Poker is a necessary annoyance for casino executives.

[iversonian]

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That's the underlying problem with these disneyland corporations, they want ALL their customers money. They're not satisfied with a tidy profit, they want ridiculously enourmous profits.

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I suppose you prefer the days when Vegas was barely a rest stop on the way to LA? Do you think Steve Wynn & Co. invested $630 million in the Mirage so he could keep dropping $3/hand in rake? Personally, I prefer the grandeur that is today's Vegas, and so do (#_of_2007_Vegas_tourists - #_of_1988_Vegas_tourists) other people. What do you think built these ridiculously luxurious mega-resorts if not ridiculously enormous profits / the anticipation of ridiculously enormous profits?

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It's not enough they have always made a killing at blackjack. Now they only pay 6/5 on half the games in town. Dealers hit soft 17. Any and all minute edges towards what was still "advantage: house" are being taken away. Soon blackjack will just be a booth where you write a check to parball corporation, LLC. They probably won't even provide a dank alley for you to die in without charging you.

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Then don't play. Or go to dingy old downtown where they still spread a decent game. I stopped doing that myself when I started making some decent money and decided I'd rather treat myself to a good time when I went to Vegas, rather than couting cards at the Four Queens even though the odds are better there.