Boulder Station Blackjack

I spend a fair amount of time scouting blackjack games. No two games are created equal, you know. Some blackjack is playable, most is utterly unplayable. The 6 to 5 payout on a natural blackjack has nearly destroyed the game. Yet, there are plenty of suckers who play at these tables with this diminished payout. And if you are one of these suckers, you are instrumental in destroying the game. But, I guess that is a personal choice on your part. And this is still the United States of America. You are (currently) still free to make (most) of your own choices.

The last couple of weeks, I have been scouting the double-deck blackjack games at Boulder Station. When I first scouted their offerings, it appeared they were cutting too many cards out of play, which rendered the game unplayable. Mind you, they have a single deck game at Boulder Station. But it’s a game for the suckers, yeah, 6 to 5 payout variety.

Anyway, Boulder Station (perhaps all Station casinos, but I haven’t checked out any others) now uses a notch in the discard tray to set the shuffle point in the deck. This innovation has resulted in about 75% penetration for their double-deck games, which makes the game playable. Standard double-deck rules also apply.

The game I decided upon was already in action, with a single player sitting at third base, playing a single hand. I rolled up with about a deck yet to be played before the shuffle, so just made myself comfortable and evaluated the other player. Dude definitely knew Basic Strategy and was most likely a card-counter (like me), but I hadn’t been at the table from the beginning of the new deal, so could not accurately evaluate if he was betting consistent with the running count.

Dealer finally hits the shuffle point, dutifully does her job and initiates the shuffle and, from out of nowhere, a young female pit boss slides up to the table. Seems she wants to confer with the third baseman, away from the table. He joins her a couple paces away from the table. Naturally, I’m paying attention to all this and I know what is about to happen. Sure enough, after their very brief interlude, he comes back to the table, removes his chips and walks away muttering under his breath.

Yep, he just got backed off, not unlike my most recent back off at the El Cortez (Stinktez – you will understand this name immediately upon entering this dump).

So, is there a point to all this? I don’t know. I’m probably just complaining. Understand, that casinos want to cater to gamblers. They do not cater to Advantage Players. If you are a sucker and don’t know what you’re doing, they will love you. But if you can play with an advantage, your longevity at the blackjack table may be short-lived.

I intend to play this game and will write about it here. Yet, after seeing what went down today, my longevity at these tables may indeed be brief.