Shufflemaster video blackjack machines

I am making a trip to Las Vegas soon. Does anybody know which casinos have the Shufflemaster video blackjack machines with a side bet either called the Royal Match or Bet the Set? Most of the female dealers featured on this game have had a certain part of their anatomy substantially enhanced. I remember Slots A Fun had at least two of these machines close to the front of their casino by where the craps table that was close to the front door used to be before they discontinued all their live games and went with machines instead. They had a $1 min. and $500 max, with a $100 max on the side bet, hit soft 17 and allowed surrender. I have tried to Google this, but nobody appears to have compiled a list of these games with the details. I have heard that the Riviera and Rio casinos may have these games, and apparently they are leased from Shufflemaster instead of bought by the casino.

The Vegas Club has one and I'm pretty sure I saw one at Binions and Four Queens. The machine at Vegas Club is H17 with late surrender, two dollar minimum. All three of these machines are Royal Match side bets if I remember correctly. I tried to contact shufflemaster about Vegas locations of their machines but got no response. I will be going to Vegas, mostly downtown, this weekend so I'll do some scouting and let you know.

Riviera did have the machines in August. Caesars has a machine too, but it pays 6:5 on BJ AND they are set at a $10 minimum. Be aware of Rio; not all payouts are the same apparently.

It's everywhere, and you won't have any trouble finding it. Just look around the casino a bit.

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Also, some machines shuffle after every round and some deal 2/3 of a shoe but you dont know when it does. So since you dont have that info, counting is futile and its best to play the ones that shuffle every round to eliminate the cut card effect.

I was under the impression that they not only reshuffled after every hand, but each player (and dealer) was dealt from their own independent 6 deck shoe. So no counting AT ALL.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I was under the impression that they not only reshuffled after every hand, but each player (and dealer) was dealt from their own independent 6 deck shoe. So no counting AT ALL.

I think that is true only in Pennsylvania. Now that table games are fully legal there, that restriction may have been dropped.

i beleive it to be true in florida as well at pari mutuals

Not the most up-to-date info, but these are places where I saw them the last time I visited the casino:

Downtown - Las Vegas Club, Four Queens, Binion's
Strip - Riviera, Treasure Island, Mirage, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand
Off-Strip - Rio, Not-The-Hilton

Some of them pay 6:5 on blackjacks, so watch out for those.

The machine at 4 Queens has been removed. The machine at Binion's pays 6:5 for blackjacks.

I made my trip to Las Vegas. The one at the Rio pays 6/5 on Blackjacks and it takes $45 to get one TR point. The 4 that are at Slots-A-Fun pay 3/2, and have surrender, but there are signs on all video "table" games there that no Circus Circus slot club points accumulate. After seeing those 2 "downers" in person, I gave up looking for these Shufflemaster Blackjack games elsewhere. On the "live" blackjack tables, it seemed every table had a side bet option to try to divert the customer away from just playing straight blackjack and increase the house edge. Just like craps players betting hardways, C & E and other high-edge to the house bets, these are the same folks wasting a buck or more trying to get a hand to tie the dealer, get the same cards as the dealer and a bunch of other longshot bets to divert attention away from the primary objective and that's to beat the dealer.

you should come to florida, they are everywhere bj 3/2 surrender and points are 2-1

conversion rate is 1000 points =1 dollar but on the highest player ranking tiers you get auto 5 times multipier to in essence 400 coin in get one dollar = not bad when it crosses over with a promotion, if anyone interested pm me

I've wondered if the video blackjack at the Riviera accumulates decent points.

Quote: RogerKint

I've wondered if the video blackjack at the Riviera accumulates decent points.

The Aruze BJ game does not accrue any points. I have not played the Shuffle Master games since before they installed the Aruze one (it stays on all 17's), but when I played it in the past, points earned at 25% the rate of other games.

One thing has me really nervous about the Shuffle Master machines. I was playing UTH and players can receive the same card at Binions and Vegas Club. I took a picture when this would happen but nobody seemed to care and gaming did not understand my point. I wondered if the blackjack games could be tweaked the same way.

I know they can in PA, but wondered if gaming allowed that here. After seeing that a single deck game dealt a fouled deck, I never quite trusted playing their machines anymore.

Great info. Thanks for the response.

Regarding the same card issue, I was under the assumption that each player was dealt from a different deck (or 6 deck shoe).

Quote: RogerKint

Great info. Thanks for the response.

Regarding the same card issue, I was under the assumption that each player was dealt from a different deck (or 6 deck shoe).

In UTH? It is a single deck game and the machines did not state there were multiple decks used. If there were multiple decks, it would be possible to get 5, 6 and 7 of a kind. I looked up the NV gaming regs and they require that a table game in video form exactly match the table game unless it is otherwise disclosed there is a difference. Maybe I misunderstood the regs. Gaming did not even understand what I was trying to explain and the people at Binions could not have cared less. Below is a screenshot I took. Seat 3 and 5 both have the same card. After seeing this at both Vegas Club and Binions I stopped playing the SM machines.





Also keep in mind one of the Riv Shuffle Master games is a single deck 6/5. Even if you don't get points, you can still get comps based on your play by contacting a host at Riv.

If you like real games with real cards, real dice and real chips, you should boycott all machines.
I have no doubt the casinos would love to replace all the games and dealers with machines eventually.

SM BJ and UTH at Vegas Club are decent plays for point earning and drawing ticket accumulation, plus decent bounceback offers. RogerKint knows this pretty well :). UTH uses a cloned deck. I agree, it's not in the spirit of the real table game. If there are three aces on the board, and I have the fourth ace, I don't want to see the dealer turn over something like A-K when I think I have the nuts.

Quote: teddys

SM BJ and UTH at Vegas Club are decent plays for point earning and drawing ticket accumulation, plus decent bounceback offers. RogerKint knows this pretty well :). UTH uses a cloned deck. I agree, it's not in the spirit of the real table game. If there are three aces on the board, and I have the fourth ace, I don't want to see the dealer turn over something like A-K when I think I have the nuts.

I studied this by watching it one day. While other players have reported that the dealer has had the same card as them, I don't think it is possible. Therefor, if all four different aces were dealt to players and/or appeared on the board, there will be no ace in the dealer's hand or on the board. This is what is so puzzling about using a fouled deck. The duplicate cards cannot come up on the board or in the dealer's hand, it actually increases the odds of the player improving their hand as opposed to them having the same value card in different suits.

I was at Vegas Club one night and two of us made a straight flush with a bare 10 we shared so it works both ways. I see no value in dealing a suspicious deck and hurting the Shuffle Master brand for the very trivial advantage it allows. I have read colluding at a full table does not even cut the house advantage in half because there are so few plays that would change anyway, even if both of your set cards are burnt, you still play most pairs before flop. Dealing this type of way does not really stop colluding, it just may make it so one less card is out every few hands.

I am quite an educated gambler and I see some serious trust issues with this set up as it pertains to the other video games. I would be quite surprised if anyone who had a clue at gaming would approve of how this game is set up. Unfortunately, I was never able to find someone that even understood the game, much less my complaint.

Edited to remove confusing typo

Quote: Pokeraddict

I studied this by watching it one day. While other players have reported that the dealer has had the same card as them, I don't think it is possible. Therefor, if all four different aces were dealt to players and/or appeared on the board, there will be no ace in the dealer's hand or on the board. This is what is so puzzling about using a fouled deck. The duplicate cards cannot come up on the board or in the dealer's hand, it actually increases the odds of the player improving their hand as opposed to them having the same value card in different suits.

That's bizarre the way you describe it. I can't imagine why they would program the game that way, except, as you said, to prevent collusion which has no effect anyway. I think Stephen How says it reduces the house edge from 2.2% to 1.6% and that's with a full table and optimal decisions.

Perhaps you could talk to the Shufflemaster people? I'm not sure how receptive they are to customer inquiries.

For those who are in Tunica, the two machines they have at Harrah's in the center bar area accrue points at the normal VP rate ($10 is 1 point). There are two tables, both $3 mins. Both are 3-2, one is H17, with surrender, the other S17, no surrender. All other rules (No RSA, DAS Split, Double any two cards) are the same.

i played this machine in tampa f at the hard rockl. i dont know where u played it, but the points rate was horrible. u had to run 3200 thru the machine to earn $1 back