Lake Tahoe Casinos

Could someone please direct me to a web site that lists the playing conditions for bj at the casinos in Tahoe.

I have never seen one, so I can't help. I will be traveling to Reno and Tahoe for the first time on Wednesday of this week. I expect to hit all of the Lake Tahoe casinos that have table games and would offer to gather the info for you, but I expect to spend my time at craps. Maybe I'll take a quick look at the BJ rules, but in my quick glances I would not be able to get a clear notion of how they change over the course of a day or week.

Here you go: http://www.cheapotravel.com/reno/

Just like Cheapovegas, only for Reno and Tahoe.

Here you go: http://www.cheapotravel.com/reno/

Just like Cheapovegas, only for Reno and Tahoe.

Thanks so much. I am familiar with that website however they do not give any specifics such as 1, 2, or 6 decks, dbl on what cards etc. Any other suggestions?

Quote: Doc

I expect to hit all of the Lake Tahoe casinos that have table games and would offer to gather the info for you, but I expect to spend my time at craps.

I think you'll really enjoy Harrah's/Harvey's. Great crews there and if you have TR status not too dfficult to get comp offers. Lots of big bettors there, especially on the Don't, but they still seem pretty laid back. Lakeside is nice too but with lower-stakes players. Don't care for the clientele at Montbleu (younger) but it is still a fine property.

Thank you for the offer. I was at harrahs tahoe this past June so I am familiar with them and Harveys. I am receiving a free stay at montbleau for next June. If possible could you pm the bj playing conditions, 1,2 & 6 decks, hit soft 17, double on what cards, double on splits, resplit aces etc. Thanks so much. If you don't get the time don't sweat it.

While I was at Lake Tahoe, I completely forgot about this thread until an email message popped up on my phone. It advised me that I had a PM from only1choice asking what I had found. I received that my last evening at the lake, so I made a quick sweep of Harveys, Harrah's, and Montbleu to talk to a few dealers.

First, a few side comments about what I observed at casinos during my visit. Some version of 21 seemed to be available for $5 or less at every casino I visited in the Reno/Tahoe area, including the ones where I was on Friday and Saturday evenings. Also, I never encountered a crap table above $5 minimum. I played craps at the $2 and $3 min level several places and saw a $1 min crap table that was closed while I was there -- not sure I remember where that was, but that might have been at Gold Dust West in Carson City or Club CalNeva in Reno.

After asking about it here, I checked out CalNeva Resort (different from Club CalNeva) in North Lake Tahoe. They do not now have table games. They have about a dozen slot machines, one video blackjack table, a kids arcade, and an extremely spacious lobby area that appears to be where the casino was formerly located. The whole place looked as if it had died, been embalmed, and was there for viewing by friends and family. I also learned that Carson Station in Carson City has shut down their table games. I had counted on that souvenir chip to bring my collection to an "appropriate" number for display, as I mentioned in another thread. After that minor setback, I took the drive down to Minden to check out the Carson Valley Inn.


Here is what I found about the blackjack rules at the three places I checked out in Stateline, NV.


Harveys
Most tables pay 6:5. Usually require $25 min bet for a 3:2 payout, maybe $10 min during the daytime some days. This is true regardless of the number of decks in use. Also, all games hit on on soft 17.

Doubling: Single deck only double on 10 & 11. Double deck can double on 8, 9, 10, and 11. Shoe games allow doubling on any two cards. Forgot to ask how many decks are in the shoe.

No re-splitting of aces. Forgot to ask about maximum number of split hands with other numbers. Double after split allowed on shoe games but not with single or double-deck games.

Harrah's
Similar (and maybe identical) to Harveys, since they are connected, under the same ownership, and accept each other's chips. I chatted with a curmudgeonly dealer who expressed disgust with the level of greed that has come into the gaming industry. He said that at Harrah's, blackjack pays 6:5 or 3:2 randomly, depending upon the whims of management. He has detected no correlation to minimum bet size, number of decks, etc. They print the felts with the payout printed on them, then they assign some form of blackjack to that table.

Doubling, DAS, and re-split restrictions as well as H17 are identical to Harveys, and the shoes hold 8 decks.

The dealer mentioned that there may be different rules in the high limit room because, "They treat those guys differently." I mentioned the incident where a Vegas casino got into some trouble for letting a guy in the high limit room dance on the table after a big win. The dealer said, "Yeah, that's the way it gets in there."

Montbleu
Hit soft 17 on all tables.

For single-deck games, DAS allowed on 6:5 tables but not on 3:2 tables. DAS allowed on shoe games. The dealer never mentioned double-deck games, and I forgot again to ask how many decks are in the shoes.

Re-split aces twice. Forgot to ask about maximum splits with other numbers.

This dealer was a little grumpy, so I didn't get much volunteered info. She was actually at a 3CP table, but she was the only dealer that I could find at an idle table, and she said that she does deal blackjack.



Hope this abbreviated survey helps a little bit.

Quote: Doc

Harveys Harrah's
Similar (and maybe identical) to Harveys, since they are connected, under the same ownership, and accept each other's chips.

When you see the Nevada Gaming Commission report revenue for DOUGLAS COUNTY SOUTH SHORE LAKE TAHOE AREA they are reporting for 4 licenses.

01070-01 HARVEYS/HARRAHS RESORT HOTEL/CASINO
02082-04 LAKESIDE INN
03132-03 MONTBLEU
01190-04 LAKE TAHOE HORIZON CASINO RESORT (slots only)

Last year: $67.7 million table games and $142 million in slots, and $2.2 million in poker. Sacramento competition has reduced South Tahoe to a very minor portion of Nevada revenue. Elko County in Western NV (near Utah and Idaho) makes more money just in slots.

North Shore Lake Tahoe is down to 5 casinos that average $14.5K per day in revenue per casino.

The Lake Tahoe area may be experiencing a down period for gaming, but as our old friend mkl654321 said in another thread about 8 months ago:

Quote: mkl654321

If you've never been to Tahoe before, you just might find yourself spending all of your time driving around and looking at the scenery. It's almost a crime to be in a beautiful place like that and spend any time gambling.

A small bit of my evidence of that:




Here are a couple of very-off-topic points about Lake Tahoe that I picked up during my visit. Corrections/additions by those more knowledgeable are invited.

The lake is more than 20 miles north-south and more than 12 miles east-west. Currently the lake level is a little more than 6,000 feet above sea level, with the surrounding mountains going to 12,000 and 14,000 ft. While there are more than 60 streams flowing from the mountains into the lake, there is only one stream out: the Truckee River, which flows to the northwest into California, turns east into Nevada, and forms Pyramid Lake, from which there is no stream flowing out. This is part of the Great Nevada Basin, and all the water must evaporate or go unto the ground, for there is no path to flow to the sea.

At some time in the past, there was apparently an extended drought, lowering the lake level. A full-grown forest has been discovered several hundred feet below the lake surface. The lake level would have needed to be at that lower level for several hundred years in order for the forest to develop that fully.

In contrast, during at least one ice age, glaciers blocked flow of the Truckee, forming an ice dam. Erosion patterns show that the lake level reached at least 8,000 feet above present sea level. The additional pressure of that water put a serious load on that ice dam. (For discussion of forces on a dam, start with this post and read the next couple of pages where there was some serious disagreement.) Eventually the ice dam failed and the (very roughly) 20 miles x 12 miles x 2000 feet of water rushed through the gap to flood the valleys. Then the glacier could re-form the dam, and this may have happened several times. Must have been quite an event each time.

Further off topic : The top of the Grand Coulee, Washington also had a ice dam... the Dry Falls on Grand Coulee are worth a visit, for a good interpretation of what that would have meant, but they think the effects of this dam breaking and reforming of the years has led to still visible signs in the mouth of the (mighty) Columbia.

The wife and I spend five days this summer at the Hravey's Lake Tahoe. I wrote a blog about it a couple of months ago. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to, and I have done a lot of traveling in my day both US and Europe. The drive around the Lake is breathtaking, the cruise through the Lake is wonderful, and the lift ride to the top of the ten thousand foot moutain is absolutely amazing. I would recommend a few days in Tahoe for everyone, whether you like to gamble or not.

Quote: Doc

The Lake Tahoe area may be experiencing a down period for gaming ...

I am very fond of Lake Tahoe, and I don't go into a casino when I am there. It is a fantastic place to ski.


I would also recommend Lake Patzcuaro in Mexico, the nearest equivalent to Tahoe in that country. Mountain Lakes are wonderful places to be, and they are too often threatened with environmental damage.

I know this thread is pretty old, but was wondering if anybody has some current news to add regarding Lake Tahoe properties. Specifically Harrah’s or Harvey’s.
I’ll be visiting next week, and wanted to know if there were any points or tips?

There's an underground walkway between Harrah's and Harvey's.
Harrah's has a poker room, Harvey's does not.
You now have to pay for parking for these two resorts, but if you "happen" to find a space at nearby Hard Rock Hotel, it's a short walk over. (unless they've changed their policy recently)