Preferred Seating 1s5q5y

20 July 2023

By Royal Flushes

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CINDY: Recently we wrote about the games we prefer the most but I think this week we should get even more personal –

ABBY: Uh, oh, we are not going over my love life again, are we?

CINDY: No, we’re going to talk about how we actually sit (or stand) ourselves at the games we play. I know we both have preferred seating arrangements at the various games so this week let’s talk about those. I think a lot of casino players do have preferred seating – if they can get it.

ABBY: Me first! Blackjack is often crowded but if I can get either first base (first hand dealt to the player) or third base (last hand dealt to the player) then those are my preferred seats. Think of the dealer’s left arm as first base, and the dealer’s right arm as third base. Best seats because you can spread yourself a little whereas the other seats can get cramped.

CINDY: I agree with you on this. When blackjack tables get crowded and someone decides to really spread himself out – it’s usually a man doing this – it gets very, very cramped. If you are on either ends of the table, you tend not to suffer because of that situation. The only thing about third base is that sometimes, not a lot of times but sometimes, the big mouths who want to tell everyone how to play their hands can be annoying to the player at third base. You have to politely tell them to shut up…politely.

ABBY: With Pai Gow Poker I actually prefer to sit right in the center seat. I want to see clearly how the dealers set their hands and if I need help with my hand, the dealer just has to look down and not turn left or right. That makes the game really easy and probably protects against cheating.

CINDY: I don’t think there would be cheating at Pai Gow Poker but who knows? Since the dealers are the experts about how to set hands, when you are in doubt they will show you the house way, which is the best way. Sitting right in front of the dealer allows the dealer merely to look down. Interesting way to think of the game this way.

ABBY: I’m an interesting person.

CINDY: Yes, you are. Craps, let’s talk craps, the most exciting game in the casino in our estimation.

ABBY: Absolutely.

CINDY: In the old days we stood for the whole session of a game, an hour or two or maybe even more if the table was granting us money, but now, darn it, standing for a very long time is not so good.

ABBY: No, not as good as in the past. Okay, I prefer the end of the table, near the corner dealers to stand and when I get tired, which sadly I do now, I pull a chair over to sit. Actually, usually the floor person will bring the chair over.

CINDY: I hear you. Since we are good tippers, we rarely have trouble with doing that. Also, we tend to play craps when the tables have spaces at them. No weekends when the casinos are packed.

ABBY: Weekends are tougher to play exactly as you want to play. But we don’t have to worry about that anymore, do we?

CINDY: Nope. Roulette? I can stand at the game for a little while but when the game is really crowded I prefer to sit in a chair because some of the roulette players are very aggressive with how they make their bets. They kind of launch themselves into the betting areas. I do more straight-up betting than proposition betting.

ABBY: I sit right in front of the even-money bets of red/black, high/low, and odd/even. Those are basically my preferred roulette bets. I just have to push the bets out. I don’t have to battle other bettors.

CINDY: Mini-baccarat? Not as much play as I would give this game if it were traditional baccarat. It’s too fast. Too many side bets now too. The house edges are really low on two of the three bets but, again, the game plays like lightning as opposed to traditional baccarat which was much slower and far more elegant.

ABBY: Yes, I agree.

CINDY: Slot machines?

ABBY: Next week.

CINDY: Video poker?

ABBY: Next week.

CINDY: Comps?

ABBY: A few weeks from now.