If you’re reading this site, chances are that you too like to gamble. But no two gamblers are exactly alike as they may prefer different casinos, games, etc. It’s no secret that my favorite casino games are Craps, Blackjack, and Video Poker. But there’s subtle nuances to these games that can make for a better gaming experience.

1. Video Poker at the Bar – I definitely prefer playing Video Poker at the casino bar than at a bank of machines. First and foremost, there is generally little wait before you get a drink, where as at a bank of machines you are at the mercy of the cocktail waitress. Also it’s easier to take a quick read of what beers are available. Drinking better beer and getting faster service is a much better vibe when playing the game. (ED: What you give up in payouts, you make up in booze.)
2. Blackjack Table Ends – I’m definitely superstitious when it comes to blackjack. I find it a bit annoying when someone consistently is making terrible decisions. As such, I like to have as much control over my cards as possible. For me this happens at the end of the tables. The first seat means that I am not victim to anyone else’s decisions yet, the last seat means I get last choice before the dealer takes their card. I know it’s irrational, but it makes my gaming experience more enjoyable.
3. Empty or Full Craps Tables – Empty craps tables are my absolute favorite. I can walk up, roll a few dice and see where it goes. I have an irrational confidence in my own rolling, so I always like it better when I’m the shooter. If an empty table isn’t available, then I’d rather have the full table. At least that way everyone can cheer and celebrate when points are hit.

This may not be your favorite way to play these games, but this is how I like to play. I recommend these different styles and if you’ve never played this way, give it a shot. I would definitely be curious to see what you think. Also, if you have any unique ways you like to play certain games, let me know. I’m always looking for a fun and different gambling experience.

Photo: Cruise Critic Board

Okay, so I realize that this title isn’t anything shocking.  The Cosmopolitan is brand-spanking-new, has a lot of fans, a great location, and is very much a 2000’s Vegas property.  The Riviera, by contrast, is over 50 years old, no one really seems fond of it, it’s in a desolate area of the strip, and it feels old an worn.  So what’s the point?  Well, to begin, the Las Vegas Review Journal published this interview with Riviera’s new 36 year old President and CEO, Andy Choy.

What I find interesting is that Andy Choy really seems to understand his property.  It is old, it has history, and it will never even be a mid-market place.  This is what the Tropicana failed to understand.  Even though their location was a thousand times better, they still tried to add the day club and Miami vibe to bring Tropicana to 2000′s Vegas.

So what is the Riviera doing?  The exact opposite.  Where as new resorts like the Cosmopolitan almost feel ashamed to have a casino, the Riviera is promoting itself as a casino.  This is obviously partly due to the fact that there isn’t much else to do there, but also it speaks to a Vegas customer that is starting to feel excluded these days: the gambler.  And while it is too ambitious for the Riviera to shoot for “The Best Casino in Las Vegas,” there is no reason to think that the Riviera couldn’t be to the strip what El Cortez is to Fremont St. (ED: I love the El Cortez)

It also appears they are interested in offering somewhat decent odds (for the strip, anyway).  Craps is offered with 10x odds, single deck blackjack pays 3/2, and there is even a single-zero roulette wheel.  It’s clear that Andy Choy understands that true gamblers are painfully aware of the odds being offered to them.  Ask any blackjack player how they feel about 6/5 blackjack payouts and you are likely to see smoke come out of their nose.  Offering good payouts is a great way to appeal to true gamblers who know and  want good odds.

In the interview Andy Choy says that they have been working solely on the inside of the property.  They have taken over retail, reconfigured the casino floor, and tried to do what they can to make it more appealing.  This is a good start, but to truly show a new beginning it will take more.  It will take a combination of marketing, a new brand image, and probably an updated strip facade to show people who want to gamble that Riviera is the best Las Vegas Strip casino at which to play.  The key, as Andy Choy says, is to become relevant again.  After that, all bets are off. (ED: Based on radio commercials it seems as if comedians that used to play Las Vegas Hilton are all playing the Riv now. This includes Andrew Dice Clay and Mark Curry)

The week started off with a bang. I did an interview with a website that I love (more on that when it runs) and a podcast talking about Vegas on The Betting Dork with Gill Alexander. The podcast was released this week and it seems to be well received. We talked about my favorite steakhouses, blackjack tips, clubs, naked joints, Erin Burnet and more. You can download it here.

I’m not sure what happened later in the week, but I started to get some kind of sick. I’m resting up this weekend to prepare for Super Bowl on the strip. I can’t wait! Odds are good I’ll be tweeting wherever I end up watching the game. Feel free to follow along to see what it’s like.

Looking back, looking forward, now let’s look back again.

AC2LV

• Baccarat Bigger Than Blackjack In Vegas
• Three Sneaky Bad Bets
• Betting Dork Podcast and Me!
• Want To Buy A Radio Station In Las Vegas?
• Time to Innovate $0.25 Slots
• Dear Boxing, It Was Nice Knowing You
• Sweet Video: Las Vegas 1962

Vegas Chatter

• Where to Find ALL the Prop Bets For The Big Game
• Which Would You Rather: A Free Tee or 5 Bucks in Free Play?
• Prop Bets Are Now Available For The Big Game
• Discovering Zine at Palazzo
• Fitzgeralds Folds Its Poker Room
• What’s Up With Our Identity? 
• Super Bowl XLVI is Set, Let The Betting Begin

Baccarat is, officially, more popular than blackjack in Las Vegas. I believe I read this last year, but there are actually numbers to back this up now.

“For us to make money in gaming today without baccarat is almost impossible,” said Debra Nutton, senior vice president of casino operations at the MGM Grand hotel-casino. “We need the big whales to make money.”

…Nevada figures show that during the 12 months ending Nov. 30, casinos statewide won $1.27 billion from baccarat players, with the game offered at 258 total tables in 24 casinos. Blackjack, meanwhile, pulled in just $1.03 billion — even though it was offered across 2,810 tables in 151 casinos.

Baccarat’s popularity along with the popularity of food and beverage in Vegas in the past year may give an answer as to why comps for medium to low rollers are drying up. There may be more people playing blackjack or video poker, but they are not the gamblers that can make the casino’s bottom line in a given quarter.

Ultimately casinos, and all businesses, are going to cater to the people that make them the most money. It seems as if, today, that is the baccarat player more than the other gamblers.

My only experience playing mini baccarat in Atlantic City was pretty awful (I’ll share another day) and I (probably) won’t play the game again. Maybe we can get some tips on how to play Baccarat from Baccarat Guy someday.

Photo: Vegas Buzz

I’ve been a little off the grid this weekend with friends in town. Here’s a quick catch up on the week that passed. I’m way behind in my day, so I’ll save the stories for later this week.

AC2LV

• Cosmopolitan Video Poker: There’s Nothing To See Here
• Why Vegas?
• Her Name Is Annabelle
• Palazzo and Venetian Video Poker
• Let’s Call Him George
• Resorts World Casino New York City Growing
• Is The Linq Even Real?
• A Quick Tip
• Revel Getting Iron Chef Restaurants
• Heads Up For Southwest Passengers

Vegas Chatter

• Vegas Dilemma: What Should We See?
• Good News For Vegas May Mean Bad News For You 
• Where To Find The Best Odds For Blackjack
• Is It Time To Upgrade Your Identity?

Vegas properties are massive.  This is no secret.  And with the plethora of casinos that line Las Vegas Blvd, there are a million things to do.  There are the obvious things to do, like the Bellagio Fountains and Mirage Volcano, but there are also lots of fun and cool things that are a bit less known.  One thing that I seem to find often is that people are not happy with how there is less and less $5 blackjack, and when they find it that it’s only 6:5.

Yes, $5 tables are tricky to find.  Some places like O’Sheas, Casino Royale, and Bill’s guarantee them, but like I said above, they are the dreaded 6:5.  Well here’s a quick tip to finding $5 blackjack that pays 3:2 at a great property.  It’s at Bellagio.  Every time I have been to Vegas in the past 4 years, there has been $5 blackjack at Bellagio.  I won’t say it’s available every hour of every day, I have no way to prove that, but every time I’ve been there the same two tables offer $5 blackjack.

Where are these tables you are asking?  They are the two Handicap tables.  There’s one in the pit by the lobby and there is another one in the pit that’s between the craps tables and Hyde Lounge.  You’ll probably have to wait for a seat, as two spots are reserved for people in wheel chairs, but if you’re patient you’ll get good dealers, good booze, and 3:2 payouts for your $5 bet.  Enjoy.

(ED: I love playing at Handicap tables, especially when I’m no longer sober. Being close to the ground feels stabilizing)

For Thanksgiving my family decided to celebrate in New Orleans.  I have relatives down there and everyone else met there to celebrate.  Being the cooperative group of people they are, they agreed to accompany me to Harrah’s New Orleans one evening.  After getting killed on blackjack, I settled into some Video Poker.  It was located at the bar, where they will gladly comp drinks for max play on the machines.  Count me in.

About 20 minutes into playing, I was dealt a hand with three cards to a royal flush.  I held the three cards and hit deal.  The first card flipped up as the fourth card to the royal flush.  The fifth card?  A three of hearts.  So close, but no dice.  But it’s that feeling of getting that close that keeps me playing.  Knowing that I’m only a card away from that Royal Flush.  This is the power of getting close.

This feeling, in my opinion, can almost be as addicting as winning.  It’s a bit more subconscious, but that feeling of getting so close makes you eager to play the next hand.  It’s the same way you feel when you hit a 16, get a 20, and the dealer gets 21.  This happens in every game in the casino.  When playing slot machines it’s when the reels are only one away from the jackpot, or in roulette when you are only a few numbers away.  Sure winning beats all, but without the power of getting close, there’s no way anyone would stick around to see the win.

When I was in Vegas a month ago, i did my fair share of gambling. I’m sure you are shocked.  As such, I spent a ton of time in casinos and bouncing from casino to casino. There were three things that I noticed happened often that drove me nuts. Without further adieu, here they are:

Chatty Craps Dealers – No, not the Craps dealers that want to talk to me, Craps dealers that want to talk to each other. There were several times at the Craps table that the dealers seemed more interested in the conversation between them then the gambling patrons at the table. It may just be me, but this feels really unprofessional. Either chat with the players or at least acknowledge me when you take my chips. Otherwise you’re chatting your way out of a tip.

Continuous Shuffle Machines – I know these things aren’t revolutionary, but they are murder for my progressive betting system. I like to have a few drinks when I gamble and as such there’s no chance I could ever even try to card count. Therefore I try to ride the hot waves that happen through a blackjack shoe by using a progressive betting system. The continuous shuffle machine kills these. I understand why casinos use them (to increase hands per minute), but I often found my betting system worked better against the shoe. (ED: My #1 most hated piece of casino technology)

Cranky Players – On more than one occasion I was at a blackjack table playing with someone who a. didn’t know how to play, b. kept getting pissed that he was losing, and c. kept cursing at the dealers for it.  It’s one thing to joke with the dealers about the cards even though they have no control, but to insult them for the cards is beyond rude. I was shocked the casinos didn’t throw these guys out. All they do is serve to make a fun table awkward and clear out the other players.

These are all different degrees of annoying, but my gambling experience would be better without them. In a service industry, it shouldn’t be asking a lot for a dealer to be engaging and try to make your time at the tables as enjoyable as possible. In return, the players should respect the dealers. These things bother me much more than the continuous shuffle machines.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t think we would all be better off if those machines the way of the VCR.

The headline on article says “Blackjack ace Don Johnson scores another $2M win at Tropicana.” If you recall, earlier this year Don Johnson scored $15 million from the Tropicana taking advantage of their no limits tables. Well, he made a few more bucks last month and it seems as if a few other card counting nerds did too.

Blackjack whiz Don Johnson scorched Tropicana Casino and Resort for $2 million in October, adding to the $15 million he had previously won in Atlantic City during an incredible streak of good luck.

Johnson was not the only gambler who scored big last month. Figures released Thursday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement showed that casino table games revenue plunged nearly 17 percent industrywide in October, while slot machines were down 4 percent.

At one point I wondered if this was just a PR stunt by Tropicana so that people pay attention to them, but the more money they lose the less I think that. It’s one thing to spend $15 million on PR, but to keep following that with more losses sort of defeats the purpose.

So, when will Tropicana give up on there unlimited table limits. I can’t imagine the bean counters are too happy with things.

Like with other posts about this I want to pass on a link to Bringing Down The House it’s a great book and available on Amazon for under $8.

Las Vegas has always marketed itself as a place where anything goes.  As long as you don’t break any major laws (including prostitution), this is pretty much true.  Vegas loves this image and it’s exacerbated by the scantily dressed women, the people handing out escort cards, and giant sling-sized margaritas people walk down the streets.  Recently, however, I have come across something that casinos are pushing against.

Twice this past trip, I was kicked out of casinos for having large-sized cheap beer.  What do I mean by that?  One time I had a 32 oz Pabst Blue Ribbon and the other time I had a 40oz Mickeys.  Now, I can maybe understand being kicked out of Wynn with my 40 of Mickeys.  I get that they have an image, and if it’s more Ed Hardy and XS clubbing than 40s and Blackjack, that’s their prerogative.  I do however, take exception with being kicked out of Bills Gamblin Hall and Saloon with my 32oz PBR.  How is anything going on at Bills above my PBR?

I can pretty much guarantee you that if I had a giant margarita bought at the Hawaiian marketplace, it would have been fine.  But the lover of large sized cheap beer is being oppressed in Las Vegas.  Bills, you have permanent $5 blackjack, some of the worst dealers I’ve ever seen, and an over-all depressed feel.  Maybe I should thank you for kicking me out.  But next time, realize that when you have a patron who wants to gamble and is obviously willing to kick back a few, it might be good for your bottom line.

When and if this happens again at Bills, that patron won’t be me.  I’ll take my beer to Aria.  Where I was allowed to play for a long time, and no one gave me any slack about my beer.