You might not think of the Las Vegas Hilton as a locals' place, but compared with other big casinos on and near the Strip, it does a lot to appeal to Las Vegas area residents.
For one thing, locals get a "Hometown Hot Spot" sticker on their players cards entitling them to 25 percent off at all restaurants in the hotel.
The games at the Hilton are a notch above those found on the Strip, especially for lower-denomination players. Several video poker games, including 9/6 Jacks or Better and 16/10 Deuces Wild ("Not So Ugly Deuces") return more than 99-1/2 percent with perfect play. The best video poker is found in the Sports Book.
In recent years the blackjack at the Hilton has been, at best, mixed. A six-deck shoe game with surrender was offered with a $5 or $10 minimum, but usually only on one or two tables. Double deck was available, at $25 minimum, but with doubling after split not allowed. There were often numerous tables of single-deck 21 paying only 6-to-5 for blackjack, a rip-off game that's also found in many Strip casinos.
On recent visits to the Hilton, I found several tables of the good shoe game with a $10 minimum. I also found that the double deck rules had changed to allow doubling after split, resplitting aces -- and surrender. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only double deck game in Vegas with a full 3-to-2 payoff for blackjacks in which surrender is allowed.
For those not familiar with this rule, it allows players, after receiving their first two cards -- let's say a 10 and a six against a dealer's 10 -- to fold, and keep half their bet. I always surrender a 16 (except a pair of eights) against a dealer's ace, 10 or nine, and any 15 against a dealer's 10.
This double deck game is available with a minumum of as low as $10, compared with $25 for decent double deck on the Strip. At least it was on a recent weeknight. On a weekend day, the minimum was $25.
It's good to see the Hilton bucking the trend of making games worse for players, and taking on the locals' casinos for the blackjack business of players who appreciate rules that give them the best chance against the house.
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Nice post, Ian, and good news for locals and Las Vegas visitors alike (though the Hilton is off the Strip, it's easily accessible by cab and monorail). Does the dealer hit soft 17? As you know, that rule is worse for the player than not allowing doubling after splitting, and it seems endemic in Las Vegas. Also, for us card counters out there, how's the penetration? Finally, your readers may want to know that surrender is the statistical equivalent of winning one bet and losing three, and therefore should be used on any hand with a win expectation of less than 25%, such as those you mentioned. Keep up the good work.
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