By Robert Sweeney
White Buffalo Grille offers delectable evening dining with wine pairings.
It was Friday around noon so I decided to head for the fabulous buffet lunch at The Lodge in Black Hawk. Casinos have all developed fabulous deals and meals and the buffet at The Lodge is among the very best cuisine anywhere, anytime. The buffet is a bargain at any price, but the quality and price make this destination a very popular spot for gamblers and food connoisseurs.
The Lodge folks are pretty smart in putting the spacious dining room on the third floor. Diners have to travel up an escalator or take elevators through the casino to reach this fabulous buffet. It is fun to play the slots on the way to lunch or make a stop at the blackjack tables before or after you eat.
The buffet is a gourmet delight; it is worth a drive to the mountains just to have lunch at The Lodge. They also offer great deals on hotel rooms.
The staff does a marvelous job of preparing turkey, gravy, dressing, carved beef, fresh shrimp, salad bar, Oriental cuisines, onion rings, ice cream, pies, fresh tuna salad, hot soups, and much more. It is a massive array of quantity and quality food. Hat’s off to The Lodge for providing such a popular fare for customers. This great food will bring people to the mountains for sure, and happy customers might choose to play some games before or after this great meal.
Meat carvings plus fine sausages are served at the Seasons Buffet.
Keep in mind if it weren’t for the gaming in our casino towns, it would be impossible to provide such a great buffet at bargain prices. Gambling, no doubt, subsidizes the quality food menus found in every mountain casino. Great prime ribs, big burgers and other bargain food deals are available at every casino.
Before, or after a great meal, it is fun to play the single deck blackjack game. How pleasant to have a singe deck with cards shuffled by the dealer. The Lodge has one single deck table, and the only drawback is it pays six to five, not the old one and one-half. The professionals that write in the Colorado Gambler, one an MIT graduate, will no doubt explain this makes higher edge in favor of the casino. That’s OK, it is really fun to find a single deck and play by the old rules of the blackjack game. Some players still believe in card counting and to prevent card counting dealers can deal about one half of the deck, called a “short shuffle.” However, with a $100 limits card counting just doesn’t work well in Colorado.
Single deck blackjack can be found at the Mardi Gras, and some two-deck games at Johnny Z’s. Other casinos may have these games as well. Drawbacks include a slower rate of play; the dealer is always shuffling for a full table.
Basic blackjack strategy emphasizes standing on hands under 17 if the dealer has to take a hit card. Most players take too many cards; and real secret of making money in blackjack game is to pay attention to the dealer’s card, not the player card.
Another very important game tip – adjust the bet to the flow of the cards. When the dealer is busting, bet more money, when those 20’s keep coming for the dealer, back off and if you lose four or five hands in a row, take a break. Never double down against a dealer up card 10 count. Just trading dollars against the dealer the odds will eventually win.
Fountain in the dessert station bubbles out chocolate fondue for dipping.
Another basic rule is to not expect great expectations, be satisfied with doubling your money, and walk away a winner. The odds in all gambling games favor the house, so trading dollars in a blackjack games will ultimately give all the chips to the house. That’s why the players don’t own the casinos becasue the odds ultimately always favor the house. The gambling pays for the abundant prime rib.
Naturally, casinos like The Lodge make the most money on slot machine games. In the old days of $5 blackjack the house probably lost money on blackjack, but now these table games of roulette, craps and blackjack have taken on a new life with the $100 limits. Gamblers have a much better chance to win with these increased limits. Another rule of gambling, be patient, don’t be a plunger, enjoy the game and don’t expect to win a fortune. Be satisfied if you only make a small profit, or loss, and enjoy the challenge of the game. Skill does count in gaming sports and it does pay to read the Colorado Gambler columns on gaming tips from our experts in the paper and online.
Lastly, and this is very important, gamblers are generally superstitious and what goes around, comes around. There is just “good luck” and “bad luck” and without good luck it is impossible to win – no matter the skill of the player. This definitely holds true at the poker table and the blackjack pit. Honestly, the best way to increase good luck is to tip the dealers. For some mystic reason being generous to the dealers and staff just seems to bring good fortune to the player.
Maybe it’s the Golden Rule at work – but it does work in gambling. Tip the dealers and wait staff, and especially those hard working folks in The Lodge buffet cleaning up the dirty dishes off the busy tables. A few bucks left to that server bringing drinks is money well spent. ‘
Remember the Golden Rule, it really is golden.
