Current Blackjack News

Question for the blackjack players:

So I ordered this months issue of Current Blackjack News from Stanford Wong%26#39;s BJ21. I was impressed with the amount of information but I wonder about the accuracy. For instance, I haven%26#39;t seen a 3:2 table with less than $25 mins at the Flamingo in years. But according to CBJN, there are 11 of those tables there this month. Do I really have shot of finding these things?

Current Blackjack News

You%26#39;ve done your homework very well! That doesn%26#39;t mean that all eleven tables will be open when you%26#39;re ready to play...but you should be able to find one. If you%26#39;re at the Flamingo and they%26#39;re handing out beads when you get a blackjack or the table felt is pink.....you should move immediately! Now that you%26#39;re armed with this info: compare the Flamingo with Monte Carlo or Mirage and tell us why there are so many of us blackjack players who HATE Harrah%26#39;s Total Rewards program? The feed our egos with free rooms...and rip us off with terrible games LOL. To answer your question, the info at CBJN is pretty accurate. I%26#39;ve only caught a few discrepancies over the years and they generally look into it when you ';call them out.'; It%26#39;s a great service!

Current Blackjack News

The CBN staff does the casino visits the first day or 2 of the month, and casinos know this. Conditions can and do change - as noted in your newsletter.

It%26#39;s the best compilation of games - worth the few bucks.

As has been, note how bad HET is overall. Also note, that downtown is not much better - a myth mentioned here often.

Making an effort to become an educated gambler will serve you well.

Thanks for the replies. I wouldn%26#39;t have known about this great newsletter without this great forum. The funny thing is, CBJN seems to say that HET does have some decent games. But from my experience, and from those experiences shared here, HET is a wasteland for good games. I guess I will check it out but not expect much.

When it comes to to HET, don%26#39;t expect anything for a table games player.

I have noticed a few minor accuracy problems with CBJN with regards to Downtown Casino%26#39;s. It makes me wonder how in depth they really look. One casino dt elimnated single deck back in Nov, but it wasn%26#39;t reported for a few months. There is but one table DT, that has the very best odds, I have used the wizard of odds blackjack calculater to confirm it, but it is never reported. That table is also rarely open, so that might be the reason why.

Yes- Another Post where I can vent about HET...

I will never stay there or play their games! I hate HET Table Games!! bastardddss.

Is all the anger towards HET because of the lousy comps given to table game players or the table games themselves? As far as I can tell, their non-blackjack games, like craps, are pretty standard rules for the Strip. And at least according to CBJN they do have decent BJ rules. I%26#39;ve never seen those games though...

According to CBJN...HET doesnt have good rules in Vegas unless you bet $200 plus a hand at Caesars. The games you described at Flamingo have a house edge of 0.66 percent. With all due respect, this is a poor game. You can find games at Mirage or Monte Carlo with a comparable minimum with a house edge of 0.26 percent (re-split aces, late surrender etc.). Look at the double-deck games at Flamingo and Paris: $25 minimum with a house edge of 0.53 percent (they won%26#39;t let you double after splitting). For $25, you can play the double-deckers at Luxor and Mirage (sometimes TI) with a house advantage of only 0.19 percent (best two-deck game in LV).

Harrah%26#39;s does offer a few good games throughout the country (i.e. Tunica and suburban Chicago). For low-level craps players, HET is a good deal because it offers you the best chance of free rooms in LV (if you don%26#39;t mind their hotels). They are INCREDIBLY tight with food comps for table players though.

Darren,

I understand your point. But is all the hatred of HET because of the .27 percent difference in house edge you described? Or is it because of the tight comps?

I have never gotten anything from HET except for the reduced-rate room mailers they send out. But I%26#39;m also a pretty low roller so I don%26#39;t expect much. On the other hand I%26#39;ve never gotten a single offer from MGM/Mirage.

Good question! I think the hatred towards HET is more directed towards the bad gaming...and at $25 and up it%26#39;s also about the comps. You won%26#39;t get a single thing by playing below $25 a hand at MGM properties. We could argue whether that%26#39;s ';fair'; or not....but that%26#39;s the way it is. Now say you get a reduced rate or even a ';free'; night or two for playing their bad games at Flamingo, Now count how many times you lose because you split aces and end up with an ace and cant resplit...or you end up with a 16 Vs.10 and cant take late surrender. You will quickly discover that the money you lose is not worth the ';free'; room at HET. Also, see how many points you accumulate on your card at HET. MGMMirage will give a $25 player roughly $11 an hour in comps. At HET, the same player won%26#39;t even have enough for a muffin in the coffee shop.