So in preparation for my weeklong trip to Vegas in June I ended up visiting Atlantic City today to see how bad it is and perhaps get a chance to practice some counting in real settings (and not versus Canadians CSMs).

Admittedly, most of the casinos in AC are indeed dumpy; many of them make Circus Cirus in LV look luxurious. Surprisingly, the most run-down ones, like Trump Plaza, Sands, and Claridge have the highest minimum limits on table games.

The tables themselves in most casinos seem a lot closer to the slots than they are in vegas, and that's very distracting because people seem to be brushing up against the table players all the time, not of any help for your count. AC seems to have a very "interesting" crowd (which I've seen up close and personal by taking the greyhound from Manhattan). The crowd is way older, and I've seen many people who seem to not really be aware of their surroundings (e.g., falling asleep at the slots), and the rest seems washed out. Also, Spanish 21 seems like an extremely popular game in AC, with more tables than regular BJ in some hotels (am I right to be avoiding this game?).

The surprise of the day seemed to be the Borgata (the newer casino which is away from the broadwalk). Despite its being the most luxurious casino in the area, it has the most low-limit tables (a high percentage of 10$ compared to 25$ at the Taj Mahal), and it was the only casino to feature 5$ tables. Yes, apparently the mythical beast of the AC 5$ table exists. There's a line of people, but eventually you get a seat.

More important, however, is that all the games are 6 decks (S17, no surrender), and at least the 5$ table seemed to have a very decent penetration: about a third of a deck is burned, and the split card seems to be placed less than a deck from the end, so there's more than 75% penn; that's better than what I observed in the other casinos. In addition, the shuffling machine is open, so you can see the cards stacked up before the shuffle, which is helpful in trying to recognize what a full discard deck would amount too.

On the negative side, the atmosphere in the table was very relaxed; some of the dealers were super-friendly, and the pit bosses were over-relaxed and chatty. It's difficult to maintain the count because the players are chatting all the time; conversation only dropped when we had Asian dealers or Asian players (my impression in Vegas and here was that they seem to ignore the entertainment and social parts of the game). Also, most people flat bet so it's difficult to obtain a good spread; on the other hand it's easy to vary from BS because a lot of the players there seem not to be aware of BS; some seemed not to be aware of the fact that drinking four cocktails in a row at the table is a pretty bad idea as well.

I ended up keeping an inaccurate count since I was busy trying to get my aunt (who came with me) to play BS. Since she'll be in vegas the same week as me, I hope she'll be of aid by playing a second hand, spreading higher when necessary and wonging with frequent cigarette breaks (I make it a principle to play on nonsmoking tables). Does anyone have good dos-and-donts suggestions for signalling to someone in the next seat?
Speaking of that, the timeshare marketers in AC manage to be more obnoxious than the ones in Vegas: a few of them approached me and my aunt and asked if we were married and interested in "free casino money" for presentations and all that. Just ot make it clear, I'm in my late 20s, my aunt is in her late 50s...

So, in summary, if you're in the NY/Philly area and have avoided AC for years, consider trying out the Borgata. It's the most central-strip quality hotel around (even the Buffet is Vegas standard), and seems to have decent penetration for six-decks for low limits.

If you absolutely have to visit the casinos on the broadwalk, check out the worst video blackjack game in existence (that I am aware of): it is found in specially marked "Blackjack-only" machines in the entrace to caesars: Blackjacks pay 2:1, and no doubles or splits are allowed. Makes the usual breed of video BJs seem like a bargain.