 
| ||
|
|
|
LAS VEGAS BLACKJACK REPORT:
ELLIS ISLAND, HARD ROCK, and TERRIBLES
by Stu D. Hoss
Stu D. Hoss is a recently retired Air Force aviator. He has visited and served in over 40 countries including flying combat missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa. Most of it under the guise of keeping the world safe for democracy, better blackjack, and for a few other personal reasons. He has been playing blackjack for almost 20 years and cut his teeth on the tables of South Lake Tahoe during flight training in Northern CA. Mr. Hoss uses basic strategy and the HiLo count method to give himself a chance against the house edge. He currently resides in NV and is weighing his options for a second career.
The observations of casino conditions were made in November 2011. The casinos visited in Las Vegas include:
Ellis Island Casino and Brewery
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Terrible’s Hotel and Casino
With football season in full force this month, I found myself spending many hours in local sports books shopping lines, doing research, watching games, and thinking. If you attended a small liberal arts college deep in the "Heart o’ Dixie," like yours truly back in the day, chances are you were subjected to "blue books" or something very similar. These were booklets filled with blank pages that you used to answer the essay questions on your exams. At our college, you were expected to fill at least one and ask for another before the exam period ended. Many of the questions began with the phrase "compare and contrast." Last month in the BJI, I reviewed the Las Vegas Hilton on Paradise Road and two other properties close to it on the northern end of Las Vegas Boulevard. This month we moved further south down Paradise to three very different properties: Ellis Island, the Hard Rock, and Terrible’s. When these three casinos are mentioned together, any discussion must begin with that phrase "compare and contrast."
Ellis Island Casino and Brewery, 4178 Koval Lane
Located behind Bally’s, Ellis Isle (EI) is primarily a local’s joint, probably best known for its famous steak special served round the clock in the cafe. For $7.95, diners get a 12-ounce sirloin steak, choice of a side salad or soup, baked potato, mashed potatoes or French fries, and a beer. Dinner rolls are available, but I have had to ask specifically for them the last few times I’ve eaten there spanning a few years. The meal also includes a beer from EI’s award winning brewpub. Home-brewed root beer can be substituted (it is very good); however, ice tea cannot, another change from year’s past. Ellis Isle’s steak special is one of the best food bargains in Las Vegas. Despite being one of the worst kept secrets in town, it’s not on the menu. You have to ask your server for it. The steak special does draw a fair amount of tourists through the doors and the wait to be seated can get very long – an hour or more is not uncommon on weekends during dinner hours, so plan accordingly.
Ellis Isle’s casino is small and features one table games pit. The pit is home to...
...enter your member login information below to read this article/newsletter...
Paid Members-Only Article
You have clicked on a link to a Blackjack Insider web page or article for paid subscribers. You must have a paid membership to the Blackjack Insider newsletter to view this content. About 1/2 of the articles in each issue of the Blackjack Insider are for paid members only, while the rest are viewable by everyone. Your purchased membership will allow you to read all Blackjack Insider articles for 12 months.
Enter your user name and password below (they were listed and e-mailed to you after you purchased your Blackjack Insider membership):
Forgot your membership id or password? Click here.
How do I get a membership?
A membership can be purchased online at our secure store with your credit card for only $19.95 per year. You will receive a user name and password immediately by e-mail which you can use to read the all past and future members-only articles for 12 months, as well as the regular free articles.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP NOW... only $19.95
Do I have to buy a membership?
No. Blackjack Insider will continue to be published as a free monthly e-newsletter. But about 1/2 of the articles each month will be for paid members only. Subscribers without a membership can still view and read the non-members articles for free.
What happens after I buy a membership?
Immediately after you complete your purchase, you will receive a unique login user name and password. These are displayed on the final purchase page, and are e-mailed to you. When you click on a members-only article in our web site, you will be prompted for this user name and password (as shown above). Simply enter them, and enjoy the article! Note: make sure you turn on the checkbox above when you login, to save the user name and password so that you don't have to re-enter them every time you view members-only articles.
Why did you switch to paid memberships?
Blackjack Insider is a professional monthly publication with top-notch articles by world-reknown gaming experts. In addition, we have regular reporters that monitor game conditions and tournament schedules throughout North America. We use a partially paid subscriber model to enable us to continue getting the best content for our readers from leading authors on blackjack and gaming.
|
|
©2015, DeepNet Technologies. No material to be copied without express permission of DeepNet Technologies.
This site developed by
DeepNet Technologies, Ontario, Canada. Contact webmaster @ bjinsider . com
if you have problems.
This site is best viewed in a 800x600 graphics mode, or higher.