Rookie dealer Bethlehem Sands

I was down Allentown way yesterday, so I dropped by The Sands to check out the tables. Even though it was hard to find a seat, only about 2/3 of the tables were working; they don't have enough dealers and pit people ready. A pit boss later told me a new class graduates next week.

Craps tables were elbow to elbow, with people waiting behind. Blackjack was jammed. 3 Card was 50-40-30-6-3-1, and I found one seat at the 3rd of 3 tables and laid out $500 for an hour's play. Table minimum was $15, I was betting quarters. Yes, I play the Pairs Plus, I do what is fun FOR ME. Eyes open.

The dealer was on his very first shift EVAR, and man, this guy was nervous. I don't see how he graduated. Twice he scooped up a player ace as a loser against his king, and the table had to stop him... but also 3 times he PAID pairs plus to players that didn't have pairs, once to one of the guys whose ace he hooked! He mucked the player hand, then we made him pull it, then he overpaid it! (Yes, at a table of 7, we all kept quiet and let him do it.) He also overcounted a color-in by $200 (he had the greens stacked in 3s instead of 4s); the pit boss stopped that one. They must have known he was screwing up because the pit boss said, "What the hell, why not pay EVERYONE, it's only a few extra hundred, we're all friends here!" He also blew a shuffle, which quite honestly was embarrassing; cards all over the place, mixed upside down. He got the deck together, put it in the machine, and it jammed. Jeez.

He was friendly enough, considering that he was having trouble managing the game. He didn't talk much though, probably because he was having trouble concentrating. His replacement was competent and friendly.

Aside: as a bonus, over the hour it was all dealer queens, kings, and no qualifies; almost no pairs, one flush. No big player hands, no 30x or 40x payouts, but lots of pairs, straights and flushes. I left after an hour, up $250 exactly. Over the hour, only one player out of 7 busted out; everyone else was winning or holding steady. I know that has nothing to do with the dealer, but it was good to see. We've all seen 3 Card where the dealer is a brutal winner.

Quote: Mosca

We've all seen 3 Card where the dealer is a brutal winner.

It's random.

At Fitzgerald's I beat the dealer twice when he had a pair of queens (I got a pair of aces) and a seven-high straight (I had a jack-high straight).

Later in the week at Excalibut I lost with a pair of kings to the dealer's flush, and then with a straight to the dealer's trips.

It's all random.

Quote: Mosca

....then he overpaid it! (Yes, at a table of 7, we all kept quiet and let him do it.)

Nice! :)

Quote: Nareed

It's random.

At Fitzgerald's I beat the dealer twice when he had a pair of queens (I got a pair of aces) and a seven-high straight (I had a jack-high straight).

Later in the week at Excalibut I lost with a pair of kings to the dealer's flush, and then with a straight to the dealer's trips.

It's all random.

I know, Nareed. I played one session where I lost 5 flushes to straights and dealer flushes; I've beaten a dealer trips with a higher trips! Still, it was nice to be present and benefit from this particular bit of randomness. (Lucky, even!)

Hey Mosca,
I am from the Allentown area and have yet to go to the Sands,waiting for the tables to open,since I do not play slots.
But some people told me that the tables are 15 dollars minimum.Is that all the time,even 5 to 8am?See,i'm a roulette player and my "systems" require either 5 or 10 dollar minimums.I refuse to play on 15 dollar tables,for many reasons.
Can you check for me,next time you go?I won't even drive over there ever,if the table minumums do not go down.Not that I can't afford it,but again my systems require me to minimize down my betting patterns on occassion.
Also in Alantic City at Harrahs Marina they actually have a single 0 table and nowhere else in AC.I wonder if the Sands has any single 0 tables.

Sure, corvette888, but we don't get down to The Sands too often, maybe once every couple months; we're up in Luzerne County. I don't play the wheel often myself, so I wasn't looking, but I'd be really surprised if The Sands has single 0. Next time we're there, I will definitely look and let you know through the forum.

I was there this past Sunday, but since I went directly to poker, I didn't notice the early table limits.

I wrote a long review, including details of some mistakes, here: http://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/other-casinos/2430-sands-pa-review/

If they have single-0, you can be quite assured that it won't be for $10 (or $15) ever. More likely only in a high-limit room for $50+.

Quote: Nareed

It's random.


It's all random.

Actually, it's all both random AND deterministic. Your post proves that--it is a combination of the various random elements that led to your sitting at your computer at a particular moment, choosing to log on to this site, read that particular post, and reply to it, and the deterministic element of your choice to say what you did.

Similarly, a winning or losing session at 3CP is randomly generated by the shuffle(s), but is ALSO determined by the rules of the game, the house advantage, and the player's skill level.

Sands was one of the PA places that had Bally Double Zero Electronic Roulette, so I doubt they'd make it better for the tables.

Can I ask anyone who's been to Parx or Sands if they still have the same number of electronic games? Both places had fairly large sections just for them. Other places like Penn National and Mt Airy kind of had them scattered so it wasn't like a whole section, but I'm wondering if they are keeping them around? I know at Parx, they showed me where the table games were going, and it was nowhere near where they had the electronic games set up....