We never thought it would happen but maybe with the fierce competition from the Pennsylvania casinos and their upcoming laws allowing table games, Atlantic City has decided to fight fire with fire. The casinos are changing how they play their games or, rather, how good their games will be. It is nothing less than a stunning development.

In the casinoese so familiar to most of us, the President of the Atlantic City Casino Association, Donald "Big D" DeVito said, "Atlantic City wishes to offer the excitement of the best games in the country to our loyal customers who have stayed with us through thick and thin."

So what is Mr. DeVito talking about? The games they are a’changing folks and they are changing for the better.

"In blackjack," states Mr. DeVito, "we will be offering the real three to two single-deck games with the best possible rules. There will be no hitting on soft 17 and you can split and double after splits as much as possible. You can double on any first two cards. We intend to go deep into the decks – maybe 75 percent too."

DeVito continued, "On our six-deck games, we will offer the option of surrender and for every blackjack with over $25 being wagered, the player will get an extra dollar as a comp coupon good in any of our shops. This is a great benefit. We will only cut off one deck from play and of course we will have the superior rules as we do in the single-deck games."

But isn’t Mr. DeVito afraid that a horde of card counters will descend on Atlantic City once these new rules are announced? "We aren’t going to futz with the card counters. Our only rule for the counters we catch will be simple – you can only play the number of hands you began with and you can only raise your bet double in the single-deck game and four times in the six-deck games. Other than that have fun. We will give card counters the same comps as everyone else. Atlantic City will become the welcoming casino town for all levels of blackjack players."

But blackjack is not the only major change coming to the Queen of the Sea. Craps will offer 100X odds and one-dollar minimum bets. All Crazy Crapper bets, also known as proposition bets will be paid off at true odds with a 5 percent commission paid on wins only. DeVito added, "Any shooter who goes 25 numbers without sevening out will receive a $10 gift certificate to any of our shops or our spas. It’s a good deal."

And what about controlled shooters of the Golden Touch variety? "Bring ‘em on! We aren’t afraid of them. Let’s see what they can do."

In roulette all wheels will be single-zero ones that give back half of any bet made if the zero appears. These include the straight up bets, not just the "even-money" bets.

DeVito says: "And we are dumping all of the carnival games except for Spanish 21 and Pai Gow poker. Pai Gow will no longer take commissions out of the players’ wins but we will keep the copy hand rule. Spanish 21 will offer some new incentives to play, including a two-to-one blackjack win on black spaded blackjacks."

"In the area of slots," stated DeVito, "we are bringing in the most radical concept ever devised. All of our slots, every single one, will give back 98 or 99 percent of all the money played in them. No casinos in the country can promise that."

It remains to be seen whether these amazing innovations will actually attract the crowds of gamblers as Atlantic City hopes. Unfortunately, most casino gamblers are not that aware of the rules and percentages of the games they play. But who knows, maybe bringing all these new and wonderful approaches will not only rejuvenate Atlantic City but will make gambling a fun competition between player and casino once again.

SURPRISE!

April Fool!

For the real update on playing conditions in AC,

read the reports below.

If you wish to contribute your reports or observations, we need to receive them by the 24^th of the month for the next month. Write to: fscobe@optonline.net

Dear Frank and Alene,

Dealer Play of the Month: This was a classic. I was dealt 8-3 for 11 and the dealer was showing an 8. So I double down and draw a jack for 21. The dealer then goes to pull her hole card but there is no hole card. She pauses for a moment and then just pulls the next card from the shoe. It was the 4 that I should have gotten. I would have lost the hand. She then pulled another 10 for 22.

I haven’t seen a lot of changes this month but I will comment on a couple updates from your last report.

Revel Casino: Crane falls down and they have a small fire on the roof this month. Looking for funding to complete the project. Still no table games offered yet.

Resorts: Still offering $2 with 25 cent ante blackjack. Also offers some of the nicer penetration in AC.

Caesars: I would put the penetration in the 75 percent range.

Tropicana and Hilton: These two places still offer the most variable penetration. Look around, you can find some nice tables at these places – sometimes.

Hope this helps.

Jon

Dear Frank and Alene:

Went and played in AC last week, and though conditions were bad I made out alright. Some things I noticed:

Trump Plaza: Now offering a single-deck pitch game(!!!) blackjack pays 6:5 (death) and penetration may reach 60 percent. There was a single table offering a $15 minimum.

Tropicana: Maybe I was there at the wrong time or wrong pit, but never got any penetration beyond 70 percent.

Borgata: Still the best place to play and I saw some absolutely killer shoes. No heat if you blend in with the drunk ploppies.

That's it for me. Thanks for all your efforts guys.

-Darold

*******************

Dear Frank:

There is a rumor going around my circle that you are coming out with a new blackjack book this spring. Haven’t you written everything there is about this game?

Yours,

Mark

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Here are our ratings for April 2010. We thank many of our readers for helping us to stay as updated as possible. There may be some disagreements in ratings among our correspondents but all these reports are based on individuals’ experience. A word to the wise: it’s always best to check out the casinos for yourselves.

BALLY’S PARK PLACE: No change from last issue. Some improvement reported; not enough to get crazy about but it pumps up our ratings a half star Not a premier place any more. No mid-shoe entry in high roller room and on a few of the main $50 tables in casino. Mixed reviews about how deep the penetration is but we found it in the 75 percent area. All 8-deck games except for the high roller room action. The hitting on soft 17 is now a fact all over the place. Crews are friendly. Hotel has declined a lot. Two stars and one-half stars: * * ½*

BORGATA: No change from last issue. The casino where Patricia DeMauro had her spectacular 154-number craps roll. Penetration is around 70 to 75 percent on all games, including the six deckers which still make up most of the casino. Craps has long tables, 14-footers, and very bouncy, and not worth playing unless you like to see dice flying off the tables or gaze upon beautiful cocktail servers ducking out of the way or if you see Patricia DeMauro at the table. Go elsewhere for craps, except for Taj, which has mimicked Borgata’s craps tables. This is a happening place and caters to a swinging young crowd. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. Three stars: * * *

CAESARS: You can now expect about 75 percent penetration with most of the dealers. The main floor of eight-deckers has some of the upper-limit tables ($25 and $50) with no mid-shoe entry. All the games in the high roller pit are also no mid-shoe entry with $100 and higher minimums. Six-deck games in high roller room have 75 percent penetration. The craps games here are good with 12-foot tables. The tables are high so smaller controlled shooters should wear their "special shoes." Two stars and one-half stars: * * ½ *

CLARIDGE: No change from last issue. Some reports say this place is actually "mostly" closed. In the early 1990s we used to love playing here because of the old world feel and the great games. No longer. If they are open when you go there you will find penetration is still about 70 percent. There are early mornings when no blackjack tables are opened. One star: *

HARRAH’S: The evil empire rules. One star: *

HILTON: No change from last issue. The BIG news is that this casino has implemented double deck games. The bad news is that the penetration is a ludicrous 50 to 60 percent. There are some $10 tables with H17 but the $25 table was S17. Thanks for small favors. BJ pays 3 to 2. No mid-deck entry. Wild swings in penetration on other blackjack games and many more eight-deck games throughout the casino. Penetration getting worse even as you read this. Place is in trouble. The hitting of soft 17 brings this place down a peg as well. Resplitting allowed except aces. High roller room is 6-decks; rest of the casino is 8-decks with a few $25/$50 6-deckers on occasion. No mid-shoe entry on the six-deckers. High table minimums, especially on weekends, a lot of $25 tables, rare $10 tables. Penetration about 70 percent. For craps, we are dealing with 14-foot tables and a couple of 12 footers. Two stars and one-half stars: * * ½ *

RESORTS: The blackjack game has added a new feature – you can play for $2 up to $5 but you have to pay a 25-cent fee per hand. Why not just write the casino a check and forget about playing? Otherwise the BJ games are about the same as they always have been. Two stars: * *

SHOWBOAT: The Showboat should change its name to Titanic. Great rooms; good restaurants and that about sums it up. Blackjack is way below any reasonable standard. Oh, yes, this place is owned by "the evil empire" otherwise known as Harrah’s. One star (for cleanliness and rooms): *

TROPICANA: S17 for this casino. Usually good penetration; sometimes excellent penetration. Good casino for Golden Touch blackjack. Three stars: * * *

TRUMP MARINA: Six-deck games in high roller room and eight-deck games on the main floor have penetration at 80 percent mark, but you won’t find any dealers going much deeper. Still if you can afford the $50 and $100 minimums, the high roller room’s games are good. They offer surrender which they now advertise and they stand on soft 17. Floor games are mostly $15/$25 and up, especially on weekends. No mid-shoe entry on the six-deckers but you can jump in and out on the eight-deckers. Hitting on soft 17. Craps tables are 12-footers with 5X odds and good crews. Two and one half stars: * * ½ *

TRUMP PLAZA: Land of the low-life’s. Every bum in AC seems to launder their money here. The pit is paranoid and so hit and run only. That paranoia seems to be a move-over from the craps tables where the casino manager has continuous strokes when good shooters descend on his casino. This place has fairly good games but something has to be done with the dark casino and the low-life scum slithering through it. Six-deck games are back outside the high roller room. The penetration is 75 percent. No mid-shoe entry on games outside high-roller pit but you can find $25 (a few) to $50 minimums on these. Allows resplits, except aces. All tables are $10 and higher. Craps tables are 12-footers. The dealers range from professional to friendly. Two and one-half stars: * * ½ *

TRUMP TAJ MAHAL: No change from last issue. Six-deck games in front of high roller room. Now they are hitting soft 17 except in $25 or higher games. First they screwed up the craps tables so the dice go flying off the table every third roll and now they have decided to give the blackjack games a wicked colonoscopy with barbed wire. Great hotel and great restaurants and great entertainment. Also, generally great dealers and pit personnel. Too bad it isn’t the place to play any more. Two and one-half stars: * * ½*

WILD, WILD WEST: No change; no gold-rush either. The silver rush is over too. This place is over as well. Seems like more often than not on "off" hours there are no table games in this place. Another Harrah’s wipe out! All eight-deck games with H17 – insane. This is a part of Bally’s Park Place and Harrah’s is looking to sell this complex like a pan of fool’s gold. Penetration is about 75 percent on all games. For craps this is a fun place to play with one 100X odds table. I remember when this place had many more tables. Crews are very friendly. One star: *

THE BEST BLACKJACK IN ATLANTIC CITY: Borgata

The Best Craps in Atlantic City: Bally’s

The Best Hotel/Casino in Atlantic City: Borgata / Taj Mahal