Will blackjack go anywhere any time soon?

[21forme]

Are you sure? I was in the high limit room at Bellagio recently, and some guy with about 50 grand sitting in front of him was drunk out of his mind and asking me advice about splitting and doubling (I was standing beside him, trying to backcount the table to see if I wanted in). I couldn't discern any playing skill differences between people based on their bankrolls. Admittedly this is just an impression based on personal observation.

There's usually a difference between people who earn their money and those who get absurd amounts handed to them (sports and entertainment biz, for example.)

 

[EasyRhino]

I'd say that at medium-limit tables, you get fewer people who have no clue about basic strategy. But you still get the same small percentage who know it perfectly (like 1%)

 

[moo321]

There are certainly donks at any level, but most of the high rollers play something resembling basic strategy; hitting stiffs vs. high upcard, standing vs low, splitting aces, splitting others against low upcard, double on 10-11. Or they play baccarat.

 

[Mr. T]

BJ will slowly lose ground to Baccarat

 

[moo321]

BJ will slowly lose ground to Baccarat

It's already happened. It's not so much that blackjack lost ground, it's getting the same crowd it's always gotten. It's that Asian and Middle Eastern high rollers prefer baccarat, and they didn't use to go to Vegas.

 

[shadroch]

I'm curious how much time some of you folks have actually spent in HR areas that you can say how most of them play.

 

[EasyRhino]

I only see them when they slum it with the general membership.

 

[Mr. T]

I have met one that says he bet $100,000 per hand. I have heard other similar stories.

 

[Doofus]

I'm curious how much time some of you folks have actually spent in HR areas that you can say how most of them play.

I can answer for me, and it's "not much." However, unless there is a second, super-secret high roller area that I didn't see, the high roller BJ tables at Bellagio curiously started at just $100 and ran to $10000. The HR tables at Caesar's Palace started at just $200 and topped out at 50K, though the minimum at the 50K table was $5000, and it was empty.

I think if I were a HR and saw that 50K table sitting empty, I would be sure to get the deck shuffled twice before I commenced playing!