 
| ||
|
|
|
LAS VEGAS BLACKJACK REPORT:
ORLEANS AND PALMS
by KC Brooks
I have been addicted to blackjack ever since reading Revere’s "Playing Blackjack as a Business" when I was 15. The art of blackjack is a lifetime endeavor. I went through the learning process backwards, learning Revere’s Advanced Point Count first. I found out early that the actual count system is only a small piece of the puzzle. Presently, I travel "my" Devils Triangle (Reno, Wendover, Vegas}, playing mainly single and double-deck games. Hi Lo is my choice of strategies and "Professional Blackjack" by Wong is my bible. I worship a large spread, and have been known to wong everywhere I go. Thank God I haven’t had to register as a wonger yet, but I am sure it is not too far off. I also help fellow AP Nick teach card counting at www.Blackjackclassroom.com
.The observations of casino conditions were made in July 2012.
I find it amazing that you can dine at the Eiffel Tower, take pictures of the Statue of Liberty, enjoy the beautiful fountains of Bellagio, and if so inclined, travel a few blocks from the strip and enjoy Vegas’ own twenty-four hour Mardi Gras at the Orleans. The amazing part is that you can do it all in one day!
THE ORLEANS CASINO (4500 W. Tropicana Ave.)
From the moment you pull the brass alligator door handles and enter the Orleans 137,000 square foot casino, you know you’re in for some fun. A quick look around and you see Crawfish Bar, Alligator Bar, Big Al’s, Canal Street, and anything and everything to get you in the Mardi Gras mode.
Rooms at the Orleans can be had for around thirty bucks, not bad in this hundred plus a night town. Family friendly, the Orleans also houses a 70-lane championship bowling center, an 18 screen movie with THX sound and stadium seating, and a 9,000-seat arena that is home to the Vegas Wranglers hockey team. There also have twelve restaurants, which offer everything from fast- to fine-food dining.
The spacious casino offers over three thousand slot machines, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Pai Gow Poker, Baccarat, Let It Ride, and Three Card Poker. Most impressive was the 35-table poker room, which offered Texas Hold’Em, 7-Card Stud, Omaha High-Lo, and other games. Limits varied; Texas Hold’Em with half kill was $2-$4, $4-$8, and $8-$16. Apparently, the poker room was awarded the city’s "Best of Las Vegas 2012."
Located in about the center of the casino, dividing the some sixty-table games, were six craps tables offering 3x4x5x odds. Most importantly, The Orleans offered a variety of blackjack games that, depending on the dealer, were very playable. As in most places in Vegas, the single-deck games should be avoided. The 6:5 blackjack pay-off makes this game undesirable. The double-deck games, on the other hand, are the jewels here. The rules are h17 and das (double after splitting), with a house advantage of 0.40% (you are not allowed to re-split aces, but the Lucky Ladies side bet is offered, giving the counter and added incentive). Penetration was good to better, depending on the dealer. I watched a few games that had an awesome 80% penetration, and others that were about 65%. It pays to watch the dealers shuffle and their placement of the cut card before deciding on which table to play (don’t just go by looks). There were roughly twenty tables of double-deck blackjack, four tables were $25 minimums, the rest $5, both with $2000 maximums.
Rounding out the lineup of blackjack games were two tables of Super Fun 21, and three tables of six-deck shoe games with h17 and das rules. $5-$1000 betting limits and Lucky Ladies 10 side bet are offered. Again, the cut card placement was unique to each dealer; I witnessed cuts of one and close to two decks. In addition, a few shoe games used continuous shuffle machines, so keep an eye out. Most casinos I see these days are trying to sneak these worthless games in amongst the fewer and fewer good games.
If you are a nickel player, then The Orleans should definitely be on your "to do" list. Great penetration, Lucky Ladies, and every possible poker game available under one roof, is definitely a no-brainer.
THE PALMS (4321 Flamingo Rd.)
Only a short distance away on West Flamingo is the Palms Resort and Casino. Consisting of three modern towers, the Palms is ...
...enter your member login information below to read this article/newsletter...
Paid Members-Only Article
You have clicked on a link to a Blackjack Insider web page or article for paid subscribers. You must have a paid membership to the Blackjack Insider newsletter to view this content. About 1/2 of the articles in each issue of the Blackjack Insider are for paid members only, while the rest are viewable by everyone. Your purchased membership will allow you to read all Blackjack Insider articles for 12 months.
Enter your user name and password below (they were listed and e-mailed to you after you purchased your Blackjack Insider membership):
Forgot your membership id or password? Click here.
How do I get a membership?
A membership can be purchased online at our secure store with your credit card for only $19.95 per year. You will receive a user name and password immediately by e-mail which you can use to read the all past and future members-only articles for 12 months, as well as the regular free articles.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP NOW... only $19.95
Do I have to buy a membership?
No. Blackjack Insider will continue to be published as a free monthly e-newsletter. But about 1/2 of the articles each month will be for paid members only. Subscribers without a membership can still view and read the non-members articles for free.
What happens after I buy a membership?
Immediately after you complete your purchase, you will receive a unique login user name and password. These are displayed on the final purchase page, and are e-mailed to you. When you click on a members-only article in our web site, you will be prompted for this user name and password (as shown above). Simply enter them, and enjoy the article! Note: make sure you turn on the checkbox above when you login, to save the user name and password so that you don't have to re-enter them every time you view members-only articles.
Why did you switch to paid memberships?
Blackjack Insider is a professional monthly publication with top-notch articles by world-reknown gaming experts. In addition, we have regular reporters that monitor game conditions and tournament schedules throughout North America. We use a partially paid subscriber model to enable us to continue getting the best content for our readers from leading authors on blackjack and gaming.
|
|
©2015, DeepNet Technologies. No material to be copied without express permission of DeepNet Technologies.
This site developed by
DeepNet Technologies, Ontario, Canada. Contact webmaster @ bjinsider . com
if you have problems.
This site is best viewed in a 800x600 graphics mode, or higher.