Is there a particular type/brand of cards to practice
with? Do casinos use different cards than, say, Bicycle
Riderbacks or another commonly available brand?
Thanks for putting up with my newbie questions.
BJinNJ
I don't know of any casino that uses Bicycle in their casino games. The most common casino cards are Bee which are made by the same company. If you compare Bee casino cards to Bicycle brand (at least the cheaper ones) you will find the Bicycle are noticably thinner. This could make a difference if you want to practice estimating discards. Gemaco, Hoyle, Paulson and Aristocrat are some of the other brands. The package should say Casino Quality - cards made for other games are different. Small, out of the way casinos in Nevada may use other brands (even plastic cards) but you will find Bee everywhere.
If you find yourself in Las Vegas go to the Gambler's General Store. They have cancelled decks that were in use at casinos and new decks. You can order online and cancelled decks can be found on Ebay. Usually they are cancelled be clipping two corners or they are drilled in the centre. Some casinos give away cancelled decks.
Thanks for the info.
I thought that casino cards might be thicker
than the Bicycle decks we use in neighborhood
games. For counting and BS drills Bicycles
are probably OK, but deck estimation needs to
be accurate.
Somewhere along the line I've run into decks
that were drilled in the center.
Yesterday I found that BlackjackInstitute.com
sells casino cards online. Surely there are
other online sources. And a trip to AC isn't
out of the question, although I'd like to get
in some back-counting practice, if I take the
time and gas to drive down there(or up to CT)
for cards. There's always the buffet...
Need to get to work on BS, and practicing.
I had 4-8 deck BS down at one time, but found
practice tedious, so I put it aside for the
last few years. My bankroll should be in
good shape by New Year, too. Time's a wastin'!
Thanks again.
BJinNJ
but they usually want too much money. If you are playing you can often get cards for free. You will likely find lots of casino cards on sale on ebay (often by the dozen). If you want cards from a particular casino, I would suggest Gamblers General Store. The Bicycle cards are fine for practicing and exact deck estimation isn't necessary unless you are practicising advanced techniques like shuffle tracking. Real casino cards are cheap though and the closer you can get to real conditions in your practice the better.
As of last summer CT casinos didn't sell their cards.
A very close friend of the family has been picking up pick-up truckloads of cards from casinos for years. They give them to him because he sells them to collect money for veterans in hospitals.
This is why I was able to give dozens of decks to attendees at Southern Greenchip Parties I hosted. I either paid him the wholesale price he sold them for or I helped him transport a load or two.
I can tell you that many casinos have found that the labor cost of re-sorting and re-packing the cards has become prohibitive, so the trend is to just dump the used cards.
I recently bough 101 decks of casino cards from eBay for about 50 cents each. They are from various Vegas casinos (usually grouped into 12-deck boxes from each casino) and they are in great condition. This is perfect if you plan on having multiple shoes for playing, cutting, shuffle tracking, sequencing, or practicing other techniques.
-Sonny-
One offer on Amazon has 72 decks for $27.50 + s/h.
Probably about 50� ea., too.
Found by googling "casino playing cards". Many
other suppliers in that search result, as well.
Blackjack Blueprint recommends a 'few dozen' for practice.
Some to play/drill with, others for deck estimation.
Thanks for all the xlnt info.
BJinNJ
Proceeds go to U.S. Veterans in hospitals.
$40 plus shipping cost for 144 decks used cards weighs 28 pounds.
$50 plus shipping cost for 96 decks new cards weighs 20 pounds.
contact:
B.J. Johnston
P.O. Box 6013
Thomaston, GA 30286
Tell him Titaniumman sent you.
What 10 cents an hour for prison inmates to do it (that is who does it) is too much?
He said it was ten cents per pack, and that an inmate packed 20 to 30 decks per hour.
That's two to three dollars per hour.
And, I guess that's too much.
