Best Blackjack Tables In Reno
Why Reno?
It’s one of the most perplexing existential questions of our time.
Let’s paraphrase it: why go to Reno?
Atlantis Casino Resort Spa. Located right next to the Reno-Sparks Conference Center. Blackjack is one of the most popular casino table games. The object of the game is to have your cards total 21 or as near to 21 as possible without going over. Everyone plays against the dealer (the house) who begins the game by dealing each player two cards and the house one card face-up. From the Cheapo Reno site, here's what Casino Boy has to say about table limits in the Reno/Tahoe/Sparks area: Cheapo Games. Bonanza (Other Reno) $2 blackjack at a single deck game where the dealer hits on soft seventeen and you can only double on 10 or 11. They have a dollar craps game with 2x odds. Cal-Neva (Downtown). Reno Blackjack Wrap Up Ok, so you're spreading like a maniac, you're flirting with the dealers, you're not having dinner with the pit boss, and you're keeping your sessions brief. For myself, most of my backoffs happened when I got stuck for a good chunk, then spent the next six or seven hours digging myself out. Peppermill Resort Spa and Casino. Perhaps the premiere destination for gamers in Reno is the.
Let’s personalize it: why did I go to Reno no less than four times in a five-year period?
When I first visited the city in 2001, it was in the middle of a civic downturn: grungy streets, boarded-up casinos in the center of downtown, free-range hookers working the casino floors, a general feeling of metropolitan malaise.
Reno is clearly not Las Vegas, where artifice is elevated to the level of art. In Las Vegas you’ve got your fake Venice, your fake Paris and your fake New York. You’ve got a fake sphinx and a fake pyramid. The Strip offers some piece of monumental fakery to dazzle you on every square city block. Vegas is (METAPHOR ALERT!) a piece of environmental theatre, a site-specific stage play complete with dazzling costumes and gaudy backdrops.
Which brings us to Reno: Fakery with less enthusiasm. Fakery on Quaaludes. The non-union, low-budget, road-show version of the extravaganza known as Las Vegas.
But somehow I enjoyed myself enough to return three more times, twice in the company of Evil George Taylor.
I know. Four trips to Reno seems a bit insane. So, again: why Reno?
It’s all about the table
Best Blackjack For Free
The answer can be found in an unassailable truth about blackjack. To wit, all blackjack games are not created equal. It’s one of the first things you learn about the game.
For comparison, look at Texas Hold’em: the same rules apply, generally speaking, whether you’re playing at Foxwoods in Connecticut or at Chinook Winds in Oregon. But in blackjack the rules can vary not only from casino to casino, but from table to table within a casino.
There are lots of little tweaks that can raise or lower your chances of winning, but one of the most significant is the number of decks in play. The fewer the decks, the better your chances of winning. You’d be wise to stay clear of Atlantic City, for example, because, well… first of all because it’s Atlantic City. It’s a scary little place, a film-noirish slum without the film-noirish charm. My advice: stay near the boardwalk and pack a weapon if you wander away from the cluster of casinos on Pacific Avenue.
Safety concerns aside, a good reason to avoid AC is that they deal blackjack from a shoe containing eight decks, a version of the game that gives an enormous advantage to the house.
Six-deck shoes are marginally better. They seem to be the industry norm and are just about inescapable. But Reno… ahhh, Reno. That’s where you’ll find an abundance of two-deck and one-deck blackjack tables, tables that can offer you the best chances of winning, tables that can shave down the house advantage to almost zero.
The location of these tables, while not exactly a state secret, takes a bit of investigating to uncover. After I fell under blackjack’s spell in the spring of 2000, I scoured the web in search of playing strategies and came across Stanford Wong’s BJ21.com. That’s where I found Current Blackjack News, a monthly publication, which (as far as I can tell) is the most comprehensive source of playing conditions in the US and Canada.
Hey, what are the table conditions at the Isle of Capri Casino in Lake Charles, Louisiana?
I’m glad you asked. According to a recent issue of CBJN, they’ve got a two-decker with very liberal rules that shave the house advantage down to a miniscule .19%.
I’m packing my bags right now.
Getting knocked out
So, “discovering” Current Blackjack News was just what a semi-obsessed player needed. So were the rock-bottom package deals to Reno from Southwest Airlines. I mean, $149 for three days/two nights at the Atlantis? I’d be losing money if I didn’t go.
I flew into Reno armed with a version of the strategy called progressive betting. It’s simple: Raise your bet every time you win. Return to your initial bet size each time you lose.
This is a strategy that makes for blackjack sessions that are alternately thrilling and harrowing. In one long afternoon session at the Eldorado (SPOILER ALERT! This casino becomes a villain in a future post) I simply couldn’t lose and ended up about $700, a fair amount when you’re betting in increments of five dollars.
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But these types of sessions were few and far between. The fun evaporates when the odds correct themselves and your precious chips are being sucked into the fiery maw of Mount Doom. I wasn’t really winning, but I really wasn’t losing. At first I enjoyed the adrenaline rush of the casino, but soon the pattern of winning, then giving it back, winning then giving it back became monotonous. It was time to step up my game. Amazon had a book that told me just what I had to do. It was a slim volume with big print, “Knock-Out Blackjack: The Easiest Card-Counting System Ever Devised.”
“Easiest.” I liked the sound of that.
Unfortunately, after I mastered the “K-O System” I also discovered how easy it was to get kicked out of a casino.
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The Eldorado Casino Resort is located right in the center of downtown Reno, across the street from Harrah’s and directly next to Silver Legacy. The casino and resort are owned by Eldorado Resorts, which also operates the nearby Silver Legacy and Circus Circus in Reno. All three of these properties are connected to one another via a skybridge, making the complex easy to navigate. Even though the properties are owned by the same parent company, they utilize different player reward programs. Eldorado is one of the most popular casinos in the city of Reno, and probably the most frequented on weekends when you’ll find live music.
The casino and resort at Eldorado first opened over 40 years ago, in 1973. Back then it had just under 300 hotel rooms and a mere 10,000 square feet of gaming space. Since that time, both the casino and resort have underwent many renovations and expansions. Today Eldorado has over 800 hotel rooms and a 78,000 square foot gaming floor. It now has over 2,000 slot machines and electronic games along with over 50 table games, 1 keno lounge, a sportsbook and a poker room.
Casino at Eldorado
The casino at Eldorado spans across two levels and feels larger than the 80,000 square feet that it is. It spreads electronic machines and table games across both floors. All table games are located on the lower level, while the upper level is filled with only slot machines, shops and restaurants. There is also a large selection of video poker machines, which are located right by the main entrance on N Virginia and W 3rd st.
The full list of table games include Blackjack, Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Pai Gow Tiles, Craps and Roulette. Slots include both new and classic games. This includes older games such as 3-reel triple 7 varieties and newer games like Willy Wonka, Jurassic Park, Top Dollar, Wheel of Fortune and many others.
Blackjack Rules*
If you have ever been to Reno, you are aware that many casinos offer sub-par blackjack rules. Eldorado is no exception to this, but you can often find decent games if you look hard enough. Needless to say, each of the blackjack tables at Eldorado have very different rules. This includes both the standard pit games and those featured in the high limit room. They spread many 6-5 games, and a lot of tables have annoying rules such as only being able to split pairs one time, not being able to double after a split etc. Because of this we highly recommend reading and understanding the rules before sitting down at a table.
High Limit Areas
There is just one high limit table game area which is connected to the high limit slots room. This is located on the lower level towards the center of the casino. The table game area consists of mainly blackjack, including hand shuffle games of single deck, double deck and 6 deck games. The tables in the high limit room have a $2,000 max with minimum bets ranging from $25 to $100. Drinks are comped, and generally come around frequently but there is also a small bar within the high limit slots/video poker area two rooms over. The slots and video poker range in denomination from $5 to $100. There is just one Wheel of Fortune machine, and one Top Dollar machine which are each $5 denominations.
Poker Room at Eldorado
The poker room located at Eldorado Casino Resort has 11 tables, making it the second largest in Reno next to Peppermill. It is opened to players 24/7, running both cash games and tournaments every day. The games mainly consist of No Limit Hold ‘Em but you’ll also find Stud and Limit Hold ‘Em. The poker room is smoke free and comps are given out at the rate of $1/hour. All in all, Eldorado’s poker room is definitely in the top 3 when it comes to playing in Reno.
Restaurants and Bars at Eldorado
Eldorado has a nice mix of restaurants, cafes and bars. If you can’t find what you’re looking for within Eldorado itself, chances are that you’ll be able to find something in the immediate area; whether that means crossing into Silver Legacy and Circus Circus, or taking a short walk to other properties on N Virginia Street. Directly within Eldorado there are many choices when it comes to eating. These include: Roxy, La Strada, The Prime Rib Grill, The Buffet, The Brew Brothers, Sushi Sake, Millies24, Pho Mein, Eldorado Coffee Company. Room service is also offered to hotel guests 24/7.
When it comes to bars there are several on the property, one located just pass the table games section, one in the high limit sots room and a few other spread throughout the property. Millies24, Roxies and The Brew Brothers also have a bar within their facilities.
Hotel & Resort at Eldorado
With over 800 hotel rooms and suites available at Eldorado, you’ll be able to choose from any number of options ranging from a standard queen room, to a top of the line Player’s Spa Suite. They have a variety of luxury suites, as well as many standard “guest” and “deluxe” rooms at reasonable rates. All rooms are newly refurbished, making them among the nicest in downtown Reno. There is also an on-site, seasonal outdoor pool, a fitness center and business center. Internet is also free throughout the property.