplace else if they were offered a crappy game are a dying breed, replaced by bus patrons and girls-night-out clients who have no intention of winning anything and consider losing their money entertainment.

The Bear Growls: Harrah's CEO Gary Loveman puts his foot in his mouth again

Long-time Las Vegas-based advantage player, casino critic, and frequent BJ21.com contributor LVBear offers his opinions on things that sometimes go wrong in the world of casinos. Current and past growls can be read and comments posted at LVBear's website, TheBearGrowls.com

By LVBear
[email protected]

From the article mentioned above, Better Take Care Of Big Spenders (Archive copy):

... 20-somethings are always broke and too busy; 30-somethings are married with kids.

“God bless you, but we don’t need you,” he said of the latter category.

I hope Harrah's receives plenty of bad publicity over this stupid comment. Even if the comment is true, Mr. Loveman should know better than to say it.

There is a top line an a bottom line. Harras knows the mean. This is not news. It is an exploitable temper.

The casinos knows our system. Mind play can be countered by us, seasoned pit bosses can be manipulated, none of this concerns us.

I am putting it out there for all of the newer players.

Unless you are playing at a 500 dollar unit level, your not getting heat. When you lay out a few hands @ 500, they are going to call up stairs.

Harras is a mid level or what ever type of casino. No worries about heat in the high Roller area.

ZG can speak to this. Bear, Id Have to disagree on this one. Just because you got pissed does not mean that you should rip on the dark side.

20k @ harras in 3 hrs. No Heat.

I see Harrah's has relatively low hotel room prices...how are the rooms there?

I don't see a problem with it. Any smart business should concentrate its marketing dollars on the demographic that provides the best ROI.

ChefJJ - I'm not sure if your question refers to LV or AC. I've stayed at Harrahs Marina in AC several times (Bayview Tower) and the rooms are very nice. I'd put them on par with Borgata. Only negative is there aren't very many BJ tables .

At least Harrah's has its **** together with its players card system. You can use it almost like a credit card at any of their properties, without all the hassle of dealing with a host or all the guesswork of trying to figure out what your comp balance is. None of the nonsense. Plus there's the value of the diamond lounge. Plus, who really gives a **** if they have an 8-deck shoe with 6/5? If they weed out all the second-rate advantage players and bilk the ploppies even faster with their shitty games, so be it.

Craps - they only have some of their **** together. Whenever I try to book a room (in AC) via their web site, no comped rooms are available. I always wind up calling or emailing a host to book it.

Harrahs

is a puke place to play and Loveman who was just on CNBC on squawkbox is another loser who believes raping the public is his destiny . Maybe when they are sold things will change although I am sure another shark company is buying it and will keep the same philosophy as their stock is on a roll and the bottom lines are hot again . :grin:

Rooms in Harrahs Las Vegas are fine. Clean,good sized,and are very easy to get comped. Same thing in AC.Gambling sux,but their dining is fine.
I guess some people don't appreciate that it is Harrahs Entertainment,not Harrahs Gambling any more.Loveman and company are giving the public what the public wants.
In all seriousness,why would a company offer 3/2 payouts on a game that is just as popular when its offered 6/5? Harrahs exists to make money,not to create a nice place for gamblers to win at.
Their comp system is wide open for exploitation if you play it right.And some of their BJ games in Vegas are very beatable.
Or you can all sit around and bitch about the evil empire and such.Meanwhile my stock is up 200% in a few years,I get comped suites( 19 so far this year) and entertain my friends in the Diamond Lounges,drinking Grey Goose Iced Teas and snacking on lobster rolls before dancing to dawn at any of their ultra-posh lounges( free admission,no lines),all at a cost of about $600 a year.

Thanks for the room info. I like what you're talking about in the second part for sure!