Paying 25¢ to play at the $1 BlackJack table

Quote: DJTeddyBear

As terrible as that game is, it's hard to argue with those kinds of results.

It's also going to be very hard to repeat those kind of results. If she played 120 hands during the two hours, she will have paid $30 in commissions. Using a standard deviation of $1.15 per hand, the total standard deviation for her session was $12.60. The likelihood that she would break even or better for such a session is about 1 in 100.

I don't think I would identify this as "gambling," as there is virtually no chance to win. If you want to call it "paying the casino for entertainment," so be it. Although I think most of the entertainment from gambling comes from the possibility of winning money, and that possibility doesn't really exist here.

Quote: Tiltpoul

That being said, when I went over to Resorts to play $1 craps, and saw the 2x odds, I was so turned off I didn't play table games there period. I honestly figured they would have at least 10x odds, more like 20x odds, where I would have played come and odds and those bets like crazy.

I'm sure you would. But the casino is taking loss on anyone playing only $1 with HA. You're only bringing in 1.4 cents (!) per bet, less than it costs to, well, anything. They are ready to take that loss to bring in players new to craps or table games in general, but not to draw them away from regular limit tables.

So, your level of action being more like $20, you probably went somewhere with $5 craps and played 3x odds (or more). That's still just 7 cents per bet, but with multiple bettors enough for the casino to break even.

It still comes back to fun versus expecation. The majority of posters on here understand house odds and such and then make a decision to pay. At these odds and rules, a player is making decision to have good time, not expecting to win. Nothing wrong with that and I also think there is nothing wrong with a casino making money off these players. When you add in the drinks and other overhead, they probably are not making much and wishing the player moves to a higher table.

I doubt it. A 25c "ante" table wins about $30 from you hourly.

To match that on a real table, you would have to play at $25 table minimum as an unskilled player with simple strategy (draw to 11 vs 2-6, draw to 16 vs 7-A), or at a $100 table minimum as a skilled player.

I have a $1 table in my Pit and we charge $.50/hand. i started it one night to see if i could raise my ante and rev. This table is now packed every weekend. I feel the same way about this game as any self respecteing BJ player...Booo, but for my older crowd, college crowd and the scared to play Tables crowd, this game is a great game to them. Most players end up betting more than the $1 min anyways.

I'm glad your wife had fun. I get stuck playing the Low Limits when i play with my GF and its fun...LESS STRESS.

I have to accept your numbers since I am so bad at math but I think there is a general agreement that there is a division between the ultra-cheap Blackjack and a lower-level player of what I guess we might as well call "Real" Blackjack.

Whether it be the presence of a Party Pit and a Pole, or it be the presence of an ante of a quarter or something, somewhere there is a dividing line between Surcharged Blackjack for Ignorant Cowards and Real Blackjack. Each player seems to have some sort of awareness of a demarcation.

Its similar to a casino where the craps game is 2x... the players know what is going on even if they don't really ever play more than 2x when they are at a 10x table.

The players know Cheap Casino catering to Cheap Players and the players are generally okay with it. The Cheap Player want to have fun, not arguments. The cheap player wants another free drink for her quarter ante before she staggers up to some new found friends room. The market for a casino is always a mix of the ignorant and the sharpies, the rich and the poor, ... casinos need a mix of customers. Some Black Chip players, Some Green, Some Red, Some White ... and if you make those White Chip Players kick a quarter first, so be it. The Black Chip player may notice but he won't play at that Silly Table. Well, he doesn't have to.

Quote: ShiftyRicky

I have a $1 table in my Pit and we charge $.50/hand. i started it one night to see if i could raise my ante and rev. This table is now packed every weekend. I feel the same way about this game as any self respecteing BJ player...Booo, but for my older crowd, college crowd and the scared to play Tables crowd, this game is a great game to them. Most players end up betting more than the $1 min anyways.

I'm glad your wife had fun. I get stuck playing the Low Limits when i play with my GF and its fun...LESS STRESS.

Do you own a casino or manage one?

Quote: 1BB

Do you own a casino or manage one?

I am second in charge of Table Games at a Casino

Wow, that's great! I suspect we have many casino employees on this site but very few identify themselves as such. You're certainly one of the higher ranking ones. Welcome!