Casino Royale - How are the Dealers

While my next Las Vegas trip is probably several months away, I always have Vegas on my mind!

I am strongly considering a suggestion made by pacomartin and think that I might stay (and pay for my own room, food, etc) at the Venetian, and do all of my craps gambling at the Casino Royale. Not sure if I will be able to man up to the 100x odds, but definately at least 20x odds.

However, for those who have been to the Casino Royale, how are the dealers? Especially, how are the craps dealers? I would assume that they had to be professional and good if they occationally have high rollers looking to bet 100x odds. Are they friendly and nice? People you would feel good about tipping?

Would the Casino Royale allow me to open up a line of credit even though I will not be staying there?

And out of curiosity, does anyone know who owns the Casino Royale? I was curious to find out what their gambling profits might be considering their location on the strip. Thanks in advance.

I am curious as to why you would not play craps at the Venitian? or Palazzo? They are known for their fairly easy to score comp rooms given play that is no where close to yours. What exactly would you get next door for your play? Sheldon has some of the nicest suites in Vegas. CR had a nice tub at one time that people who know about these things could make money on. But those days are long gone. Sorry but I find there to be a nicer class of people at V-P also. Not to mention Wynncore next door. 100x odds is vastly over rated.

For the most part the craps dealers are friendly and professional, if a bit curt, as the tables tend to be pretty busy most of the time. The blackjack dealers tend to not be so friendly.

If anything, I would do the opposite, play at the Venetian and stay at the Casino Royale. That way you'll get the best of it while you're awake, and sleep cheap. The dealers are the Casino Royale rangles from average to way below average. Most of them just stood there and dealt the cards, without a word. This is based only on the Blackjack Switch dealers. I would doubt if many craps players took advantage of the 100x odds. You'll see bigger players at the Venetian, despite the better odds at the CR.

Quote: DeMango

I am curious as to why you would not play craps at the Venitian? or Palazzo? They are known for their fairly easy to score comp rooms given play that is no where close to yours. Sorry but I find there to be a nicer class of people at V-P also. Not to mention Wynncore next door. 100x odds is vastly over rated.

Do you know if the Venetian/Palazzo rates the odds bet at all? Or gives them any consideration for comps?

I am normally between a $25 - $50 passline bettor, full odds (at 3x 4x 5x), always coming with full odds.

If you do the theortical math, that makes me only a $100 to $200 player, unless odds are taken into consideration. If odds are added, I appear to be a much bigger gambler.

Gambler;
I am fairly certain that Venitian does not rate the odds. But as I said before your action will generate comps of 2-4 midweek nights and I believe this can be used more than once per month. Add on to that will be some free play on slots or tables. Be aware that there is a $17.95 daily resort fee, so it isn't a totally comped suite. Of course I am really partial to them since orange is my color and you will find it's sweet smell on the gaming floor, huge sour orange soap bars in your granite bathroom chambers and a remote control to adjust your window shades. Nice. But if you want to slum it one time, take the Wiz's advice and stay at the CR and split some time there. As noted they also have a bj switch game which I'm sure can be beaten with proper strategy and counting.

I doubt that Venetian rates odds. Do a search on this site since the question was raised earlier.

I was told that the CR used to have bets for $1 with 100X odds. Other versions had it at a quarter. Now it is 20X for a $3 bet, and 100X for a $5 bet. The high odds are also at only at one of two craps tables. Looking at the place once, it seemed that every other table game in the place sucked. They were all carnival games with huge HA. I would be shocked if they get ten $500 free odds bets on any given day.

The hotel at CR is an old Travel Inn. I could understand staying at Harrah's and hanging out at Venetian, but CR is probably unnecessarily crappy.

Quote: pacomartin

The hotel at CR is an old Travel Inn. I could understand staying at Harrah's and hanging out at Venetian, but CR is probably unnecessarily crappy.

I meant to post something about this before. The rooms at Casino Royale are shockingly nice because they have been recently remodeled. I don't think there's a bigger contrast between the look of the casino floor and the quality of the rooms anywhere in Vegas. My parents like to spend a couple of nights each trip right on the Strip in a central location. After staying at CR, they won't stay anywhere else. That being said, don't expect amenities like a posh pool or spa; the room is basically all you get. Refreshingly, all the rooms have coffee makers and refrigerators for leftovers, which I appreciate and wish other properties would imitate.

Was gonna try and run a comparison on rates, but CR doesn't list on Expedia - oh well.

According to their website, Casino Royale is currently $59 during the week, $79 Friday and Saturday.

The wizard's review.

Gambler, why the need to slum it? With a buy-in at between 10-25 as you say on another post and average bets of $25 to $50 you should be able to score RFB at most of the hotels on the strip, especially in these times. If you're an odds pusher consider the 6 and 8 to push your average bet up. And remember that you can PUT the 6 and 8 ($5 with $55 odds pays $71 instead of $70 with the place $60).

The craps tub where the $3 / $5 bet and 100x offered is a very large table with old felt. The dealers are somewhat crabby and it just doesn't have a great ambiance.

If I had to actually pay for a room, and based on the good review above, then I might want to try out the CR with a rate under $100 whereas Harrahs on one side will be about $125 and Venetian on the other side will run about $275, these being mid May prices I just looked up.

If you have access to a car (or don't mind taking the bus), you could try your high-odds play at Main Street Station downtown (20x odds), Eastside Cannery on Boulder (100x) or Rampart in Summerlin (100x). I haven't played at Main Street but their casino is very nicely decorated like a Victorian train station. They have a micro-brewery with comped beers. I have played at Eastside Cannery and it is a very nice, well lit casino whose only downside is that it is a bit generic. The dealers are great there. Rampart is a ultra-luxe resort and you may get some nice comps for your action there. They have golf, a super hotel and a great selection of restaurants.

Of course, if you are looking to not stray away from the strip, none of these would work for you.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and advice regarding the Casino Royale. It sounds like the place is getting run down and the dealers are getting burned out.

As most of you know, I bring a bankroll of about $25K to $50K whenever I travel to Las Vegas. I tend to play craps with a $25 or $50 pass line, full odds at 3x, 4x, 5x, and I am always coming with full odds. And with this action, I tend to get fairly nice comps from upper-mid level casinos like the Mandalay Bay and Green Valley Ranch. I have not stayed at the Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn, Encore, etc. so I am not sure how I would be taken care of there.

It was suggested in a different topic that I can try to further lower my theoretical loss by playing at a casino that offers 10x, 20x or 100x odds. Playing $5 pass lines with $100 odds (20x odds) is almost like my average bet at a $25 pass lines with and average of $100 odds (3x, 4x, 5x odds). And if I calculate that I play about 40 hours in a trip, at 50 different shooters an hour, I would save about $2,256 worth of theoretical loss.

Check my math:

$20 difference * 4 bets out average * 50 shooters * 40 hours * 0.141 house edge = $2,256 theoretical loss

I could then take this $2,256 and spend it any way I want. Nice hotel suite, nice dinners, shows, etc in Vegas and no real useable comps from my main casino. Let's face it, even with the renovation at the Casino Royale hotel, I don't think I would stay there and I doubt I can eat that many meals at their Denny's.

It may be too much trouble for me, but I thought it is worth the exercise. Having nice and friendly dealers is extremely important for me, since I like to spend 8 to 10 hours per day at the table. Also I like to play somewhere that's clean and I am not worried about getting robbed or mugged by the guy standing next to me. If this is too much to ask for at the Casino Royale or Main Street Station, I will continue to stay at the Mandalay Bay or Green Valley Ranch and may try the higher end casinos during the recession to see what kinds of comps they give me. Or wait until I have more money to play with per session.

Still, your thoughts and advice is very welcome.

I definitely agree with and heartily endorse your premise. You will probably not get comped well enough to cover that $2,256 in extra loss at a high-end casino like Venetian or Encore. (I could be wrong about that, though. What do I know about high-rolling :) ?) Pardon me if you answered this already, but do you get full RFBL at Mandalay Bay and Green Valley? If so, those might be the best places for you, since you obviously are a strip-type person and like that kind of atmosphere. You might get enough comps there to fade the difference in -E.V.

If you are feeling adventurous, why not give Main Street/Eastside Cannery/Rampart a shot? I can 99.97% guarantee you you won't get robbed or mugged by the guy playing next to you. The only difference is they aren't as "high-class" as the places you play at now (except maybe for Rampart). I'm afraid I, like the other people on this thread, can't give a hearty recommendation to Casino Royale for the reasons mentioned above.

Yes, I am RFB for 2 at the Green Valley Ranch, and when I stay at the Mandalay Bay, my wife attends an annual conference so her company pays for our room. However, our Mandalay Bay's host is creative enough to bump us up to a very nice suite during our stay and everything else is taken care of.

Quote: DeMango

If I had to actually pay for a room, and based on the good review above, then I might want to try out the CR with a rate under $100 whereas Harrahs on one side will be about $125 and Venetian on the other side will run about $275, these being mid May prices I just looked up.

I don't know about the Venetian, but all Harrah's properties offer lower rates to members of their player card program. I've a gold card, the lowest level, and I do get better rates booking with them online. I booked Rio for an average $55 per night.

I know MGM has nothing like this. But for the past few weeks they've been offering a one-time 25% discounts at some of theri properties, if you sign up for their email newsletter.

I was just there last week. It is a fun place. Small, fast action. Craps is the only good game there. Stay downtown for better compas. Unless you are betting big, the comps will be low on th strip.

One more thing. The dealers are nice and helpful, but it does get extremly crowded for extended periods of time, elbow to elbow. Because they have $3 craps with max odds, I like to do crazy things at the craps table at CR. You can experiment and have some fun with long shots. Watch the booze, it really flows at the CR and will catch up with you. I prefer staying at the large hotels. After you have been to Vegas a few times they will start sending you "real" comp offer without resort fees hidden. The hookers are fun at the CR. I have been approached several times by young women(I am 50) who "need help making bets" or need "$1 to complete their bet". It is fun since my wife is usual over at the slots and nothing will happen. I enjoy the CR. Be sure to bet for at least a couple hours at the big, different(owned) hotels. Ask the minimum to get rated so your comps will accumulate.

Quote: gambler

As most of you know, I bring a bankroll of about $25K to $50K whenever I travel to Las Vegas. I tend to play craps with a $25 or $50 pass line, full odds at 3x, 4x, 5x, and I am always coming with full odds. And with this action, I tend to get fairly nice comps from upper-mid level casinos like the Mandalay Bay and Green Valley Ranch. I have not stayed at the Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn, Encore, etc. so I am not sure how I would be taken care of there.

It was suggested in a different topic that I can try to further lower my theoretical loss by playing at a casino that offers 10x, 20x or 100x odds. Playing $5 pass lines with $100 odds (20x odds) is almost like my average bet at a $25 pass lines with and average of $100 odds (3x, 4x, 5x odds). And if I calculate that I play about 40 hours in a trip, at 50 different shooters an hour, I would save about $2,256 worth of theoretical loss.

Check my math:

$20 difference * 4 bets out average * 50 shooters * 40 hours * 0.141 house edge = $2,256 theoretical loss

Whoa! 50 shooters/hour? The average hand is 8.52 rolls, so that would be about 425 rolls/hour, over 7 rolls/minute. No way!

Let's compare:

$25 w/3, 4, 5X odds, average bet is $94.45
$50 w/3, 4 5X odds, average bet is $188.90
$5 w/20X odds, average bet is only $71.66, only about 75% of the $25 level
$5 w/30X odds, average bet is $105.

If you play for 40 hours at 120 rolls/hour, that's 4800 rolls, at 3.375/decision, that's 1422 passline decisions. When you are "always coming", the average number of come-bet resolutions is 2.44 times the passline resolutions, so let's call it 4900 total decisions. At a $20 difference, that's a savings of about $1386 (20 * 4900 * .01414); compared to a $50 line bet, that's 45 * 4900 * .01414 ~ $3118.

Just for fun, I ran a calculation on 4900 $5 passline bet with 30X odds. This is not exactly the same as pass with 2.44 comes, but similar. The ev is -$346.46 with a standard deviation of $10,779. The +- 1 SD figures are +$10,433 and -$11126, +- 2 SD are +$21,212 and -$21,905. The probability of breaking even or better is .487.
Cheers,
Alan Shank

You will see alot of people betting the 3$ pass with no odds. You will also see alot of people you would not see in the venetian if you know what I mean. The dealers are decent - they know what they are doing and are pretty quick about it. The first time I went the dealer was a bit grumpy but I don't go there for the wynn-type dealers who will watch my chips and change the color of the payouts if I need it.

I did do the full 100x odds on one bet. I had just lost a couple hundred at the venetian and figured why not. I walked up to the table and there was this drunk homeless looking guy shooting with 3$ on the pass line (and he had been making the points). The point was a 5 so I threw down 5$ on the line with $500 behind and he hit it. The next point was an 8 and I put 100 behind and later increased it to 200 but it 7'd out and I left.

I've also wondered if you can lay down a come bet on a number late (like you can put down a bet on the pass line after the point is made) and back it up with odds. This would only be advantageous for putting out big odds. I'll probably try it next time to see if it's even possible.

Quote: boymimbo

The wizard's review.

Gambler, why the need to slum it? With a buy-in at between 10-25 as you say on another post and average bets of $25 to $50 you should be able to score RFB at most of the hotels on the strip, especially in these times.

The irony in this post is missing a wink. ;-)

Even I, a Strip regular, had to think for a second whether this is true. It isn't.

A $25 bettor MAY be able to get a midweek room through Harrahs or MGM after establishing himself over a couple trips. Definitely not a weekend. No experience with the Tropicana, so YMMV.

Quote: CFTCFT

I've also wondered if you can lay down a come bet on a number late (like you can put down a bet on the pass line after the point is made) and back it up with odds. This would only be advantageous for putting out big odds. I'll probably try it next time to see if it's even possible.

I think you are referring to a Put Bet. A bet which can be thought of as a come bet that winds up on a number that you have chosen rather than winding up on a number that the dice have chosen. You give up the 7 and 11 chances to win. At 100x its better to make put bets than place bets.

My recollection is that that Casino Royale in Las Vegas did indeed allow it since a dice dealer at a nearby casino would often get off his shift, walk to the Casino Royale and do put bets on all the numbers. If he won three numbers he would leave the rest as toke bets for the dealers and just walk away.

There were a lot of put betters this last week. Don't know why, just saw it a lot and a lot of people not doing pass line but betting after the point. Saw a lot of don't betters, what I bet. It was a different week. Vegas was full so I think everyone and his cousin was there doing everything. I had fun at Casino Royal as usual. They did keep raising the minumums when the tables got hot.(so did Mandalay Bay) That got old fast. The table would be $3 at CR or $5 at MB, leave for lunch it would be $5-$10 at CR or $15-$25 at MB then back when it got empty One dealer said they had a bad day last week so the minimum needed to be up to get the money back.

Quote: likeplayingcrapsandbj

There were a lot of put betters this last week. Don't know why, just saw it a lot and a lot of people not doing pass line but betting after the point.

We must have been there at the same time! I have never seen so many put bets and players placing the point. Placing the point every time is a sure way to lose your bankroll unless points are hitting fast and often, like that will always happen!