(Cross-posted from BJ Green)
The terrible Single Deck, blackjacks pay 6 to 5 game is spreading in Las Vegas. All players everywhere should be concerned about this, even if you never come to Las Vegas. It may spread to your locale.
Be proactive. Watch out for this aberration. If you come to Las Vegas, politely complain about it as often as possible, to everyone who will listen.
While some may think this is a waste of time, I think everything we can do to chip away at this cancer is helpful.
Today, I sent the following letter to both Las Vegas daily newspapers:
Letter to the Editor
Casinos partially to blame for decline in tourism
In recent times, when casino bosses complain about the decline in visitors and reduction in high-end table play in Las Vegas, they frequently blame "the economy" and the "hassle of air travel."
An unmentioned factor is the behavior of the casinos themselves, in making many table games so poor for the player that many players simply lose interest and stop coming to Las Vegas. The organization I'm employed by has a membership of over 1200 avid blackjack players worldwide, covering the entire spectrum in their levels of play. Certainly, their average level of betting is far greater than the typical tourist. Yet these players are being driven away from Las Vegas by the ever-worsening games available here. Their influence extends to thousands of other potential Las Vegas visitors, who now go to other casino destinations because of the poor offerings and general casino hostility in Las Vegas towards things as simple as the desire to play anonymously without harassment from pit personnel, and reasonable blackjack offerings.
The proliferation in Las Vegas of one particularly odious version of blackjack is the Single Deck game that pays only 6 to 5 on blackjacks. It is common on the Strip, and now is even spreading to some off-Strip casinos. At a normal game, blackjacks pay 7 1/2 to 5. The change to 6 to 5, while seemingly minor to the uneducated player, results in a casino advantage 800% GREATER than a normal blackjack game. While there are still plenty of suckers lining up to play this game, since they erroneously think that "single deck is always better for the player," that pool of suckers will dry up quickly, as the casinos quickly slaughter the cash cow instead of just milking it over and over again.
Even the most uninformed tourist will soon realize that his or her money "doesn't last as long" at the 6 to 5 table, and will find other casino destinations to take their money to. The same can be said for the continuous shuffling machines in use at many Las Vegas casinos, which do not give the player a reasonable chance, either.
By driving away even the moderately knowledgeable players with these terrible games, all the casinos will soon have left is the lowest level of table games player, who will quickly tap out, never to return. The knowledgeable and higher-betting players will continue to take their spouses, families, and friends to other casino destinations where more reasonable games are offered, until Las Vegas casino managers stem this tide of sucker offerings and return to a more player-friendly environment.
As a Las Vegas resident whose family is at least partially dependent on tourism, I beseech the casino bosses to stop this killing of blackjack. Blackjack has made the casinos billions of dollars over the years, and will continue to do so only if the patrons are given a reasonable game. You are killing Las Vegas along with killing blackjack.
Respectfully,
Al Rogers
