MWRT – 2025 – First Day in Minneapolis/St. Paul

As I approached Minneapolis/St. Paul, I had a plan of attack for the four casinos I wanted to play. I found a central location to stay for the night with it in mind that I would head over to the first one, Treasure Island out past Hastings right after I had a short rest and some dinner.

It had already been a long day and I decided my visit to Treasure Island would be a short one this first evening, with the idea of having some fun and even a couple of beers while I was playing, which I never do for obvious reasons. This casino property was out in the middle of nowhere on Indian lands out past Hastings, MN sitting along the Mississippi river. I guess it seemed like visiting an island and I was hoping to retrieve the treasure.

I made my way to the High Limit room which was not all that high a limit, $25 minimum, and sat down with an Asian guy who had been playing awhile at a 6 deck game. The rules were good and the dealers only cut off a single deck so there were going to be far fewer shuffles. Good for the casino, good for me. The cocktail waitress came along and I ordered an Ultra, let the fun begin.

Conditions turned favorable off the bat and I increased my bets with anticipation. I was sorely disappointed when my hands were losers over and over. My mood soon sobered and I hoped for things to turn around. In a couple of hours it was getting late and I decided to head back the hotel and try again the next day.

I got a late start, about 4pm, and returned to the High Limit room. This time the 4 deck table was only $25 minimum and only one other player. So this was my very first experience playing 4 deck Blackjack and now I’m a huge fan! Again, conditions turned very favorable in my very first shoe resulting in max bets out of the gate. I knew that this would draw a lot of attention to me, especially after the shuffle when I went from two spot of $400 back to one spot of $25. In one shoe I’d already recovered my losses from the night before plus some. We played another shoe and it was very similar to the first one. The 4 deck shoes seemed to fly by compared to 6 , or especially 8.

The next few shoes were not very spectacular but I kept winning my minimum bets and accumulating green chips. Then along came a couple of suits who stood along side my table with arms folded, stoically looking on. I didn’t care, just kept pushing out my bets including two hands of $200 or $300 right in front of their noses. The winning hands continued until the shoe was over . Then a uniformed security guard approached and asked to speak with me. The jig was up, I was done. I asked him if I had done something wrong, knowing I had not. He said he would explain everything if I could just step away from the table. Then he asked for my ID. I had prepared ahead of time, and instead of my drivers license, I produced my passport. This tactic could possibly help me if ever I were to return to this casino (but probably not). He took a photo of it, and gave it back.

Then the Casino Exec approached me and introduced himself. He was very pleasant and explained I was not to play any table games in the casino but because I’d politely provided my ID, I was welcome to play all other games in the casino and enjoy everything else. I told him that I hoped I had not done anything wrong and that I just enjoyed playing Blackjack to the best of my abilities. He affably smiled and quietly said, “not at all, your just too good for us”. Made my day man!

I certainly had enjoyed my 80 minutes at the Blackjack table! It was time to celebrate with a meal in Hastings along the river somewhere. The short trip from Treasure Island to Hastings is along some beautiful farmlands.

In Hastings, they have beautiful, clean, vibrant downtown along the Mississippi river. I got a recommendation for a place to enjoy a local mid West corn fed beef hamburger at the “Legion” which turns out to be the post for the American Legion local chapter. Great watering hole situated right along the banks of the river. Now this little town truly has a river walk! I ordered a local brew, Grain Belt “The Friendly Beer”, and went out to enjoy the fresh air and take a few photos.

It was clear people really enjoyed this wonderful environment along the banks of the mighty Missisp!

The retaining wall along the bar and grill was lined with bronze plaques memorializing local veterans. Very beautiful and impactful. At the bar where I was seated was a medallion inlayed into the oak bar top on which was inscribed “For God and Country”.

Along the banks was a very tall obelisk engraved with the dates and levels of the historic Mississippi flood waters.

Time to go, I’ve got three more casinos to visit today in this region before heading to Sioux Falls.