Why do casinos keep changing rules, etc?

[21forme]

For example, 2 months ago, Showboat in AC was cutting only 1 deck out of their 6 and 8 deck games. Now it's 2 decks.
Another example Taj in AC is now ALL no midshoe entry.

Does management have meetings and discuss these things regularly?
Does it really make any difference?
For example, penetration doesn't matter to non-counters, so why give good pen. in the first place?
Is it because they have to shuffle more often, therefore deal less hands per hour, that motivates them to give good pen?
NMS slows down new players from coming in to play. Do they really think that thwarting wonging boosts their bottom line more than making non-counters wait for a shuffle?

 

[sabre]

Better Pen = fewer shuffles = more hands dealt per hour = $$$ for the casino. I strongly suspect that any casino currently cutting off 2 decks in their 8-deck games would greatly increase their hold if they cut off 1 deck instead. The increased profit for counters would be easily offset by the additional hands dealt to your average player.

Thwarting wong-ins isn't necessarily the primary goal of No Mid Shoe Entry. The floor can keep a better eye on all cash transactions if they're only happening at the start of a shoe. Also, ploppies for the most part love NMSE. I suspect that in many shops the rule exists to appease the players that bitch when someone jumps in mid shoe and disrupts the "sacred flow". For example, foxwoods allows mid shoe entry on their $25-$3000 tables, but doesn't allow it on their $50-$5000 tables. This clearly isn't a move to thwart teams using the BP strategy.

 

[ihate17]

The answer is very simple

It is the answer to why casinos do much of what they do.
Paranoia and Greed! Two major motivating factors for all casinos.
They certainly would make more money overall dealing 5 of 6 decks, instead of 4 or less, but they cut deep to make it very hard for counters to beat their game. Nevermind, that the number of counters that can effect their bottom line is minisule and that they have dozens of tables, giving away potential profits just because of their paranoia.
No mid-shoe entry basically does the same thing. Casino management has determined that their pit people are not competitent enough to recognize team play, so to prevent the big player they either forbid midshoe entry or limit the bet of someone coming in. Millions of dollars of unbet money is sacrificed by making people wait to get into a game and some people just move on to other casinos.
Greed: Casinos making huge profits already on blackjack will tweak rules like H or S-17, what you can double on, and other things, because of the ignorance of the public and their ability to take advantage of it.

ihate17

 

[TENNBEAR]

Better Pen = fewer shuffles = more hands dealt per hour = $$$ for the casino. I strongly suspect that any casino currently cutting off 2 decks in their 8-deck games would greatly increase their hold if they cut off 1 deck instead. The increased profit for counters would be easily offset by the additional hands dealt to your average player.

Thwarting wong-ins isn't necessarily the primary goal of No Mid Shoe Entry. The floor can keep a better eye on all cash transactions if they're only happening at the start of a shoe. Also, ploppies for the most part love NMSE. I suspect that in many shops the rule exists to appease the players that bitch when someone jumps in mid shoe and disrupts the "sacred flow". For example, foxwoods allows mid shoe entry on their $25-$3000 tables, but doesn't allow it on their $50-$5000 tables. This clearly isn't a move to thwart teams using the BP strategy.

I feel that the no mid shoe entry is to prevent team play, inwhich one member flat bets the minimum, counts the cards, and signals in the big player when the count gets positive to wong-in and play big bets only while in the + counts. When I see the table max is high, you will normally see the no mis-shoe sign, or they will require a minimum bet only until the shuffle.

 

[Bojack1]

You know why casinos change their rules, because they can. A casino is one of the few circumstances in an average persons life where someone will accept being a sucker with a smile. If you think about it where in life is it okay to be on the short end of the stick? Normally in life if a person feels that they are not being treated fairly in a situation whether it be business, as a consumer, or personal, they greet that situation with disconcert or even outrage. There is nothing fair about playing any casino games to the average person, the odds are all stacked in the houses favor, this we all know. But package it as entertainment with all kinds of glitz and glamour and it doesn't matter what the rules are the average Joe will play it anyway. It is a legal con worth millions. The problem the casinos have with AP's is they don't want anybody else in on it. They don't want "cheaters" as they perceive us, to educate the sheep while in the process beating them at their own game. Its not a smart way of thinking as most of you know there isn't really enough AP's out there to effect the bottom line, but the rule changes actually do in many cases. It doesn't matter. They don't have to be genius in the playing aspect if they are in the marketing one. The casino industry will always be successful despite themselves. Sure there will be some smaller casinos that run themselves out of business with bad management, but in those cases its most likely due to severe incompetence and not bad table rules.

But to date I will say this, if you are any good at being an AP, all of these so called bad rules that shoud deter advantage play can be beaten. I personally don't know how to beat a CSM in the conventional way, but that aside, none of the other changing of rules bother me too much. Of course there are better games than others, and it may take some work to find them and learn what you have to do to beat them. But that falls in the category of what it takes to be a good AP.

 

[Cardcounter]

Deck cut off!

I feel that 99% of the time the dealer has the discretion in the deck cut off. Me personally I greatly vary my deck cut off from 45 cards to 110 cards in a six deck game. I don't have to shuffle its all done by machine. However if there is somebody winning big the pit might come up to me and say cut of half the shoe the only time I don't have discreation. It is there way of trying to change up the cards to make it better for the house. I will cut of more cards if I hear comments like when is this shoe going to end. Usually they are having a bad run of luck and want to start fresh. I will cut of less cards if I hear comments like god you cut that deck deep. Did you know that less penetration when just playing basic stragedy and not changing your bets at all results in a smaller house advantage. The wizard of odds proved this. It was a very small decrease in house edge but it was a decrease.