Blackjack tables in Atlantic City

Its been a while since I have been to AC. What kind of BJ tables do they have? I have heard that you have to be atleast a green chip player to even play BJ 3-2.

Depends on when you are going and which casino. During the week (slow times), you can easily find $5 H17 (8deck) tables at Trump Marina. Most of the time it seems to be $10-$15 limits for 8 deck H17. Green chip is usually what it takes if you are looking for S17 6 deck. Weekends are another story though. I never have been aside from a Friday evening, and then usually the $10 tables are $25 and go from there.

-B

thats not bad. I thought I heard from somewhere that most of the tables are 6-5 and not the true 3-2 BJ.

Quote: boomdog

thats not bad. I thought I heard from somewhere that most of the tables are 6-5 and not the true 3-2 BJ.

The only 6:5 are the few single deck games. Everything else is still 3:2. Used to be everything was S17, 6-8 decks. Now most are H17. Borgata uses 4 decks I think.

Quote: cclub79

Quote: boomdog

thats not bad. I thought I heard from somewhere that most of the tables are 6-5 and not the true 3-2 BJ.

The only 6:5 are the few single deck games. Everything else is still 3:2. Used to be everything was S17, 6-8 decks. Now most are H17. Borgata uses 4 decks I think.

OK thanks for info.

I'll be in A/C on a Wednesday morning. Where would I have the best chance of finding $5 Blackjack, ANY blackjack switch, or $5 craps? Any $3 games?

Thanks

It's H17 across AC. (The Tropicana, which was the last holdout at S17, dumped it recently). $25 will buy you a S17 six deck game at Caesars and Harrah's Marina, and maybe some other places. Limits generally $15, $10 at some of the lower rent places like theRidge at Bally's. You can get a $5 game at Resorts and Trump Marina at off times, and 24/7 at a very crowded table at Showboat (my choice). Trump Marina often has a $5 Spanish 21 game with the good rules.

For $5 craps your best bet on the boardwalk is Wild Wild West and theRidge at Bally's. Also try Tropicana.

Sorry to divert the conversation a bit, but I have a question for those really familiar with Atlantic City. Do Wild Wild West and theRidge use the same gaming chips as the main Bally's casino? If not, I need to drop by and pick up my souvenir $1 chips the next time I get to NJ.

Quote: Doc

Sorry to divert the conversation a bit, but I have a question for those really familiar with Atlantic City. Do Wild Wild West and theRidge use the same gaming chips as the main Bally's casino? If not, I need to drop by and pick up my souvenir $1 chips the next time I get to NJ.

Yes, in fact the chips in the main Bally's casino have the "Wild Wild West" Motif, with Wagon Wheels and such.

Awesome, thanks!

Quote: dlevinelaw

I'll be in A/C on a Wednesday morning. Where would I have the best chance of finding $5 Blackjack, ANY blackjack switch, or $5 craps? Any $3 games?

Thanks

No 3 dollar table games in AC except for the $2 blackjack they added at Resorts, but there's like a 50c fee. I have never seen blackjack switch at any AC property in the many years I've been gaming there. I wonder if it's even been approved by the NJCCC. I agree that Wild Wild West is your best chance at $5 Craps. There is only 1 table there, and it's one of my favorites in the city. Always a great crew. I remember after a long roll several years ago, (I had been setting the dice) the box said "Wow, we don't get many like you here!" I said "What does that mean?" and they said "Someone who knows what they're doing!"
The best kept secret for $5 blackjack I believe has been outed, and it was a pretty good idea that someone should recreate. I remember this back when poker wasn't popular and in AC the most common spread game was 7 Card Stud, which I used to play. Bally's had (has?) their poker room on the 5th floor, separated from the rest of the casino by quite a bit of space. So they had about 3-4 blackjack tables, $5 min, in the poker room by the waiting list so you could play some low limit blackjack while you waited for your poker table. Thing was, they never checked to make sure you were on the poker waiting list, so everyone that knew would just go up there to play. I don't know if they are still there, because it's been several years since I've played in the their poker room or cared to find a $5 table at blackjack (and like I said, it was out of the way, you'd never know about it unless you knew about it). But next time someone's at Bally's, see if they're still there!

Quote: cclub79

Yes, in fact the chips in the main Bally's casino have the "Wild Wild West" Motif, with Wagon Wheels and such.

The must have changed chips since I played there. The two sides of the Bally's chip I have are shown in the images below. Do the chips used at Wild Wild West actually say "Wild Wild West" or "Bally's"? Same for theRidge, which I have never been to.

Yes, those are the ones I meant. I didn't mean they said Wild Wild West, but that they had Western type stuff (the guns, wagon wheels, etc). My bad, but those are the ones in use at WWW and throughout Ballys.

Thanks for the info.

Quote: cclub79

No 3 dollar table games in AC except for the $2 blackjack they added at Resorts, but there's like a 50c fee.

Unless they changed it, it's $2 with a 25¢ fee per hand, which is still overpriced. I've never played it, but I DON'T think you pay a second fee to split pairs.

Quote: cclub79

Bally's had (has?) their poker room on the 5th floor, separated from the rest of the casino by quite a bit of space. So they had about 3-4 blackjack tables, $5 min, in the poker room by the waiting list so you could play some low limit blackjack while you waited for your poker table.

I've been going To Bally's for poker for about 2 years. The poker room is upstairs where you suggest, but I've never seen BJ there. It DOES make sence since it is so far out of the way. The only diversion while waiting is the racebook - a relatively large size book at that. And a small bar, TVs, etc.

Quote: teddys

It's H17 across AC. (The Tropicana, which was the last holdout at S17, dumped it recently). $25 will buy you a S17 six deck game at Caesars and Harrah's Marina, and maybe some other places. Limits generally $15, $10 at some of the lower rent places like theRidge at Bally's. You can get a $5 game at Resorts and Trump Marina at off times, and 24/7 at a very crowded table at Showboat (my choice). Trump Marina often has a $5 Spanish 21 game with the good rules.

Not true. Borgata is all S17. They always have at least one $5 and a few $10 games in the mix.

You're right. I thought about Borgata just after I posted that.

Quote: teddys

You're right. I thought about Borgata just after I posted that.

I haven't been recently, but people are reporting on other forums that the Borgata has slowly started switching to 8deck H17 on the main floor. I hope it's not true, but considering Trump and Harrah's only offer 8d H17, why beat them when you can join them <sarcasm on>

-B

There is really no reason for the casinos to offer S17. Most players don't know the difference (or they think it's better for the player!). The change can make casinos hundreds of thousands more per year per table with little or no player backlash.

For now, Borgata is the best place to play blackjack in A.C.

Quote: teddys

There is really no reason for the casinos to offer S17. Most players don't know the difference (or they think it's better for the player!). The change can make casinos hundreds of thousands more per year per table with little or no player backlash.

For now, Borgata is the best place to play blackjack in A.C.

The S17 is becoming increasingly rare at the $25 tables. It is a small player advantage to give back to persuade player to go up to $50 or $100 minimum tables.

Only Monte Carlo still has a single $10 table that uses the S17 rule. Binion's has S17 on a $3 table with 6:5. Frankly I don't get that one since anyone who knows that S17 is better than H17 knows not to play on a 6:5 table.

It's like the bar top machines that give you a six card Charlie but pay no bonus at all for a blackjack.

Quote: pacomartin

Binion's has S17 on a $3 table with 6:5. Frankly I don't get that one since anyone who knows that S17 is better than H17 knows not to play on a 6:5 table.

Simple: People are idiots.

They are attracted to S17, but for whatever reason they don't think 6:5 is bad.

Binions is smart. S17 is minor compared to 6:5, so the small amount they give back gets extra play at the crappy 6:5.

Quote: toastcmu

I haven't been recently, but people are reporting on other forums that the Borgata has slowly started switching to 8deck H17 on the main floor. I hope it's not true, but considering Trump and Harrah's only offer 8d H17, why beat them when you can join them <sarcasm on>

-B

Borgata is now all 8D S17. They don't have H17 - yet. I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

Quote: thegov2k2

Borgata is now all 8D S17. They don't have H17 - yet. I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

Do they have surrender?

Quote: benbakdoff

Do they have surrender?

No surrender anywhere in AC, except I believe Trump Marina if you're betting $50+.

When i was at harrah's AC last week, There were plenty of 6 and 8D tables with 3/2 that were $15. The only 6/5 tables were $10 ones with single deck. Much better percentage of good blackjack in AC than on the vegas strip.

I was in Atlantic City for the past three days and checked out the $2 blackjack at Resorts. Here's the scoop. There are three of these tables together at one end of the pit. The flag pole type signs say Retro Blackjack. They have 8 decks, no surrender, dealer hits soft 17, and re-split twice for a total of three hands.

Fairly common in AC these tables have 7 spots as do the regular blackjack games. The minimum bet is $2 and the maximum is $20 (twenty). The exact words on the table sign are: "A .25 cent hand fee is required at this table on any initial wager of $5 or less. The hand fee will not be considered part of the initial wager and will not be used in the calculation of a payout on any winning wager. All wagers higher than $5 must be in increments of $5."

Each betting circle has a smaller circle to the left of it for the .25 cent fee. Bets are placed and unless the player has bet $10,$15 or $20 the quarter must be placed in the small circle. The dealer then sweeps all the quarters into the tray just like sweeping the roulette table. Three or four slots to the dealers right are left empty to receive the quarters. The hand is then dealt in normal blackjack fashion. For figuring the "vig" I estimated 50 hands per hour depending on the inexperience and hesitation of the players.

All blackjack tables at Resorts also have this on the table sign: "To ensure player participation all players must play every hand." I asked a dealer at a dead game about this and she said it was to prevent loitering. As we were speaking, a supervisor came to the table and joined in the conversation. When I asked if that meant that I couldn't skip a few hands now and then, he acted surprised and asked why I wanted to do that. Not wanting to give the "Wong" answer I told him if the dealer wasn't breaking I like to get out to "change the cards." He said he completely understood that good players do that and that it was okay with him. Either he bought my "act" or he was playing me right back. I'll never know.

I did see several casinos that had $5 games in the morning with regular rules. The $5 tables at Showboat had a $2500 maximum bet with a curious sign that said: "For those who wish not to be rated, your table maximum bet will be $1000.

Yes, Borgata is still all S17. For anyone else who may be looking, the $5 table(s) at Borgata, which have no extra fees and are the same rules as all the other BJ tables in the casino, are in the back corner near the Metropolitan restaurant and the Noodle Bar, in the same pit as all the Asian games. There's always at least one $5 table open there, even at prime times on Friday evening. I don't know why Borgata continues to do it, but I guess it works, since whenever I've walked by usually the players at that table are all betting more than $5.

$10 is also fairly easy to find at Borgata, and again with standard S17 rules, though you may have to chase it a bit since there's a certain order they open the BJ pits in over the course of the day, and the most recently opened will usually have the lowest limits. On the weekends, the cheapest pit is usually the one that runs between Michael Mina's seafood restaurant and the Wolfgang Puck American Grille. That pit is not open during the week so the cheaper games can be a bit harder to find.

All of the games are now 8D, except some of the higher-limit games in the no-mid-shoe-entry pit, which is located next to the roulette tables. I believe some of the games in that pit are still 6D. They start at $25 during the day and usually $50 and up at night.