Anyone go to Charlestown and play at the table games yet? Have any luck? I hear people are killin the tables.

I hadnt heard but figured to give it a couple of weeks to let the crowds die down. I did read they were setting table minimums at $10 which isnt bad.

A shame Virginia has to watch all that lost revenue go over the border when we could use it here. Charles Town has a sweet setup being so close to DC. Other than road improvements they dont have to provide much else as the customers will be almost 100% day trippers.

Was there last week, they were still working on everything. They weren't going to have all of the tables open yet, only 27 anyways. Might be a little hard to get on one?

I wanted to go out there Friday, but thought the place would be mobbed. Some news articles mentioned that the mins would indeed be $10, which is fair. I suspect during the week they'd come down to $5.

When it's all said and done they are looking to have ~115 tables.. wow. They aren't messing around. With this new development, CT is going to make a killing; they got it made. If you don't screw around.. you can get to CT in about one hour. No more going to shithole Atlantic City.

If people are indeed killing the tables, no surprise. You can't do it on the slots. I kept hearing Charlestown has really tight slots. I also heard they finally put new slot machines in. Their collection was really starting to get old.

One more thing... (sorry)

Charlestown also has the 'Big Six Wheel'. Don't be stupid. Stay away from it.


Stick to blackjack, craps, and mini-baccarat.

Also learn the games before you play. I have seen some real beatings take place in AC and Vegas by customers who knew nothing about the true odds. Plenty of gambling software to teach you at much less expense.
.

I heard the place was packed. On opening night there was some type huge fight that happened over a person trying to cut in line to get a table. I'd give the place about two months to settle down, maybe go on week night.

Lurker. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> On opening night there was some type huge fight that happened over
> a person trying to cut in line to get a table.

This really made me laugh.^^

I can imagine the place will be a mob scene on the weekends for the rest of the summer. Me and some friends plan to go up there in a month or two, probably will take a day of from work to avoid crowds and hopefully see limits drop to $5.

As far as understanding the odds, the Wizard of Odds website is probably the best source of gaming info around...

http://wizardofodds.com/games/

The commercials for this new "Hollywood Casino" make me laugh. It's portrayed as some swanky high-class casino filled with swanky high-class gamblers. It's in West Virginia fer cryin' out loud.

Anyway, I'm really not expecting much of the place. Hopefully their restaurant has cleaned up it's act- it was memorably bad the last time I was there. If anyone could post a trip report it would be much appreciated.

TheMeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The commercials for this new "Hollywood Casino"
> make me laugh. It's portrayed as some swanky
> high-class casino filled with swanky high-class
> gamblers. It's in West Virginia fer cryin' out
> loud.

Ehh.. not sure about this. I'd go out on a branch and say that, while it's in WV, the majority of patrons have VA/DC/MD/other state plates. Charlestown seriously has it made with the location. It's close to get to from a variety of points.

A trip report is necessary, but I think their image is improving. They finally got tables. The last piece of the puzzle is to update their slot machines. The current video slots in there are really old. I heard that they are starting to switch new ones in, but haven't been there in a while to confirm.

It's no Wynn or Bellagio, but I think the tables will really help them.

I was in the casino area before they opened. The gambling area did look really nice. I also saw some very nice sexy hot cocktail waitresses.

The slots are BS, took a while to find the video poker games upstairs and I swear there must have been only 5 or 6 of them. I guess they al look new but WTF, you just sit there and push a button not like the odds ever change.

Over a 100 tables would be cool and $10 to get in not bad at all. I don't know where they would put all of that though?

I thought the place was pretty nice, all looked pretty new and updated but not that big.

And the buffet wasn't half bad. They had a little food court type area too with different restaurants.

Is there actually a theatre there too or just some type of gimmic?

85+ of those 100 tables are going to be poker room tables.. There will only be 8-12 house wagering tables open at any given time aiming for high-rollers with $20 minimums most weekend nights.

Lurker. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I heard the place was packed. On opening night
> there was some type huge fight that happened over
> a person trying to cut in line to get a table. I'd
> give the place about two months to settle down,
> maybe go on week night.

When Resorts opened in AC it was reported to be 5-8 hour waits to get to a blackjack table. Too bad Virginia cant see past this and allow casinos here. The days of mob run casinos and fixed games are long over. Gambling now is heavily regulated. Virginia does allow off track betting for horse racing, which is a business that has been shady for years.

yesss Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TheMeeper Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The commercials for this new "Hollywood Casino" make me laugh. It's portrayed as some swanky high-class casino filled with swanky high-class gamblers. It's in West Virginia fer cryin' out loud.
>
> Ehh.. not sure about this. I'd go out on a branch
> and say that, while it's in WV, the majority of
> patrons have VA/DC/MD/other state plates.

I'm not knocking the place, I've only been there once and I thought it was pretty nice. But the commercials make it seem like you'll be hanging out at Bellagio (a place I don't like anyway).

As far as Whobe's comment about vid poker, I found a few of those multi-game machines that had Jacks-or-better and a few bonus poker variations, but the odds were terrible (6/4 or worse if I remember). But full-pay VP is even hard to find in Vegas these days so I wasn't surprised. It will be interesting to see what kind of odds their craps tables will offer.

Lurker. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was in the casino area before they opened. The
> gambling area did look really nice. I also saw
> some very nice sexy hot cocktail waitresses.


pics or gtfo

hey dont talk shit about the slots, I won 50 bucks!!

iWon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hey dont talk shit about the slots, I won 50
> bucks!!


interesting.. me too
i think theyr capped at 50

it was a quarter slot

Is the Charles Town casino pager friendly?

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

70chip Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 85+ of those 100 tables are going to be poker room
> tables.. There will only be 8-12 house wagering
> tables open at any given time aiming for
> high-rollers with $20 minimums most weekend
> nights.

The poker room, which is going to be separate from the pit and slots area, will have 27 tables. The tables games such as blackjack, craps, etc will have 82 tables, in a couple different areas. The minimums I'm told will be $5-10 normally, and raised to possibly $20-25 for the weekends, just like the vast majority of casinos.

The BlackJack table minimums on saturday were $100 and $200!! Craps minimum was $50 and roulette was $25.....it took over an hour just to get to play on a table if you were lucky, and the poker room had a 4-5 hour wait. If you think I'm exagerating call up and ask. I won't go back for a few months but it was the first weeknd and it was not all open. They had about 20 tables set up but didn't even have enough dealers.

Although $100-$200 blackjack sounds high I believe it. When you have almost no competition you can do that. Surprised they didnt have all tables working. The house take on even one table is enourmous. For $200 blackjack in Vegas you would expect some good comps but what the hell can Charlestown comp you with other than the food and maybe a night in the hotel and who wants to stay there.

Hi! We just got back from CharlesTown,blackjack had a $50.00 minimum,and there was a crowd of at least 10 people waiting at each table. The slot machines that we wanted to play were broken or had people mingling around waiting to play. We just got back from New Orleans,where I won a few dollars and had a good time,so I figured why not give Charlestown another chance,now I wish we hadn't wasted the time..

who is dumb enough to go on the first night it opens up?? You didn't think that maybe it would be crowded and crazy as hell??? And Charlestown had the worst payback ratio for slot machines in the entire country when I checked a couple years ago. Now I know why you never win anything in Charlestown.

mike Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Craps minimum was $50

Wow, ouch. With lousy 2x odds, this casino is milking it for all it's worth. A general rule of thumb is to set your bankroll at 20 times the table minimum. At $50, people must be out there dropping a thousand bucks like it's nothing.

No thanks.

Can someone tell me where these tables are, I am interested but cannot find a Charelstown are in Fairfax County.

Re: Obama + Goldman Sachs > Bush + ENRON - Where's the Outrage?

idontlikebeingrightaboutshitlikethisbutiam



Edited 21 time(s). Last edit at 5/31/1967 05:57AM by WingNut.

Last edit at 11/30/2015 01:37PM Last edit at 5/14/2015 03:52PM Last edit at 1/28/2014 05:57AM Last edit at 11/29/2015 01:10PM Last edit at 3/14/2011 11:52PM Last edit at 7/20/2012 04:07AM
Last edit at 6/29/2013 11:18PM Last edit at 3/19/2011 01:02PM Last edit at 3/26/2012 09:07PM



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2015 07:35PM by WingNut.

I stayed at the Harrah's in Cherokee, NC back in April. Nice place, but it attracts alot of the same element you describe. Alot of blue collar gray-haired people looking to get their slots on. And after midnight it was about as smoky as a casino can get. They have these strange electronic tables that have dealers present, and one fully electronic craps table that had weird & unfair payouts. At least Charles Town is avoiding that kind of nonsense, but with the exorbitant limits I'm hearing about, the place is sounding like a big turnoff.

Save your money and go to Vegas.



WingNut Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I was in Tunica,Mississippi 5 or 6 years ago, The place looked like a tractor pull inside- a bunch of toothless, liverless geezers chainsmoking and not a lot of tail to watch at all, which is sinful for a casino.

WingNut Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was in Tunica,Mississippi 5 or 6 years ago, The
> place looked like a tractor pull inside- a bunch
> of toothless, liverless geezers chainsmoking and
> not a lot of tail to watch at all, which is sinful
> for a casino.
>
> But amazingly, they had single shoe blackjack at
> $5 tables.


Funny you mention that, last time I was at CT races and slots it appeard to be the same way. The people who were at the slots were a huge turnoff to the place. I went on a friday and I speculate that people were cashing in their welfare check that day and blowing it at the casino. Considering cT races and slots has no comps besides a buffet they should comp dental work!!!

justsayin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can someone tell me where these tables are, I am
> interested but cannot find a Charelstown are in
> Fairfax County.

Depends where you live in FFX county. Easiest way for most Fairfax county residents is to shoot up the toll road, then RT 7 west, take right turn at Rt 9 keep going until you see a small green sign off of RT 9 that points to the Charlestown race track.(7-Eleven at the corner)

Not a bad trip for Fairfax residents. It takes about 45 minutes, so you can catch some races, do some blackjack and then be back in FFX at 11pm to hit bars to pick up chics and be banging by 2am.

justsayin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can someone tell me where these tables are, I am
> interested but cannot find a Charelstown are in
> Fairfax County.


Welcome to the internetz. To operate effectively on the internetz one must be able to read. Here I will show you.

"Fairfax County General
Use this board to post anything you think Fairfax County residents would find interesting"


No - Charlestown isn't in Fairfax, but it is of interest to Fairfax residents.

A web published review & comments are here:

http://notlarrysabato.typepad.com/doh/2010/07/review-of-hollywood-casino-at-charles-town-wv.html#comments

It's really bad.

Warhawk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is the Charles Town casino pager friendly?


+1

Watched this again over the weekend...still makes me laugh...

"I didn't know they gave out rings at the Holocaust?"
"I'm not supposed to be within two hundred feet of a school... or a Chuck E. Cheese."
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."

justsayin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can someone tell me where these tables are, I am
> interested but cannot find a Charelstown are in
> Fairfax County.

Some high school kid who is pissed that he can't get into the casino so he wants everybody to stop talking about it.

Yer just jealous!

Thomas More Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A web published review & comments are here:
>
> http://notlarrysabato.typepad.com/doh/2010/07/review-of-hollywood-casino-at-charles-town-wv.html

--->"worse than even the Western Casino in Las Vegas- previously the worst one I had ever seen."

LOL.

Hilarious comparison, but no way it's true. I've been in the Western and it's one scary, down-and-out casino filled with a mix of depressing social outcasts and homeless people who are addicted to gambling. It's quite the scene if you can muster up the courage to walk in the place and endure the reek of desperation and the unfriendly stares you'll get.

Too funny. If you were betting 50 bucks a hand at the Western, you'd probably be robbed at knifepoint right there inside the casino.


Charles Town just sounds like a big ripoff.

Was there on Saturday, the place was packed. Waited about 2 1/2 hours and finally got a seat playing blackjack. 50 dollar minimum. First dealer was nice but made a few rookie mistakes- incorrect payouts, offering insurance at the wrong time, etc. After awhile they bumped the minimum up to 200, but kept us grandfathered in at 50. I suspect the second dealer was counting cards- as soon as the deck got rich she'd either shuffle or call for a new shoe. After another dealer switch, they raised the table limit up to $400 and wouldn't let us play at $50. All the other tables I saw were 400 so we left.

MidnightRambler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Was there on Saturday, the place was packed.
> Waited about 2 1/2 hours and finally got a seat
> playing blackjack. 50 dollar minimum. First
> dealer was nice but made a few rookie mistakes-
> incorrect payouts, offering insurance at the wrong
> time, etc. After awhile they bumped the minimum
> up to 200, but kept us grandfathered in at 50. I
> suspect the second dealer was counting cards- as
> soon as the deck got rich she'd either shuffle or
> call for a new shoe. After another dealer switch,
> they raised the table limit up to $400 and
> wouldn't let us play at $50. All the other tables
> I saw were 400 so we left.


$400? Is that a typo? I cannot see many people playing at that level for very long, at least in WV. I was hoping to take my son and some friends in a few weeks before he gets married, but my budget is around $1500 and I was hoping for $10 craps and $25 blackjack. At those levels I might as well hop in my car and drive to AC or, better yet, catch a cheap flight to Boston or Providence and hit the Indian casino in CT.

Everyone keeps stating the table limit was 100-400. Wouldnt it be the table minimum bet at 100-400. CT messed this one up big if they set the minimum bet at 400 when the majority of their buisness will be from people playing 15-20 dollars a hand. I would be real pissed off if I drove all the way up there and you had to play at 400+ a hand.

$200 and $400 minimum in WV? R u kidding? I was up there on Friday and the table min. was $25 for regular BJ and $10 for Lady Luck BJ.

For poker there was 300 people on the waiting list. It was absolutely ridiculous. Initially they stated there was no list and it was on a first come first serve basis. Lastly, they said the tables would open at 6-8pm, but changed to 11pm.

Will try again during the week.

Might as well wait them out if they are setting tables at $200 bucks. As far as the dealers I have heard from others who went on Saturday that the dealers were making mistakes. I guess they are all new to this and CT probably cant get an experienced dealer from anywhere else. A good dealer in AC or Vegas is not going to pull up stakes and move to West Virginia.

A dealer at the craps table has to be good or they can cost the casino a lot of bucks and customers. It moves fast and if the tables are full it can be a real challenge to the dealers to make the correct payoffs during a hot roll.

I hate the long drive to AC and going to Vegas involves all the airport hassles but it is always worth the trip. I never had a bad time in Vegas and the comps make it even better.

Pa pa pa poker face pa pa poker face ma ma ma ma

CheekyMonkey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MidnightRambler Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Was there on Saturday, the place was packed.
> > Waited about 2 1/2 hours and finally got a seat
> > playing blackjack. 50 dollar minimum. First
> > dealer was nice but made a few rookie mistakes-
> > incorrect payouts, offering insurance at the
> wrong
> > time, etc. After awhile they bumped the
> minimum
> > up to 200, but kept us grandfathered in at 50.
> I
> > suspect the second dealer was counting cards-
> as
> > soon as the deck got rich she'd either shuffle
> or
> > call for a new shoe. After another dealer
> switch,
> > they raised the table limit up to $400 and
> > wouldn't let us play at $50. All the other
> tables
> > I saw were 400 so we left.
>
>
> $400? Is that a typo? I cannot see many people
> playing at that level for very long, at least in
> WV. I was hoping to take my son and some friends
> in a few weeks before he gets married, but my
> budget is around $1500 and I was hoping for $10
> craps and $25 blackjack. At those levels I might
> as well hop in my car and drive to AC or, better
> yet, catch a cheap flight to Boston or Providence
> and hit the Indian casino in CT.

Cheeky Monkey,
Go to Borgata in AC. It is away from the boardwalk crowd and in my opinion is the best AC has to offer. Lots of tables and decent comps. You will think you are in Vegas until you go outside. With the ramps leading into the AC casinos you wont have to risk getting lost and mugged in downtown AC. If you are on a tight budget stay at Harrahs which is decent and less expensive and make the two min drive over to Borgata if you cannot find low minimums at Harrahs.

I cant imagine the comps will be any good. They have no big shows or good resturants. I'd rather drive the 200 miles to AC. Do they even give you free drinks at the tables?

3card Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I cant imagine the comps will be any good. They
> have no big shows or good resturants. I'd rather
> drive the 200 miles to AC. Do they even give you
> free drinks at the tables?

I cant imagine what kind of comps they could give out other than a night at their hotel or food. In Vegas you draw some really good comps if you were playing $100 a hand blackjack. At $200-400 you would have the pit boss giving you special comps and most likely a comped flight back to their casino.

lol, $400 bucks a hand for a few hours will get you a free room anywhere in Vegas. Anywhere. That's insane. In Charles Town they should be giving you the fanciest room in the house for that level of play.

If they're actually handing out comps for that shitty restaurant for $400 a hand, that's a laughable embarrassment!

I overheard a conversation at work about the high table minimums. I thought they were full of it. Wow. What the hell is CT smoking?


Damn. I was hoping that, by CT getting table games, my trips to AC would be over. Guess not.

That review is spot on. I can deal with the heat of high mins.. but not worth it at CT. What are they going to comp me? Voucher for the food court?

However, this may just be opening weekend hype. No WAY they are going to get away with high tables for a long period of time.

They could also be taking the (scumbag) approach of quickly trying to recover the cost of the tables or something.

TheMeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In Charles Town they should be
> giving you the fanciest room in the house for that
> level of play.


Maybe they could throw in some toothed room companions and make it worth the drive.

I did some checking and thought maybe if you were playing $400 a hand blackjack they could comp you at some of their better locations like the AC casinos will do with their Vegas locations. But after checking their website, http://www.pngaming.com/main/index.shtml, it appears the other locations are on a par with Charlestown. Hot spots like Toledo Ohio, Sioux City Iowa and Aurora Illinois.

lol... review on TripAdvisor

"3. Slot players are splitting two 10's!!! I've heard of this ridiculous acts but I now have finally witnessed it personally.

4. Dealers still need lot of play time. No fault on their part, they're all new, so they need more time to practice how to deal and payout.

5. There are only few tables open at a time. People are lining up to play at $200 table, it's ridiculous.

6. There just are too many "bad players" at this casino. They don't know how to split (when need to) and take extra cards (when dealer up card is 10 and you only have 16... and staying ... what's up with that?)"

These are the comps-

dental work, cigs, toaster/coffee maker in 1, gaurenteed DUI when you drive back home into loudoun county, rooms with ac unit below window and the best buffet in west virginia!!

pgens Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Maybe they could throw in some toothed room
> companions and make it worth the drive.

I was playing $800 craps and they comped me a free visit to the casino's orthodontist.

TheMeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> pgens Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Maybe they could throw in some toothed room
> > companions and make it worth the drive.
>
> I was playing $800 craps and they comped me a free
> visit to the casino's orthodontist.


Was it just a consultation or did they throw some wooden braces on you?

I read a review from another website and a guy said he went to the bar and ordered a Crown Royal. It wasnt even in the bottle but on tap. Is this place trying to be the redneck Atlantic City?

He also commented on the dealers being inept and screwing up the payoffs. For Gods sake how hard is it to pay off in blackjack. Its even money except for blackjack at 1.5 to 1.

Tim45 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> He also commented on the dealers being inept and
> screwing up the payoffs.

I can understand screwing up payouts in craps, but blackjack is pretty simple. Someone mentioned a dealer offering insurance at the wrong time. Do they need to teach these dealers what an ace looks like??

lol, the dealer's showing a 7,would you like to buy insurance?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2010 09:28AM by TheMeeper.

I have a feeling that they brought in dealers from other casinos they own in the midwest for the opening weekend. I can't imagine they would use fresh dealers right out of school so, it makes me wonder why they were screwing up the payoffs.

"A destination where fame and fortune walk hand-in-hand"

^^ I just saw this commercial

They actually say that.

Fame and fortune. Hand-in-hand.

lol.

Good luck in West Virginia!

50 / 100 per bit initial limits kicking up to $400/bet... who the hell did they build this place for? Poorly managed and ridiculous. If they did a little planning they could have taken part of AC's crowd and made some good coin off them. But with CTown's management lacking a brain apparently they've shot themselves in the foot for quite some time...they better get those other games online and prices controlled or they will certainly not achieve their goals of bringing in more revenue for the local community...

Who won these Casino Contracts? Halliburton?

Just got home from Charles Town 2 hrs ago. The high table minimums are true. I got there at 4 am and out of the so called "85 open gaming tables" they had 4 open. 1 craps=$25 minimum. 1 Four card Poker=$25 minimum. 2 Blackjack=$50 minimum. I stood in line 3 hrs waiting for a Blackjack seat with no luck. When I asked a supervisor why more tables weren't open she said they don't have enough dealers yet. She told me more would open at noon. At 11:30 people started filling up ALL the unopen tables. When noon came they only opened ten of them making 14 tables open. The people at the tables that didn't get opened were pissed and the opened ones had $50 minimums to be raised to $100 at 3 pm. I was there 9 hrs and didn't get to play 1 hand of Blackjack.

Diss'd at CTown Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Who won these Casino Contracts? Halliburton?

Sounds like BP runs the place. I cannot understand this half ass operation. They are throwing away the potential to make some real money. They are also throwing away the good will of a customer base. What these pricks need to get them in line is some real competition. But that cannot happen since they now have the DC market all to themselves.

If there is some marketing strategy for having four tables being open and pissing people off it is beyond me.

CTownisajoke Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just got home from Charles Town 2 hrs ago. The
> high table minimums are true. I got there at 4 am
> and out of the so called "85 open gaming tables"
> they had 4 open. 1 craps=$25 minimum. 1 Four card
> Poker=$25 minimum. 2 Blackjack=$50 minimum. I
> stood in line 3 hrs waiting for a Blackjack seat
> with no luck. When I asked a supervisor why more
> tables weren't open she said they don't have
> enough dealers yet. She told me more would open at
> noon. At 11:30 people started filling up ALL the
> unopen tables. When noon came they only opened ten
> of them making 14 tables open. The people at the
> tables that didn't get opened were pissed and the
> opened ones had $50 minimums to be raised to $100
> at 3 pm. I was there 9 hrs and didn't get to play
> 1 hand of Blackjack.



My buddy lives in Charles Town and he said that the reason the minimums are so high right now is they only have about 1/3 of the tables open because the state is behind on issuing dealer licenses. So they don't have enough people to keep all the tables open 24 hours straight. The costs should come down as more tables are opened. They're trying to make up for the lost income right now.

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

A co woker went last Saturday. Granted Saturday is a bad time to make the trip but he did anyway. He said the tables were hopelessly crowded with two deep waiting to play. He did say some of the tables had $25.00 minimums. Hopefully that is a good sign.

He also said at the craps tables when some of the players were tapped out they just stood there taking up space. The dealers would not ask them to vacate the players position. He also got the same answer as Warhawks friend that most of the dealers had not yet received their licenses from the state thus the closed tables.

In Vegas or AC if you are not playing you cannot stand/sit in a players position. To be fair I guess I am expecting too much from Charles Town.

They are only paying the dealers minimum wage. There are actually a number of experienced dealers in the DC area who do corporate events who were interested in jobs -- but the party dealing pays multiples of that.

We went last night. The place was a disaster. CT has always been a confusing casino in terms of layout and it is now only worse. The table minimums were insane and half the tables not open -- but dealers standing idle. Stupid.

Most casinos pay minimum wage for dealers. The dealers live on tips. Which is too bad because the last time I was in Vegas the players were very cheap. After an hour at the craps table I was the only one who had placed a bet for the dealers and that was in Vegas. There were some hot rolls too so it wasnt like no one was making money. If you are placing wagers for them they will give you extra attention and point out if you forgot to put odds on a bet if you normally do. They can be a big help in a hot roll.

I hate to think of the cheap tippers in CT. The dealers wont say it out loud but they prefer you place a bet rather than an outright tip. It gives them a chance to make more money. In craps and other table games you just have to put a wager next to your bet and indicate the dealers are playing.

It might be only my experience but people have become pricks when it comes to tipping for anything like dealers, wait staff and bartenders. A genuine lack of class seems to be the norm.

Tim45 is correct, most Vegas dealers aren't paid much more than minimum wage. Tips are where they make there money.

And with the sky-high limits I'm hearing about, I can imagine CT is filled with plenty of irate people who just got suckered out of a ton money- people in no mood to throw ten bucks to the dealer. Probably alot of noobs too, who don't know it's proper to tip or make bets for the dealers.

I guess it sounds like a 'cool' job, until you realize you're on your feet all day working crappy hours and dealing with alot of unpleasant shitheads.

Article from yesterday's paper on the Greenbriar and CT (Hollywood) casinos:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/15/AR2010071506012.html

Overall impression of CT was pretty much what has been stated here with long waits for a limited number of poker (and other gaming) tables and no free drinks. Plus, the hours are odd and it does not appear that there is any table gaming (at least during the week) from 6am-3pm.

As much as I would like to give this a try, I think that I am going to wait until they have most of the tables open and the limits drop to something where I can have fun with $300-400. I can typically make that type of stakes last a full evening at $10 craps at Mohegan or Las Vegas, but it is a bit tougher when the limit is $25.

So are the tables running at a $25 minimum now? It was $100 on the 5th. Insane, but im thinking about going up tonight is the prices are more reasonable.

Jesus christ there are this many people driving all the way to wait in lines for hours to hopefully throw their money away? Didn't Maryland just pass slots legislation? I don't think it will be in that many places though.

Tim45 Posted: "The dealers wont say it out loud but they prefer you place a bet rather than an outright tip. It gives them a chance to make more money."

I think most dealers would take the money outright. Why would they want to gamble their tips and then be subject to the house edge?

It looks as though the lowest the minimums will get is $15 based off the email I received when I asked. I was hoping for at least a few $5/$10 tables but $15 beats $100, or even $25 if that's what they are currently at.

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Thank you for your recent email inquiry. Our table minimums are going to range from $15-$200 once we are fully operational with our tables games venue. Currently, we are offering $25 minimum tables which is based upon business volume and customer demand.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to give us a call.

Sincerely,

Tangla L. Pavlick

Casino Host

Think I'd rather go out to Vegas.

Just came back from CT on Thurs nite. $25 rouette tables and $50 BJ tables. This sucks. They did offer to comp a room, but I had to pay an extra $100 if I wanted indoor plumbng. Paid the $100 but lost at the tables. Did go to a great sandwhich place next door - Sheets. Try it if you go to CT.

Oh, forgot to mention - too much smoke and really fat and ugly chicks. I'm not kidding, this one fat chick kept pushing up against me at BJ table (she wasn't playing - just watching) and she smelled like vienna sausage.

Thank you for supporting Charlestown Races and Slots, and our new Hollywood Casino. To clear up the misinformation posted above, I'd like to clarify our policies:

Table Minimums: Our Table minimums are $5, subject to demand. Once the maximum number of players are situated at a table, we raise our minimums to $25-$400 per hand based on our expectations of customer demand. Thus, there are always $5 tables available, until the number of customers exceed the number of available of gaming positions, at which market pricing is employed.

Payouts: We pay standard North American payouts, subject to maximum table payouts. For example, the Blackjack Maximum payout is $200 per hand. This means that when our table minimums are $5, you receive $5 for a standard win and $7.50 for a BJ. When our table minimums increase, so does your ability to win more money subject to the table payout maximum. For example, if you are at a $200 BJ table, the maximum payout on a $200 hand is $200 for a regular win and also $200 for a BJ. At a $400 table, the maximum you will be paid is $200 regardless if it is a regular win or a BJ.

Parking: We offer free parking.

LOL - I had the opposite experience of everyone on this forum. I played craps at Charles Town and the dealer started her shift (dumb local girl) paying the pass line every time someone rolled other than a 7. I was paid 6 times before the pit boss noticed. He tried to recoup the money, but we all left.

Next, I went to a $200 minumum Black Jack table. People were playing $25. I asked what the minimum was, and the dealer said $200. I looked around, and saw everyone staring straight ahead, not making eye contact with either me or the dealer. So I put $25 down. The dealer dealt, I had an 18 (Queeen showing), and the dealer had a 6 up. She dealt out (no one hit, even a guy with a 2 showing), so I guessed something was up. Everyone stayed, so the dealer turned over a King from the hole, and proceeded to pull a jack (busted). Everyone at the table smiled, and she paid us all $200. I stupidly asked why I got $200 (everyone at the table looked at me as if they were going to lynch my ass), and she tole me that it was a $200 minimum table, so the least she was allowed to pay was $200. That lasted about 20 minutes until she had to ask the pit boss for more chips, at which point we all left. He yelled and screamed at her (including a slur) so I got my ass out of the area.

I won about $4,000 that night, and it was great. However, the weirdest law I ever saw is employed in the Charlestown Casino. In the bathrooms, there is a sign that says "Employees Must Wash Hands". I never gave much thought to that in other states, but it was very obnoxious in West Virginia. After you piss, an employee comes up to you and soaps your hands, rinses your hands in water, and dries your hands with a towel. It is kind of obnoxious and gay, but supposedly that is West Virginia law. The only time it really bothered me was very late at night - I had to wait 15 minutes for an employee to show up.

Anyway, they are very disorganized in West Virginia, and I'm not sure the dealers have the math skills to pay out correctly, so for once the casino might work in our favor.

I don't go out to casinos much (at all), but who in their right mind, anywhere, is going to play BJ at a $400 table if the payout is only going to be $200 for a win and even for a BJ?

Is that possibly "standard North American payouts" as the poster describes it?

This sounds pretty bogus, but the explanation of raising table minimums based on demand/supply sounded pretty rational, so I thought I would try to check the veracity of the rest of the post.

Both stories posted above, by "CharlesTown Management" and "Keith Skidnail", are complete nonsense. The stories are actually amusing, but there is no chance that stuff is true. There's no such thing as a "minimum payout" at blackjack, and there's no chance in hell the box or stickman wouldn't notice a dealer making such a ridiculous mistake like paying out a craps roll on the come-out.



Hi Roller Wrote:
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> I don't go out to casinos much (at all), but who
> in their right mind, anywhere, is going to play BJ
> at a $400 table if the payout is only going to be
> $200 for a win and even for a BJ?
>
> Is that possibly "standard North American payouts"
> as the poster describes it?
>
> This sounds pretty bogus, but the explanation of
> raising table minimums based on demand/supply
> sounded pretty rational, so I thought I would try
> to check the veracity of the rest of the post.

Keith Skidnail apparently does not hold the intelligence of West Virginians in very high regard! "Employees must wash hands"--pretty funny stuff...



TheMeeper Wrote:
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> Both stories posted above, by "CharlesTown
> Management" and "Keith Skidnail", are complete
> nonsense. The stories are actually amusing, but
> there is no chance that stuff is true. There's no
> such thing as a "minimum payout" at blackjack, and
> there's no chance in hell the box or stickman
> wouldn't notice a dealer making such a ridiculous
> mistake like paying out a craps roll on the
> come-out.
>

Hi Roller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Keith Skidnail apparently does not hold the
> intelligence of West Virginians in very high
> regard! "Employees must wash hands"--pretty funny
> stuff...

I was at CT last night playing craps. It was $1000 minimum payout, which meant I could bet any amount I wanted but still collect a thousand no matter what was rolled. They kept making a mistake by only rolling one die at a time, and instead of paying 6:5, they thought it was 65. So I ended up making 65,000 dollars on a single pass line bet. Then I took my winnings and bet it all on red at the roulette table, but the croupier was color blind so I lost it all. They wanted me to keep playing so they comped me a turkey sub and a bag of Sun chips from the Sheetz next door.

And then I went to a baseball game where the leadoff batter hit a grand-slam, but they called it a strike.

I was looking forward to blackjack at CT but not any more. I played once at Wheeling and did pretty well, I think the minimums were $10 or $15. Had to pay $4 per beer while playing though which I thought was strange. Dover Downs just opened blackjack, that may be a better choice. Also, some PA casinos are opening this month but not sure where.

FWIW, if anyone's looking for a good practice site for Blackjack, check this out:

http://www.hitorstand.net/game_m.html

You don't really play to "win". Rather, the site evaluates each move you make based on perfect blackjack strategy, then rates you according to the number of correct plays versus incorrect plays you've made. Pretty useful.

There's also a "Difficult" mode which sees how well you can think through strange hands.

If you can consistently score 100%, you're ready to sit down with all those $400 dollar hotshots up in Charles Town!

"They did offer to comp a room, but I had to pay an extra $100 if I wanted indoor plumbng"

Funny, will West Virginia ever get over the stigma?

I literally just got back.... after waiting an hour for the $25 blackjack tables it wasn't bad.

Not as bad as some people made it out to be.

Mo Wrote:
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> I literally just got back.... after waiting an
> hour for the $25 blackjack tables it wasn't bad.
>
> Not as bad as some people made it out to be.


No, it's bad. The issue is people around here don't know any better and are clueless. Too much money in the area.

At Charlestown, those $25 (and even worse, higher) tables shouldn't be packed. If they had a clue, they'd go to Atlantic City or Las Vegas. Why? $25 and higher gets you rated. If you played $25 dollars a hand for a good amount of time in Vegas, you'd never pay for a room; or at least only spend a few bucks for one. Worst case, you'll get a free show or a meal ticket to one of the nice establishments in the house. What is Charlestown going to give me? Furthermore, it seems their drink service hasn't changed either. I'm going to play $25 a hand to get cheap beer in a plastic cup? They don't even have the BASICS down.

PROTIP: Never chase comps. But if you have a hard-on to play $25+ blackjack, craps or roulette, go to Vegas and at least get a side benefit of throwing money away.

By the way, another example it's bad there:


The big six wheel was PACKED.

uhhyeah Wrote:
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>
> The big six wheel was PACKED.

lol, go figure...

They don't actually set a $25 minimum on the Big 6, do they?

TheMeeper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> uhhyeah Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > The big six wheel was PACKED.
>
> lol, go figure...
>
> They don't actually set a $25 minimum on the Big
> 6, do they?

The disappointing part? I couldn't tell. The table and immediate area was so crowded I couldn't even see the table.

If you play 25 a hand for a few hours up in ac at the tropicana you get free rooms and food comps and all the drinks you want for free at the tables. Screw CT. Drive 3 hours and you will have a better time and the table minimus are only 10-15 bucks. I used to go to the trump resorts 2 times a month and even on new years eve the higest table minimum was 50 bucks on the main floor.

ac=better option Wrote:
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>


Even better: book a cheap flight to Vegas and stay in a cheapo room on Fremont St. for 3 nights. There you can gamble like crazy for 5 bucks a hand, drink free booze, and actually feel like you're having a good little vacation. This can be easily done for under $1,000.

Then come home and laugh about the people waiting in line in West Virginia to play $100 tables.

is the age limit still 18?

You could get a Vegas flight for 200 bucks a few years ago....now it's like 400

terelli Wrote:
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> You could get a Vegas flight for 200 bucks a few
> years ago....now it's like 400

Depends when you're looking.

do you have to be atleast 18 to get into charlestown or did they change that?

age Wrote:
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> do you have to be atleast 18 to get into
> charlestown or did they change that?

You're not allowed in the gaming areas or restaurants unless you're 21.

You mean, "Hollywood"? Where you're the star, you're in the spotlight?

Any hookers hanging around in the casino, like they do in AC and Vegas?

Any update on the limits and lines? Have more dealers gotten licenses yet?