This month I ventured to Camelot and then to the Big Apple in the form of two properties on the south end of the once fabulous Las Vegas Strip. The properties in question, the Excalibur and New York New York (NYNY) are both part of the MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) casino empire. I hadn't set foot in Excalibur this decade though I have fond memories of playing double-deck blackjack and staying there a couple of times many, many years ago. I've never stayed at NYNY and don't recall ever playing blackjack or anything else there over the years. I've walked through NYNY a couple of times with out-of-town guests in recent years, but that is pretty much the extent of it. I'd like to think I have an open mind, but I had a pretty good guess as to what I would find inside these two casinos. Was my hypothesis correct? Or was I surprised - for good or ill? Read on to find out.

Named for King Arthur's mythical sword, Excalibur sits at the intersection of Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevards. The big white castle and its medieval theme opened in June, 1990. At the time it was the largest hotel in the world with approximately 4,000 rooms and covering over 70 acres. Currently it's the seventh-largest hotel (by room count) in Las Vegas, and the eleventh-largest hotel in the world. MGM purchased the property in 2005.

As many of you may recall, I have always liked the themed casinos. The medieval theme still lives at Excalibur, if for no other reason than the property's design, much like Luxor, Excalibur's neighbor to the south. Not unlike the Luxor, the theme is waning and is being deemphasized. Apparently "themed" properties are reminders of the "family-friendly era" in Las Vegas history and aren't cool or hip enough for the post-modern version.

As you walk into Excalibur you'll notice there's still a "castle feel" to the place and some Camelot influence is still visible. However, chivalrous knights and royal pageantry seem to have given way to Dick's - Last Resort, that is. The chain restaurant and bar is large and can't be ignored as one makes their way inside the property via the pedestrian bridge entrance. Dick's crowd was raucous and many of the patrons were tuned into the Chicago Cubs subsequent journey to the World Series when I was there on a recent Saturday evening. Many of Dick's patrons wore hand-crafted paper hats with writing on them. These hats eventually made their way to the casino floor expanding the Dick's influence. Despite a relatively large crowd throughout the property, the Dick's crowd seemed to be about the only ones having much fun. It didn't take long to figure out why.

Excalibur's 100,000-square-foot gaming floor is home to over 1,200 slot and video poker machines. The video poker pay tables are all of the short-pay variety and should probably be avoided. The best of the worst that I noticed were a handful of 9/5 Jacks or Better in the high-limit slots area. The bulk of the games are 8/5 Jacks or Better and 7/5 Bonus Poker. If you are a slot player, there appeared to be a good variety in all denominations. There were a few electronic blackjack, craps, and roulette games as well; yet another troubling and growing trend on too many Las Vegas casino floors.

The Excalibur has approximately fifty table games, plus a ten-table poker room near the race and sports book. The table games are easy to find in the center of the casino, down a couple of steps from hotel check-in and the lobby area. They are divided into a pair of twelve-table pits, a pair of six-table pits, an eight-table pit, and another six-table pit which was closed during my visit near the sports book. All told, I counted at least seven roulette tables, four full-size craps tables, and a plethora of carnival games to include Crazy 4 Poker, Let It Ride, Three Card Poker, High Card Flush, Texas Hold ‘Em Bonus , and Pai Gow Poker. There were also a couple tables of Blackjack Switch. Did I mention there was lots of lousy blackjack?

Unfortunately the blackjack tables were surprisingly full considering what was being offered - namely lots of six-deck games dealt from continuous shufflers (CS) paying 6:5 on player blackjacks. Table minimums and maximums were $10 up to $1,000 on most of these games. I did see one $5 minimum table. I shouldn't have to say it, but these games should be avoided. Traditional blackjack rules call for the player to be paid 3:2 on his/her winning blackjack. For example, for any readers new to the game, a $10 wager should return $15 on top of the original wager amount. If you are being paid 6:5, your winning $10 blackjack brings back only $12. You're getting ripped off $3 every time that happens!

Continuous shufflers speed up the game and prevent the player from gaining any distinct edge by tracking the cards played or actually card-counting. The increased frequency of hands dealt when coupled with 6:5 blackjack payouts exacerbates the negative conditions against the player. Even with the best of rules in place, you're a serious longshot when battling games like those decorating Excalibur's casino floor. You're better off at Dick's rather than playing the offerings provided by those in table games management.