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Blog Vegas VII Part II: Vegas A Go Go

Jul 17

AndrewBlog Vegas 3 Comments

There are really three types of gamblers: Those that can sit down at the first open seat they find and roll the dice on what’s about to happen. Then there are those who factor in all the various aspects of the gaming experience; the casino, the table, the dealer, the decks, the other players, and makes an informed decision about where to play.

The type 3s? Those are the players who think they know what they’re doing and they are intent on taking the casino. But they still end up sitting down at the first table with an open seat, and that just shows how much they have to learn.

I discovered something on my trip to Vegas this week that I hadn’t expected; people in Vegas mostly fall into the third group. Maybe it’s the mystique of gambling that we believe anyone can win? I lived in Vegas for almost a decade, so I have a certain affinity for the city that has soaked permanently into the skin, but I had never had as much trouble avoiding the type 3s than I did on this trip. I landed, and as mentioned in part I, I didn’t leave the tables for long during my entire visit, dodging the type 3s the whole time.

I spent my time primarily at Luxor, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, and MGM Grand. Luxor? Because I was staying there. Excalibur? Because I had to walk through the casino to get to the other casinos (and they have the best coffeeshop in my opinion of the four). MGM Grand is my top preference where to play when I’m Vegas. And Mandalay Bay is at least clean.

I didn’t enjoy gambling at the Luxor. The dealers were nice enough but everything looked a bit worn down. The casino incidentally, isn’t much older than Mandalay Bay (Six years, and Luxor underwent a major renovation in 2008) but it just felt like the casino had seen some wear and tear. I played there because the Luxor put me up in a tower room for free and if I dropped a grand in the casino, it was in fair exchange for the room. Simply put, I want to be invited back (by the way, I thought the hotel room was excellent).

I didn’t gamble at the Excalibur. For some reason, the casino no longer opens high limit tables. I am not a high high limit player, but Excalibur didn’t even have $25/$50 tables when I was there. Sitting down at a $10 table isn’t for me. I’m not a snob; the minimum bet is a way of screening out the casual (type 1) players. It does not, as I discovered, do a good job of screening out the type 3s.

Mandalay Bay was hit or miss. The casino is big, the dealers are friendly, but it was there that I noticed the most type 3s. You could sit down at a $10 table or a $25 table (they rarely had anything higher except by special request) and it would be swarmed by type 3s. There was no escaping them except to go to another casino. Type 3 players have the money to burn, but no sense in their head how to play. Their play is too random, too uncoordinated because they think they know what they’re doing, but in fact, they are no more skilled than a type 1 player. (Incidentally, I don’t mind playing with type 1 players, but I won’t place big bets when I’m doing it).

I’m not talking about the players who claim “hey, it’s all fun” (though it’s more fun when you win). I’m talking about the players with the same idea I had -- to walk into a casino and walk out a winner -- but no practical idea how it works. These are the guys that saw the movie 21 and thought counting cards looked like easy money. They are no fun to play with because they are not content to embrace the flow of the cards. Instead, their primary purpose seems to be to destroy the natural flow of the cards so thoroughly in the hopes of catching an unexpected (and statistically unlikely) break. Now, put a casino full of them and run, don’t walk, out as fast as your fleet legs can carry you.

One of the basic tenets of my gambling philosophy, as detailed in On 21 The Philosophy of Blackjack is “stay mobile.” When scouting tables, keep moving until you find the right one. When playing, be prepared to leave at any time. It’s true you can lose your money anywhere, but it’s not true that you can win your money everywhere.

I thought being selective was a good reason for taking my gambling vacation in Las Vegas. What I didn’t realize was that I was going to encounter more type 3s there than I did in the Connecticut casinos (I live about an hour from the two casinos in Connecticut). If I played at a $50 table in Connecticut, I was reasonably certain I was playing with other players like me (except for the occasional anomaly). In Las Vegas, everyone had money to burn, so I never knew what kind of players would sit down with me. Maybe that seems like an obvious thing, but I’ll admit I was taken off guard.

That is, and will continue to be, the reason I gamble mostly at the MGM Grand. Somehow, the MGM has managed to self-contain its high limit tables and keep out the type 3s in the way the Connecticut casinos do. When I sat down to play at the MGM, I had a reasonable expectation of getting a table of like-minded players.

But casino preference is only factor. There are more, and part III, I’ll put the rest together for you.

If you like what you read over the next few days, I suggest you check out the full title. You can order On 21: The Philosophy of Blackjack from amazon.com and other retailers.

Want to talk to me directly? Contact me via facebook or twitter.

Tomorrow Blog Vegas VII Part III: Open Table