Best Vegas Casinos For Blackjack Virgins

I wondered if you weathered BJ players may offer some advice on this topic, as I will be exploring Vegas in less than a month. I realize there is the survey that covers any casinos rules, and house advantage, which is absolutely wonderful, and I already have a few places picked out to try my hand. With that said, I still wondered if there are any casinos, toward the lower betting side, where a newbie can feel that most comfortable, still with good rules and lower house advantage. Also, any tips to keep me from looking like the total novice I am (BS already memorized!).

Golden Nugget. Friendly dealers. I saw a female dealer teach the game to a couple there last year. Decent rules with surrender.

Anywhere on the Strip would be good. Try Cosmopolitan during the daytime. Reputation of very friendly dealers.

Quote: akd1217

I wondered if you weathered BJ players may offer some advice on this topic, as I will be exploring Vegas in less than a month. I realize there is the survey that covers any casinos rules, and house advantage, which is absolutely wonderful, and I already have a few places picked out to try my hand. With that said, I still wondered if there are any casinos, toward the lower betting side, where a newbie can feel that most comfortable, still with good rules and lower house advantage. Also, any tips to keep me from looking like the total novice I am (BS already memorized!).

I'd recommend staying away from the Strip. Yes, the dealers are more experienced, more entertaining (sometimes), and hotter (maybe). But the rules are generally bad unless you're betting $25+ a hand.

Some other tips:

1. Decide whether EV or entertainment is most important to you. To maximize EV (or, more properly, minimize the -EV), lay off the free drinks, stay away from the go-go girls and dealertainers, and sit at a full table. Do the opposite if entertainment is the goal.

2. Try not to sit at 1st or 3rd base. You might end up at a table with some grumpalumps who grumble about how slowly you play (and you're probably going to be slow the first few times) and they'll grumble worse at either end. Worse yet, they may whine about you "taking the dealer's bust card" at third.

3. Get the signals right. For single/double deck that's dealt face down, scratch the felt behind your bet for a hit. Turn up your cards for a double or split and put the extra bet beside - not on top of - your original bet. Tuck your cards under your bet when you're satisfied. Turn up your cards immediately when you bust. Hold the cards with one hand only, please. For the shoe games, DO NOT EVER TOUCH THE CARDS! Tap the table behind your bet for a hit. Put the extra bet out for a split/double. Wave your hand over the bet & cards to stand.

4. Don't hop around from single deck to double deck to shoes on the same trip. Or, at least, use the same BS with all games.

5. Don't depend on the dealer for strategy advice. It's fine to ask them about the mechanics of the game and go ahead and ask them the pip count if you need them to do that. But I've found that some dealers will happily give you their version of BS, some give bad advice, and some give no advice.

Good luck to you.

the m had really friendly dealers and 3:2 $5 tables.

on the strip dealers are 50-50 cool or ...
i personally think you should not give a f what other players think. sit where you want. people everywhere play awfullll strategy. the fact you are on here you probably have studied the game more than most players in vegas. have fun.

Quote: teddys

Anywhere on the Strip would be good. Try Cosmopolitan during the daytime. Reputation of very friendly dealers.

whats the cheapest bj you have seen there. for me its $25

Quote: akd1217

wondered if there are any casinos, toward the lower betting side, where a newbie can feel that most comfortable, still with good rules and lower house advantage. Also, any tips to keep me from looking like the total novice I am (BS already memorized!).

Ah heck, the casinos look at your chips. The other players are drunken boobs who probably won't pay any attention to you at all. Casinos get all types, including utter novices. Some dealers are really personable and caring, some are not. Good luck with the cards is more important than good luck with the dealers and the crowds. If you start out earlier in the day, you tend to get a dealer who might be able to devote some time and attention to you, but the dealing will still be rapid if you are the only players at the table, so its a bit of a toss up and you should just not bother worrying about any sort of impression you might make. Its your chips that impress the casino.

Quote: jpprovance

whats the cheapest bj you have seen there. for me its $25

$10

Cosmo def. has $10 during the day.

Some of the first places I ever played was Imperial Palace (they usually have $10 3-2 shoe games), and it tends to be SLOW during the day. If you can get a table to yourself, it will help, and don't be afraid to ask the dealer for advice. I would say the most important rules are: do not touch your chips after the cards have been dealt, and do not touch the cards!!!

Bellagio was the second place i played in vegas. They always have $10 tables and one $5 table. The dealers are hit and miss though.

I also second the golden nugget in terms of dealer quality. I suspect that if the table is empty, no matter where you are, if you explain you are new, you will be treated kindly. Just stay away from 6-5 tables, and don't play the sidebets (dealers may encourage you to play them).

I was going to chime in and it seems that most other posters have basically covered what I'm going to say.

1) Are you playing for a good time, or to play a low house edge game? What is your average bet going to be and what's the highest minimum you want to play? You really need to narrow this down quite a bit.

6-5 BJ is rampant on the strip and some properties have it on 6 or 8-deck games at surprisingly high table mins (like $15 in some cases). If you only want to play at 3-2 game, at say a $10 min, I would HIGHLY recommend Cosmopolitan. The dealers are extremely friendly and although it's an 8-deck game, I didn't see any shoe games that paid 6-5. They also have Spanish 21 with a $10 minimum if you want to play heads up.

Surprisingly, Bellagio has a wide assortment of low(er) minimum table games that pay 3:2 on the blackjack. As the previous poster mentioned, they have $5 tables. Their dealers are usually VERY surly though, and while the game isn't awful, they can make it a terrible experience, plus they won't rate you unless you're playing $25 or more.

If you're going for a double-deck game on the strip, try Excalibur. I tried that Sunday early early morning and they had a hand-held game for $15 (3:2, double after split). It was $25 before I got there, so just pay attention. Most double-deck games seem to be dealt from the hand, but face up.

Of course, gaming downtown or near strip will usually have better options, but if you want to stay on the strip, those are the best ones I found.

Quote: jpprovance

whats the cheapest bj you have seen there. for me its $25

The MGM Grand had $5 minimums at their 6 deck H17 tables early to mid weekday mornings last month.

Nobody mentioned El Cortez? $3 and pays 3:2. Sure it's not a classy place, but I didn't see that in the criteria.

HE on the $3 game: .45
or
HE on the $5 game: .19

According to the wizards BJ Survey page, updated Aug. 8, 2011

The fact that you know BASIC puts you a mile ahead of 90 % of the players.

I would suggest Tuscany if you have a car or don't mind a walk from the
strip. Usually pretty quiet, so you probably won't be at a crowded table.

I'd also suggest Silverton, which has a $5.00 table and Green Valley has a $5.00 double-deck table. Both had reasonably friendly dealers and players. Don't worry too much about what the other players are saying, remember that half of them have had too much of the free booze and that if you know BS well you are a better player than most.

I want to thank everyone for the advice. There were a few things I hadn't previously realized, like the fact most BJ players don't know BS. Seems funny to me, being that I am your typical low roller tourist and still found myself interested enough to put in some work so my money doesn't go flying out of my pockets. lol It is also nice to know most of the nicer strip casinos still offer decent $5 BJ, even if it is during the day, and knowing I have other off strip choices. I am assuming other players will always have something to say, so I won't let it bother me, after all, they can and should move from the table if they are the one with the problem. lol