Backed Off? Paranoid? Am I getting 86d?

I am an AP that has played at a particular Reno casino about 4 times per year for the past 8 years. I usually only go for two days and play about 6-8 hours per day. I play at their single deck tables which usually have a $25 or $50 minimum. I usually spread my bets from $25-$250.

I have a great relationship with one of their hosts and usually get a free room, dinner, etc. I've been a consistent winner, but have taken a beating a few times.

On my last trip I was amazed to see that the table I usually play was set to a $10 minimum (max $500), this is not a 6-5 table. I started playing the $10 minimum when the count was negative and would go as high as $250.00. I know many of the pit bosses and am pleasant with them.

Either I'm being paranoid or I was getting quite a bit of heat. Especially when playing heads up, sometimes two casino personnel would watch. One would talk, the other would just watch intently. I got up for a few bathroom breaks, but they would always be there. A few times the dealer would shuffle REALLY early...but it wasn't necessarily during a good count. Also the dealer was giving me "looks"...again, maybe I'm just paranoid. I started raising my minimum bet back to $25.

With a ton of luck I was up about $5500 for the weekend. I had been pocketing chips all wekeend, and had only colored for about $2500, which seems like chump change regardless.

When I went to the cage after I had checked out to cash a few last chips, a really large guy in a suit that I had never seen before came up to me and indentified himself as a casino host and said my host was busy but wanted to say goodbye. I told him I was late for a flight and that I would call his cell on my way to the airport. He didn't stop me, I got outside and got in the car and left.

I did send an email to my host the next day saying thanks, etc. but have not received a reply...I feel like maybe he know what was up and didn't want to get involved? I really feel weird about this.

Am I being paranoid? Should I go back?

I am an AP that has played at a particular Reno casino about 4 times per year for the past 8 years. I usually only go for two days and play about 6-8 hours per day. I play at their single deck tables which usually have a $25 or $50 minimum. I usually spread my bets from $25-$250.

6-8 hours a day? Incredible. The usual Reno session should be under thirty minutes, even at the fairly low stakes you describe. You are using a decent spread, assuming you are using it correctly, but are your skills otherwise up to speed? What count system do you use, and how many indices?

Your reference to a $50 min. table narrows it down to just a handful of casinos, three of which are notoriously sweaty and unfriendly to brain-using players -- Silver Legacy, Peppermill, and JA Nugget. That's why I ask about your skills. It seems incomprehensible that any of the Reno stores with $50 minimum tables would let you pound away so many hours a day, unless you are usually playing at full tables and/or are relatively unskilled, and/or waste money playing other games at a disadvantage.

Am I being paranoid? Should I go back?

Definitely go back. Why back yourself off?

The hotel is not on Virginia st and is under new management. When I play in the morning, I can usually get a table alone or with one other player. I play 2 hands. I'm using the Hi-Opt II system. I play strict but get nervous when splitting TT when being watched. I usually play 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours at night. At night the table was usually more crowded.

When I'm alone, I usually don't spread my bets quite as much. In a table with 2+ other tables, I don't hesitate.

I have played at Peppermill before and definitely received heat. That's why I don't go there anymore.

I guess I'll go back...I was just getting a very strange vibe on the last day.

Some pit critters immediately dismiss anyone who plays two hands when heads-up at single deck as not being a player who they should worry about. You are handicapping your earning rate substantially. Whether or not you get tossed from this place, respectfully you might want to seriously reconsider your game plan for single deck.

Thanks again for your follow up, LVBear584. I find that I get better penetration when playing 2 hands at this casino...especially if we get into a very fast rhythm. If I find the dealer is shuffling too quickly, I'll see how they respond to heads up. I agree that at most casinos, they definitely shuffle more often two handed, heads up.

For example, if you are playing Ro6 heads up, one hand, you will get 5 rounds dealt, 10 hands total counting the dealer, or 27 cards if you use 2.7 cards per hand.

If you play two hands, you will get 4 rounds dealt, but now 12 hands total are dealt, which is an extra 5.4 cards of penetration. or a 10% improvement...

I've always used that in playing SD games heads up (which is reasonably rare nowadays since real SD games are getting harder to find). Is there something wrong with that reasoning?

1 hand = 52/27 penetration, 2 hands = 52/32.4 cards dealt, which seems to increase playability somewhat...

For example, if you are playing Ro6 heads up, one hand, you will get 5 rounds dealt, 10 hands total counting the dealer, or 27 cards if you use 2.7 cards per hand.

If you play two hands, you will get 4 rounds dealt, but now 12 hands total are dealt, which is an extra 5.4 cards of penetration. or a 10% improvement...

You point out one of the few exceptions to the general rule, as noted in the article linked below. However, many otherwise Ro6 dealers will deal more than a lousy five rounds when a player is heads-up. Don't assume they will deal only five. Try it playing one hand to see; often you will be pleasantly surprised to get seven rounds.

Heads-up play ...

5 rounds -- a poor game. If you are faced with this game, play two hands. You will normally get 4 rounds to 2 spots under Ro6, which is playable. You can drop to one hand in negative decks. You may get lucky and get 5 rounds to 2 spots, which is an excellent game.

No disagreement there. I played one game in Laughlin 3 years ago where the dealer would deal heads-up and give me an extra round, sometimes even two (she had a hand problem that made shuffling uncomfortable, so I suggested a little less shuffling to which she happily agreed if no one was looking over her shoulder.

Some are pure sticklers however, apparently afraid of the pit or eye folks noticing their procedural violation. Found one of these over at Tunica a year or two back. Also would not let me spread to 2 if I started with 1, but that was OK by me.

In any case, it is becoming a moot point as finding good 52 card games is becoming difficult. I switched to mostly DD about 3 years ago as there are still some decent 2d games around although it requires searching for good pen.