I have been taking two trips to play BJ besides the local casinos. One to Las Vegas (between $100 and $150 RT) and the 4-5 hour drive to Tunica. Both for no more than 2-3 nights. The other day, I decided to finally check out the other side of my state. To my surprise, the west side is definitely better than the East side and its only about 3-4 hours drive away!
In any case, I headed out there on a Saturday, a week or so ago. It ended up being a scouting trip because I won just $100 while playing in the following casinos. Some comments included.
First stop was the Prairie Band casino. Surprisingly nice casino. Had a lot of 6 deck games ($10 and up) and only one DD table ($25). Usual rules with H17 and no surrended. It being a weekend late afternoon, the crowds were coming on so the DD table got crowded and I left. The cuts were somewhat uniform while I was there. About 1.4 decks cut off on 6 deck and about 65% cut off on the DD. I think the DD game is playable if one can get a heads up or with one other player but with 4 players, it was no good. Also, like everywhere else on that side of the state, playing 2 hands required double the minimum on both hands.
Harrah's was a very good place to play. It is also an attractive casino. I played the DD game at both, the main floor and the HL room. Main floor had a $15 min game but rules only allowed doubling on 9-11 (or 10-11), no soft doubling while the $25 min. game in the HL room allowed everything including splitting. The penetration seemed to be dealer dependent and I got deeper penetration in the HL room (about 75%).
They had two pits, one of 6 deck games with 6/5 and another wioth 3/2 BJ. It was a relief to see the 3/2 tables full on a weekend night yet the 6/5 tables were mostly empty and open.
An interesting aspect of the 6 deck game was that the pen (1.5 cut off) was not as bad because the dealers deal a complete round AFTER the round in which the cut card came up. Dealers told me that those are the orders. Thus, if the cut card came out after the first card dealt the first player at the table, that round and another round are dealt and so at times nit looked like less than a deck remained.
The Isle of Capri was a dump. Even on a Saturday night, only a coule of tables open and full. Did not check out the games.
Ameristar is also very very good for both 6 and DD games. I was playing DD and I ocassionally played a 1-7 spread with $175 as my max bet and they seemed to have no problems with it.
A very pleasant surprise was the Argosy casino. Very pleasant inside and out with very good games. Both DD and 6 deck. Here, DD was available at $15 minimum with about 70-75% dealt out.
The worst was the Hollywood casino and empty tables on a Sunday afternoon. I sat for the DD deck game and the pen was the worst of any place I visited. From the start, they cut off one deck or a bit more (about 50-55 cards). I left after the one deck.
While there are ample good games on the west side of the state, I was simply not prepared for the rule of double the minimum for two hands and you could only go from 2 hands to one and not the other way around. On the east side, I start with 2 x $25 (not possible on the East Side, you had to start with 2 x $50) and am comfortable going back and forth in an inconsistent manner. On the west side, I had to play just one hand. My max bet on the East side is 2 x $150, on the West side, it could only be 1 x $150.
In any case, its a good option to have for me. Now, I could occasionally take a trip out west in the state. However, Ill be in Vegas later this week.
In any case, I headed out there on a Saturday, a week or so ago. It ended up being a scouting trip because I won just $100 while playing in the following casinos. Some comments included.
First stop was the Prairie Band casino. Surprisingly nice casino. Had a lot of 6 deck games ($10 and up) and only one DD table ($25). Usual rules with H17 and no surrended. It being a weekend late afternoon, the crowds were coming on so the DD table got crowded and I left. The cuts were somewhat uniform while I was there. About 1.4 decks cut off on 6 deck and about 65% cut off on the DD. I think the DD game is playable if one can get a heads up or with one other player but with 4 players, it was no good. Also, like everywhere else on that side of the state, playing 2 hands required double the minimum on both hands.
Harrah's was a very good place to play. It is also an attractive casino. I played the DD game at both, the main floor and the HL room. Main floor had a $15 min game but rules only allowed doubling on 9-11 (or 10-11), no soft doubling while the $25 min. game in the HL room allowed everything including splitting. The penetration seemed to be dealer dependent and I got deeper penetration in the HL room (about 75%).
They had two pits, one of 6 deck games with 6/5 and another wioth 3/2 BJ. It was a relief to see the 3/2 tables full on a weekend night yet the 6/5 tables were mostly empty and open.
An interesting aspect of the 6 deck game was that the pen (1.5 cut off) was not as bad because the dealers deal a complete round AFTER the round in which the cut card came up. Dealers told me that those are the orders. Thus, if the cut card came out after the first card dealt the first player at the table, that round and another round are dealt and so at times nit looked like less than a deck remained.
The Isle of Capri was a dump. Even on a Saturday night, only a coule of tables open and full. Did not check out the games.
Ameristar is also very very good for both 6 and DD games. I was playing DD and I ocassionally played a 1-7 spread with $175 as my max bet and they seemed to have no problems with it.
A very pleasant surprise was the Argosy casino. Very pleasant inside and out with very good games. Both DD and 6 deck. Here, DD was available at $15 minimum with about 70-75% dealt out.
The worst was the Hollywood casino and empty tables on a Sunday afternoon. I sat for the DD deck game and the pen was the worst of any place I visited. From the start, they cut off one deck or a bit more (about 50-55 cards). I left after the one deck.
While there are ample good games on the west side of the state, I was simply not prepared for the rule of double the minimum for two hands and you could only go from 2 hands to one and not the other way around. On the east side, I start with 2 x $25 (not possible on the East Side, you had to start with 2 x $50) and am comfortable going back and forth in an inconsistent manner. On the west side, I had to play just one hand. My max bet on the East side is 2 x $150, on the West side, it could only be 1 x $150.
In any case, its a good option to have for me. Now, I could occasionally take a trip out west in the state. However, Ill be in Vegas later this week.
If he has succumbed to the disgrace of playing shoe games, it's another option not far from his recent outing.
