Table Games Tell us it ain’t so, ElCo! No more single deck blackjack

Worst gambling news in a long time, folks. The last decent (and iconic) single deck blackjack game in Las Vegas is no more. Walked in today and found all new fancy tables, but every one of them is double deck. Old time pit boss confirmed that single deck is gone forever. And to make matters worse for those “observant” players, they’re cutting off a full deck now. Unfortunately it’s just part of the El Cortez ongoing gambling downgrade, including their once robust VP lineup. After over 20 years playing and staying there, we’ll probably be looking for a new home base. Please join me in a moment of silence for our dearly departed single deck games…

 

It is everywhere. But more so in Vegas.
Like everyone else I have my favorites and likes about this and that in all of the casinos and I always expect the rug to get pulled out from under me at any moment.
I visit Vegas 7 to 9 times per year. and each visit I find and least one of my favorite things is no longer available.

 

I don’t understand why.

The great allure of Vegas is that I have a shot at winning.

 

If it makes you feel any better, the single deck game was effectively unplayable anyway. The dealers regularly employed preferential shuffling, meaning if the count went up during the first round they would immediately shuffle, and if it went down, they would keep dealing. Card counters immediately recognize this and leave, but civilians stay there and keep playing, not realizing they're being cheated.

A 2D game with a deck cut off certainly isn't exciting, but at least it has a cut card so you know they aren't using preferential shuffling.

 

Can Northern Nevada last out the year?

 

Bad news (or not so good news)? Sure.
Worst? Hardly so.

 

They had boost their edge to pay for the new carpet and other upgrades.

I popped in a few months ago. I thought it lost a lot of it's charm with all the new tables and layout changes.

 

It's an unfortunate loss of some old Vegas. I had no idea the dealers were shuffling based on count though. That seems a little shady, but now that you mention it, that may be some old Vegas too. So don't get mad. Get even.... better odds.

Ways to even the odds:

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3. Check Out Current Offers Available at El Cortez Hotel & Casino in Vegas (elcortezhotelcasino.com)...Promos. Don't forget the free Blue Bunny Ice Cream Bar (Sun-Tue)

 

20 posts per home page have comments about the worst possible gambling news. Things evolve. Its not the 1960s any more.

 

Damn shame. I’d like to think I’m one of the last players backed off of that game. Wasn’t even winning

 

I played single deck at ElCo for over 20 years, never saw preferential shuffling, I have seen plenty of amateur card counters get the “no more blackjack for you” send off, though. I once got backed off of a $3 table when losing my ass off, but just played different shifts that trip. I really miss the single deck roller coaster ride…

 

Just curious, what kind of bet spread were people using that made the ElCo back you off?

 

1-2. Not kidding. Not me personally, but I've seen it. Sometimes no spread is needed - just winning is enough. There's a reason it's always been known as the "Sweaty Spaniard".

 

Also, I don't care for "no double after split" on their single deck tables so I usually sought out double deck anyway.

 

Holy smokes! God forbid someone use their brain to get a 0.02% edge on what ends up usually being 1-1.5 measly decks in the shoe.

 

Exactly. Most "card counters" aren't winning players to begin with. A bunch of extra shuffling and countermeasures does more harm than good to the casino's bottom line, but you'll never convince them of that. Based on the crazy stories I've heard and the things I've seen with my own eyes, I'm convinced the El Cortez has backed off thousands of losing players over the years. If I owned a casino, I wouldn't bother running a skills check on anyone whose top bet wasn't at least $100, and probably closer to $250. Kicking out guys who are spreading $10-50 is moronic.

 

I played 3 nights in a row....pretty drunk I might add. My spread was generally $10-$25 with 3 or 4 $30-40 bets thrown out there. My buddy told me I upped to $75 one hand and told me it's time to go after that. The next night, I upped my bet once and was immediately backed off mid-hand.

I also never saw a shuffle after one hand. Always a second hand was dealt from my experience, which is probably a total of 12-15 hours worth at that table.

 

I avoided the single deck there as well - because of no DAS, but also because of the preferential shuffling…& yes - I did run into that myself, multiple times before I made the permanent switch to their 2-deck game.
Sad that they’re cutting away 1/2 now.
Boyd has gone the other way, cutting about 1/3 from their 2-deck pitch game.
Guess they’ll be getting a lot more of my play.

 

Damn, was looking forward to playing single deck there next week

 

What’s the big deal, doesn’t Oyo still offer their single deck 1:1 game?