Electronic Table Games Receive Star Treatment at Majestic

Majestic Star Casinos in Gary is experimenting with electronic table game content delivery systems developed by Shuffle Master, Inc.

Earlier this year the property installed Rapid Roulette, a selection in the Rapid Table Games product line, but the biggest news came in May when Majestic Star introduced Table Master Blackjack and Table Master Three Card Poker.

Unlike Rapid Roulette, which is played with a real roulette wheel operated by a live dealer, Table Master products are elaborate electronic community gaming devices which immerse participants entirely in a virtual world.

Each console is nine feet across and seven and a half feet tall with room for five player positions. The focal point of the unit is the over-size plasma screen with the image of a live life-size dealer from the waist up who looks at the players, vocalizes comments, and makes card dealing motions for every hand.

Within clear view of each player is the community video screen depicting the table lay out. It's where the virtual cards appear. Player decision making is a push button process, after which the "dealer" plays out his hand. Bets are settled and a new game begins.

Contributing to the high profile presence of the games are the virtual dealers, both men and women, who look like they come off the covers of fashion magazines. They're set against eye-catching background landscapes and change out every 20 minutes.

The Table Master influence is attracting slot players who are intimidated by a live table game setting but who feel at home with a video slot machine style format. Another lure is the $1 minimum bet.

Buying into the game is as simple as a slot machine. Each player position is equipped to accept both currency and slot tickets. When you're ready to leave, hit the cash out button and you'll be issued a voucher.

Card counters needn't get excited. The blackjack version of Table Master is played with a virtual six-deck shoe that's shuffled for the start of each new game.

One word of caution to beginners: The electronic version is fast-paced, nearly double the number of hands played per hour as compared to the traditional live game.

You can find Table Master Blackjack and Table Master Three Card Poker on the boarding level of Majestic Star II and Rapid Roulette on the third deck of the vessel.

CASINO NEWS: Congratulations to the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin for being voted Chicagoland's "Best Casino" for the third straight year by readers of Casino Player magazine. The property received 26 awards overall in a variety of consumer-related categories, including these first place honors: Luckiest Casino, Best Cashback, Best Comps, Best Dealers, Best Blackjack, Best Roulette, Best Steakhouse (Buckinghams), Best High-Limit Slot Area, Best Hosts, and Most Frequented Casino.

The date was supposed to be a lucky day, and that it was for guests at the Grand Victoria which paid out $1.79 million in slot jackpots to 701 players on July 7, 2007. Each jackpot winner received a commemorative tee-shirt emblazoned with "I Hit it Big on 7-7-7 at Grand Victoria Casino".

"It was an especially busy day and we had more winners than expected," said Michelle Bell, director of marketing. "By the end of the day, we had given away all the tee-shirts in our inventory."