Quote: WizardThe basic strategy house is 0.30% in the El Cortez single-deck game. Players generally put too much emphasis on the number of decks.
Edit: read the Wizard's response.
They don't use a cut card in that game, so it's not really fair to ding them for the cut card effect :)
Also, composition-dependent basic strategy makes a real difference in SD. I would go with the optimal results, not the "realistic" ones.
Quote: WizardTheir single-deck game was not that good. The standard Strip six-deck S17 rules are better. They still had the lousy odds on the prop bets in craps. Roulette was not European (lose half on even money bets on a zero). They asked me to endorse them as the best odds in Vegas and I refused.
I agree with you but for a $5 grind joint they were better than anything else on the Strip.
Quote: kewljWhat about the Longhorn/Bighorn games. I don't know how to figure it, but I am under the impression that the doubling on 3 cards along with the 5-2 suited blackjack payout, brings the house edge down to almost zero. Is this not considered because the suited blackjack payout is considered a promotion and not part of the ordinary rules? Every time I have played there it has been in effect. Of course it is only good for a $5 bettor, which I am not. lol
The "Horn" games are based on six decks and H17. The rule about doubling on any number of cards gets us to 0.48% only. There is a $5 bonus for a blackjack in diamonds, with a bet of at least $5. Since that bonus isn't based on the bet amount, I ignore that rule. However, for a $5 player, it would get the house edge down to 0.18%.
Quote: AxiomOfChoiceRE: El Cortez
They don't use a cut card in that game, so it's not really fair to ding them for the cut card effect :)
How do the dealers know when to shuffle?
Whenever the count is negative, you can be sure they will deal out one more round. And when the count is high, they will shuffle.
If anyone has difficulty understanding the "cut card effect", you should play the single-deck game at El Co.