Fontainebleau Report (part 1)

The month of December 2023 marked a significant boost for casino openings in Las Vegas with the debut of two new venues: the Fontainebleau (or FB, for short) and Durango. The last major opening before this was Circa in October 2020. You might remember my thoughts on that. December 7, 2023 newsletter was on the Durango.

According to Wikipedia The Fontainebleau is inspired by a hotel of the same name located in Miami. Construction initially commenced in 2007 but came to a halt in 2009 when it was around 75% completed. For many years after, it stood as an unpleasant visual in the landscape. One trivia question I enjoyed asking was, 'What building stands tallest in Las Vegas if we exclude the Stratosphere?' During that lengthy construction pause, very few could actually name the Fontainebleau as the answer.

Following multiple changes in ownership, work resumed on the project in November 2021 under the original proprietors. When it finally opened, the Fontainebleau became the second most financially immense construction endeavor in Las Vegas, costing approximately $3.7 billion—Resorts World holds the record at $4.3 billion.

I dropped by on Saturday, December 16, just after its third day of being operational. Upon entering the casino, I was greeted by a massive expanse adorned with soaring ceilings. The décor featured extensive white marble and blue carpets. I recall attending a discussion on casino design where the speaker critiqued blue as a poor choice for casinos. Nevertheless, it seems this architect aimed to create a space that diverges from the typical Las Vegas aesthetic. If you removed the gaming tables and machines, you might mistake the venue for a modern airport; it reminded me of the exceptional Hong Kong airport. The second floor appears to be designated for shopping and dining, although it's largely closed off at this point. Meanwhile, the third floor is designed for meetings and houses the pool area.

The remainder of this newsletter will focus on the variety of table games available and their respective rules. Here's the tally of table games situated on the main floor, not including those in the high-limit area.

Game	Tables
Blackjack	29
Free Bonus Blackjack	2
Baccarat	8
Craps	6
Crapless Craps	2
Roulette	5
Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em	4
Dealer Open Pai Gow	2
High Card Flush	2
Three Card Poker	1
Pai Gow Poker	1
Total	62

Among the 25 blackjack tables, all offered a 6-5 payout for blackjack bets, with a minimum wager set at $25. Only four tables provided the more favorable 3-2 payout: two requiring a $25 minimum, one set at $50, and another at $100.

Otherwise, the rules were mostly:

• Dealer hits soft 17
• Six decks
• Double after split allowed
• Players are allowed to re-split aces up to four times.
• Surrender not allowed

Under these guidelines, the house edge is calculated to be 0.57% when a blackjack pays out at 3-2 and rises to 1.93% if it pays at 6-5.

There were a couple of double-deck blackjack tables: two offered 6-5 payouts while one provided the traditional 3-2 payout. The 3-2 table was the aforementioned $100 minimum table. I was informed that the rules align with those of the six-deck variation, but many of the dealers didn’t seem entirely familiar with the specifics. Notably, in the high-limit room, re-splitting aces was not permitted in the double-deck game, which I suspect also applies to the main floor.

The baccarat tables exclusively featured Tiger Baccarat, known for its 1-2 payout on winning Banker bets totaling 6. Keep in mind that this adjustment increases the house edge for Banker bets from 1.06% to 1.46%.

In the craps section, a 3x-4x-5x odds structure was in place. The field bet was generous, providing a 3-1 payout on a roll of 12. I learned that a commission is applied only to winning bets when buying in on the 4 or 10. Among the six craps tables, one had a minimum bet of $15, another had $50, while the remaining four required a minimum of $25 each.

Dealer Open Pai Gow is essentially the same game as Face Up Pai Gow. Additionally, Free Bonus Blackjack is another term for Free Bet Blackjack, and Super 4 Poker is equivalent to Crazy 4 Poker. So, don't be misled by the different labels.

Out of five roulette tables, four featured the double-zero variant and one was triple-zero.

Here’s a rundown of my observations regarding the high-limit room's table game count. Note that this tally excludes any private rooms that were evidently present.

Game	Tables
Blackjack	6
Baccarat	10
Craps	1

In the high-limit blackjack area, four out of ten tables adhered to what I refer to as the 'liberal strip rules,' which include:

• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Six decks
• Double after split allowed
• Players are allowed to re-split aces up to four times.
• Surrender allowed

Under these rules, assuming a cut card, the house edge hovers around 0.29%.

Among the four six-deck blackjack games, three required a minimum bet of $500, while one had a $300 minimum.

All three double-deck games maintained identical rules, with the exception that surrender and re-splitting aces are not permitted. This results in a competitive house edge of 0.26%, ranking it as the best blackjack rules available in Las Vegas. Some MGM properties also offer this rule set in their high-limit rooms.

Reviewing the three two-deck games, two had a set minimum of $500 while one stood at $300.

The following outlines the proper basic strategy for the double-deck variant featured in the FB high-limit room. For the six-deck game, the only variations include adjustments on hitting 11 against an Ace and 9 against a 2.

Within the baccarat section, there are ten tables; three operate at a minimum of $300, while the remaining seven set their minimums at $500.

During my visit, the craps table was closed. I confidently predict it will be removed, as craps tables rarely endure long in high-limit areas in Las Vegas.

That wraps up my overview of the table games at the Fontainebleau. Next week, I will delve into the video poker and video keno options.

Wishing you a joyful Christmas, a cheerful Festivus, and a meaningful winter solstice celebration.