www.CostaRicaTicas.com

...is a sucker's bet. There is such rampant coruption and dishonestly in CR that i can't believe that mank casinos dont stack the deck in the CR equivalent of Blackjact (the only game where you can neutralize the house advantage if you understand the game).

I will play this in Vegas because I have a chance with average luck. I seriously doubt that the casinos in CR would voluntarily keep the game honest (not stack the deck) and I am 100% certain that the CR government would be totally ineffective in stopping cheating I would rather overpay at the Del rey where I would a least get sex hat throw my money away at the casinos

I don't know where you play in CR, but I have never had reason to be suspicious. I play at the Morazon, Radisson and Paradiso and am way up after 3 trips there this year.

Kented:
I have no doubt there is no active enforcement of the gaming regulations in CR ala Vegas / AC etc, but I also would like to point out that the major Casinos I have played in are completely and 100% on the up and up.

Point taken Stayed at Amon Plaza and Played at the Paradiso. Brand new cards all spread out prior to the wash /mix showing that all 52 cards were present in the 6 decks. Then a very generous 1 1/2 to 2 deck penetration cut with liberal Vegas Rules. Say what you want but the Paradiso is 100% honest in my opinion.

Horseshoe. Very straight forward no BS will also show the 4 /6 decks prior to shuffle & wash. Don' t like the 1 card down BS but VBob will argue this point with me to death. Still as honest as they come.

Those are the only two places I play BJ and have never had a problem so have no idea where you can make that statement.

_________________
"Success isn't having $$ it is knowing how to Spend It"

I am pretty good at spotting a crooked game. I play regularly here at the Horseshoe,Colonial,and Amon Plaza and can vouch for each of these. One good reason they don't cheat is THEY DON'T HAVE TO. G-man is correct when he says that they all spread the cards before yo begin. The Del Rey casino has been discussed here before. Unless you are just passing time looking at chicas and playing for almost nothing DO NOT PLAY AT THE DEL REY!!!! They do not overtly cheat,but what they train their dealers to do is damn close.

I think the DR dealers are a little too quick to rake in a bet you won.

In general, I think the games are straight.

I can count cards , very well.
I only play to pass time, while a TICA relaxes, for chump change.

My winnings are consistent with Las Vegas.

I played at the Morazon one time. They never changed cards.

a casino would have no need to cheat in roulette or other table games since the odd are in their favor and there is nothing the gambler can do to reduce the house advantage. Slots, of course, have the odds set by the house and are always certain to lose money in the long run.

The way a casino could cheat in blackjack is to remove a few aces and a few picture cards from the deck. It would be totally idiotic for a casino to do this since they can make enough money with the odds and they don't need to cheat. having lived in CR ad knowing how few laws can be enforced, the casinos are virtually on the honor syystem to keep games honest.

If you like, keep gambling here. it keeps Costa Rica green.

Kented: March 17, 2005 9:18 PM:


Kented: March 19, 2005 9:12 AM:


Am I the only one confused What a difference 36 hours make Kented just what is your thought on the honesty of Casino's in CR?

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I just got back from a week in San Jose and enjoyed it quite a bit. It was my second trip. I normally travel out to Vegas three or four times a year, but will probably start heading down to San Jose more often and cutting back on Vegas.There are just so many other things for a guy to do in Costa Rica, which are covered in the other sections:)

I tried to hit all the casinos in the area, and I found the Club Colonial
and the Paradiso Casino (at the Amon Plaza where I stayed) to be the most pleasant places to play in my opinion.

The Paradiso Casino plays blackjack with the same rules that you have in Vegas, and I cetainly saw no signs of cheating. It was a great place to play, very pretty dealers and very friendly people, but unfortunately it has no craps table, and craps is probably my favorite game. I spent at least a couple of hours there every day though and definitely enjoyed it.
They also play Texas Hold'em there, but I think it may only be on the weekend nights, since they need to get at least a certain amount of people who want to play. They didn't have a game during the weeknights I was there, and I was downtown during the weekend nights, so I have no input.

The Club Colonial also has a very nice atmosphere, very upscale. It has no blackjack tables, but the dice table had the most action that I could find. It has the same rules as Vegas, with 2x odds. That seems to be the rule in Costa Rica, I could find no 5X or 10X tables like you can find in downtown Vegas. Again, it was very pleasant there, and all on the up and up.

The Horseshoe also had a craps table, but it didn't seem to get as much play as the one at the Colonial, or maybe I just hit it at a quiet time. They also play blackjack there, but I didn't get a chance to play so I don't know what rules they have.

I played rommy at the Del Ray, but it was just nickel and dime stuff, I was there for the view.
It was a lot of fun, but I would go next door to the Club Colonial if I wanted to really gamble. I also think the Del Ray is on the up and up, but you do have to pay attention to what you are doing. The dealers aren't there to hold your hand if your eyes start to wander off.

I also went to the Casino Europa in the Radisson hotel once, since I had seen it on TV, but it was kind of disapointing from my viewpoint.
It had no dice table, but it did have a blackjack table over in the corner.
It said "Vegas Rules" on the plaque on the table so I sat down and started playing. The I started to read the "Vegas Rules" plaque and saw that you couldn't double down after you split a pair. There were some other rules after that, but that one was pretty much a deal breaker right there if you want to play blackjack, so I stopped after the first shoe.
Still, it seemed like a nice place overall, just not good rules for blackjack.

The casino at the top of the Holliday Inn downtown was nice as well.
It has a great view of the city since it's located on the 17th floor.
It has no blackjack table but it did have a craps table. No one was playing, but they did offer to open it up if I wanted to play. I declined and just played rommy for a while and looked out the windows at the city.
I was going to go back at night and play some craps, but somehow never got around to it.

I walked through the Morazan casino but didn't play. The atmosphere
seemed better at the Club Colonial, and the view seemed better at the
Del Ray.

Anyway, that's my take on the gambling scene. If anyone else has any
input on other places to play I would like to hear about it. I really enjoyed the week there and plan on going back in a couple of months.

Rainman

I have taken the Horseshoe for over a thousand ($ not colones) in one sitting. They cash your chips with a smile and let you walk out the door. Never once have I felt cheated there.

There's almost never any action on that craps table. Of the twenty or so
times I've been there, it's only had action on a couple of occasions.
I did play by myself a couple of times, but that's not much fun.
Part of the fun of craps is all the action at the table (when many people are playing). I do like the view there, and they used to have a great
little free buffet on Friday and Saturday nights.

The BM used to have a craps table. They removed it in 1999 I believe.
It was located directly underneath the high round tables near the banos.
There seemed to be almost constant action at the table.

Does anyone know why they took it out? Did 'Big John' own the DR then? I can't remember. Jeff...can you shed some light on this?

_________________
"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

I am taking my first CR trip in june but here's something I learned from experience and research (My final project for a business management class for my MBA was on the casino industry) from casinos.

Casinos are very hesitant about fixing games. First, the game rules are set up that the house always has an advantage. Secondly, it could be quite an embarrassing situation if it were exposed publicly, and finally, it could SERIOUSLY backfire on them.

Here's a story I came across in my research: Somewhere in Europe, I forget exactly where, there was an American craps game going, but few people betting the dice were winning. Some guy (experienced gambler) was observing and figured out that the dice must have been fixed (change the weights) to crap out more. This guy went in there and started betting HUGE amounts against the dice and won like $150,000 in an hour.

Craps is the game where cheating can be most costly for the casino because you can bet both ways. But it can happen in blackjack too once you figure out the scam. But by then, you might've already lost your shirt.

DR dealers either can't count or cheat. You play and decide for yourself.

One time I thought they cheated. One time I thought they were stupid.

I was drunk both times.

Rocco

I am, as you may understand limited in casinos to playing only slot machines. Casino house rules, rules of common courtesy to other players and the like close most other casino games to me, although I've played roulette and craps once.

I noticed that all the slots I played at the Colonial and Del Rey were the generic IGT reel machines. Yes, I understand that extended play on slots is a guaranteed money-loser, but it's worse if the payouts are set very low or the machine is otherwise tricked somehow.

Does anyone have a sense of the "honesty" of the slots in San Jose, as opposed to Vegas, northern Nevada or...heaven forbid...Native American casinos? Just wondering.

BTW, my lady wing-man (long story) won 5,000 colones on a 100 colones bet on a five times pay machine at the DR. The cashier actually scowled at her when she presented the coin to get folding money.

_________________
Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

They are in the process of passing new Casino Taxes and licensing laws in Costa Rica. SOme of these rules will be how much the machines have to pay outpercentage wise...like Vegas. The next question will be if the govt has the know how and resources to enforce the new laws. Personally, I welcome some controls on the casinos here, but...as usual the govt pendulum usually swings TOO far and they ruin the whole industry with meaningless rules and running the casinos out of town by taking too much in taxes. One of the silly rules under consideration here is making the 24 hr operations illegal. That would eliminate a whole shift in all the casinos which are some of the better paying jobs in the country...and they already have high unemployment. How is a rule like that productive?

Thats all I know for now...in all, not too many of the casinos here cheat. But the Delrey is definitely the most unfriendly players environment...taking it very personally if the player wins and grins...

El Ciego,
On a previous edition of the World Series of Blackjack a lady who was in the tournament and made the final table is blind. He husband tells her what all the cards are (including all the other players) and what each player bets.

This infomation if critical when playing tournaments and she's a champion.
Any good CRT member should be able to help you play blackjack.

As for slot machines, they are controlled by a chip and an RNG (random number generator). The chips are installed at the factory (based upon the casino's orders) and the payoffs are calculated based on the life of the machine. These usually range from 84% to around 95%.

The chip selects the winning (or losing) number as soon as the circuit is started and the reels have no impact on what that is. They are just for show.

The locals have no control over the chips except to install new ones.
http://casinogambling.about.com/cs/slots/a/SlotRng.htm