A fourth thing I look for is what I call the SPF factor. SPF stands for "smart player friendly." This incorporates deck penetration, bet spreading, and your ability to blend in and look like a loser, even when you’re not. This factor is more important for card counters, big money bettors, serious basic strategy players, or any combination thereof. Even though it isn’t necessarily for the recreational player, if that’s you, pay attention anyway; it might keep you from getting burned someday.

Deck penetration is important for card counters. Deeper penetration means more cards are put into play. As a smart player, you want to play more hands and increase your bet size when the count is positive (more 10-count cards and Aces remaining), and play fewer hands and decrease your bet size when the count is negative (more small cards, 2s through 6s remaining). Remember since the dealer has to hit until they reach a total of 17 or more, a greater number of small cards increases their chance of making a hand. More large cards remaining increases the probability the dealer will bust when drawing. It also increases your chances of being dealt a blackjack or catching a face card when you double down. Positive and negative counts have more meaning the deeper into a shuffle one plays. Many casinos only deal one of two decks on double-deck games or three-and-a-half or less on six-deck shoes. These games are to be avoided. Look for at least 65% of the cards being dealt on two-deck games and four decks in six-deck shoes. If you find better, that’s a plus in today’s playing environment.

If you want to make large bets, look for a casino that offers a high-limit room or at least a couple higher limit tables more suitable to your bet size. By this I mean don’t make a habit of betting $100 black chips on a $5 table. You’ll draw plenty of attention to yourself from pit personnel. If you get on a hot streak, you might even get surveillance on you and then you’ve got "heat"…namely, your moves are being watched closely and you might be asked to leave, have your comps reduced, or have a note put by your name in their all-mighty computer that will bring scrutiny your way next time you sit down to play at this casino. Not that you’ve done anything wrong, it’s just a situation you should avoid.

Casinos closely monitor their black chips; some smaller joints even pay attention to their greens ($25 chips). It’s generally better to make $100 bet with four green chips on a $25 minimum table than with green or black on a $5 table. If you are betting $5-$15 a hand then suddenly jump your bets to $50 or $100, this draws attention too. Don’t bring undo attention to yourself by spreading your bets too aggressively and pronouncing it to the world when you do. Look for a place with enough open tables with comparable or higher limits than what you are betting. This gives the pit boss something else to look it and he or she doesn’t feel like they have to watch your play. Attractive cocktail waitresses and off-shift strippers used to help with that too, at least in Las Vegas "back in the day." Casinos expect you to lose. That shouldn’t be your goal, but it’s ok to let them think that. They don’t have to see you win (or see you hit your soft 18 against the dealers 9 up-card).

In this final section, I’ll discuss an experience I had earlier this month where I put the above items to the test off the beaten path in Lula, Mississippi.

I recently spent a month dealing with family matters and found myself driving from North Mississippi to Little Rock. The usual route is via Memphis (not far from the Tunica casinos) and Interstate 40 through Arkansas. However, thanks to some earlier travels I knew there was major construction and purported delays on I-40. Not wanting to deal with that and seeking new adventures, I took an alternate route through Oxford and crossed the Mississippi River at the Helena Bridge. At the base of the bridge on the Mississippi side is the Isle of Capri Casino (Lula, MS). I knew it was there, but I was not familiar with it. I decided that I would bring a portion of my bankroll and budget some time for a quick blackjack session, conditions permitting. I arrived mid-week, late in the afternoon.

The Isle of Capri is split into two casinos. I walked both and found that the table-games pit area was closed in one. I later found out it was only open on weekend nights. During this tour I found a soda dispenser and helped myself. I passed the three restaurants on the property as well. In the second casino, I found the only open table- games area. There were only two blackjack games – one a $5 six-deck shoe with four or five players, the other a $10 double-deck game with no players. I made another lap in search of the players club, but couldn’t find it. I did see an events calendar and found out today was free t-shirt day with 500 points. Eventually I saw a patron with one of the shirts and asked how to find the players club. Turns out I never would have found it as the casino cashier folks issue club cards and deal with promotions. Unfortunately, the cage personnel weren’t too helpful and the t-shirts were hideous. According to the promotions calendar, there wasn’t anything that applied to me and I didn’t plan on being back here anytime soon. Based on that, I made the decision to forgo a players’ club card. Maybe if I go back someday, they’ll have a sign-up bonus going on. This is a rare case and generally I would recommend getting a card. If you play machines, then don’t even hesitate!

I went back to the double-deck blackjack table and inquired about the rules. Blackjacks paid 3:2; doubling down after any first two cards and after splits was allowed; Aces could be split to form only two hands and dealers hit soft 17. Insurance was not available on this game, but was on the six-deck shoe game. The rules weren’t bad and I decided I’d play through until I saw a shuffle. If penetration was deep, this might be a good game. Turns out the deck penetration was a good 70 percent and not always uniform. Not necessarily a bad thing. I ended up playing by myself, then with one, two, and back to one other player. The other players didn’t make any glaring basic strategy errors and thanks to winning a majority of my double-down opportunities I carved out a 6.5 unit profit in under an hour and cashed out.

I relate the above story about the Isle of Capri because it’s an example of how I used the items in this column. I wasn’t making a special trip and was prepared to walk out if things didn’t meet my criteria. I found out they had available blackjack games (barely), with a playable set of rules, and table limits that met my session bankroll. I made the rare decision to forego a players’ card as explained above. The intangibles were hit-and-miss. I might have been able to get a buffet comp had I got a card and played a bit longer, but I wasn’t really hungry thanks to a good lunch and more driving still to do. The casino was safe and I saw no issues with any of the other customers. The cashier’s-cage-turned-players-club was a bit confusing, but I should have guessed since I have seen that before in smaller joints.

Thanks to being prepared to play (or walk away) and winning the right hands (good rules variations regarding double-downs), I was able to have a positive session off the beaten path in an unfamiliar casino. In summary, remember: games, rules, minimums, SPF, players’ club perks, and intangibles (as you define them). I’ll be attending the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas next week. Feel free to say "hello" if you see me. That’s it for Paul’s Pointers. See you next month.