What exactly are the "good" rules in Pennsylvania that everyone talks about?

Are 3:2 games readily available? Are the rules liberal such as permitting re-splitting of aces and surrender?

Are the table limits really high in exchange for superior rules like pretty much everywhere else?

Quote: RedJack

Are 3:2 games readily available? Are the rules liberal such as permitting re-splitting of aces and surrender?

Are the table limits really high in exchange for superior rules like pretty much everywhere else?

I am located in Pittsburgh (Western, PA). We have 2 local casinos. Casino 1 offers 6 deck, 3:2, double on any two, double after split, Split up to 3 times, Split aces only receive 1 card and no re-splitting, surrender on any card (after they check for BJ)

casino 2 offers the same game but they use 8 decks.

As for limits. Casino 1 ALWAYS has a $5 game. It is hit or miss if that game is out of a shoe or CSM. There are maybe 20 tables and half are CSM and half are shoe dealt. There is ALWAYS a $10 shoe dealt game. Penetration is maybe 80%. This casino has also been giving away alcohol at tables for the last 6 months.

Casino 2 is in the city and quite a bit busier. It is hit or miss if there is a $5 game but there is always a $10 game. You will almost never find a shoe dealt game under $15. Last I was there they had 1 $15 shoe game and all the rest were CSM. I think I counted 32 tables and only 10 shoe dealt games which were $25 and up. (my table numbers may be wrong, I am going based on counting in my head)

From what I've read, the PA tables also all have the "dealer stands on all 17s" rule.

Quote: hail2skins

From what I've read, the PA tables also all have the "dealer stands on all 17s" rule.

Oops yeah forgot that. All PA tables are stand on soft 17.

1 sounds cool where is that one? Free beer + good rules and $5 tables.

Quote: RedJack

Are the table limits really high in exchange for superior rules like pretty much everywhere else?

No, a $5 table will have the same rules as a $50 table. The casino doesn't have the option of changing the rules, only the amount of decks. They tried getting the 6:5 option last year and the state said no which is awesome.

It's all s17,3:2, das, ls, 2 splits to 3 hands, no ace resplits.

In the casinos that use 6 decks, the house adv is around .28. I want to play in neighboring states but the house edge in wv and ohio are double pa's

They make it up for it in vp though. It's all 6/5 job and they are starting to make two pair pay 1 to 1.

Quote: cmill72

They make it up for it in vp though. It's all 6/5 job and they are starting to make two pair pay 1 to 1.

Egads, 82%? (1-1-3-4-5-6-25-50-800)

May as well throw your money on the floor and light it on fire. It's just not JoB with 1-1 at the bottom.

Quote: cmill72

It's all s17,3:2, das, ls, 2 splits to 3 hands, no ace resplits.

The last time I was at Sands Bethlehem, they allowed one ace resplit, and 3 splits to 4 hands for all others. Haven't seen that anywhere else though.

Regarding the OP - table limits are high, but only because they are always busy, not because the rules are good. Sands will sometimes have a few $10 tables during the day, but most of the time the lowest minimum will be $15. On a busy weekend night, everything is at least $25. I haven't spent as much time in the Philly area casinos, but from what I've seen the limits at Parx and Sugarhouse are similar.

Quote: Dieter

Egads, 82%? (1-1-3-4-5-6-25-50-800)

May as well throw your money on the floor and light it on fire. It's just not JoB with 1-1 at the bottom.

job is not 1 for 2 pair. All the others are, like bonus poker and aces and faces. Job is just 6/5.

Quote: GWAE

job is not 1 for 2 pair. All the others are, like bonus poker and aces and faces. Job is just 6/5.

My misunderstanding. Thanks.

That one change - 2 pair pays 1 instead of 2 - drops 6/5 JoB from 95% to 82%. Neither is good, by any stretch of the imagination, but at 82% you'd do better to go play Big Six. (With fewer rounds per hour, your money will last longer...)


Edit: BP takes a similarly bad hit going from 1-2-3-4 to 1-1-3-4. 6/5 goes from 96% to 84%. If you see that, I hope you're smart enough to look at DB or DDB instead.

Quote: Dieter

My misunderstanding. Thanks.

That one change - 2 pair pays 1 instead of 2 - drops 6/5 JoB from 95% to 82%. Neither is good, by any stretch of the imagination, but at 82% you'd do better to go play Big Six. (With fewer rounds per hour, your money will last longer...)


Edit: BP takes a similarly bad hit going from 1-2-3-4 to 1-1-3-4. 6/5 goes from 96% to 84%. If you see that, I hope you're smart enough to look at DB or DDB instead.

The BP is not 6/5, just JOB. I can not remember what it was right now because I was annoyed that they made this change. Prior to them making these changes to the VP, the games all were around a 96%, after the changes they are all around 92% with a few exceptions. My favorite game as always been DB but they have killed that game. Who the hell wants to play DB with 2 pair paying 1.

Quote: GWAE

Who the hell wants to play DB with 2 pair paying 1.

Isn't all DB (and DDB) 1-1 at the bottom? vpfree2 DB (I'm sure you meant BP.)

If they'd be a little honest and call it BPD, that's slightly better. I'm in a different jurisdiction (flyover hinterlands), and BP below quarters is very very often 1-1 on the bottom out here.


Edit: my question is "Who the hell wants to play TDB with 3oK paying 2?" That seriously cramps my style of play.

Quote: Dieter

Isn't all DB (and DDB) 1-1 at the bottom? vpfree2 DB (I'm sure you meant BP.)

If they'd be a little honest and call it BPD, that's slightly better. I'm in a different jurisdiction (flyover hinterlands), and BP below quarters is very very often 1-1 on the bottom out here.


Edit: my question is "Who the hell wants to play TDB with 3oK paying 2?" That seriously cramps my style of play.

geee my typing was poor earlier. Yes I meant BP. I would very much like playing DDB with 2 pair paying 2.

Quote: GWAE

Quote: Dieter

Isn't all DB (and DDB) 1-1 at the bottom? vpfree2 DB (I'm sure you meant BP.)

If they'd be a little honest and call it BPD, that's slightly better. I'm in a different jurisdiction (flyover hinterlands), and BP below quarters is very very often 1-1 on the bottom out here.


Edit: my question is "Who the hell wants to play TDB with 3oK paying 2?" That seriously cramps my style of play.

geee my typing was poor earlier. Yes I meant BP. I would very much like playing DDB with 2 pair paying 2.

There was a rumor from a solid source of some glitch where this actually did happen. I didn't see it, so I cant confirm, but I believe it to be true. That would probably add an extra 10 to 12 % to a game that normally pays 1 on 2p.