Hard Rock @ Hollywood, FL

[halbruno]

After reading his entire post, I figured that he meant that they have 8 tables at most. There are some errors in his reporting but it's mostly correct. Most importantly you will not find 1 1/2 - 3/4 decks cut off. 1 1/2 - 2 1/4 would be more accurate. Also, I don't recall seeing any hand shuffled games at Seminole Hollywood (not Hard Rock) but I could be wrong. The pens so bad and the shuffle too tough to even bother with either.

Yeah, there were a total of six to eight blackjack tables. The penetration that I saw was always less than 2 decks. There were at least three tables at the Seminole Casino Hollywood which were hand shuffled games. The $5, $10, and $15 which I played were all hand shuffled there and six decks. I thought this was odd since their affiliate casino across the street has eight decks with automatic/continuous shufflers.

 

[WABJ11]

johndoe said:

"Yes, I had to pay $5 for cocktails as is standard policy (I didn't ask for freebies there), but I think cheap beer (bud etc.) was free."

All alcoholic beverages are forbidden as comps due to a clause in the state compact agreement.

I don't think your right. I've gotten free alcohol in the high limit pit while playing there.

 

[WABJ11]

Ah so it appears the pit outside the poker room has gone 6 to 5. I knew this was coming. Actually a smart move by management since this pit is more likely to attract young, inexperienced gamblers going to the clubs and bars.

 

[HockeXpert]

I don't think your right. I've gotten free alcohol in the high limit pit while playing there.

You can also get free drinks across the street at Seminole Hollywood. Plus they have $10 - $25 6D and the pen isn't all horrible. No eye candy though.

Ah so it appears the pit outside the poker room has gone 6 to 5. I knew this was coming. Actually a smart move by management since this pit is more likely to attract young, inexperienced gamblers going to the clubs and bars.

Wow! The Seminoles have sank to a new low! 8D, crappy pen, H17, no surrender, 6:5. How can they make it any worse? Is NDAS next? They are going to need a semi truck daily from Brinks for all that money. They are spoiled making 5%+ on all their carni games and sp21 that 1% isn't good enough for them.

 

[WABJ11]

Well I think it was a strategic move. Like I said trying to appeal to inexperienced gamblers who would be outside at the bars, clubs, shops, and restaurants.

As far as I know from dealers there, they have no plans to change the games inside.

 

[HockeXpert]

Ah so it appears the pit outside the poker room has gone 6 to 5. I knew this was coming. Actually a smart move by management since this pit is more likely to attract young, inexperienced gamblers going to the clubs and bars.

Hardrock now has a pit inside with 8 $5 bj tables all with.....6:5! The game went from $25+ 8d standard rules no ls to $5 8d H17 6:5 in two years.

We should file an injunction that claims that they can't advertise this crap as bj,

 

[Lonesome Gambler]

Ha ha, good luck. Anyway, the $5 thing is a "promo" that they've been doing off and on for a while now. The $5 games are always 6:5, and I think it's safe to say that you can expect the rest of the 6/8D no RSA no LS H17 games with lots of unnecessary sweating to follow suit before the compact runs out. However, it will be lots of fun to watch the Seminoles crash and burn when state-wide gambling is OK'ed and real competition steps in.

 

[Tarzan]

Short term gains

Short term gains with these sorts of crappy rules (deja vu as I have said this before) on the part of these casinos, particularly relatively new casinos is the avenue of their ultimate failure. Greed to gouge that extra percentage point or two out of the patrons will catch up to them. The customers will only get cleaned out for so much and for so long before they abandon all hope and don't come back. All but the most hard-core gamblers will follow suit on that. Getting your ass kicked repeatedly will lose it's luster and common sense has to kick in eventually. The big mistake being made on the part of any of these casinos with 8 decks, CSM's, 6:5, etc., etc. is that if you don't let them win at least once in a while they won't come back!

Here's the key that facilitates and speeds up this process--- the internet! Communications mediums, blogs, personal notes of individuals get out there for all to read. All but the incredibly stupid will read up on increased house advantages of places like these, find out that it's an impossibility to have even a fighting chance at winning, not play there and thereby decrease their customer base. The incredibly stupid will eventually lose all their money and be broke beyond that. Who does that leave? NOBODY!!! Good riddance...


Let's just say I started Tarzan's Jungleland Casino and Oriental Massage Parlor where the customer always comes first... I have a choice to bleed a steady 2% out of the customer base that they will never notice or I can go for the jugular and gouge them for all I can. Which one will be more successful? Bleeding them slowly and allowing a few winners once in a while will perpetuate them coming back for years to come, knock the socks off any competition, insure a packed casino with happy happy gamblers that actually win once in a while, etc. I still make a fortune, have loyal customers for many years to come and am well situated for any long haul, can fare well even in a recession condition, etc.

Now I will bring up a real-life example of really gouging them for all it's worth. My next door neighbor! He knew that I went to the casinos also once in a while but nothing specific. He went to the local (AC) casinos more and more over a period of time, playing "carnival" games and really liked playing 3 card-poker, among other various games to include blackjack, slots, etc. Only one problem with that... 3 card poker did not like him! He also played against crappy AC blackjack rules so obviously lost horribly, especially with not even knowing basic strategy. Over a period of time and "chasing" losses, repeated trips in which he lost phenomenal money he took about 6 months to "work it out of his system". He finally understood the futility and it left him so shell-shocked that I doubt he will ever set foot in a casino ever again. He talked at length about his adventures into problematic debt at length to me over it all and I talked about certain insurrmountable house advantages involved and how casinos in recent years have worked on increasing an already insurrmountable overall advantage. He didn't need my lecture as he had experienced it all first hand. Something tells me that if he goes down Florida way for vacation, he is going to stick with Seaworld or Disneyworld!hahahaha

 

[SWFL Blackjack]

As if the poor rules wasn't enough to chase off the civilians, perhaps the fact that EVERY shoe game (when I was there last Saturday night) was NO MSE. Even on 8D, $15 min games! I suppose the civilians will not lose too much from the poor blackjack rules since they will have to wait for a shuffle just to get in a game.

 

[HockeXpert]

However, it will be lots of fun to watch the Seminoles crash and burn when state-wide gambling is OK'ed and real competition steps in.

Amen to that!

 

[HockeXpert]

As if the poor rules wasn't enough to chase off the civilians, perhaps the fact that EVERY shoe game (when I was there last Saturday night) was NO MSE. Even on 8D, $15 min games! I suppose the civilians will not lose too much from the poor blackjack rules since they will have to wait for a shuffle just to get in a game.

I didn't see nmse outside the hl room. Maybe they reserve those signs for really busy nights. Funny thing is when they got table games the pit bragged about how they weren't afraid of counters with their 8d games. Well I've seen several ap's and non-ap's get backed off.

The good news is that with nmse they are only hurting themselves. Paranoia is rampant there.

They got hit with a counterfeit $20 bill scam about a year ago and got taken for $50k. I've seen several guys drop $50k in less than 5 minutes. Karma?

 

[Lonesome Gambler]

NMS on the main floor is correct, at least at non-peak times. I don't recall if it was for all tables or just a few, but I noticed NMS on some $25 tables in the first half of a Friday day shift. It could have been an anomaly—I'm not sure, as I don't actually play at that particular casino!

 

[SWFL Blackjack]

It amuses me that you can go next door to Seminole Hollywood and play a $10 6D shoe game with MSE.

 

[FLASH1296]

Sadly, while the Seminoles have deep pockets , just like those who wish to build casinos in Florida,
they have more Florida politicians in their pockets, the Governor included.

There are sound reasons for the Sunshine State's reputation as the nexus of crooked politicians.

 

[SWFL Blackjack]

Sadly, while the Seminoles have deep pockets , just like those who wish to build casinos in Florida,
they have more Florida politicians in their pockets, the Governor included.

There are sound reasons for the Sunshine State's reputation as the nexus of crooked politicians.

Agreed. It is very difficult not to throw bricks at Gov. Scott's mansion when driving by it in Naples...

 

[SWFL Blackjack]

I didn't see nmse outside the hl room. Maybe they reserve those signs for really busy nights. Funny thing is when they got table games the pit bragged about how they weren't afraid of counters with their 8d games. Well I've seen several ap's and non-ap's get backed off.

The good news is that with nmse they are only hurting themselves. Paranoia is rampant there.

They got hit with a counterfeit $20 bill scam about a year ago and got taken for $50k. I've seen several guys drop $50k in less than 5 minutes. Karma?

Maybe it is only on busy nights because the only no MSE I saw on the main floor on a weeknight was on the $100 min games.

Sadly, some civilians clearly will tolerate 6:5 BJ for a $5 min because those were the only crowded tables.

 

[HockeXpert]

Sadly, some civilians clearly will tolerate 6:5 BJ for a $5 min because those were the only crowded tables.

Ignorance is bliss.

 

[WABJ11]

Have you guys been to this place on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday night? It's packed to the gills. It's hard to get a seat a $25 min game sometimes, and that's on a weeknight! Its as if blackjack is the new cocaine in south Florida and everyone wants a taste.

I think the Seminoles are smart. The $5 6:5 tables allow those low level gamblers who want to play but cant afford the high minimums a little sniff. The more experienced gamblers who will care aren't going to play in the $5 pit anyway.

To all of you who are predicting doom for the Seminoles from the 6:5 pit, you obviously haven't been to this place on a regular weeknight. The degens who frequent this establishment will not even notice or care.

Yes it's bad for all of us and it sucks, but the Seminoles really don't care what a bunch of AP's think. They've got a monopoly on live blackjack and they're gonna take full advantage of it before full blown gaming does come to FL and edges them out as the only game in town.