Just saw the show with Anthony Curtis and Max Rubin about LV gaming on the Travel Channel. They advised the public to play BJ games with the least number of decks. That used to be good advise. However, now-a-days that kind of advise will help to fill more SD 6:5 tables. It's too bad they didn't advise the viewers NOT to play any BJ game that doesn't pay at least 3:2.
+who+ paid for this to happen, I wonder???
ie if part of the money comes from Nevada, or the casinos, or whatever, it might be a bit hard to be "honest and forthright" on a show they pay for. :)
But then why would they be at liberty to point out which slot, roulette and video poker games were not mathematically good bets? It's basically the same thing when it come to the casinos' bottom line.
It is media coverage like this where we could gain a lot of ground against the bad BJ games with bad rules that are out there being offered. We need hosts who will step up and say what needs to be said when the opportunity avails it self.
Teaching the public the importance of basic strategy doesn't really help us. Of course though, I realize that we are not what the show is designed to provide assistance and guidance for. However, getting rid of 6:5 helps us and the average gambler.
I just feel we had a missed opportunity.
recorded before 6/5 games became popular.
..and it got edited.
TV is a poor medium in which to get across quality info because of its obsession with simplification and editing.
I agree that we need to take advantage of every opportunity. IE it ought to be mentioned on every message board, every newsgroup, with some degree of frequency, so that new gamblers, or old gamblers that find a new web site, are made aware of what is going on.
If I hadn't been playing blackjack for years when I first hit a 6:5 table, I probably would have thought "that's just normal" and never given it a second thought...
The casinos are certainly not going to extremes to point out that 6:5 is far worse, they are saying exactly the opposite. I saw at least one advertisement (perhaps on a billboard, or a web site, or somewhere) saying something like "single-deck blackjack is back in Vegas, with an improved 6:5 payoff for BJ" or something to that effect...
Don't forget the money... They'll do anything for ratings. Remember Dan Rather's infamous documents right before the election? I believe money talks, as always...
...with an improved 6:5 payoff for BJ
They should be hung upside down by their toenails for an advertisement worded in this manner.
I would like to know where you saw this and how it was worded exactly.
This was posted on the Green Chip BJ board. It is very illuminating.
Whopping 6 to 5 payouts! <http://www.bj21.com/al/ballys6to5.jpg>
Apologies to Al Green if he wanted to this himself. :)
Apologies to Al Green if he wanted to this himself. :)
I thought Al Green was a singer. Did you mean Al Rogers? BTW, you can learn a lot about things like this by joining Green Chip. It's worth the investment, trust me.
Regards,
drumz1
We need to devise a way to make them wish they never posted that sign. Think my brothers and sisters. How can this be used to make them hurt. I doubt it's illegal the way it is written. However, the Nev. Gaming Commission should be told.
I have filed several complaints with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and one complaint with the Mississippi board, about false and/or misleading advertising regarding 6 to 5 games. The complaints and the responses have been posted on Green Chip.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board has sometimes asked casinos to remove misleading ads from websites, but it has not been consistent, effective, or proactive. To my knowledge, no penalties have been assessed against casinos for the false ads.
Presently, there are several "single deck blackjack" billboards in Las Vegas, without mention of the inferior 6 to 5 payoff. Stardust is the worst offender at this time.
I really don't remember, except that I saw it during the week of June 14, while spending a week out there with wife on vacation. I don't remember whether it was a billboard, a sign somewhere on the strip or in a casino, or what. I do remember it was _after_ I had made a $10 bet, got a snapper, and the dealer gave me $12 back. When I asked, he showed me a tiny sign in small print on something about the size of a 3" x 5" note card...
Only problem is that I really do not remember where I saw that, might have even been on something they were handing out, as my wife signed up for several player's club cards (I did not for obvious reasons) and each card came with a flyer of some sort advertising this and that, free $20 slot play, etc...
Wish I had saved it, but I didn't. Of course, after watching television advertising for so long, I really don't believe everything I see anyway...
:)
That might be it. My brother kept being attracted to every "Jubilee" advertisement he saw. :)
After seeing several news stories over the past couple of years, telling them the casinos are misadvertising is just about like telling a bully's father that his kid is a bully. How would you think the kid got like that?
I have no idea if Mississippi's casino control is any better, but it seems pretty clear that none could be any worse than Nevada's, except, of course, for the indian casino problem where they basically regulate themselves...
We've seen people complain about local courts/police, for example, where a police officer for a local city writes a ticket, that is tried in a local court where the local judge is paid for by the city. And people complain that the judge _never_ rules against the police. Wonder why? And then wonder why the local circuit court overrules the municipal court in a majority of the cases that actually get appealed. Each supports the other...
Stupid, stupid stupid (hits self on forehead).
Yes, of course I meant Al Rogers. LOL
Talked with my brother. He remembered seeing it on an electronic sign in front of a casino as we drove around. So probably the digital photo Al had supplied was it. "whopping 6:5 payout" indeed... Next sign will say "step right in, we'll kick you right in the balls. It will feel so good when we stop, you will come back for more... So feel free to stop by and experience the ultimate pleasure..."
I suppose we need to get our elementary schools to teach a little about ratios so that even 10 year olds can figure out that 3:2 is bigger than 6:5, even if the numbers are smaller. :)
Unfortunately, I can see my son's old elementary teacher saying "it is?"
"It is media coverage like this where we could gain a lot of ground against the bad BJ games with bad rules that are out there being offered. We need hosts who will step up and say what needs to be said when the opportunity avails it self."
Believe me, i try. in fact, as an 'outed' player who has received too much exposure to continue traditional methods of advantage play, i now take very seriously my ability to communicate the truth about blackjack to the public whenever i can (RE: ripoff 6:5 games, proper basic strategy & card counting advice, etc) -- but understand that in a typical television show it is the people you see onscreen (like Anthony, Max or myself) who often have the least input into the creative control of the final product. We can say anything we want -- but by the time it goes through a director, producer, and editor, the final product has streamlined into nice, easy soundbites & larger concepts often go to the cutting room floor. And ultimately, the American ploppie public demands such pre-packaging of their gambling entertainment. An answer or line of thought that is too wordy (or in many cases, too thought-provoking) will lead viewers to change the channel, death for any network. But the awareness is out there & believe me, we are working to make things better in any way we can.
-hollywood dave.
I think the problem is much larger. IE even if you could get your "ripoff" comment onto TV, think about the number of people that see the large jumbo-tron (or whatever it is called) advertising the "whopping 6:5 payoff SD game". The casinos really push this game as good, and unfortunately most people probably would not watch a BJ all-stars type program, but they will walk into a casino, see that big sign, and think "wow, this is for me, one BJ and I can buy that new car..."
I'm not sure how that could be attacked with much success. It would be far better if the NGC would say "that is false advertising, take it down" but we know how likely that is... Probably less likely than me getting naturals every hand for the rest of my playing career... :)
But you are right, every little bit can only help.
