Worst Casinos in Vegas for Blackjack

First the good news: Conditions for BJ in Vegas are a little better this month! Several casinos got rid of their CSM's.

This post below is my attempt to help Vegas vacationers (not the pros) avoid the WORST BJ games in the Vegas area. For the BEST games available you need to spring for $15 and buy Current Blackjack News, available from this site (includes blackjack from the entire United States, not just Las Vegas). And be prepared to do just a little homework.

These pitiful games from the casinos listed below have 6:5 Blackjack, CSM's (continuous shuffle machines) or such terrible rules or penetration that these games should be avoided by Vegas vacationers.

I used the simulations found in Don Schlesinger's book Blackjack Attack (3rd edition), the general guidelines in Blackjack Bluebook II (Fred Renzey), and some online sources including CBJN from this site. The rules were variable depending on the number of decks, but had to include at least DAS (double after splitting). You should look for more good rules than just DAS, however.

This also assumes that the player knows how to count cards using the HiLo system, the KO system, or another comparable level one system (such as Red Seven count, Kiss-III count, or similar). If you just play Basic Strategy, you might still win money in the short run, but you really need to learn some sort of counting scheme to have a chance of coming out ahead in the long run. Even then, no guarantees for a short trip to casinoland.

Do not worry about heat from the pit crews. You are the customer, you can bet however you want! Some uptight places may kick you out, though. To avoid ruining your vacation, my recommendation is: "Don't stay where you play (blackjack)". Then you will not lose your room and comps, if any. Never forget that you are NOT DOING ANYTHING ILLEGAL, you are just using your brain. Don't get into arguments with anyone if asked to leave, however, just do it as smoothly and quickly as possible. Take a cab or walk to your next destination.

The bet spreads used in the sims were as follows:
Double Deck: 1:6 to 1:8. Six and eight deck: 1:8 to 1:16. If you can table-hop you can use milder spreads than the above. You MUST table-hop on some of the 6- or 8-deckers to avoid playing very negative counts.

On your last day in town, I suggest you go crazy with your bet spreads if the count calls for big bets, if you won't be returning to Vegas for at least 6 months.

I personally have sat next to players who varied their bets from $10 to $200 or higher, with consecutive hands! They looked like crazy gamblers, and maybe they were. You need a LARGE BANKROLL to do this, however. Vegas is not for starving college students these days (unless maybe you are on a blackjack team). Play very low-limit poker instead of blackjack, is my suggestion if you are hurting for bankroll.

Any games requiring $100 dollar minimum bets or higher were ignored in the list below. I hope you find the list useful, or at least a time-saver on your vacation!

Again, to find the good games and maybe a promo or two, get CBJN!

BAD BLACKJACK IN VEGAS:

Arizona Charlie's (Decatur)
Binion's
California
Circus Circus
Casino Royale
El Dorado
Ellis Island
Excalibur (too many CSM's or 6:5 BJ)
Fitzgeralds
Four Queens
Fremont
Gold Spike
Golden Gate
Imperial Palace
Longhorn
Main Street Station
O'Shea's
Poker Palace
Railroad Pass
Riviera
Sam's Town (still no DAS)
Silver Nugget
Slots A Fun
Vegas Club
Western

Have a great time!

But look at the brighter side:

Arizona Charlie's has a good ham steak and egg breakfast cheap 24/7.
Binion's is where legend was made with ghosts of WSOP Champs of the past still looking for fish, but all the fish are at the Rio now.
Circus Circus has an indoor amusement park and has always turns a profit.
Casino Royale is famous for its fun book.
Ellis Island has a brewery, Metro pizza, great barbecue chicken and ribs, cheapo steak special and hookers of all sizes, shapes and colors on the weekends.
Gold Spike - see comment for Arizona Charlie's.
Golden Gate has shrimp in sundae glass.
Imperial Palace is shaped like a swastika from a birds-eye view.
O'Shea's has beer pong in the back.
Railroad Pass - As I recall they have a $1 breakfast special.
Riviera is an architectural wonder.
Sam's Town has cowboy paraphernalia on display.
Western has no front doors as I recall, but they do have a cafeteria in the back that serves old fashioned, starchy platters.

The other places on your list have no redeeming characteristics. Thanks for going to all the trouble.

Cobbson

I seldom get to Las Vegas, but am planning a trip soon. CBJN, Fine Tuner's "Vegas Casino Ratings" and AB's "Worst Casinos in Vegas" are providing a tremendous help in separating the wheat from the chaff. Thanks to all of you.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=36.118763,-115.170579&spn=0.002778,0.004469&z=18

The list includes ten downtown casinos. What rank stupidity by the managers of these dumps. A better game is the only thing they have to offer, and they don't do it. Instead, they offer terrible games. The Golden Nugget, which did not make the list, is likely to make the list if it removes a few marginally-playable games, as most of what it offers is garbage, too. No wonder downtown is failing.

Now people really have a swell reason to risk life and limb going there.

Even their clientele of recent parolees, sex offenders, petty thieves, pimps, heroin addicts and prostitutes were smart enough to abandon that dumpster en masse after they switched to 6:5, which is more than I can say for the tourists on the Strip.

Once upon a time, a person could walk into virtually any downtown casino and find dozens of tables of good games going.

I think the public would absolutely flock to a room full single deck (even with d10/11) for $10 min. Heck, I'd go there, too, just for fun.

Years ago, Binion's had a $1 SD game where they would train their dealers. I would park my wife there. She does not gamble and cringes when she gets $20 stuck. She would be best friends with everyone at that table in about 5 minutes. You had to get there pretty early in the morning to even get a seat. If I happened to to stop by to see what she was up to or to pitch another $20 into her stack, she would sometimes ask me how to play a hand. I would bite my tongue to not say "who cares?". If I saw the first round come out with no aces and lots of little cards, I'd try to get her to shove out a red chip. You'd think I was stealing her purse. One time, another player and my wife both get dealt a pair of aces. After the hand was over, she wondered out loud where the 5th ace might be. That drew a pretty good laugh from the table. I love her a lot.

Regards, LR

is a mecca and gathering place for Hawaii gamblers and tourists. Walk into the California, Main St Station, or Fremont, and you'd think you were back in the Islands. As such, these casinos have no incentive to offer better games because Hawaiians don't care. THEY JUST WANT TO GAMBLE. I remember walking through Sam's Town a few years ago, when they too, were trying to attract the Hawaii crowd. I saw a lady, obviously from Hawaii, playing a vp game that had an inferior payout to another similar machine just a few seats away. I pointed this out to her, and suggested she switch to the better machine. Her answer was, "Oh, but this one my lucky machine." Typical.

Neko

the rules at Slots a Fun were actually pretty good except the h17.
the pen was fairly deep too.

why did you put it on the list?

...sorta. Look around "karioke club."

the good single deck games downtown was the only reason why I went down there.

Needs better rules or better pen, on their 6-deckers. But since you found pen to be "fairly deep" then maybe your dealer was in a great mood that day :-).

At least they have a $2 minimum on their 6-deckers, nice for just having a good time and fooling around.

I hope you were not playing their 6:5 single decker, really need to totally avoid that game, way too much house advantage.

AB

except that those evil asian female dealers would always take it upon yourself to pref shuffle away all the high counts unless you flat bet.

Just 7 words, adding up to good news: 'Several casinos got rid of their CSMs'. Any further details? Which casinos? Have they junked them all, or just a few? Do we know why? Is it a coordinated thing? Thanks! HB