MGM@ Foxwoods Conflicting Blackjack Rules
I was visiting the new MGM at Foxwoods casino in Connecticut today and I decided to play some Blackjack. The new casino which opened earlier this year in May has 29 Blackjack tables on the main floor. As I was getting ready to sit down at the table I noticed a sign that read "Dealer hits soft 17."
I got up and looked at the table next to it and printed on the layout was: "Dealer Stands on 17." I took a walk around the casino and I noticed that there were four Blackjack tables with a sign saying the dealer hit soft 17 and all the rest said the dealer stands on 17. This is the first time I had seen two tables next to each other in the same casino with different rules. I called over a floorman and asked why they had different rules regarding the dealer standing or hitting on 17 and he said. "Some players want a choice."
I told him I did not know of any knowledgeable Blackjack players who would chose to play a game with a higher house edge when they could play a better game at an adjacent table. He just shook his head and walked away. Obviously the casino is just taking advantage of players who do not know how the rules of the game affect the house edge. Playing a Blackjack game where the dealer hits soft 17 adds 0.22 percent to the house edge. It is much better to play a game where the dealer stands on all 17. Here are some of the other rules that affect the house edge.
Comments
Hi,
I have firsthand experience witnessing the ’side-by-side’ ignorance of gamblers.
At a tribal north of Omaha, Nebraska, there were two banks of progressive video poker machines.
One bank paid out 5-7 with the Royal at about $1200. The other bank paid out 5-8 with the Royal at about $1400.
Guess which bank of machines was getting played, and which bank was empty?
Another instance was south of Cincinnati, Ohio. Two roulette wheels, side by side, each with a $10 minimum.
One was a double zero, and the other one was a single zero.
Again, guess which roulette wheel was packed, and which one was empty.
I asked the pit boss if I was ‘missing anything’ with what I saw – and I got the same shrug of the shoulders.
In the Seattle, Washington area, most Pai-Gow is commission free – but people still play Pai-Gow at casinos that charge commission, when there is another casino nearby, sometimes right across the street, that doesn’t.
Don’t forget on the Strip, they are offering 6-5 on blackjacks – and people still play…
-M
Its the same with video poker. People play 8-5 JOB right next to 9-6 machines. Some people just want to play.
You did not mention if there were any negative rules at the stand-on-17 table that would have balanced out the advantage. Most casinos that offer, for instance, single deck bj also pay even money for a natural, for instance.
Most people gamble as entertainment and don’t think much about what is happening. It’s all luck, they believe.
I would bet that MGM is testing the waters with this. If the players will play on the table where a dealer hits a soft 17, all of the tables will go that way.
In Atlantic City I noticed the same trend. On the low stakes tables the dealer hits the soft 17, but not on the high stakes tables. I got the same shrug when I asked a pit boss what was going on.
The tables were still filled. I wouldn’t doubt that, if the players let them, all of the casinos will go the route of hitting a soft 17 and 6/5 payoffs for a BJ.
Steve
Both games were exactly the same except for the H17. I agreet that they may be testing the waters to see how many people play that game.
Mostly people gamble just to enjoy. It’s all luck who wins or not. Most of them just wants to play.
shabby
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You did not mention if there were any negative rules at the stand-on-17 table that would have balanced out the advantage. Most casinos that offer, for instance, single deck bj also pay even money for a natural, for instance.
Most people gamble as entertainment and don’t think much about what is happening. It’s all luck, they believe.
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