Nice feature at South Point

As far as I can tell, the casino offers no side bets at its blackjack tables. This is a very good thing, as far as I'm concerned. It speeds up the game; allows the dealers to focus; and eliminates the annoyance of some old lady jumping up and down when the dealer is showing an ace.

It's yet another reason I like the non-corporate, personal feel of South Point. Are there any other casinos that haven't given in to the side bet craze?

Good question. The Venetian/Palazzo maybe?

As a player, I don't really care if they offer them. However, if I ran a casino, I would carefully weigh the fewer hands per hour against the expected profit the side bet makes. It is easy for me to say this, having never even worked in a casino, but if I did have them I wouldn't completely fleece the player on them, but keep the house edge under 7% or so.

Not sure about anywhere else, but here in Washington state, I rarely see a blackjack table without a side bet. In Spanish 21, players often bet more on the match the dealer (both up and down cards) than the main bet. They cheer quite loudly when they get their 13 to 1 payout. (5 decks suited 13:1, nonsuited 3:1 3.53% he.) When they added the down card bet, it slowed the game to a crawl until the dealers got used to it.

Its sort of a "stay focused" casino, I understand. The dealers don't yap much. The game is blackjack, not sidebets. The house edge operates on hands that are played and so they seem to be focusing on the steak rather than the pepper. Sidebets bleed off time and also dollars that might otherwise go to tokes, so the benefit to the casino of the side bet is actually less than the theoretical house edge of the side bet. The lack of side bets speeds up the game, keeps the dealers happier and fits with the image of South Point as a grind joint that stays focused and doesn't go overboard on offering exceptional deals or exceptional frills.