I will be visiting Amsterdam in a few weeks and have some interest in playing blackjack at the Holland Casino.

I visited thier web site and tried to download thier blackjack pdf but I was not able to download it. I think my browser was having trouble with something encoded in the url query string although I didn't give it alot of effort.

I believe I looked at thier document in past years and was dissapointed with the playing conditions.

I am a card counter and am more eager to play with conditions that give the player a better statistical advantage.

My guess is that they only have multi deck games with poor penetration (how far they deal into the deck(s)) and not very favorable rules.

The following playing conditions are good for a card counter and players in general:

1) single deck or double deck

2) low minimum bet so you can vary your bet with a 5 to 1 ratio without having to bring a large bankroll. One wants to weight thier betting by betting more when the deck is favorable to the player.

3) 70%+ penetration into the deck - they deal 70% or better into the deck before they shuffle.

4) liberal rules such as doubling allowed on any two cards, 2:1 payed on a blackjack, insurance allowed, etc

Does anyone konw the current blackjack playing conditions at the Holland Casino.

I don't expect them to be very good but it sure would be fun to play while I am there.

Thank You ...

Not sure if the games are multi-deck or single deck, but if you are worried about shallow penetration I'd suggest visiting the kamers instead.

lol ... I expect I will achieve better than 70% penetration at the kamers!

I am pretty sure the blackjack tables at Holland Casino are multideck! They have a new highteck shuffling device at each table. You are right: don't expect the conditons to be overly player/counter-friendly. Best play Hold'em: at least at the poker table you're not playing against the house...

ST

I was at the Holland Casino a couple of years ago to play blackjack. I wanted to see how long I could play at the same table without getting up, on 200 euro before fatigue made me a victim. Before the night was over, I had two chubby guys sitting on either side of me blowing clove cigarette smoke in my face, people leaning over my back to place bets on top of my bet, dealers changing every 10 minutes or so, and playing very fast. They were using huge shoes that looked like they would hold 8 decks. When i was finally down to 40 euro or so and had a sort of screw it attitude, i couldn't catch a break to save my life and that last 40 went down the drain very quickly. Even though I had a bladder like a basketball by that time, I was trying to play as smart as possible, not missing any obvious doubles etc... As i recall, the rules were very anti player. Only double 9, 10, or 11, and only on the first deal. Dealer hits soft 17's. I never do insurance so i'm not sure what the rules on that were. It was interesting and depressing and reminded me of something an old gambler tole me. "You're the only one gambling, the house is not gambling".
Have fun, and carry on!
Sam