thanks for the updates guys. still not sure what part of the country i will be in yet.
moo - do you have any links to discussions on beating pontoon? i admit i don't know anythign about the game but from some quick googling, it seems that it would be beatable with a big enough spread. but the edge still seems much higher for the house since all 10s are removed... yes you still win 3-2 on a "pontoon" even if the dealer has one as well, but this situation does not come up very often and so it seems is not enough to offset the lack of 10s in the shoe. i guess there are other givebacks that might bring the edge down such as surrender and this "forfeit" thing, but is that enough to make counting reasonably effective? would appreciate any input, or if you dont want to publicize anything, i would appreciate a PM if you wouldnt mind..