Kurt's Thoughts

One of my vices (or virtues if you talk to the right people) is I have a adoration for Las Vegas & Blackjack in particular. 

Some find Vegas artificial.  One friend of mine even went so far as to call my favorite home away from home (Venetian Hotel & Casino) "tacky".  Y’know, I actually think it’s one of the more beautiful hotels on the strip.  With the exception of the table area being cavernous and the large pool being very mediocre, the Venetian has been my favorite hotel of all the Vegas properties. 

(Well, except for may be the Hard Rock.  And there’s completely different motivation around my love for that joint.  But I’ll save that story for later.)

Additionally, Blackjack is the only truly beatable game in Vegas.  Some say craps is doable but I don’t know too many people that have been successful at "dice control" as they call it.  Meanwhile, I know several folks that have been successful at Blackjack. 

Recently, I decided to cut & paste a few of the article links that I’ve found to be very interesting in the past few weeks, just so that I could share them with friends.  So here’s a few of the articles I’ve found to be "interesting" in the past year.  Hope you do too.

• 21 No-Nos:  Things you should never say or do when you play blackjack
  Some of these might seem like they fall into the ‘duh’ file however there are a few on there that are golden rules of 21 that a lot of people just don’t know – like regarding playing a 6-5 table.
  http://www.casinoplayer.com/archive/0612cp/total.htm
  
• Casino Childcare Facilities in Las Vegas
  What’s so interesting about this?  There are no longer ANY casinos on the strip that provide childcare whatsoever.  This is a complete 180 from the old days where Harrahs, Treasure Island, Excalibur, and Circus Circus all had top of the line facilities.  Nowadays, many casinos like Wynn & Bellagio completely PROHIBIT baby strollers on the premises.
  http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/ctable.cfm?id=17
  
• Las Vegas Blackjack Report:  Luxor Redux – January 2007
  I’m actually not that fond of the Luxor.  Nonetheless, this was an interesting observation on the state of Blackjack play in the one of the town’s bigger hotels.  Apparently, the casinos have clamped down so much that they’ve squeezed out their mid-level players so only $5/hand cocktail leeches play.
  http://www.bjinsider.com/newsletter_84_luxor.shtml 
  
• The Gloves are Off – An Interview with Daniel Negreanu
  Daniel Negreanu is one of the world’s best poker players and he’s also both a very rationale, shrewd individual as well as a somewhat unusually outspoken Christian when it comes to politics.  He comes out swinging on the topic of the current administration’s advocacy of making online poker illegal.
  http://www.allinmag.com/article.php?article=763
  
• 24 Hours In Vegas or Debt in Venice?
  So Simon Singh, a British mathematician and author wrote an interesting article about his trip to the Venetian Hotel & Casino and his strategy to beat the casino.  It’s an interesting tale and worth the read.
  http://www.simonsingh.net/24_Hours_In_Vegas.html
  
• Blackjack Strategy Charts Online
  Ken Smith, famed Blackjack player, has created a site that will automatically display the appropriate Blackjack basic strategy table for the type of game you’re playing depending on the rules you input.
  http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.php
  
• Owners of Las Vegas Casinos
  Steve Wynn?  Kirk Kerkorian?  Sheldon Adelson?  Who are these people?  They’re all folks that own or own controlling shares in Las Vegas’ largest casinos.  Here’s a list of folks that own each of the properties in America’s adult playland.

http://www.jetcafe.org/~npc/gambling/casino_owners.html


• The Documented House Rules for Blackjack in Las Vegas Casinos
  Every casino has different rules for Blackjack.  Some play with surrender, some don’t.  Some hit soft 17, some stand.  Some pay 6-5 on naturals, some pay 3-2.  It all depends on where you go, so it’s important to know who has what.  and that’s what’s on this chart.
  http://www.jetcafe.org/~npc/gambling/bj_conditions.html