If you are a true degen, you'll know the days before a flight to Las Vegas are just a bit slower. How can one go to work when they know they will be at the tables with stacks of chips in front of them in just a few days? While my destination is different this week, my feelings all week are the same. This weekend, I am headed to Atlantic City. Adding to the excitement, I am traveling with one of the greatest degens I know, my father.
When Friday finally arrived, I couldn't be more ready. The bags are in the car, a pocket full of gambling money, and a stomach full of butterflies for the action that waits just a few hours away. Atlantic City is just over two hours away from my home; just an hour into the drive, we make a quick stop at the Philadelphia airport to pick up our companion for the trip, my father, who flew in just to hit the tables with me for a few days (I told you he was a degen). Once Philadelphia is in the rearview, we are just over an hour outside Atlantic City; the time passes quickly between talks of betting strategies ahead and trips to Atlantic City prior. We are both relatively new to the city, myself having been only once but within the last year,. This is my father's third trip, but the first in 20 years. In what feels like minutes, we turn off the highway and enter Atlantic City.
Atlantic City, is not Vegas. It certainly has aspects that are wonderful and exceed Vegas at times, but they are not the same. There is no party outside on the street between properties like there are in Vegas, every day is not Mardi Gras. In Atlantic City, the scene on the streets is much closer to The Walking Dead. There is not the plethora of world-class entertainment and shows that Vegas always has, though they have their moments and events. There is a level of luxury and exclusivity that only Vegas can provide for those willing to pay the price that Vegas sets. What Atlantic City does well (and in my opinion even better than Vegas) is cater to the true degen. From my experience, the rules on tables in Atlantic City are far more advantageous than any you will find on the main casino floor of any Las Vegas Strip Casino. Below are all games I saw available At Ocean's Casino This weekend:
$15 BlackJack games paying 3:2, stand on soft 17, surrender allowed (Always available though often busy)
$25 BlackJack games paying 3:2, stand on soft 17, surrender allowed (often empty or near empty)
$10 Craps game, 3x-5x odds (Typically, this game was kept at $15 though at times, it could be played at $10)
$5-$10 minimum carnival pit games
Another place that Atlantic City thrives is comps and price point. In Las Vegas, $10,000 of Gambling losses in a weekend, and you may be hard-pressed to get a room on the strip comped next weekend. In Atlantic City, $10,000 of play will get you a room for as long as you want. We stayed at Ocean's Casino, which is the newest property in town. After staying there once, I had no issues getting a comped room for the weekend.
The room and entire property at Oceans is great. The rooms are modern, clean, and large. The property itself feels very open and bright and has what feels like endless dining options. During our entire stay, we never felt much desire to venture to another property, that being said the January weather didn't help our courage.
Once checked into the room, it didn't take long for us to give each other the nod that it was time to venture down and find a craps table. I should mention that my father, though a degen, is only excited by one game, Craps. If you seat him at any other game, you will soon be met with groans about how slow the action is (he is going for the big win and he wants to live life one throw away from it). Approaching and largely empty ($15, 3/4/5x odds) Craps table, we both buy-in: $1000 for me, $3000 for pops; way to show me up.
My strategy for this session is to play $15 on the line, max the odds, and play $20 units across the board for a total investment of $169-$196 per shooter. We will press every hit until we have hit 3 numbers, at which point we will reduce things to just our pass line and a come bet.
The early session starts, and sadly, the dice are not in our favor; in just 20 minutes, we have had a number of point sevens, and I am down half of my buy-in. The battle presses on, and soon, my old man puts us on a good roll. A few points in and now we are just one roll away from hitting the "all tall" (8-12 without a 7). Just needing a "YO" (11) we the table cheers on in anticipation… WE GOT IT! In many ways, this has salvaged the session, bringing us a few hundred dollars for the "all tall" and another few hundred for some points hit along the way. Another hour or two passes along with a handful of crown royals and cokes; soon, it is time to break for dinner. Cashing out and counting our chips, we are both down but mainly in the game, myself with around $1200 left and pops around $2500.
Dinner was sushi, for trips with my father, it's always a staple of any great of our time together. Between a wonderful bottle of Sake and some great fish, we wasted away a good few hours (and a number of the chips we had left) hanging out for the rest of the night.
After the meal, like the degen I am, I was still hungry for action. Though my father had retired to the room, I told him I would be trying my hand for another hour or two at a blackjack game downstairs (I like the game). I stroll back to the Casino floor, $1,000 in my pocket, ready to fire; finding a great $25 game with no other players around, I buy in the full amount. After a shoe or two, things are going well, I am pumped up a few hundred, drinks are flowing, then my phone rings. My father is on the other line, "where are you?", he asked. "The BlackJack table all the way on the end of the casino" I replied, then across the pit I spot him, he has rallied! In excitement the dealer and I both holler and welcome him in, ordering him a drink and watching him buy in a few thousand, the night is still young!
The next morning, recovering from the night before and counting our totals from the day prior, it looks like I am down an even $2K and the big man is down $3K, could be worse.
We are morning people, so even though we pushed the limits yesterday, we are back on the casino floor by 8 am, taking our places with the morning regulars at the dice table. Though hilarious (much more laughing at them than with) this morning, the crowd was not the most fun to play with. A typical early morning dice crowd in a casino, mostly angry men who play far too often and are bankrolled far too thin, not many smiles going around this table outside of my father and I. Though we tried our best to bring the energy and excitement, my father and I were struck with some of the coldest dice we have seen. After about 40 minutes, we are both thousands of dollars lighter than we started, not a great run.
Looking to curb our losses and refresh our luck, we find our way to a bubble craps machine and load in a few hundred. Essentially breaking even for a while, we enjoy our drinks and some conversation; as we talk, we start to build a roll before us. Just a few numbers away from hitting the "Make them all" bonus, our attention is much firmer on the game. Soon, we need just two numbers, 3 and 11. Continuing to roll, we finally check off the 11 for a few hundred dollars on the "all tall" and "horn-high-yo" bets. Just one number to go, 3, if we hit it, we are $2500 richer; if not, we are in the same spot we were before, a hole. Holding our breath, we hit the button, the dice roll, and BOOM, 3! Celebrating our winnings and change of luck, we immediately hawk down a cocktail waitress and put in a fresh order.
While I would love to say that the luck continued to blow in our favor, that was sadly the final high point of our gambling on the trip. Soon we found ourselves back at the physical dice table, struggling to bring a point or any winnings to our side of the table.
That evening, we suited up to take on the steakhouse, a staple of every great gambling trip. One of my favorite things away from the action has always been a great dinner with great people. Excellent food, drinks flowing, and great conversations with those you love to spend time with, there is truly little better. Though we had a great time at the tables, this may have been the highlight of the trip, to crush giant Ribeyes and Foie Gras with my father and best friend, a time to cherish.
After dinner, we didn't have it in us to rally for another night of drinking and blackjack; admittedly, if the luck had blown more our way, I am sure we would have. This time, the trip ended there; though we couldnt win a thing, it was great nonetheless. Until next time AC...
Fun Score: A+
Gambling Score: D