A random shuffle machine that takes all the cards (i.e. All 6 decks or 8 decks) and shuffles them together. Then the dealer takes the full stack of cards, has a player cut, and puts it into a shoe and deals. Since the game includes all of the cards, these shuffle machines are great. Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel and casino complex owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of 9,000,000 sq ft (840,000 m 2 ).
This casino's name was changed to Fox Tower in early 2014 and it is no longer affiliated with the MGM Grand.
Toll-Free Number: (866) 646-0050
Foxwoods Resort Casino is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and is located on its reservation in southeastern Connecticut. Foxwoods began in 1986 as a high stakesBingo parlor.
The casino was opened in 1992 offering table games only. In 1993, the Pequots made a deal with the State of Connecticut that allowed them to install slot machines in return for 25% of therevenue generated from the machine’s profits.
In the following 17 years, Foxwoods has grown to become the largest casino in the United States and second-largest in the world behind the Venetian Casino in Macau, China. Casino size ismeasured by actual gaming space and Foxwoods has 340,000 square feet of gaming space which houses over 380 table games, 7,400 slot machines, and a 104-table poker room.
Foxwoods is a unique resort/gaming destination set in the beautiful woods of Connecticut, but still close to dozens of Connecticut’s other vacation attractions. It has something to offereveryone including fine dining, major entertainment, golf, shopping, and of course some of the best gambling in New England.
The sprawling resort has been a work in progress since its beginning and every time they expand it is like a new casino has been added. In fact, their web site proclaims that they have sixcasinos within the property.
Foxwoods Resort Casino Mashantucket, Connecticut |
Foxwoods Resort Casino and the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods
The original Rainmaker, Grand Pequot, MGM Grand at Foxwoods, and the Newport casinos offer table games and slots. There are also slot-only casinos, including a non-smoking casino. All of the“casinos” are connected and you never have to wander outside. However, be prepared to walk about a mile if you want to go from one end of the property to the other.
Foxwoods Resort Casino Mashantucket, Connecticut |
The 12-foot-tall Rainmaker statue is illuminated and features a narrative story about the Pequot tribe's history.
All of the traditional table games are offered at Foxwoods. The only drawback is that during crowded weekends and holidays the table limits are raised and many times you will be hard-pressed tofind any tables with minimum bets under $15. Unfortunately, Foxwoods does not “grandfather” a player in at their starting limits so if the table limits are raised you have to either raise yourbets or leave the table.
Foxwoods offers mostly eight-deck games with good rules. You can find some six-deck games in the high stakes Newport casino and the high stakes area in the MGM casino. The blackjack rules atFoxwoods are double down on any two cards, double down allowed after splitting, dealer stands on soft 17 (six and an ace) and they are now offering late surrender. You cannot re-split aces.
If you like “rolling the bones,” then you will find that Foxwoods is one of the best places to play craps. All of their tables are 12-feet long and they offer 3-4-5 times odds on all of theirgames. On points of 6 or 8, players are allowed to make an odds bet equal to 5 times their pass/don't pass bet. Points of 5 or 9 allow a 4 times odds bet, and points of 4 or 10 allow a 3 timesodds bet. They also added the “fire bet” to all of their craps games. A player can make a side wager that will pay them if they make four five or six individual points during their roll.
There are 7,400 slot machines at Foxwoods and the average payback for the quarter slots is around 91 percent. You can find slots in any denomination from the penny slots to the $100 high rollerslots. All of the machines are “ticket in ticket out” so you do not have to handle coins. They offer all of the newest slots along with several wide-area progressive games.
Video Poker - The only disappointment with the gambling at Foxwoods is their selection of video poker games. Unfortunately, Foxwoods is a video poker wasteland. You might be able to find one ortwo 9/6 Jacks or Better games at the $1 or higher denominations, but there are no full-pay games at the quarter level. You would think that one of the largest casinos in the country would offerdecent video poker games, but that is not the case.
Foxwoods has a WPT (World Poker Tour) branded poker room with 104 tables. They hold two major tournaments a year that are stops on the WPT tour which are recorded and televised. You can playTexas Holdem, Omaha and 7-Card Stud 24/7 at any limits. Foxwoods also offers daily poker tournaments as well as satellite tournaments where you can win an entry into one of their major events.
Foxwoods Resort Casino Mashantucket, Connecticut |
The entrance to the WPT World Poker room at Foxwoods
Foxwoods still maintains its roots with a bingo hall that seats 3,600 players. It is the only place in New England and one of the very few casinos in the country that still offers high stakesgames.
Foxwoods has a state-of-the-art racebook where you can bet on horses, dogs, or jai-alai. Races are shown on a 50-foot, high-resolution screen. There are also 200 individual betting stationsequipped with 12-inch touchscreens for personal viewing. Due to Federal law, sports betting is not legal at Foxwoods.
Foxwoods Resort Casino Mashantucket, Connecticut |
The Race Book at Foxwoods Casino Resort
Players Club - The Wampum club was the original name of the player’s club at Foxwoods. When the MGM Grand at Foxwoods opened in May 2008, the Wampum club was renamed to the DreamClub. Players can earn comp points on their Dream card by playing any table game or slot machines. The points can be used for food, merchandise, hotel, or any other expenses. One pointequals $1 in comps. Players can also earn cashback for slot play, but that is only paid at a 2:1 ratio. The amount of coin-in to earn a point varies on the game and the denomination of themachine being played. In order to maintain the points on your card, you must use it within 12 months. If your account is inactive for more than 12 months you will forfeit your points.
Hotels and Spas – There are more than 2,000 rooms in the resort’s four hotels. They include the Two Tress Inn, Great Cedars, Grand Pequot and MGM Grand at Foxwoods. The Two Trees Inn isthe only hotel not physically connected to the casino, but there is a shuttle bus. There are also spas, beauty salons, pools, and exercise rooms where guests can be pampered, work out or justrelax.
Restaurants - A wide variety of dining choices are offered, all the way from the food court and buffet up to the elegant gourmet restaurants. There are over 30 different restaurants to choosefrom that will fit anyone’s taste or wallet. There is even a Hard Rock Café located inside Foxwoods.
Entertainment – This world-class resort offers entertainment on every level from free shows in one of its many lounges to big-name headliners in its 4,000-seat theatre. There are alsoseveral nightclubs and even an arcade for the kids. An area has been built to house touring exhibits such as the “Bodies Revealed” exhibit that is on display during the summer months of 2009.
If you venture to New England, you should be sure to take some time to see Foxwoods. It is truly a modern wonder set in a rustic surrounding.
Foxwoods Resort Casino is located on Route 2 in Mashantucket, Connecticut. For driving directions, more information, or reservations, call them toll-free at 1-800-FOXWOODS, or visit their website at www.foxwoods.com
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By Henry Tamburin
In this video, blackjack expert, Henry Tamburin, gives details on why you should never play blackjack games that pay you 6-to-5 for a blackjack, rather than the standard payoff of 3-to-2.
Topics covered include:
There's an awful blackjack game that is spreading like wildfire in casinos throughout the US. The game is played with a singledeck of cards (that’s the come-on) and when a player gets a blackjack, he is paid at 6-to-5 instead of the traditional 3-to-2. That change in blackjack payoff increases the house edge by about700% (Yikes!). Let me show you in dollars and cents what a 6-to-5 blackjack payoff costs you.
If you bet $10 and get a blackjack in a traditional game (3-to-2 payoff on blackjack) you will win $15. In a 6-to-5 game that same $10 bet will net you only $12. So you're out $3 for everyblackjack hand that you get. On average you'll get four blackjacks per hour so for every hour you play a 6-to-5 single deck game, it costs you $12. Do you want to hand over to the casino $12per hour for the privilege of playing blackjack? Of course you wouldn't but that is exactly what you do when you play the 6-to-5 single deck game at a $10 minimum bet.
When this game was first introduced at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas several years ago I thought it didn't have a chance because I mistakenly believed that players weren't going to stand forthe reduced payoff. But unfortunately I was dead wrong as uneducated players are flocking to play these 6-to-5 single deck games to the delight of casino operators. The game has since spread tocasinos in the south, mid-west, and east coast so be wary.
Why is the public enamored with this terrible game? I believe it's because the majority of players have heard for years that 'single deck blackjack games offer better odds.' That's a factand the smart basic strategy player can virtually eliminate the house edge in a traditional single deck game where blackjacks pay 3-to-2. The problem is that the traditional single deckblackjack game is hard to find these days so marketing the 'new' 6-to-5 single deck games to the gullible public has been very easy.
The 6-to-5 game has these additional pitfalls:
1. The 6-to-5 payout rule hurts all players. That means the tourists will be adversely affected by this rule as well as the more skilled basic strategy players and card counters.
2. If you wager an amount that is not divisible by 5, your payoff for a blackjack gets worse. Suppose you wagered $8 and get a blackjack. In a 6-to-5 game you'll get paid $6 for the first $5 ofyour wager and even money for the remaining $3. In other words you get paid a net of $9 which is $3 less than what you would have gotten paid in a traditional 3-to-2 game. The reason for thisis that a 6-to-5 payoff can only be paid out at the correct odds if the player wagers in multiples of $5.
3. Dealers are also impacted by the 6-to-5 payout. If you make a $1 tip bet for the dealer in a traditional 3-2 payout game and get blackjack, the $1 tip bet would earn the dealer $1.50. But ina 6-to-5 game, they only get even money because of the difficulty in paying off in small change (a $1 bet in a 6-to-5 game would pay $1.20).
4. Because the math doesn't work out with the 6-to-5 payoff, the even-money option when a player is dealt a blackjack and the dealer shows an ace is prohibited. Most novice players and lowrollers like to take the sure even money when they get a blackjack and in a 6-to-5 game, they can't.
5. For the most part card counting is not profitable on a 6-to-5 game unless you can get away with a very big bet spread.
6. You'll not find a 6-to-5 single deck game on high limit tables. The reason is that high rollers wouldn't stand for a 6-to-5 payout (the per hourly added cost for a black chip player playingheads up against the dealer in a 6-to-5 game is about $180).
It's painfully obvious that this game is being marketed to tourists and amateur players that know very little about blackjack. So be forewarned and do not play any blackjack game where playerblackjacks pay 6-to-5 (or worse: even money).
Henry Tamburin has been a respected casino gambling writer for the past 50 years. He is the author of the Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide and was editor of the BlackjackInsider newsletter. You can read his latest articles on blackjack, video poker, and his personal playing experiences at https://www.888casino.com/blog/writers/henry-tamburin