Annoying Blackjack Experience

[Lathum]

So I was bored on Saturday and decided to take the hour drive up to the Indian Reservation casino in Oklahoma. They just got blackjack and I decide to blow some money. So I get up there and buy my chips and the dealer gives me these .50 chips to go with all my others. I’m thinking “WTF are these for” The dealer then informs me I HAVE TO PAY .50 PER HAND!!!. What a joke, it’s not bad enough the odds are against you but every 10 hands you lose $5.00, what a joke. I stayed and played because I had made the trip but my Karma sucked and I didn’t stay very long. I will never go back there and I think the casino actually hurts itself for charging a per hand fee because there are probably a lot of people who feel the same way I do, so for all you North Texans, stay away from Winstar Casino.

[rkmsuf]

I've never heard of that. What a load of woo-ha.

[Mustang]

I've seen that a few times. Last at some place called the Canterbury Club in Minneapolis..

[rkmsuf]

I'd expect that at Porky's or something. Not a regular casino.

[Lathum]

I've seen that a few times. Last at some place called the Canterbury Club in Minneapolis..
I've been to Canterbury to play poker, great poker room.

[Airhog]

Sounds illegal, its no wonder the indian casinos dont think they can make any money on blackjack

[JeeberD]

Freakin' Windstar, the amazing casino in a tent!

[Lathum]

Freakin' Windstar, the amazing casino in a tent!
That about sum's it up. It was like being in a Walmart with slot machines.

[GoldenEagle]

My girlfriend is trying to get me to move to Dallas after we graduate. I told her I need to be by a casino just to have something to do. She replied the Indian casinos are an hour away.

[JeeberD]

Yeah, Windstar isn't far at all, just north of the Okie state line. They don't have poker yet, but it's supposed to be on the way.

I haven't been there myself, but I have some friends who like to kill time there...

[ShaqFu]

Actually, it's not illegal. It is probably mandated by state law. Blackjack is considered a banked game, which are forbidden in most states. The 50 cent thing changes all of that. Did you happen to rotate "dealers" like in poker? If and when Oklahoma changes its gaming laws to allow "Vegas-style" gaming, this is what you'll get.

In Conn., Calif., NY, and a few others states, the Indian-lobby has been able to change state law to allow "banked games" ONLY at Indian casinos. Indian gaming itself is regulated by the US government, but for the most part the allowed games are subject to state law (so Nevada tribes can usually set up their reservation without a hitch).

Many card rooms offer blackjack under similar rules. In states without liberal Indian gaming laws, Indian casinos are simply glorified card rooms and/or bingo halls with thousands of slot machines.

[ShaqFu]

DOLA

If I lived in Texas I would head east. Aren't there some casinos on the other side of the Texas/Louisiana border?

[Airhog]

Shaqfu: that makes sense though. I remember reading that you couldnt play any game where you bet against the house. Only heads up games were legal. I always assumed you played blackjack only against the other people that the table.

[JeeberD]

Yup, there are plenty of nice casinos in Shreveport, but that's a 3-4 hour drive instead of the one hour drive...

[ShaqFu]

Yup, there are plenty of nice casinos in Shreveport, but that's a 3-4 hour drive instead of the one hour drive...

I would make the drive to have real gaming. Or, with gas prices as they are these days, I would hop on a flight from DFW to LAS and stay/play at a real casino/hotel.

[Desnudo]

So you would pay hundreds of dollars to avoid paying an extra $10 for gas?

[Lathum]

My girlfriend is trying to get me to move to Dallas after we graduate. I told her I need to be by a casino just to have something to do. She replied the Indian casinos are an hour away.
Winstar is about an hour from Dallas. If you like slots then that is fine, the poker room is supposed to open around the end of this month, thats what I can't wait for. All these fish who see poker on TV and can't wait to play for real for the first time, it's gonna be great.

[GoldenEagle]

I am playing poker at tunica in a couple of months when I turn 21.

[Ksyrup]

Yup, there are plenty of nice casinos in Shreveport, but that's a 3-4 hour drive instead of the one hour drive...
That's where my parents go from Dallas (and they drive). They don't play poker, but my mom is fond of wasting weekends playing the nickel slots.

[rkmsuf]

I'll never get slots. I fail to see the entertainment.

[tategter]

I'll never get slots. I fail to see the entertainment.

The idea is to see how long it takes you to loose X amount of dollars. I personally play $20 worth of nickels and get to stick around long enough for a bunch of free drinks.

It's the perfect game for anti-social computer geeks like myself.

[Joe]

I'll never get slots. I fail to see the entertainment.


staring at the pretty lights?

[Pumpy Tudors]

I'm going to miss casinos. I go to Harrah's here in New Orleans ever now and then, and it's fun for me. I only play slot machines there because I don't really want to play $3/$6 Holdem and above, no matter how soft the games are (and I hear that they're pretty soft at Harrah's New Orleans). Personally, I wouldn't really enjoy playing a slot machine if I'm by myself, but when I go with my wife, we sit next to each other and see who wins more (or who loses slower). Anyway, as I've mentioned on this board before, I'm moving to non-casino Pennsylvania this summer, and I won't be anywhere near a casino after that. The closest borders will be Ohio and West Virginia, and they don't have casino gaming either.

Before I leave New Orleans, I'll have to give the ol' $3/$6 game at Harrah's a try, just because it'll be my last chance for a live game for a while. Since I'm exclusively a tiny-stakes player, I really preferred playing $2/$4 during my visit to Las Vegas last year, but $3/$6 is the lowest I'll find here. Yes, I'm going to miss visiting casinos.

As for the $.50 rake at the blackjack table, that seriously frightens me. As it is, I've never won a hand of blackjack in my life (I've only played 6 or 7 hands), and I can't imagine paying even more just for the "privilege" of playing. Good grief.

[stevew]

I'm going to miss casinos. I go to Harrah's here in New Orleans ever now and then, and it's fun for me. I only play slot machines there because I don't really want to play $3/$6 Holdem and above, no matter how soft the games are (and I hear that they're pretty soft at Harrah's New Orleans). Personally, I wouldn't really enjoy playing a slot machine if I'm by myself, but when I go with my wife, we sit next to each other and see who wins more (or who loses slower). Anyway, as I've mentioned on this board before, I'm moving to non-casino Pennsylvania this summer, and I won't be anywhere near a casino after that. The closest borders will be Ohio and West Virginia, and they don't have casino gaming either.

Before I leave New Orleans, I'll have to give the ol' $3/$6 game at Harrah's a try, just because it'll be my last chance for a live game for a while. Since I'm exclusively a tiny-stakes player, I really preferred playing $2/$4 during my visit to Las Vegas last year, but $3/$6 is the lowest I'll find here. Yes, I'm going to miss visiting casinos.

As for the $.50 rake at the blackjack table, that seriously frightens me. As it is, I've never won a hand of blackjack in my life (I've only played 6 or 7 hands), and I can't imagine paying even more just for the "privilege" of playing. Good grief.


Near pittsburgh, right? I think that they are putting slots in and around there soon. Niagra falls is probably a 250 mile drive from pittsburgh, but they have casino gaming AFAIK.

[sooner333]

Voters in Oklahoma passed a state question in November that allowed two things (basically two lobbying interests got it on the ballot is what it amounts to).

1. Class II gaming at Horse Racing tracks. This allows certain slot machines (dictated by some weird video bingo thing) at the track.

2. Non-House banked card games and certain Class III gaming machines (video draw poker) at Indian casinos in exchange for a percentage of the profits to go to education. This allows poker and some forms of blackjack (and Pai Gow poker coming soon).

Before this was legal, a casino tried to do blackjack in a form where they would take 50 cents and they would take the overall winnings and put it in a pot and when it reached a certain amount, there would be an impromteu tournament where the players currently playing would start and the money would be paid out in prizes. It is my take that this is currently happening, and the rake is what the casino (and state) makes...I could be wrong though, and the money could be paid back in other ways.

They have .50 cent rake on $5-50 bets, $1 up to $100 bets, etc. Poker is done the same as it normally as casinos, but they might take more than some of the others (they take 10% of the pot up to $5).

[sooner333]

BTW, I agree with the anti-slots argument. I don't get the fun. I liked video poker all-right because I could make decisions. But, machines seem to easy to just plug your money in and losing it all no matter how much you go up in the process. It seems if I got up big at a poker table or went on a run in blackjack, just the amount of chips would make me realize how much I had and get up and leave.

[Z²+]

Near pittsburgh, right? I think that they are putting slots in and around there soon. Niagra falls is probably a 250 mile drive from pittsburgh, but they have casino gaming AFAIK.

Pennsylvania did in fact legalize slot machines last summer. There will be a stand-alone slot parlor in the pittsburgh area soon (estimates currently say late '06, early '07). Sooner than that (probably summer '06) slots will probably start popping up at the established racetracks (The Meadows, about 20 minutes out of Pittsburgh, will be one of the first). Additionally, another race track will be built and include slot machines (again, late '06, early '07).

Ohio currently has no slots or casino style gaming.

West Virginia has legalized slot machines all over the state. Two racetracks across the WV border (only about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh) each have about 3000 slots, and have recently turned into "resort destinations" including shopping, hoten, spa, restaurants, etc. (and not simply slot barns). Additionally, WV has legalized slots in bars all over the state. Literally hundeds of bars (and fraternal organizations and other groups) have up to 5 slot machines inside (typically, IGT Game King machines with various keno and poker games, plus several bonus nickel slots such as Little Green Men, Texas Tea, Double Diamond 2000, Super 8 Line, etc - all on the same machine). Many of these bars also offer free alcohol and food to patrons playing - a nice perk.

Finally, since PA legalized slots, many in WV are pushing for the legalization of casino games. It recently failed when an anti-gambling delegate attached some type of unrelated rider to the bill, but it's probably going to come up again this summer, and I see it passing within 1 or 2 years (as soon as PA gamers quit coming to WV and stay home to play slots in PA). Once passed, it will only take the racetracks a few months to set up, they designed recent expansions with future table gaming in mind.

And that's the state of Pittsburgh-area legalized gambling, in a nutshell.

[RPI-Fan]

There is a rather decent Indian casino in Verona, New York (they have a pretty big poker room; even $1/2 limit!) -- not sure how far a drive it is from where you'll be, but probably close enough to at least make a weekend out of it once or twice.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Thanks for the tips on gambling in the Pittsburgh area. I'm not really so eager to gamble that I want "just slots," though. Even though I said that that's all I play at Harrah's New Orleans, I really like the casino atmosphere (do people ever say that?). I occasionally play video poker in restaurants here, but I'd prefer to play that in a casino, too. I understand that I'll have to take whatever I can get, though. Thanks for the tips, guys.