Blackjack Vs. Videopoker for low roller in Las Vegas
Quote: misterchenHi I'm planning to head to Vegas in a couple of weeks and was wondering if some of you veterans could share some knowledge on this topic. My goal is to be an advantage player either with BJ, VP, or both on a $2000 bankroll. My BJ background is a lot stronger than VP, last trip I kept the Hi-Lo count for several hours at a time at Gold Coast and memorized some indices as well. For VP all I know is the simple strategy for JOB posted on Wizard of Vegas. With my bankroll, I'm not concerned about making $$ because my EV with perfect play is still doodoo. Instead, I'm more interested in earning comps (free rooms, to lower my trip costs) while playing at a slight advantage over the house and not worrying about risk of ruins (although my bankroll can easily be replenished through my day job, I dont know if I could really stomach losing 2k over a trip). On my last trip I played all my BJ at El Cortez (until I got flatbetted) and at Gold Coast because I figured those $5 DD games were all I could afford to play at. After 20 hours or so at Gold Coast and 5k worth of points on my new Bconnected card, I've yet to receive at comp offers from Boyd. But as a totalrewards member with caesars entertainment, I stayed 3 nights free at the Quad last trip and will have 3 nights comped at the Quad again on this upcoming trip. The only playing I did at the Quad was lose ~$350 on their 98.01% BP machine using JoB simple strategy which I'm sure I messed up on at times because I started learning the game a day before the trip. I'd figure I do some more planning this trip and find out the best games to play + the best casinos to play at. Thanks for your help!
Hi, misterchen, and welcome to the forum! I am a fan of CET/Total Rewards, though their comps have lost a lot of value in the last few years. If you want great room choices, it's worth playing at Harrah's/Caesar's properties, because they provide the rooms fast and generous. However, their reward comps are awful for BJ/Paigow/most VP; the best comp values are on the slots, which tend to be the worst value, but if you can stand the variance, that's where you get the best comp values with them.
A lot of people on here seem to think Station Casinos give good comp value. I don't play with them much, so I can't say from personal experience, but I'm sure some of the locals will chime in. Also, MGM/Bellagio/etc. , while also getting stingier, is liked by some of the high rollers. I think with your bankroll, you're going to be happier at Station, where the limits are lower, or some of the Harrah's properties. JMHO.
Quote: misterchenHi I'm planning to head to Vegas in a couple of weeks and was wondering if some of you veterans could share some knowledge on this topic. My goal is to be an advantage player either with BJ, VP, or both on a $2000 bankroll. My BJ background is a lot stronger than VP, last trip I kept the Hi-Lo count for several hours at a time at Gold Coast and memorized some indices as well. For VP all I know is the simple strategy for JOB posted on Wizard of Vegas. With my bankroll, I'm not concerned about making $$ because my EV with perfect play is still doodoo. Instead, I'm more interested in earning comps (free rooms, to lower my trip costs) while playing at a slight advantage over the house and not worrying about risk of ruins (although my bankroll can easily be replenished through my day job, I dont know if I could really stomach losing 2k over a trip). On my last trip I played all my BJ at El Cortez (until I got flatbetted) and at Gold Coast because I figured those $5 DD games were all I could afford to play at. After 20 hours or so at Gold Coast and 5k worth of points on my new Bconnected card, I've yet to receive at comp offers from Boyd. But as a totalrewards member with caesars entertainment, I stayed 3 nights free at the Quad last trip and will have 3 nights comped at the Quad again on this upcoming trip. The only playing I did at the Quad was lose ~$350 on their 98.01% BP machine using JoB simple strategy which I'm sure I messed up on at times because I started learning the game a day before the trip. I'd figure I do some more planning this trip and find out the best games to play + the best casinos to play at. Thanks for your help!
It seems like to me, that you have already done most of the legwork for counting cards at BJ. With VP, to get an edge, you will probably need to know the right strategy for the machine you are playing, assuming you can find a 100%+ plus machine at all. I think there are some downtown, and possibly at the Palms, but it seems like most of the 100%+ VP is gone from the strip. I don't play VP, so someone else correct me if I'm wrong.
For card counting at BJ, you just have to find a playable game. With a $2000 bankroll, that will be difficult but not impossible. You'll be looking for $5-$10 minimum shoe games for the most part, so be careful you don't play any 6:5 by accident. As with VP, downtown will probably be a better bet for you to find the playable 3:2 games with $10 mins or lower.
