Last week I went on the Majesty casino cruise out of Freeport NY. The game as dealt was quite playable- 6D with pen to 1.25 to 2.5, but tending towards 1.5, S17, DAS, LS. Table limits were 10-200 or 25-500, 7 spot tables, crowding average. Shuffle was a single stepladder followed by a 6 to 9-grab chop into 4 piles that were reconstituted.
What made me suspicious was the count distribution. Using RPC I had a Wong-out point of -2 (roughly the same as -1 in High-Low) and over 3.5 hours, I was able to walk away from exactly one shoe. On the other side, I was able to get big bets out on over half the shoes. As soon as I sensed something might be up, I cut my max bet and paid more careful attention and the count distribution didn't seem to be getting any more normal.
The PC spent the entire trip standing at my table and staring right at me, but no countermeasures were taken so I didn't stop playing. Left the boat up $XX, after swings of $XXXX.
Not recommended. The food and beverage on this boat were utterly abysmal. People were sick and laying about the boat, and I felt like I was riding in steerage on the way to Ellis Island. There were some punches thrown between two patrons and nothing was done about it by the ship.
I know that the time I spent playing is mathematically not sufficient to conclude I was playing into a loaded shoe, but anyone who plays there should be on alert for it. The game is playable if it is legit and if you're willing to play under those conditions. Someone told me the controlling authority over those games is organized crime so I'm not sure you want to put yourself in the position of being an investigator of a crooked game.
What made me suspicious was the count distribution. Using RPC I had a Wong-out point of -2 (roughly the same as -1 in High-Low) and over 3.5 hours, I was able to walk away from exactly one shoe. On the other side, I was able to get big bets out on over half the shoes. As soon as I sensed something might be up, I cut my max bet and paid more careful attention and the count distribution didn't seem to be getting any more normal.
The PC spent the entire trip standing at my table and staring right at me, but no countermeasures were taken so I didn't stop playing. Left the boat up $XX, after swings of $XXXX.
Not recommended. The food and beverage on this boat were utterly abysmal. People were sick and laying about the boat, and I felt like I was riding in steerage on the way to Ellis Island. There were some punches thrown between two patrons and nothing was done about it by the ship.
I know that the time I spent playing is mathematically not sufficient to conclude I was playing into a loaded shoe, but anyone who plays there should be on alert for it. The game is playable if it is legit and if you're willing to play under those conditions. Someone told me the controlling authority over those games is organized crime so I'm not sure you want to put yourself in the position of being an investigator of a crooked game.
