Bellagio Review and Unfriendly Dealers

I apologize. It is 10 FOR one and 8 FOR one.

Quote: Cardsg236

The dealers at the Rio were the best I encountered during my stay and I played there the most because of it.

I meant to say this same thing, that I have found the RIO dealers to be the most friendly. I booked my May trip there, even though they are off the strip. Looking forward to the Voodoo Lounge and Steakhouse too.

When is your May trip, if you don't mind me asking?

Quote: boymimbo

There are NO $5 Blackjack tables at the Bellagio, except early on a weekday morning, where I saw two (they were $10 later in the table). There is a great deal of $10 Blackjack at Bellagio, all with the same CSMs, Hit Soft 17 rules.

We went to Bellagio on a Sunday morning, around 10:00 AM looking for a $10 craps table. The first table was full and I did not see a minimum sign posted as we were walking by. I caught a glimpse of a Place 4 bet, and grabbed my buddy's arm. It was a banana (1000). As I scanned the table I realized the PL bets were all stacks of black, and the odds were all Orange and Yellow and Browns. I was stunned. And the age of some of the players was unreal. Half the table looked to be under 30 years old. I looked over to the table about an hour later, and they were all gone. The table was back to a $10 table. Do they have a high limits crap table in some closed off area for these players?

It was both thrilling and sickening to watch that play. Players were exchanging $1k-$10k on the rolls, and the table must have been exchanging $50K - $100K for each point.

This is one of those times where it would be fun to walk up to the table, play the don't for the table minimum. And woop and cheer when you make your $10. Just kidding.

I agree with you, it is always fun to watch the high rollers in action.

It sounds like my kind of table.



Hahahahahahahaha!

I played blackjack at the Bellagio in mid-March at the $10 tables and found a similar experience, but with the younger dealers.

The older dealers were friendly enough dealing the game at a decent pace and gave helpful advice to novice players. The younger dealers were gruff and weren't very helpful and dealt at a lightning quick pace that made me feel uncomfortable. I speculated in another thread that Bellagio was putting pressure on their dealers to push up hands dealt per hour in an attempt to make more money. Younger dealers trying to keep their jobs might have given in to that pressure. The older dealers I had each had 20+ years dealing blackjack in Las Vegas.

One other note is that there always seems to be a $5 blackjack table that is (physically) lower than the others and has a spot for wheelchair access in the corner of the low-roller blackjack pit -- it's on the end close to the cashier.

Quote: gambler

This is one of those times where it would be fun to walk up to the table, play the don't for the table minimum. And woop and cheer when you make your $10. Just kidding.

I agree with you, it is always fun to watch the high rollers in action.

that would be hillarious. OHHHH BOOO YAAAAAAHHHHHHHH BABY!!!!!!!!.

I have found the rude/not rude split is pretty uniformly split by the owner. MGM properties tend to have dealers who are rather rude and aloof. Of course, high tippers do better than smaller players. The MGM properties I am lumping together include the Bellagio, MGM, NYNY, Luxor, and Mandala Bay. The Harrah's properties tend to have more social and friendlier dealers. These properties I reference are Flamingo (one of my favorites), the Imperial Palace, Bally's, O'Sheas, and Paris. Caesars is the exception. Those dealers are just plain rude with few exceptions and I really don't like their rooms (too noisy).

I suspect that working in an MGM property is not as much fun as working in a Harrah's property. As such, I book all my trips with Harrah's properties (mostly with Flamingo).

As to the debate about small bet players versus high bet players, you really have to face reality. The dealers make money primarily from tips. Larger betting players tend to tip larger. One tip from a player who drops $100+ a bet is probably more than a small player tips in an hour. If you were in their shoes, who would you enjoy seeing more? Face facts. When I play small limits in a high limit place, I do not expect preferential treatment. But when I step into O'Sheas and tip often (after taking a beating at a nicer casino), I get the royal treatment. Don't blame the dealers on this. Its only reality. If you want to play small, then play in a small style casino. We would all love the world to be a perfect place of love, harmony, and group hugs, but Vegas is built on patrons being cash machines for the casinos and employees' pay.

I've had great dealers at the Palms, Excalibur, Venetian, Bellagio, and Wynn, and rude dealers at the Wynn (openly berated me), Imperial Palace, Casino Royale. I noticed almost all dealers downtown were friendly. I have never played more than $15 a hand, and it is usually $10. I think a lot of it is the dealer.