Before You Play Las Vegas 

The Professor

With all the casinos in Las Vegas, which ones offer the best games? What are the secrets to selecting a game with winning potential? How about some answers for choosing a good game for either craps or blackjack?  When it comes to gaming, you become a patient hunter, hunting for the best game. There is a good game out there and it is up to you to find it. However, before you can bag your game, you first need to select a casino.  

The best casino for gaming is one where you feel the most comfortable and where you feel honored. I like to play were I stay. Doing so makes it very easy to play at any hour and if am tired – I just pop upstairs to my room for a nap. If there is not a game at my “home casino” I have several options. It is best to line up the other casino options in a logistical and logical order.  

For example, if I take a cab out to Mandalay Bay and I don’t find a game to my liking, I have traveled a long distance for no game. On top of that, there’s not much in the way of other choices close by. Not only that, I have wasted precious time and burned energy on a goose chase. Chasing around from casino to casino consumes your energy. In a city where your energy is just as valuable as your bankroll, you need to spend your energy wisely. That’s why it’s much better to design a gaming plan before you venture out to play. 

Mapping out your first choice, followed by a second, third, and maybe a fourth casino, provides you with viable options. Of course it is best to group the options by their proximity, close to one another. Also, allow for enough time to search and play the session. You don’t want to find yourself on a “heater” of a game with time constraints, like catching a dinner show with your date or maybe missing your flight home. 

Here is an example of a battle plan with proximity in mind. You start at the Mirage. If there is no game at the Mirage, it is a seven-minute walk to Treasure Island. It’s a ten minute walk to the Venetian. To the other side of the Mirage you have Caesars Palace. You can visit four-world class casinos, within a few minutes walk from one another. No driving, no cab, no waiting. Just map out the plan and hunt your game. This works very well for downtown casinos too. 

Okay, you are at your first choice for a session. How do you choose the table that is best for your game? 

1.      Watching games before entering is a free tour. It takes patience’s while you indentify positive conditions, never the less, your investment in time watching is invaluable. This technique keeps you out of losing game.

2.      Check out all of the tables. Minimum bet does not matter at first. Selecting a table is always a learning experience, so never disregard tables with a higher minimum than you can afford to play, even though you will not be playing there. You are looking for positive conditions. Survey everything going on in the pit. As you check out the games, take note of the tables with a minimum bet that fits your bankroll. Table selection takes practice and it is recommended that you always check out everything as you learn to apply the skill. Table selection will make you a more successful player.

3.      Survey the players. Look for winners and avoid the losers. Pick your “playmates”. Think like a business partner who is going into business with other players. You want the best partners making up a game complexion for winning.

4.      Be alert. During the buy-in, if several players are coloring-up, you may be buying into the back end of what was a hot game. It means that you arrived 30 minutes too late. The game is over and it is going to cost you if you play. This is another good reason to invest a little time watching before playing. Avoid thinking that while watching, you are missing out. Finding a good game is associated with good timing. If you show up at the right time, you will not miss out just because you were watching for a while. When you are right, the process of picking a winning game is confirmed. Lock in the feeling of the experience when your are right.

5.      Does a noisy craps table indicate a winner? Maybe, or it could be false advertizing.

1. If it truly is a hot table, the players’ cheers advertise good fortune and it will drawn in every “want to be” to the game. By the time you show up, the table is full and there’s no room for you. All you can do is watch from the second row. You arrived 33 minutes too late.
2. Everyone seems to be having fun, cheering and winning. Yet, upon closer examination, several of the players are acquainted. It’s “boy’s night out”, party energy. Usually, there is a lot of loose “action” on the prop bets. With almost every roll there is loud cheering, and often there’s not much to cheer about. It’s just misleading reality with raucous noise. It could be that the cheerleaders may simply be inebriated and feeling good about everything. “Look at us, were drunk in Las Vegas. Yahoo!” The table sounds like a winner, but is really just out of control players propelled by free drinks. Well, sort of free drinks.

6.      What if you are a dice setter?

1. If you are really serious about setting dice, then you better get really serious about being able to shoot with confidence from any open position. The principles of setting are basically the same. You just have to make the adjustments physically and mentally.
2. Don’t let dogma of  keep you out of a game with potential. “I can only shoot from left stick” for example. Games with potential are scarce. When you find a working table, you better get yourself in the game.
3. The dice in anyone’s hand can act out of probability. Don’t delude yourself thinking that you are Superman, and you can only win if you are shooting from your sacred position. Make all positions sacred.

7.      If you fancy blackjack, here are a few things to consider in support of your game selection.

1. Look for a soft game and one that is not too fast for you to count.
2. You are looking for positive conditions. Survey everything going on in the blackjack pit.
3. Observe the games with table limits that fit your comfort level.
4. Pick your game and “playmates” preferably a game with 1-2 players.
5. Assess the players. Look for card counters and skilled players. Avoid the novices.
6. Pick your dealer. Try to find a dealer with “giving” energy, one that is generous with the cut card and player friendly.
7. Avoid aggressive dealers. Feel comfortable with the dealer and your chosen game.
8. Although you may have a preferred playing position, you may have to settle for your second or third choice. If you are drawn to the energy of the game, and feel good about a table, trust in your perception. You can win sitting in any seat.

8.      Regarding table energy, you are looking for what I refer to as “table support”.

1. Look within the personality of the game to observe table support.
2. It is the energy that supports your betting system and your style of play.
3. Do you feel support for your action?
4. When assessing any game consider if it is worthy of your time and investment.

9.      Putting it all together, selecting your game takes patience, discipline, and practice. It involves the “energy” of right place and right time. You pick your playmates. You pick a table that feels like it has potential for winning. You select a game that offers table limits to fit your bankroll. You may or may not have your first choice of playing positions. Selecting a winning game is a learned skill. Learning to do so will prove to be invaluable as it keeps you out of the losing games.