Blackjack + exotic dancers = lower payouts

August 31st, 2010

There is a recent trend in casino blackjack and whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing is in the eye of the beholder. The trend is combining table games with table dancing. Many brick and mortar casinos have started providing exotic dancers in “party pits” in the middle of blackjack areas. The thinking is that players will spend more time at the blackjack table if they get to watch half-naked women dancing on a pole while they do it.

Since my wife doesn’t read this blog, I can say that it would work for me. The hard part would be having enough concentration to stick to blackjack basic strategy. If you’re a card counter then I doubt you’d be able to do it with a hot girl table dancing right in front of you. So maybe that’s another reason for the trend: exotic dancers as card counting deterrents.

Some big-name casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City have turned to exotic dancers to provide entertainment to the blackjack players. Harrah’s, Mandalay Bay and Hard Rock (pictured above) are three examples of casinos that have added some skin to the scenery.

So is the trend a good thing? If you’re offended by exotic dancers (usually non-nude), then no, it’s not. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, then… maybe. Another recent trend at the casinos is lower payouts for the blackjack games. On average, those same casinos are dropping their blackjack payouts by 20% by dropping the payout ratio for a natural blackjack from 3:2 to 6:5.

The casinos say that the decreased payouts are necessary in order to pay for the entertainment of the dancers. Instead, it just seems like a convenient excuse. I understand that such entertainment comes at a cost and I can see there being a tradeoff if you’re basically paying extra to watch the dancers, but the problem is that not all of the blackjack players want to watch them. Some just want to play blackjack and when you play blackjack, you expect a 3:2 payout.

I imagine that the lower payouts will anger blackjack purists, who will take their games elsewhere, but the party pits will bring younger customers to the casino who may not have otherwise had any desire to play blackjack. If so, it could end up cancelling out and the casino doesn’t lose any money. So do I support the idea of exotic dancers performing in party pits while customers play blackjack? I guess so, as long as the casino keeps the payout at 3:2. If it’s 6:5, as far as I’m concerned, it’s not really blackjack. I’ll go to a strip club if I just want to pay to watch a girl dance.

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Blackjack odds: Will dealer bust with a 5 or 6 up card?

August 30th, 2010

Anyone schooled on blackjack basic strategy breathes a sigh of relief when they see the dealer draw a five or six as an up card. They know those are the worst dealer hands and they feel they have a good chance of winning. Players who don’t understand the blackjack odds, though, might assume that the dealer will bust and they will win. The truth is, that will happen less than half of the time.

The correct strategy against a dealer five or six up card is to stand if you have a 12 or higher, but that doesn’t guarantee success. Players look at the dealer up card and assume that they have a 15 or 16, given the fact that there are more ten cards in a deck than any other. However, there are only 4/13 odds of the dealer having a ten in the hole.

If the dealer has a 5 as an up card, there is a 4/13 chance that he has a hand of 15 because four cards (ten, jack, queen, king) give him that total. The dealer has a 7/13 chance of having any kind of stiff hand, which is a hand of 12-16. All stiff hands have good chances of busting, but your odds might not be as good as you think.

If the dealer has a five as an up card, he has a 41.8% chance of busting. He has a 12.2% chance of finishing with a hand total of 17, an identical chance of drawing an 18, an 11.8% chance of drawing a hand of 19, an 11.2% chance of finishing with a hand of 20 and a 10.8% chance of finishing with a hand of 21.

If the dealer has a six as an up card, he has a 42.3% chance of busting. He has a 16.6% chance of drawing a 17, a 10.6% chance of drawing an 18 or 19, a 10.2% chance of drawing a 20 and a 9.7% chance of drawing a 21.

What that means is if you have a hand of 12 and stand against a dealer 5 up card, you only have a 41.8% chance of winning the hand, because if the dealer finishes with any of those other totals, you lose. However, standing in that situation is still the best strategy because the risk of you busting if you take a hit.

Understanding the odds leads to making better decisions and getting more enjoyment out of the game of blackjack. Too many players get upset when they lose against a dealer five or six because they take a win for granted in that situation. Though your odds are good, they aren’t as good as most people think.

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Perfect Pairs Blackjack tournament at InterCasino

August 26th, 2010

InterCasino has a Perfect Pairs Blackjack Tournament going on right now and it’s a good opportunity to take a shot at prizes without risking much of your own money. The blackjack tournament only has a $250 prize pool, but the stakes are low – the entry fee is only $10.

If you only play the traditional blackjack game and are unfamiliar with the different blackjack variants, perfect pairs is a common variation with a side bet where the player earns extra money if their first two cards happen to be a pair. The payouts depend on the type of pair. A “perfect pair” is two identical cards, such as two aces of spades. Another type of pair is a “colored pair,” which is two cards that match in rank and color. An example would be a three of spades and a three of clubs, since both suits are black. The third type of pair is a “mixed pair,” which is a pair that matches in rank but is an opposite color.

InterCasino’s Perfect Pairs Blackjack Tournament is running now and ends Sunday, August 29. Until it ends, you can enter at any time. You just have to pony up the $10 buy-in. When you enter the tournament, the online casino gives you $500 worth of tournament chips with which to play. Your tournament lasts 30 minutes and you want to make as much tournament money as you can.

At the end, only the top six players in the blackjack tournament will win prizes. The tournament winner will earn a $100 prize. The second-place finisher will win a $50 prize. The players who finish in third through sixth place will win prizes worth $25 each.

To take part in the Perfect Pairs Blackjack Tournament, visit InterCasino before it ends on August 29.

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$1 blackjack tables helping Atlantic City casinos

August 24th, 2010

I have written before about how raising the minimum bet limits for blackjack tables can cause a drop in revenue for the casinos rather than an increase. Casino games, like any other product, good or service, is governed by the rules of supply and demand. Or at least they should be. The casinos charge a price to play the game that the players consider the games to be worth. If the casino charges too little money, they risk not making enough to justify carrying the game (or so they say). If they charge too much, players may opt to not play.

The casino industry is hurting thanks to the recession and they are looking for ways to increase revenue. Some casinos, such as those in Colorado, have made $10 tables the cheapest, but they risk losing some blackjack novices who don’t want to wager that price.  Some Atlantic City casinos are now taking the opposite route in an attempt to lure more players. The casino will make less money on each hand, but hopefully have more players.

The Trump Marina Hotel Casino, owned by that guy who fires people on TV, has introduced $1 blackjack tables in an attempt to boost business. As a result, they are seeing the best business they have had in years. Back in the 1990’s, $2 tables were common in Atlantic City, but those were gradually phased out in favor of $5 and even $10 tables as the cheapest.

With the resurgence in popularity for blackjack tables at the Trump Marina, here’s hoping that the $1 blackjack table trend will catch on. It’s the perfect way for gamblers with smaller incomes or novice gamblers to have fun at the casino without worrying too much about their cash.

Of course, at online casinos there are even more opportunities for low-minimum blackjack tables. It is common to find $1 and $2 blackjack tables online if you look hard enough. In addition, some online casinos hold blackjack tournaments, where you can buy in for a low price or maybe for no entry fee at all, if it’s a free blackjack tournament.

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Blackjack table revenue down in Colorado

August 19th, 2010

Casino revenue is down in the U.S. state of Colorado, which somehow is supposed to be a surprise. The state legalized casino gambling way back in 1991 and at that time only allowed casinos to carry slot machines, blackjack tables and poker tables. Casinos also had a set closing time and were not allowed to operate around the clock. The blackjack tables also had $5 betting limits.

Last year, the Colorado legislature made some changes in an attempt to boost revenue. One change was to remove the restriction on operating hours, allowing the casinos to be open 24 hours per day. Another change provided by Amendment 50 was that the table limits was raised to $100, allowing for some high roller blackjack games. As a result, many casinos got rid of their $5 blackjack tables and started making $10 and $15 tables the lowest at the casino. The thought is that it would increase revenue because the players would still play at the tables but they would bet more.

How has this worked out? Well, revenue is down at Colorado casinos. Profits are down this year as a total and last month there was a big drop, down to $70.1 million from $76 million in July 2009. When the table limits were raised, many people, including me, said that it was a bad idea because it would scare off players who don’t want to bet much money. It’s hard to say if that has been much of a factor in the declining profits. The most obvious cause of the drop in revenue is the Great Recession, which has left millions without jobs and those who do have jobs are worried about losing theirs next. It’s not a great time to be gambling your money away and that mindset is hurting casinos everywhere. If the economy recovers anytime soon, we will see how much of a factor the table limits is.

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Blackjack strategy: Splitting eights against dealer ten

August 17th, 2010

Have you seen the movie 21? It’s a pretty entertaining movie starring some good actors, including Kevin Spacey, and is based on the famous MIT blackjack team. Though the movie is fun to watch, like most Hollywood films, it’s not incredibly accurate. There are many mistakes made in their card counting techniques and some mistakes that even violate blackjack basic strategy.

One such mistake is when it is said that splitting a pair of eights against a dealer ten or ace is for suckers. That’s kind of an odd thing to say, considering that you can glance at any basic strategy chart and learn that’s not the case. Not only is that not a sucker’s move, but basic strategy says to always split a pair of eights against any dealer hand, including a ten or ace.

In the movie, the thinking is that if the dealer has an ace or a ten, he has a good hand and you don’t want to double your bet. However, if you have a pair of eights and decide to hit, you will most likely bust but if you decide to stand, you will only win if the dealer busts, since you have a stiff hand of 16. Trading in a hand of 16 for a chance of two hands of 18 is a bet that you should take every time.

If the dealer shows a ten, there is a 4/13 chance of him having a ten in the hole to have a hand of 20. In most cases, the dealer would have already checked for an ace. However, there is a 9/13 chance the dealer has a hand that beats your hand of 16. If you split you have better odds, though your odds still aren’t good.

Starting two hands with an eight gives you a 4/13 chance, for each hand, of turning that hand into an 18. Even if you don’t draw a ten, though, 8 is a much better way to start a hand than with a stiff 16. Without going into all of that math and statistics, just let me say that if you split eights against a dealer’s ten or ace, you will still lose money in the long run, but you will lose about half as much as if you don’t split. That is because in many cases you’ll have at least one of your hands beat the dealer.

So despite what Kevin Spacey’s character would have you believe, splitting eights against a dealer ten or ace is not a sucker’s bet.

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NJ college training blackjack dealers for other states

August 13th, 2010

It’s survival of the fittest out there in the business world, unless you can get a federal bailout. Therefore, businesses must adapt or die. A New Jersey college is doing just that because of the struggling local economy. With lessening demand for casino workers in Atlantic City, the college is exporting the talent.

Atlantic Cape Community College opened casino school a while back with the mission of training dealers and croupiers to work in the Atlantic City casinos. It seemed logical, considering the large part of the Atlantic City economy that the casinos played. However, the Great Recession has hurt everyone, making an economic mess of things all over.
Atlantic City is hurting worse than most places, though, partly because gambling is considered a luxury expense that should be reduced or eliminated during tough times, and partly because of mismanagement from ousted Governor Jon Corzine.

Atlantic City casinos are losing money and cutting jobs. Therefore, the employment situation there is bleak. As a result, the community college is still offering the casino school, but most of the students are finding employment elsewhere, particularly in the nearby areas of Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York.

To help a flagging attendance, Atlantic Cape Community College now sells its casino school curriculum to other states. Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for example, purchased the curriculum and trains students in a strip mall before sending them to local casinos. Including Mount Airy Casino, which has a partnership with NCC.

As more and more states opt to legalize casinos and add table games to their slot parlors, it seems that this new business model of selling their curriculum to competitors is the best way for ACCC to make money at the moment. Hopefully at some point the economy will recover and Atlantic City will have jobs of its own.

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Blackjack odds: Drawing a natural blackjack

August 10th, 2010

A natural blackjack is the best hand in the game. Players search for those ace-ten combinations. They love the prospect of a 3:2 payout and a guaranteed win (unless the dealer also has a natural blackjack). It’s the reason card counters keep track of the number of tens that have been played. It’s the reason we get excited by getting dealt an ace and worried when the dealer shows an ace. But how likely are you to draw a natural blackjack?

The likelihood of drawing a natural blackjack depends on the number of decks in play. Assuming an infinite number of decks, you or the dealer have a 4.73% chance of drawing a natural blackjack, which is once every 21 hands. If you’re worried about your blackjack being spoiled by the dealer also drawing a blackjack, which would lead to a push, that only happens 0.22% of the time, or once out of 450 hands.

If you or the dealer already have an ace, there is a 30.77% chance – or four out of 13 – of turning it into a natural blackjack. If you or the dealer already have a ten, there is a 7.69% chance – one out of 13 – of turning it into a blackjack.

The chances of these events happening whether at an online casino or land-based differs depending on the number of decks. In an eight-deck game, which is the most common at casino blackjack tables, there is a slightly higher chance of drawing a natural blackjack: 4.745%. In a six-deck blackjack game, you have a 4.749% chance of drawing a natural blackjack. There is a 4.756% chance of getting a blackjack in a four-deck game and in a single-deck game, the odds are raised to 4.83%. As you might have noticed, the odds increase as the number of decks decrease.

It is good to keep in mind the odds of drawing a blackjack, particularly when either you or the dealer have an ace or a ten card. Knowing your odds is key to successfully executing blackjack basic strategy.

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Blackjack: Early surrender v. late surrender

August 6th, 2010

Though the move should be done sparingly, in certain situations surrendering is a wise decision in the game of blackjack. Forfeiting half of your bet automatically is usually not the best option, but in certain circumstances, basic blackjack strategy says to cut your losses. It is important to keep separate the two types of surrender, though: early surrender and late surrender.

First of all, whether you’re playing at an online casino or at a brick and mortar casino, you need to know that not all blackjack tables offer surrender as an option. It is usually available because the house counts on players using the surrender option when they shouldn’t, which amounts to throwing money away. Sometimes you cannot surrender, though. When you can, the blackjack table is only going to offer one of the two types of surrender. Therefore, it’s important to know which type is allowed.

Some people think that with a late surrender, you can surrender late in the hand, like right before you get to that card that would bust you or right before the dealer draws his last card. That’s not the case. It’s really quite simple. If the blackjack table has an early surrender, you choose whether or not to surrender before the dealer checks his hole card. With a late surrender, you decide after he checks. Let’s put it into a scenario.

The dealer gives you your cards and then deals himself a hole card and a ten card. If early surrender is allowed, you would then be asked if you want to surrender. If you do, it doesn’t matter what he has as a hole card. Even if it turns out he has a natural blackjack, you still only lose half of your bet. If the blackjack table has a late surrender, though, the dealer will check his hole card to see if he has a blackjack first. If he does, you lose. If he does not have a natural blackjack, he will then ask if you want to surrender.

For that reason, an early surrender is more beneficial to players. An early surrender allows players to save themselves from a natural blackjack whereas with a late surrender, the dealer checks for one first. For that reason, proper usage (according to basic strategy) of a late surrender only trims 0.08% off of the house edge. However, proper usage of early surrender reduces the house edge by 0.6%.

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Cheaters caught at new PA blackjack tables

August 2nd, 2010

Not long ago, along with other blackjack fans, I applauded the launching of blackjack tables and other table games in Pennsylvania casinos. The blackjack tables quickly attracted fans of the game, but they also attracted cheaters. I guess I should say alleged cheaters.

Three examples immediately come to mind. At the Hollywood Casino in Grantville, Pennsylvania, Claudie Kenion III was caught trying to change his bets on winning hands. When his hand won, he would sneak extra chips into the betting circle. He was arrested for attempting to cheat at blackjack and is accused of doing this technique for 13 hands. This happened on only the second day of blackjack tables at this casino.

Then there is Thomas Albright, who was arrested at a Hollywood Casino in East Hanover Township, Pennsylvania after he was caught trying to do the opposite of Kenion. Albright tried to sneak chips that he had bet out of the betting circle on hands that he lost. He was quickly arrested and charged with theft in addition to being banned from the casino for a minimum of 30 days.

Then there is the man who last weekend was seen cheating at Mount Airy Casino in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. The man, who hasn’t been identified to the press, was caught trying to use counterfeit $100 chips at the blackjack table. When he was approached, the man fled the casino and is still at large. If apprehended, the man faces a theft conviction among other charges.

I point this out for a couple reasons. The first is to show that the casinos notice when people cheat. The dealers and other casino employees are trained to look for suspicious behavior and there are also surveillance cameras that cover the entire casino floor. The other reason I point this out is to show the harsh penalties that go along with being caught cheating in a casino. In the state of Pennsylvania, anyone caught cheating at a casino faces up to five years in prison and a $150,000 fine. Depending on the amount that is stolen, they could have a felony criminal record. In addition, they can be banned from the casino for an unspecified amount of time.

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