The only time I’ve ever hit a hard 17 or above was when the dealer exposed their hole card, and it was the only chance not to lose. In 40 years of playing Blackjack in Vegas, it’s quite rare. Probably 3-4 times, and mostly at the Western Hotel where the El Cortez trained their dealers. I got paid on pushes and 22’s more often.
I loved playing roulette there, as they’d forget to remove some of the losing bets fairly often. Plus being 15, and never getting kicked out for playing.
