Las Vegas Strip rewards card counting couple

John and Margarita Stathis decided to spend their 25th wedding anniversary recently at the Paris hotel on the Strip. Nevada is named "The Silver State" and celebrating the silver benchmark in Las Vegas was John's idea, instead of buying jewelry. Walking through the low limit 6:5 ($50 blackjacks receive $60 instead of $75) at two in the afternoon Mirage blackjack tables near the sportsbook, one will read "Bringing the heat for 20 years" stenciled on the green felts. Heat is a term used by counters when they have been made by a casino for betting with their heads, not over it. The people mover and the white tiger display are gone and the casino is nearly empty. The six high-limit double deck tables near the poker room with one of the best rules in town is completely deserted with only dealers and pit bosses waiting for customers. There is a saying that goes "throwing out the baby with the bath water" and maybe the Mirage threw out weak counters who comprise the majority of blackjack's profits with the few competent players.

Margarita never card counted before because of the higher limits and held John's feet to the fire as an anniversary present. They took the tram from Mirage to Treasure Island next door to play the four $10 minimum double deck games that offers a low .19% advantage to the house. MGM Mirage sold Treasure Island to billionaire Phil Ruffin recently to raise funds to open its struggling CityCenter project. Ruffin is known to offer good games as he did when he owned Frontier on the Strip and this blackjack January surprise is just what the doctor ordered. The Treasure Island $10 game is parallel to Mirage's (or Wynn,Bellagio, and Aria) double deck with the dealer standing on soft 17, 3:2 blackjack payouts, double after split, and penetration around 60%. A good game to play for a couple on a budget looking for a good deal and a chance to win a few bucks.

Margarita was told by John to "pump it up!" when more aces and tens than normal were left in the presence of pit bosses who took interest. John never looked at his cards and took insurance if a dealer had an ace up, when the deck was rich in tens. He had a personal pit boss within inches of his face! This proved to his wife about the heat he has always received, and never believed by her until then. The couple made off with $600 of Treasure Island's money that paid for their Cashman Crystal anniversary gift with their picture inside the crystal.