Horseshoe Cincinnati Casino - 100X craps odds, 100% fun

There's a Horseshoe Casino in Cincinnati now and it's within walking distance to Great American Ballpark.  Finally, I was able to go to the ballpark and also check out the casino in Cincinnati.  Hopefully this means no more road trips to Indiana for my family...

So the Horsehoe...  Here are my take aways:

• Large casino and it was basically smoke free (i.e. if there's smoking, I didn't see it)
• 6 craps tables (at least) with $10 minimums. 
• 100X odds at the craps table (i.e. which is the highest I've seen outside of Las Vegas)
• For the record, I like to max out my odds, but 100X$10 is $1,000 and I'm not about to put $1000 in odds behind my bets.

• Jack Binion's Steak is fantastic.  The entire meal was amazing...
• Dad and I had dinner there and we started with the premium shellfish platter. 
• Next I had the JBPR Black Angus Filet and added a lobster tail.
• For dessert, I had a chocolate souffle.

If you're into casinos and eating well, make a quick trip out the Horseshoe in Cincinnati.  It's a great place to stop after a Cincinnati Reds and/or a Cincinnati Bengals game!

I didn't get a chance to check out the blackjack tables so obviously this post is incomplete.  I'll just have to take a look at it "next time".

THE WIRK

The Wirk in London and Ricky Hatton back in the ring

I hadn't been to London since 2009, but I went to visit/meet my mother-in-law for the first time over Thanksgiving weekend.  My new mother-in-law is fantastic!  I honestly couldn't have gotten any luckier.  It was a great few days, full of wonderful food and company.  Can't wait to go back!

After a few days in Shevington (i.e. near Wigan) my husband and I went to London. We stayed in Leicester Square while in London (i.e. which is the equivalent of Times Square in New York City)...  When did all the casinos pop up?  It's almost like the Las Vegas Strip now...

Coincidentally, there was added excitement that Saturday night, since Ricky Hatton was back in the ring fighting a Ukrainian in Manchester.  I'd never actually watched Hatton fight before.  I was in Vegas on December 8, 2007 when Hatton fought Floyd Mayweather.  Specifically, I was sitting in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's sportsbook watching a bunch of men from the UK lay some late money on Hatton.  Needless to say, those men and Hatton lost that night and they would've lost if they bet the same way for Hatton's comeback fight.  Hatton was knocked out by Vyacheslav Senchenko in the 9th round.  

Hatton's boxing comeback is/was over.  As for London, I'll be back...

Lastly, MTV has Geordie Shore (i.e. the UK equivalent of Jersey Shore) over there?!!?  Really?!?!  Who knew...


THE WIRK

Blackjack is more than just 21... Pay attention to what the dealer is showing...

I've got something on my mind that I need to get off of my chest.  Blackjack is often referred to as 21.  Most people understand that the goal is to get to 21, without going over.  Only a minority of people seem to understand that there is more to the game then hitting to point where you think you won't go over.

You NEED to understand the cards and the dealer's actions.  In Singapore, the dealer must hit to 17.  HIT TO 17.  Did you catch that?  I'll repeat it.  HIT TO 17.

What does that mean?  That means that if the dealer is showing a 4, 5, or 6 ~ UNLESS you have a total equal to or less than 11, you should NOT hit.  You should NOT hit.  Did you catch that?  I'll repeat it.  You should NOT hit. 

To go one step further, I'd recommend that you double down when the dealer shows a 4, 5, or 6 (i.e. if you have 11 or less).  However, I realize that some of you need to forget that I just wrote that and stick with today's learning that, if the dealer is showing a 4, 5, or 6 ~ UNLESS you have a total equal to or less than 11, you should NOT hit.

You should know that when you hit in these situations (i.e. when the dealer is showing a bust card), that the people at the table who know how to play  the game begin to hate you.  We start giving you dirty looks, because you throw off the rhythm of the game and mess up the shoe.  Don't talk to me about the randomness of the shuffle and the true odds of the cards.  No gambler wants to hear that stuff.

If you mess up the cards enough or make the mistake more than once, while betting only the minimum, the other people at the table start seething with frustration and even the dealer starts to question your intelligence.  Listen to the dealer.  He or she will try to save you.  The rest of us will color up to stop the bleeding and curse about you as we walk away.

I've walked away from 4 trips to the casino a winner every time.  I have the discipline to wait for a novice player to lose all of his/her money before I sit down and to get up once my lucky streak is over (i.e. usually when I hit $1,000).  I've gambled in numerous difference casinos in different countries and have seen just about everything.  Some of you needed this lesson...


THE WIRK

Blackjack at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore isn't the same "deal" as in the US

I'm in Singapore and the lockouts are still ON...  Just like last year, it's tough to keep a blog about sports going during the summer (i.e. especially since I can't follow baseball as closely here).  However, with the Marina Bay Sands (i.e. think Venetian and Palazzo) close by, I can definitely talk to you about gambling.

There are no places to play craps in Singapore.  If you know of a spot, please pass the information on.  Since I don't know and don't want to learn how to play Sic bo, I've primarily focused on playing blackjack.

The minimum table bet is $25 for blackjack.  In addition the Marina Bay Sands offers $50 and $100 tables, in addition to other higher limit areas.  There are some differences here as to how the game of blackjack is played, compared to the US. 

The dealers deal the cards differently here.  You know how in the US (e.g. Las Vegas, Atlantic City) the dealers go around the table twice and deal two cards to the players and himself/herself?  Next, the dealer looks at the card under the face up top card to see if he/she has blackjack.  Well, the dealers here in Singapore don't do that.

In Singapore, the dealer gets one card and everyone can take action if they wish.  Only after the players have stayed/busted, does the dealer take his/her second card.   For people like me who believe in luck and try to predict when a "ten" is coming, I think it's better here, because you can rely on your intuition to determine whether a 10 is likely to be pulled from the show.  ****  Of course there is not an exact science to this, but then again most gamblers believe in streaks and aren't rational when it comes to cards having a degree of randomness.

As of the two visits I've made to the casino, I've been successful.  Personally, I prefer to play at the lowest minimum table and raise my bet at my own discretion.  I've been playing with various wagering strategies and have been doing well. 

Just as in any casino, you have to be careful about who you play with.  The last visit I made to the Marina Bay Sands casino had me watching a woman who made some really strange plays.  Some times she would hit/stand on 15 or 16 (i.e. regardless if it was hard/soft) and if the dealers was showing a 5 or 6.  One other crazy play she made occurred when she split 10s, and the dealer was showing a "King".  After the split, she ended up hitting on a hand of 13 and of 14.  Karma got her and she busted on both hands...


Needless to say, she wasn't making any friends at the table.  She was killing everyone.  Just terrible...

Don't be that girl.  Good luck!


THE WIRK.

My Review: SugarHouse Casino left me feeling salty ~ Go to Harrah's in Chester

Before I went to the Meadowlands to watch the Duke v Butler rematch, I stopped at SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia.  The casino opened in September.  It was on the way to the venue for the game, and I figured it made sense to review it for you guys.  ****  I review the metrics of this blog often and my review of Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, WV is a popular post along with my review of Harrah's in Chester, PA so here you go!

This review will be brief. It was a Saturday morning (i.e. approximately 10AM).  As soon as I walked into SugarHouse, I was greeted my a lady at the door who asked me if I had a player's card.  I didn't so she swiped my driver's license and printed me a card right then and there.  That's convenient.  I liked the fact that I didn't need to wait in a line, but let's face it ~ the casino wasn't packed for a Saturday morning.

I've always wondered what kind of people, wake up and intentionally go to a casino "first thing" in the morning.  I'm not even going to begin to tackle that question here.  Regardless, the slot machines were dong some a decent amount of business.

I'll focus on craps because that's what I paid attention to.  There were about 10 people spread over 3 tables trying their luck with the dice.  About 3 people were consistent "don't pass" players and were achieving a nice little pay-out with each shooter since the tables were cold.

There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON for SugarHouse to have their craps tables set at a $15 minimum.   There is competition only a few exits away at Harrah's.  Further, Harrah's (i.e. Caesar's) brand is much more ubiquitous than the independent SugarHouse venue.  I reviewed the Harrah's casino in Chester previously and my only real complaint is that the craps dealers are learning. 

****  There are only 2 dealers at the Harrah's in Chester that I trust to know the payouts.  There is one female dealer at the Harrah's in Chester that is very slow and prone to error when paying out the table, and I've actually seen her be removed from a table when a high-roller is playing.

I have no idea what odds were offered at SugarHouse, because it wasn't prominently displayed (i.e. it was early, but I think I would've seen it, had it been posted).  It didn't matter though.  Although the dealers and the staff were nice, appeared sharper, and knew the payouts better than the staff at Harrah's in Chester ~ at the end of the day SugarHouse left me feeling salty.  There's no reason to play a $15 minimum table when a $10 table is down the street and will earn you more "rewards".  Further, who wants to be the person who wins playing "don't pass"?

My $15 opinion?  Skip SugarHouse and go to Harrah's.


THE WIRK

Harrah's Casino Chester, PA ~ My Review

Harrah's Chester was on the way "home" from Philadelphia, so I decided to make a stop and check it out.  There's another casino in Philadelphia that just opened up a week or so ago, named SugarHouse. However, after leaving Lincoln Financial Field, I wanted to head South and not North, so SugarHouse is going to have to wait to get reviewed.

The Harrah's in Chester is located a few miles off of 95 and if you're heading north on 95, it's before the airport exit.  There aren't any hotels in the area and the casino doesn't have any associated lodging to offer but if you're coming from DC/VA/MD, I'd imagine it more to be a day trip or part of a larger Philadelphia adventure.

Pennsylvania recently got table games, so I was curious as to the clientele and setup of the casino. When I walked in from the parking garage, immediately I saw a Bijoux Terner store.  Immediately I thought of airports and Vegas since that's where I've seen these stores, where everything is $10.  I climbed the escalator and saw the betting terminals/screens for the racetrack and simulcast.  I went up another level and found slot machines and the table games.

After proving to security that I was "of age", I received a wristband and was ready to win.  Evidently I look younger in Chester, PA...  I looked around and saw three card poker, roulette, craps, a wheel of fortune, etc.  I know the first question that my friends are going to ask me and the answer is "No, I have no idea if it has a poker room."  Sorry guys...  I didn't look, but you can check the link at the beginning of this post and look it up for yourself.

It was a Sunday night and the roulette table had a limit of $15.  Craps had a $10 limit and offered 5X odds.  Already I like Harrah's better than the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, WV.  I'd drive the extra 30 minutes without a second thought!

I asked the craps pit boss if the table minimums ever go down to $5.  What can I say?  I was spoiled from my time in St. Louis.  Regardless, she did say that she's seen a $5 craps table once.  Oh well.  It doesn't  really matter, since I'm more than comfortable at a $10 table. 

Have you ever played the fire bet?  I never have, but I completely regret not jumping on it when I was there.  While I was losing my winnings (i.e. from Atlantic City earlier that weekend) at a table in Harrah's Antarctica, there was a guy that was on fire at another table.  Eventually I left the Arctic and realized that the entire table had tons of chips in their racks and sure enough, they was "color coming in"...  BOOOOOOOOOOO!  I missed it.  Lucky for me the table was still hot.  As I was leaving, I decided to go back and the guy next to me had made 6 different points in his previous roll.  The dice were traveling around the table and his turn was coming up so I bought back in.  He and the guy to his right decided to play the fire bet again.

Wouldn't you know I went from down to up in less than an hour?!?!  The guy hit for 5 different points.  In his previous roll he hit 6 unique points!  In this roll he hit 5 unique points!  If any of you play craps or know anything about it, you realize that that is very special.  It was AWESOME.  I know you should never complain about winning, but what's $5 for a fire bet when the guy has already shown you that he can do it?!  Oh well.  I will NOT make that mistake again.

• 4 "Individual Points" pays 25 for 1
• 5 "Individual Points" pays 250 for 1
• 6 "Individual Points" pays 1000 for 1
• (Above Payoffs are "And Down".)

I'd post the picture of my chip, if it wasn't blurry.  I left that table with a $500 chip, although I had to chase my money to walk away with a "small" profit.  A little win, is still a win!

Another thing I must mention is that the Harrah's has a noodle bar.  I will confess, I didn't eat there.  However, if it's anything like the noodle bar at Caesars in Atlantic City I'm SOLD. 

I wonder if that guy will be there again this weekend...

****  Update:  I need to let you know that some of the dealers have just completed "dealers' school" so they are not the fastest when it comes to calculating the payouts.  They are learning so they're also prone to make mistakes.  Pay attention to them.  Also, there's one lady that seems to be repeating some sort of script when she pays the table.  She says, "Congratulations, will you please pay this fine gentleman/lady $XXX".  It's annoying after you hear is more than 5 times, but it sounds like she was taught that in class.

  

THE WIRK

Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, WV ~ My review

Table games are still a novelty for the people in the DC/VA/MD area and being that I like to play craps I was curious to see what Charles Town, WV had to offer.  There's a Hollywood Casino in Charles Town.  I'm actually familiar with Hollywood Casino since there's one in Indiana that I've visited previously.  Picture a Regal Cinemas or movie multiplex sans movies theater but add in the lights and sounds of slots machines and now table games.

I'd recently visited a casino in Harrington, DE.   Here is the URL: http://www.harringtonraceway.com/ for Harrington Raceway & Casino.   This particular casino only had 1 craps table and if I remember correctly, the table minimum was $15.  That casino offered 3X, 4X, and 5X odds.  I wasn't particularly fond of my experience, but at least I left even.  With only one craps table it's either hot or not and there are no other tables to jump to when the dice are ice cold.  I'm not exactly the most mobile person, but I do like having options.

Hollywood Casino is probably the shortest drive away and I was able to convince my friend, Pun, to go with me for a quick Saturday, day trip to check it out.  Here is the URL:  http://www.hollywoodcasinocharlestown.com/.  Pun likes to play craps also so it was a perfect match.  It took about 90 minutes to get to Charles Town, WV.  He drove and I just checked out the scenery.  ****  FYI - There's not much to see...

Upon arrival to Hollywood Casino Pun and I bee-lined for the table games.  After hearing horror stories about the high table minimums, we were pleased to see that the casino offered 4 craps tables and two each with minimums of $25 and $10.  Three of the 4 tables were crowded and the $10 table I wanted to play appeared to be at capacity. 

When I approached the table to further investigate who had chips in their rack and who was there just wasting space, I noticed a guy about my age and height just standing there.  He was leaning against the table and following the action, but wasn't betting.  I made eye contact with the dealer and asked if the space was open and he nodded.  Then I tapped the guy who had no chips in his rack and asked if he was playing.  "I'm learning," was his reply.  I told him I wanted to play and asked him to move back.  He replied by pointing to another table (i.e. a half empty $25 table) and telling me that I could go play over there.  I informed him that I didn't want to play the $25 table, and that I wanted to play where he was standing.  The man to his right could see that the guy wasn't moving and politely moved over so I could get in.  Within 5 rolls of the dice, I'd boxed the kid out, and he was standing behind me. 

****  Here's your first lesson: If you're not playing, you need to move so someone else can gamble.  This rule is for slots and all table games.  You can learn online, by reading a book, or standing behind someone.

****  Here's your second lesson:  I'll approach you politely and tell you what I want, but if you don't listen, I'm not afraid to tell you how it is.  Very little scares me, when I know I'm in the "right".

When I got to the table it was about 1PM.  I went ahead and cashed in my $20s.  I don't like $20s.  I prefer $100s.  With $180 in my rack, I was in the game at the $10 table.  The first thing I noticed when I got to the table was that the odds offered were only 2X.  I've played many casinos and I've actually never seen 2X odds offered.  I'm used to 3X, 4X, and 5X odds.  I've seen 10X odds and higher - but let's face it, I get cheap with my cash and I will never put 10X odds behind my pass line bet.  I don't care how hot the shooter is ~ 10X odds is a mental hurdle I don't want to jump.  I was chatting this over with my dad earlier today and he thought that was funny when I mentioned it.  Whatever.  I just can't do it.

At the craps table I noticed that no one could make their points.  Awesome.  I'm not a "don't pass" person, so I just picked up and left.  I headed over to the roulette table, and Pun hit the slots.  Roulette.  Simple game, right?  Well I guess to some, not really.  There was a young couple sitting at the $15 min table.  Here are two examples of the conversations that I overheard.

Girl:  Are there more even numbers than odd numbers?
****  I learned today from my friend Sherry that 0 is actually an even number.  Regardless, if you bet "even", you're still not going to get paid if 0 hits.

Girl: If I bet this 1/3 group of numbers what do I get?
Boy: You get any of those 21 numbers...
****  Seriously?!?!  There are only 36 numbers covered by 1/3s...  1/3 of 36 = 12.  The question was raised and I literally counted the numbers in the 3rd in my head, because I couldn't believe that such a basic question was being asked.

After getting bored with roulette and Pun wanted a break from slots we hit the buffet.  I like buffets.  I'm not ashamed to admit it.  2 buffets cost about $40.  There's nothing special on the buffet, but my expectations were reasonable.  I wasn't expecting the spread at the Bellagio.  There were no crab legs and no cocktail shrimp, but there was fried shrimp and a variety of other choices.

After eating Pun ran into some guys he knew and I went back to the craps table.  I made $100.  It doesn't sound like much, but you try making any real money with such low odds offered.  One thing I don't enjoy about being one of the only (i.e if not the only) girl at the craps table is that there's always a guy who thinks he knows how to play better than me.  "Better" is a subjective term.  Just because I don't spread my bets and place numbers doesn't mean I don't know how to.  In fact, I usually don't because I've been standing at the table and I know that it's cold so I don't feel like chasing my money and throwing it out there. 

Sure enough, I was there and a man rolled up next to me with $75 in $20s, $5s, and $1s.  Seriously?!?!  Anyway, the man got his change and then proceeded to tell me that I could make more money by making place bets.  I simply said, "The point hasn't even been set, so what numbers are you even going to place?"  He looked confused.  "You play your chips, and I'll play mine." was what I followed up with.  Sure enough 2 rolls after the point was set the shooter crapped out.  On the outside I was smiling.  Inside I was laughing...

At about 6PM, Pun and I decided it was over.  There really was nothing else I wanted to see.

Moral of the story:  Just drive to Atlantic City or fly to Las Vegas.

Interesting unrelated trivia: My purple Lakers T-shirt attracts men, but not money...


THE WIRK