Lousy blackjack

This thread is for weird or/and bad rules of blackjack that are unusual but that we can find in casinos anywhere.
Both experiences were outside the U.S but I would like to share this with you anyways and see your opinion. Did any of you had experiences like these before? Where was it?
If we have enough lousy situations we could even make it a poll!

1) SURRENDER

In 2009 I was in Argentina, at Grand Iguazu Resort & Casino - which is said to be one of the greatest casinos in south america - playing blackjack at $25 a hand. At some point I had a hard 16 against a 10. It was my turn and I asked for surrender. To my urprise the dealer said that I was not able to do so. I tried to argue saying that I had just saw a player (sitted besides me) doing this and they told me that in order to have the right to surrender you must be betting at least U$100. The table limits were U$10/U$1000.
Weird, isn't it? Did you ever see two players playing at the same table under different rules?

2) BLACKJACK PAYS 3 TO 2

In October 2011, I was spending vacation with my family in Dominican Republic, in a Resort named "Majestic Elegance" where they have a casino. On my first night I decided to play blackjack and I was betting the lower limit, which was U$5. I hadn't realized that the casino did not have U$2.50 chips until I got my first BJ! What hapenned next was that they put a U$5 chip in the corner of my "betting spot" representing U$2.50. Next hand I was betting a total amount of U$7.50 and in case of a winning I would be able to collect U$10. (7.50 from the actual win and 2.50 that I have earned in the previous BJ)
But if I had lost that hand, my previous BJ would be worth only 1:1. Simple like that, no complainning. At that moment I decided to bet only multiples of 10.
Isn't it ridiculous?

Your "ridiculous" blackjack payout is not all that uncommon, and I don't think it penalizes you nearly so much as you seem to feel. I have seen it many places where they do not have fractional-dollar chips or coins on the table. If your wager is not in an even dollar amount and you get a blackjack, the dealer declares a portion of your payout "half yours, half mine." When that $5 chip is sitting out there, you already own $2.50 of it. You were just forced to increase your bet for the next hand. Some places, assuming they have $1 chips in the rack, would be willing to pay you $2 right away and just leave $1 "half yours, half mine." It isn't that you were only paid 1:1; instead, you were paid 3:2, but you increased your wager by $2.50 for one hand, potentially losing the extra winnings and potentially doubling it up. Not all that unfair, in my view. The more complex part is how they handle that half/half chip if you get blackjack on that second hand.

Quote: Doc

Your "ridiculous" blackjack payout is not all that uncommon, and I don't think it penalizes you nearly so much as you seem to feel. I have seen it many places where they do not have fractional-dollar chips or coins on the table. If your wager is not in an even dollar amount and you get a blackjack, the dealer declares a portion of your payout "half yours, half mine." When that $5 chip is sitting out there, you already own $2.50 of it. You were just forced to increase your bet for the next hand. Some places, assuming they have $1 chips in the rack, would be willing to pay you $2 right away and just leave $1 "half yours, half mine." It isn't that you were only paid 1:1; instead, you were paid 3:2, but you increased your wager by $2.50 for one hand, potentially losing the extra winnings and potentially doubling it up. Not all that unfair, in my view. The more complex part is how they handle that half/half chip if you get blackjack on that second hand.

And how do they handle double downs and splits?

Some casinos are not allowed to underpay. If they set the rules and don't have the proper chips or coins it's not the player's problem. At Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun a $27.50 blackjack pays $41.50 and a $27.50 surrender returns $14.00.

Quote: aluisio

1) SURRENDER

In 2009 I was in Argentina, at Grand Iguazu Resort & Casino - which is said to be one of the greatest casinos in south america - playing blackjack at $25 a hand. At some point I had a hard 16 against a 10. It was my turn and I asked for surrender. To my urprise the dealer said that I was not able to do so. I tried to argue saying that I had just saw a player (sitted besides me) doing this and they told me that in order to have the right to surrender you must be betting at least U$100. The table limits were U$10/U$1000.
Weird, isn't it? Did you ever see two players playing at the same table under different rules?

That's not conceptually different than a video poker player only winning 250-1 for a royal by not betting 5 coins. Many games bonus players in some fashion for increased wagers. This is just another example.

Quote: Doc

It isn't that you were only paid 1:1; instead, you were paid 3:2, but you increased your wager by $2.50 for one hand, potentially losing the extra winnings and potentially doubling it up. Not all that unfair, in my view. The more complex part is how they handle that half/half chip if you get blackjack on that second hand.

The point is, Doc: they are forcing you to increase your wager and it does not seem fair. What if i just hit a BJ and want to color up? I agree with 1BB, I don't think that the player must pay the price for the casino negligence with chips. What kind of "casino" does not have U$2.50 chips?

Now responding to Dr. Entropy: that's another sad story, they wouldn't let you double or split that hand. And I have no clue how they would deal a second BJ with that bet!

Yes, things would tend to be smoother if they had fractional chips, but not every casino does. Suppose they did have them and you received a $2.50 chip after a blackjack. Then suppose you decided you wanted to wager that $2.50 chip (placing $7.50 in the circle), would you then be upset when they didn't allow you to bet with the chips they had given to you? Suppose they did let you place that $7.50 bet and you got a blackjack. Would you complain that they didn't have $1.25 chips for the payout? Do they need to keep a stack of pennies on hand to deal with whatever wager you might consider making? Yes, they are forcing you to increase you wager for one hand, but I was suggesting that they are not really doing you any harm worth worrying about.

Not only are they not shorting/cheating you, they aren't really inconveniencing/stressing you so much as you seemed to imply in your initial post. For that hand immediately after a blackjack, they forced you to increase your wager from $5 to $7.50; that was such an outrage that you decided to increase your wager to $10 on every subsequent hand. It doesn't really sound as if increasing your wager by $2.50 for one hand was all that big a problem for you. I think you just got upset because it wasn't handled in the way to which you were accustomed, not that anything was really wrong.

What is this business of "the player must pay the price for casino negligence"? If it really upset you, toss $2.50 on the table and pocket that "half yours, half mine" chip.

Quote: MathExtremist

That's not conceptually different than a video poker player only winning 250-1 for a royal by not betting 5 coins. Many games bonus players in some fashion for increased wagers. This is just another example.

I think it is entirely different. The only way your treatment would be fair would be if you were allowed to play under the table limit and were thus entitled to rules offered at a different table for your bet size. Rules do vary from table to table, but from player to player at the same table is ridiculous.

Doc, perhaps you are right and I am just over reacting. Thanks for your well pointed arguments.
dm, you really got what i meant! Exactelly like i think.