AC -- looking to play breakeven for comps -- thoughts?

#21
Hand shuffle and the casinos are definitely defeating themselves with these cuts, unfortunately, most games outside of HR rooms are ASM so they turn over a new shoe pretty quickly.
 

MJGolf

Well-Known Member
#22
Penetration seems to have worsened during this time for sure. We have a local place here that has a DD game. H17. But pen is HORRIBLE now. They said that someone had beat them for too much money awhile ago and management had changed the rule to 50% pen only. But in addition to that, they also cut 4 cards off the top of deck each deal. I told them, "don't they get tired of shuffling?". Hand shuffled game. The dealers said yes. But they said "management" had implemented the stupid rule and wouldn't change it for now. Penny wise........pound or dollar foolish.
 

DSchles

Well-Known Member
#23
MJGolf said:
Penetration seems to have worsened during this time for sure. We have a local place here that has a DD game. H17. But pen is HORRIBLE now. They said that someone had beat them for too much money awhile ago and management had changed the rule to 50% pen only. But in addition to that, they also cut 4 cards off the top of deck each deal. I told them, "don't they get tired of shuffling?". Hand shuffled game. The dealers said yes. But they said "management" had implemented the stupid rule and wouldn't change it for now. Penny wise........pound or dollar foolish.
Always keep in mind that casino management stupidity is unbounded; there is an infinite supply of it.

Don
 

paymypush

Well-Known Member
#24
MJGolf said:
Quick question..........is AC really so easy to find S17 games at that lower bet level? They aren't mostly H17 like Vegas has become?
Right now (4:30 PM on a Friday) there are 4 S17 tables at $15 minimums at Resorts. I've seen them numerous times at $10 mornings and early afternoons, even on weekends.

Hard Rock has the same game at $25 minimums.
 

paymypush

Well-Known Member
#25
Southbound said:
The Ocean has a cluster of about 5 tables outside of the HR room that are S17. They are usually $25, but maybe sometimes lower. Borgata has more of them at $25 during the week but they are usually $50+ when busy on a weekend.

Since I’ve been a rated gambler for 30 years in AC, I have this history to offset their suspicions of me. I think I stated earlier in this thread that I’ve just started to become an AP earlier this year. Once they identify me as an AP, and the counter measures are too harrassing, I figure I’ll be in the Borgata poker room as well. The poker room is still closed, as of a couple weeks ago.
Those tables are 6 deck just like the high limit room. Add surrender and about a one deck cutoff and you have a decent game. It's pouring rain here on the Boardwalk but I was able to make it to Ocean without getting too drenched. There are 3 of those tables open now at $25 minimums.

It's odd that the H17 8 deck games have closer to 1 1/2 decks cut off in many cases. As usual there are players betting stacks of green at these sub par tables while the ones with the good rules are ignored. Some things will never change.
 
#26
I think those tables are the best option in AC and I don’t sense much heat when I’m there. They are not always open though but definitely on a weekend.
 

paymypush

Well-Known Member
#27
I agree. My base bet is $25 and I have spread to $500 at times with no problem. I'm not suggesting that for others, just relaying my own experience. Now, with tables reduced to 4 spots, you can spread to 2 spots anytime if you don't sit at either end. I did see someone playing 3 spots and was surprised it was allowed due to the awkwardness of him reaching around the barrier.

Unlike the Borg and Hard Rock, Oceans does not have the dreaded sign restricting the bets of unrated players.
 

paymypush

Well-Known Member
#29
I incorporate a 1-16 spread on shoe games and will go higher if conditions are right. The last time the opportunity arose at this casino was over the July 4th weekend when they had just reopened. It's done very sparingly and the count is not the only factor. I have had max bets out and have used basic strategy deviations with no problems so far. For some reason a $400 bet doesn't seem to attract as much attention as $500.

If they want to half shoe me or shuffle up like they do at the Borg, I really don't care. I am strictly a recreational player these days but this game is too good to not play.
 

paymypush

Well-Known Member
#30
The high limit room in Ocean Casino is closed. They walled it off and are renovating it for something else. The good $25 pit just outside is now 2 pits of 4 tables each. One is always $100 minimums, presumably to replace those in the closed room. The other seems to be as it was before with the $25 minimums. Those tables still don't open until early evening.

The problem here is those who don't want to play $100 minimum games. Less spots means that those tables will increase quickly leaving the poorer games only.

An attractive young woman at Resorts yesterday asked me if I wanted a lay. Before I could respond, she placed it around my neck. Leis, beachballs, sunglasses. Resorts really went all out. Now if they would only offer surrender.
 

paymypush

Well-Known Member
#33
Speaking of Resorts, I was there a couple of days ago (May 26th) at exactly 10 AM. It was Deja vu at it's best. On May 26, 1978 at 10 AM I was in line on the Boardwalk waiting for the doors to open for the very first time.
 

paymypush

Well-Known Member
#34
Masks are no longer required in AC and all the temperature check points are gone. Some of the signage is still up. Oceans and Resorts have removed the plexiglass barriers while Hard Rock still has them. I have not been down beach or to the Marina so I can't speak for those casinos.

To clarify the high limit situation at oceans. The original high limit room is now a lounge possibly for high rollers. That was Revel's old Ultra Lounge. There is no gaming in there. A new, larger high limit room is being constructed adjacent to the night club.

The two pits I previously mentioned are mostly $100 minimums right now. The one or two holdouts will be there soon. Ocean and Resorts are jumping and Hard Rock is getting there.
 

paymypush

Well-Known Member
#35
I ducked into Showboat to get out of the rain and it was also busy with lots of gaming taking place. No, not the gambling kind. The entire casino floor has been transformed into an arcade and was full of kids enjoying themselves. I hear that a water park is also being planned perhaps on the old volleyball courts.
 

MrFatCat

Well-Known Member
#36
Ocean has absolutely nuked my comps at this point, we mostly were playing poker before COVID hit, so we'd switched over to the Borgata both because Ocean closed their room and Borgata was still comping Sun-Thursday for about six hours/day of poker play. Borgata's being screwy with the poker comps too at this point, though, so I might have to go play some sessions at Ocean to get back to having hotel rooms somewhere in town. We're currently living out of state to save on rent, though, so probably won't be for a few months.

Any thoughts on what comps you're getting anywhere? Or do you play unrated everywhere?
 

paymypush

Well-Known Member
#37
MrFatCat said:
Ocean has absolutely nuked my comps at this point, we mostly were playing poker before COVID hit, so we'd switched over to the Borgata both because Ocean closed their room and Borgata was still comping Sun-Thursday for about six hours/day of poker play. Borgata's being screwy with the poker comps too at this point, though, so I might have to go play some sessions at Ocean to get back to having hotel rooms somewhere in town. We're currently living out of state to save on rent, though, so probably won't be for a few months.

Any thoughts on what comps you're getting anywhere? Or do you play unrated everywhere?
I play unrated with the bulk of my play at Oceans because they offer surrender without having to play $100 minimums. My wife gets good comps at Resorts playing slots at a fairly low level. That may be because we live out of state. I will sometimes wong it at Resorts but only at the S17 tables. I play unrated there too. They don't like wonging, especially in their face wonging.
 

MrFatCat

Well-Known Member
#38
Bump to say we went to Ocean twice last week, the S17 $25 pit is back to six tables (since they reopened the high limit room). They're cutting off about two decks out of six, but it looked to me like the SCORE is decent with S17, surrender, and otherwise normal rules.

Back to the original question of the thread -- somehow those two day-trips got me comped almost any day from here til August, and an invite to a freeroll slot tournament. We played some dice/slots as well, but was surprised to get Saturdays off just eight or so hours of play at BJ/dice/slots.
 
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