Boomtown - 1.5 hours - +$200
Just recently I made a trip to New Orleans and played Boomtown. Lots of Blackjack to be played there with many tables, 2 of which happen to be Single deck with the exact same rules as their 6 deckers. In this game you can double on any 2, double after splits and split 3 times to 4 hands. It is also a S17 game. I can't really say what the penetration was like because both tables were full (7 players) with 2 rounds being dealt. The table minimum was $10 and the max was $500. The casino is actually a riverboat but it stays docked 24/7. There was no heat what so ever as I spread from $10 to $50. The big negative about this joint is without a doubt the ploppies. They are very quick to let you know how you screwed up and took the dealers bust card. It does not matter if your play followed basic strategy or not. There are some pretty angry people playing BJ there. All locals/regulars. If you are ever in the area I recommend that you get over there. It is located in Harvey on the West Bank. Avoid Harrah's like the plague, nearly all 8 deckers with poor pen from what I saw.
Isle of Capri - 3 hours - +$150
The next night I went to the Pile of Debris in Natchez, Mississippi. That nickname does not do justice to the joint. It is without a doubt one of the worst places I've ever played. It is very small and dirty. There is one double deck table with the best pen I have ever seen. They were often placing the cut card to where only 1/2 deck was cut off. The rules are not very good however, H17 and no DAS, Double any 2. The game is also dealt face up, which I am not used to but quickly learned to like it. It was very helpful to me to be able to see the other players cards. One thing to mention is that after I had been there for about an hour they brought in another dealer. She was placing the cut card so that we were playing barely more than half a deck. The ploppies complained about her shuffling too often. She said that she was just following orders. I thought that someone had become suspicious of me so I decided to play a few rounds with her so that it did not appear that I had been run off. The next dealer came in and the cut card was placed deep into the deck just like we like it. I'm guessing either the previous dealer has dyslexia or she was confused because the next night she was putting the cut card where it should be. There were lots of drunk ploppies there really slowing down the game.
Casino Magic - Bay St. Louis - 1.5 hours - +404
This casino is one of my favorites, mainly because I always do well here. They have a single deck game with good pen, but the rules could be better. D10 and no DAS but it is S17. The table limit is $10 to $500. There are also 2 double deck games one is pitch and the other is a flop game. Here you have experienced players but many seem to be visitors and they are not nearly as angry as in New Orleans. There was no heat here whatsoever. It is a very clean casino with a cozy atmosphere. I saw many nice looking women there which I make a point to check out so as to blend in with your average ploppy horn dog.
Isle of Capri - 3 hours - +$110
The next night was a little better as far as the ploppies are concerned. There was one guy though that thought he was a BJ expert loudly telling everyone how taking insurance is a sucker bet. The one thing I really like about this joint is that there were many inexperienced players there both nights. These guys were splitting 2's against dealer tens, hitting stiffs against dealer 5's and 6's and doubling stiff hands. It made it very easy for me to hit my 12's and 13's when the dealer was showing a bust card in a negative count.
Overall it was a very good trip, but they are always good when you win. I did my best to give out as much generic info as possible so that I cannot be identified. Hopefully it all makes sense to you. I also just purchased BJ for Blood and want to learn the Advanced Omega II count with Ace side count. I plan to spend the next month busting my a$$ to learn it. I also plan to try to teach my wife the optimum Insurance Count and try to get her to help me. Ok, maybe I'm dreaming here but it's worth a shot. Of course if I can bribe her into doing this she will probably want 75% of my winnings instead of her usual 50%.
Just recently I made a trip to New Orleans and played Boomtown. Lots of Blackjack to be played there with many tables, 2 of which happen to be Single deck with the exact same rules as their 6 deckers. In this game you can double on any 2, double after splits and split 3 times to 4 hands. It is also a S17 game. I can't really say what the penetration was like because both tables were full (7 players) with 2 rounds being dealt. The table minimum was $10 and the max was $500. The casino is actually a riverboat but it stays docked 24/7. There was no heat what so ever as I spread from $10 to $50. The big negative about this joint is without a doubt the ploppies. They are very quick to let you know how you screwed up and took the dealers bust card. It does not matter if your play followed basic strategy or not. There are some pretty angry people playing BJ there. All locals/regulars. If you are ever in the area I recommend that you get over there. It is located in Harvey on the West Bank. Avoid Harrah's like the plague, nearly all 8 deckers with poor pen from what I saw.
Isle of Capri - 3 hours - +$150
The next night I went to the Pile of Debris in Natchez, Mississippi. That nickname does not do justice to the joint. It is without a doubt one of the worst places I've ever played. It is very small and dirty. There is one double deck table with the best pen I have ever seen. They were often placing the cut card to where only 1/2 deck was cut off. The rules are not very good however, H17 and no DAS, Double any 2. The game is also dealt face up, which I am not used to but quickly learned to like it. It was very helpful to me to be able to see the other players cards. One thing to mention is that after I had been there for about an hour they brought in another dealer. She was placing the cut card so that we were playing barely more than half a deck. The ploppies complained about her shuffling too often. She said that she was just following orders. I thought that someone had become suspicious of me so I decided to play a few rounds with her so that it did not appear that I had been run off. The next dealer came in and the cut card was placed deep into the deck just like we like it. I'm guessing either the previous dealer has dyslexia or she was confused because the next night she was putting the cut card where it should be. There were lots of drunk ploppies there really slowing down the game.
Casino Magic - Bay St. Louis - 1.5 hours - +404
This casino is one of my favorites, mainly because I always do well here. They have a single deck game with good pen, but the rules could be better. D10 and no DAS but it is S17. The table limit is $10 to $500. There are also 2 double deck games one is pitch and the other is a flop game. Here you have experienced players but many seem to be visitors and they are not nearly as angry as in New Orleans. There was no heat here whatsoever. It is a very clean casino with a cozy atmosphere. I saw many nice looking women there which I make a point to check out so as to blend in with your average ploppy horn dog.
Isle of Capri - 3 hours - +$110
The next night was a little better as far as the ploppies are concerned. There was one guy though that thought he was a BJ expert loudly telling everyone how taking insurance is a sucker bet. The one thing I really like about this joint is that there were many inexperienced players there both nights. These guys were splitting 2's against dealer tens, hitting stiffs against dealer 5's and 6's and doubling stiff hands. It made it very easy for me to hit my 12's and 13's when the dealer was showing a bust card in a negative count.
Overall it was a very good trip, but they are always good when you win. I did my best to give out as much generic info as possible so that I cannot be identified. Hopefully it all makes sense to you. I also just purchased BJ for Blood and want to learn the Advanced Omega II count with Ace side count. I plan to spend the next month busting my a$$ to learn it. I also plan to try to teach my wife the optimum Insurance Count and try to get her to help me. Ok, maybe I'm dreaming here but it's worth a shot. Of course if I can bribe her into doing this she will probably want 75% of my winnings instead of her usual 50%.