Going to Atlantic City this weekend... planning on doing a bit of gambling.

I usually win a couple of hundred bucks when I play the slots on the Myrtle Beach Casino Cruises, but I have never been to a real casino....any tips?

4/26/2012 1:53:24 PM

...is fucking awesome

4/26/2012 1:57:11 PM

Watch and ask questions first. If there's a casino with better odds play there.

4/26/2012 2:00:12 PM

Don't sweat regulars that give you a hard time for making sub-optimal plays.

4/26/2012 2:01:10 PM

New casino just opened beside the Taj. I havent been yet, but it looks nice.

Tips:

1. Do not be afraid to call for the floor manager if you think something is wrong. I was playing roulette one time and I had split two numbers, and the dealer tried to say I hadnt after it hit. I asked for the floor to come and got my money.

2. Drink for free at the tables. You are suppose to be playing, but at most table games if you just stand around the table you can get them free all day.

3. Watch out for women hitting on you that are prostitutes.

4. Dont get caught up in the emotion of it. If you lose you cant think that you are behind and have to make it up. This will cause you to lose more money.

5. Depending on what you play you will want to check out different casinos. Poker is normally the best at Borgata. It normally has the best looking women as well.

6. Dont pay for a cab if you dont have too, they have a public bus system (the Jitney) that will take you anywhere for about $2.

7. Food in the casino is very expensive, get a players card so you can get comp $ for some food. Also there are places fast food places with normally price around the shopping area in the center of town.

8. The casinos are mostly on one side of the city by the boardwalk with the exception of 2 or 3. NEVER try to walk more then 2 blocks up in to the city from the side of the casino facing toward town. You may be rob or killed.

4/26/2012 2:26:53 PM

wow 2 blocks that's one sharp transition.

4/26/2012 2:36:46 PM

If you have never been there then you have no idea the difference is like day and night. Ive actually seen the sidewalk engraved "So and So wuz Homicided here 11/15/2010"

4/26/2012 3:03:39 PM

for some reason we stayed in the hotels just past the area he is talking about on one trip.

I walked back to the hotel one night at like 3-4 AM carrying $2k in cash.

There were a lot of dudes sitting out on porches staring at me like what the fuck is this guy thinking.

Squeezed my butt cheeks real tight and kept on moving.

Wouldn't ever do that again.

4/26/2012 4:01:44 PM

I dont walk anywhere in ACY, except on the boardwalk. I use the taxi's, as they are capped at $11 in town, and its worth it when traveling from boardwalk to Borgata/etc.

ACY isn't Las Vegas.

4/26/2012 4:19:21 PM

stick to roulette and blackjack for your best odds of leaving in the green.

4/26/2012 4:20:05 PM

i dont know if its still true (i bet it is though) but Atlantic City has some of the toughest slot machines in the country. Their payout ratio was under 90% in the mid 2000's when I was there often.

Compare that to Vegas areas that are high 90's and sometimes 100% or even 102% on select few promo machines.

( I dont recall if I've ever played slots, but the OP mentioned them)

[Edited on April 26, 2012 at 6:44 PM. Reason : a]

4/26/2012 6:43:50 PM

^^fo' sho. and poker, if you're any good.

i'm partial to roulette, because it's probably the most social game. also, the house doesn't take as much....most of the money moves between the players.

4/26/2012 9:29:16 PM

I've only been to a few casinos, mostly on cruises, but I would say as a tip to watch the table for a while and make sure you know the protocol to avoid n00b mistakes. The first time I played roulette I moved my winnings off the table before the dealer was done paying out and got called out.

I'm going to AC in May (never been) and staying at Harrah's. I know it's probably not the best but the rooms were cheap. Anybody ever stayed there?

Also, how much do you have to gamble to start getting comped? I usually play $10 Black jack tables.

4/26/2012 9:45:22 PM

If you're playing blackjack, sit next to a friendly regular and ask for advice, you'll keep from pissing off the table and make more.

Let em ride is fun but has shitty odds

4/27/2012 12:50:28 AM

^^^ roulette actually has some of the worst odds in the house, it's an expensive game.

^^ Harrah's is fine and it's close to borgata which is very nice.

4/27/2012 5:24:56 AM

Quote :

"I usually win a couple of hundred bucks when I play the slots on the Myrtle Beach Casino Cruises, but I have never been to a real casino....any tips?"

tip: never plan on winning money at any slot machine ever. if you get lucky, great, but if u play those, play them for entertainment, not with some delusion that you are going to hit that progressive jackpot.

Quote :

"stick to roulette and blackjack for your best odds of leaving in the green."

blackjack, yes. roulette, no, for same reason as slots. you could win, but at BEST you will break even.

Quote :

"i'm partial to roulette, because it's probably the most social game"

craps is the most social game....however, at 1am when everyone is wasted, all games become social games!

Quote :

"3. Watch out for women hitting on you that are prostitutes."

especially true if you are at the Showboat

Quote :

"Poker is normally the best at Borgata. It normally has the best looking women as well. "

def borgata if u want to play poker. harrahs also has tons of hot women and dealers at table games



if you want to get drunk for cheap, go sit at the video poker bar at harrahs and play 25cent hands and get free drinks...just remember to tip the bartender.


also check for hotels/total rewards for any specials they are having. i was up there 2 weeks ago and Ballys was offering a free buffet if you played any game for 30 minutes. any specials like that, you definitely shouldnt pass up.


lastly, remember that it is a vacation and if you lose a little bit of money dont be surprised or upset. roll with it and have fun. and if you win, even better

4/29/2012 3:10:50 AM

Borg has by faaaaaaaaaaar the best looking cocktail waitresses. Craps is the most fun to play but you can swing wildly. Last month in Vegas with pilgrimshoes and some others I lost about 600 playing pretty low limit craps in about an hour.

Everybody plays blackjack, but nobody plays it well, so don't sweat it when you don't play proper strategy and piss off the old guy 4 seats down from you. Tell him you'll hit 14 with the dealer showing a 6 whenever the fuck you feel like it.

Games like pai-gow poker are great for free drinks. Incredibly minimal house edge and a lot of splits. You can play for quite a while on $50 if you can find a $5 or $10 table early in the night.

Poker is nice at Borgota, it's not bad at the Trop or honest at the Taj despite its seediness. Find a non hold em game at the low limit end (learn to play stud before you go, it's worth it).

AC is a good time, just don't leave the casinos except by cab unless you enjoy getting stabbed.

4/29/2012 4:06:45 AM

Up $343 after one day. Mostly on $15 minimum blackjack table.

4/29/2012 12:09:00 PM

A "friend" convinced me to play pai gow one time. Never again. Just boring as shit


Blackjack is boring, too. You can print out the optimal blackjack play sheet and have it right in front of you, and people will still yell at you.

[Edited on April 29, 2012 at 12:32 PM. Reason : .]

4/29/2012 12:29:38 PM

Quote :

"Last month in Vegas with pilgrimshoes and some others I lost about 600 playing pretty low limit craps in about an hour."

Quote :

"roulette, no, for same reason as slots."

But how were you playing for that to happen? i.e. what kind of betting progression, playing what parts of the field, etc

Roulette and Craps have the risk to ruin you but betting the minimum with a progression and playing one of the 47-48% outcomes you can come out nicely with a little bit of luck and the ability to walk away when you're up

[Edited on April 29, 2012 at 4:44 PM. Reason : ]

4/29/2012 4:44:32 PM

this thread makes me want to go to atlantic city.

anyone ever done any of the riverboat gambling trips out of charleston?

4/29/2012 4:50:52 PM

Do they have the single deck blackjack there? Only get 2-3 deals before shuffling but its probably the only blackjack game I like. Not sure how people count a huge deck without going crazy.

Craps is definitely the most social but you have to be at the right table. You want energy and hot girls and drunk rich guys all yelling at nothing.

4/30/2012 8:48:13 AM

^ a lot of blackjack tables these days use an automatic shuffler so its just a continuous shoe reloading. (idk about AC specifically, haven't been there in a long time)

4/30/2012 10:50:39 AM

Up 407 after 2 days.

4/30/2012 7:32:03 PM

What have you been playing? I'm admittedly jelly

4/30/2012 7:59:05 PM

Going to Vegas for the first time in October, so this is relevant to my interests. However, it will be October, so I will probably just hang out in the sports book

4/30/2012 8:07:41 PM

Quote :

"Roulette and Craps have the risk to ruin you but betting the minimum with a progression and playing one of the 47-48% outcomes you can come out nicely with a little bit of luck and the ability to walk away when you're up"

i have never walked away from a Roulette down betting this way (yet)
it is fairly easy to turn 40 bucks into 200 on the right wheel

4/30/2012 8:28:00 PM

ALWAYS BET ON BLACK

4/30/2012 8:30:28 PM

^^what is the progression? win one, then on the next bet the minimum plus what you just won? (i.e. bet $10, win 10$, bet $20 next round?)

4/30/2012 9:18:31 PM

.

[Edited on April 30, 2012 at 9:21 PM. Reason : stupid internet connection]

4/30/2012 9:21:10 PM

Quote :

"i have never walked away from a Roulette down betting this way (yet) it is fairly easy to turn 40 bucks into 200 on the right wheel"

Hah! That's what they all say

5/2/2012 10:53:59 AM

Remember all those math lessons were there for a reason!

They use the rotating decks in Atlantic City because I believe casinos can't kick you out there for counting cards. In Vegas they definitely can - but they still have the single deck tables, so I'm not sure that has an edge if you can count.

5/2/2012 11:00:15 AM

count how many greens on the roulette wheel.

if only one it may have the best odds against the house in the place... if more than 1 play blackjack.

I usually play table poker, i can beat other humans pretty well. beating the house with their rules is difficult.

5/2/2012 2:31:59 PM

holdem ftw

5/2/2012 3:38:17 PM

Dude...I hit 700 dollars within 20 minutes of being in Vegas. Act like you got a pair, and the money, booze, and cheap women will come.

5/2/2012 4:04:02 PM

I hit 10,000 within 19 minutes.

I bought one of those 5 foot tall bottles of champagne and an hour with a midget prostitute with the winnings.

5/2/2012 4:11:57 PM

^ this guy knows what he's doing

5/2/2012 4:44:27 PM

I finished up 529. I basically played Blackjack, bet the minimum, and played the percentages for long periods of time...and I came out on top,

5/2/2012 5:39:54 PM

Quote :

"They use the rotating decks in Atlantic City because I believe casinos can't kick you out there for counting cards. In Vegas they definitely can - but they still have the single deck tables, so I'm not sure that has an edge if you can count."

AC basically encourages counting cards. They just make the Blackjack payouts a good bit smaller than in Vegas.

5/2/2012 5:56:29 PM

Quote :

"I usually win a couple of hundred bucks when I play the slots on the Myrtle Beach Casino Cruises"

i assure you, you do not usually beat slots. congrats on winning once or twice and forgetting all the money you have dumped in.

5/5/2012 8:42:50 AM

^ Actually, I have never lost money playing the slots. i have gone on 5 casino cruises, and brought 80 bucks with me every time. I have never left with less than $255.

5/5/2012 11:35:54 AM

Quote :

"i assure you, you do not usually beat slots"

5/5/2012 12:45:11 PM

GET A SUB AT WHITE HOUSE SUBS
you won't regret it

Bally's Wild West has two $1 black jack tables

if you want to spend some money on a nice meal go to Dock's Oyster House

in AC a cab can't cost more than $12

5/5/2012 3:22:29 PM

Take a jitney instead of a cab to save money
Chef volas is the best restaurant in ac, if you can get a table

5/5/2012 6:09:25 PM

The last 2 times I have played roulette I have increased my initial buy in by 150%. Nothing major, but you can beat the odds.

5/6/2012 10:19:00 AM

^http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_large_numbers

5/6/2012 12:10:02 PM

As the number of bets goes to zero, the predicted expected value of your losses also go to zero.

Use this to your advantage, by crafting a night where you only make a handful of bets. You have a very strong likelihood of coming out ahead in that case. It can be less or greater than 50%, depending on how you shape your decision tree. For this roulette is probably the best.

For extra win, plan it in conjunction with your vacation. Create plans to party in shitty place A or expensive place B, then make a gamble that would pay for B if it succeeds. Pre-plan dialogues with your friends to make it look spontaneous. Involve bystandards.

People are right that blackjack and roulette are the best against the house, but that ignores something else - other people. Holdem is the best. It's also theoretically possible to stack a table with several friends who communicate about each other's cards which is extremely mathematically easy to understand, it can raise your expected value extremely high, and it is extremely illegal. Casinos don't like it if they find out you're ripping off other players. That's their job.

5/6/2012 12:53:37 PM

Lol at roulette being best against the house. The house advantage on a double zero wheel is 5.26%. Single zero is down to 2.70% but still hardly close to the best bets in a casino. Playing blackjack with good strategy can get below .6%, just playing the pass line at a craps table is only 1.4% edge.

Can roulette be fun? Absolutely yes. Is it a good bet? Only for the house.

5/6/2012 1:03:40 PM

yeah roulette has terrible odds. to say otherwise is just wrong

5/6/2012 1:46:26 PM

Once again

Quote :

"roulette has terrible odds. to say otherwise is just wrong"

5/6/2012 2:20:23 PM