Blackjack newsletter and blackjack strategySubscribe to the Blackjack Insider newsletter

BLACKJACK TOURNAMENT E-BOOKS BY BJI AUTHOR KEN SMITH!
How to Win EVEN MORE Blackjack Tournaments - Volume II... only $14.95. Ken Smith's second e-book on tournament blackjack contains more of his winning strategies that have made him one of the best tournament blackjack players in the world.

Or, purchase both Volume I and Volume II together for $24.95... over 15% off!

NEW! Read how Ken used skill to win a recent blackjack tournament. Get his books and you could too!

How To Win EVEN MORE Blackjack Tournaments - Volume II
(web ads above removed with paid membership. Click here for advertisement rates)

LAS VEGAS BLACKJACK REPORT: STRATOSPHERE AND PALACE STATION CASINOS

by Stu D. Hoss

Stu D. Hoss is a retired Air Force officer and 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 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.

Note: The observations of casino conditions were made in January 2013. The casinos visited in Las Vegas were:

Stratosphere, 2000 Las Vegas Boulevard South

Palace Station, 2411 W. Sahara Avenue

For this month’s edition of Blackjack Insider, I visited two properties – one on the Las Vegas Strip and another off-Strip. Despite very different addresses, these two properties have one thing in common, namely, they aren’t catering to or looking for "whales" or high-rollers. They offer economically priced rooms, gaming, and amenities at a fraction of the cost you’ll find further south on Las Vegas Boulevard. One offers significantly better gaming opportunities, while the other has a few more nifty "bells and whistles." Let’s get started.

Stratosphere, 2000 Las Vegas Boulevard South

The Stratosphere is one of the most recognizable Las Vegas Strip hotels in the world thanks to its iconic tower. Jutting 1,149 feet into the Vegas skyline, the Stratosphere Tower is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States. You can see this beacon to the north end of the Strip from miles away throughout the Las Vegas Valley. The tower is home to restaurants, nightlife, and thrill rides.

The Stratosphere’s 80,000 square-foot casino features lots of open floor space and the main casino area is rather dimly lit. It features two long table game pit areas – both composed of 15 tables. Each has a variety of games to include Fortune Pai Gow Progressive, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, Let It Ride Bonus, and Three Card Poker. The two pits also have a combined five Roulette wheels. There are four craps tables near the pit area closest to the casino cage.

Despite the large selection of table games mentioned above, the Stratosphere still has a decent number of blackjack tables. The Stratosphere offers shoe and hand-dealt blackjack options. However, there isn’t much to get excited about from a playing perspective. Several of the six-deck shoe games pay 3:2 for player blackjacks; Aces can be re-split to form up to four hands; and doubling down on any first two cards (DOA) and after splits (DAS) is permitted. Dealers hit soft 17 and surrender is not available. Mid-round entry is allowed on the shoe-dealt games, but the maximum bet is limited to $200 for those players until the shuffle. Table limits were $10-$1,000 on these games.

Unfortunately, this casino also has several...

...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):

User name:
Password: (case sensitive)
Save user name and password in your browser so you don't have to type them again later

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.