fallinasleep

any suggestions/favorites? thanks

QuietLion

What do you mean by "best"? Do you want liberal rules? Comps? A nice atmosphere?

It would help to know what stakes you play for.

QL

aaflyer81

I will be in vegas next weekend. Lion what is the best hotel in terms of receiving comps?

fallinasleep

apologies for the lack of details...

let's say between $25-$50 a hand (before splits/doubles) on average

I am far from a pro when it comes to blackjack, but I tend to like places that offer a surrender option, hand shuffling (I hate those autoshuffle machines), and fewer decks. I found the MGM the most favorable during my last visit, but it's a pretty run down casino relative to some of the others I have visited and it attracts a different breed of player, who can seriously sabotage your table. Then again, I don't think I can last too long at the Mandalay where everyone was plopping down $100-$1000 a hand the last time I played there.

I have never thought about comps, although I typically play (ahem, lose) enough that I should get something. I've read the other posts about "comps" and how the duration of your play is as important as your average bet. Hypothetically speaking, would you still get comped a room if you walked into ________ (any top end casino on the strip) and stopped playing after promptly losing 10 straight hands at a $100 table? (i.e., it's pretty obvious you just lost $1000)


[This message has been edited by fallinasleep (edited 10-28-2002).]

skofarrell

I'm partial to Binion's Horseshoe. Lots of single deck, generally knowledgeable players, and at the $25 table you're treated like a king

Marysunshine

Haven't done too much research on it myself, but you might want to try www.TalkVegas.com. These are people who go to Vegas very often and usually know every detail about every hotel.

QuietLion

You're not going to get a whole lot of comps for a $50 average bet, so I'd just go to a place I liked. I don't play Blackjack but I know how the comp system works. You usually get about 15% of your average bet per hour in comps. If you lose, you can sometimes get 15% of your losses instead if that is a bigger number. Park Place properties (Paris, Bally's, Flamingo, LV Hilton, Caesars Palace) are the best for getting comps based on actual loss.

Another thing to consider is playing at a hotel that sends out generous offers. In my estimation Paris/Bally's is by far the most generous for mid-rollers.

If you need to know which casinos have the best rules, I suggest you go to www.bj21.com and buy the latest issue of Current Blackjack News. It is extremely comprehensive.

QL

blackjack-21

Just an added note about the single deck games that seemed to be everywhere on the Strip. In theory, they should be advantageous to the player (over multi-deck, auto-shuffler games) but be careful, as they've changed the payout on a blackjack, from the usual 3/2 ($10 bet gets paid $15 for a blackjack), to 6/5 ($10 bet now gets paid $12--just example if you're a $10 better), so this payout increases the odds in the casino's favor. Unless you can find a single deck game with the usual payouts, I'd go with the multi-deck games (you may be able to find a few that still get shuffled by hand), or the auto-shufflers that shuffle a full shoe at once, rather then the continuous shufflers, which are terrible(IMO). I enjoy playing at the Mandalay and Venetian, while Ballys and Harrahs seemed to have friendlier dealers. Ballys used to have doubledeck blackjack, but that was before I saw the odds change on the single deck bj, so you'd have to ask as to the payout.

Good Luck!!

bj-21.

hedoman

If you're serious, follow QL's advice and pick up the paper suggested. Historically, the Las Vegas Club (downtown) has the best rules, but BJ rules can change quickly.