BILL ORDINE Imperial dealers have star quality

So, you're sitting at a blackjack table and you've had so many losing hands, you're convinced that they should rename the game 24. But what if the dealer sympathetically raking in your money was, say, Marilyn Monroe, or Cher, or even the King himself, Elvis? Would losing be at least entertaining, if not fun?
The Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, a casino that introduced celebrity impersonator dealers earlier this summer, is sure of it.
"On a Friday or Saturday, 500 people are waiting for the celebrity dealers," said Craig Garland, the Imperial Palace's casino manager, who came up with the idea.
The impersonator dealers hit the casino floor in true Vegas fashion, with lots of noise, flash and schmaltz. With the Blues Brothers' song, "Everybody Needs Somebody," pounding away, Jake and Elwood look-alikes cartwheel through the pit; Elvis arrives with a cocktail waitress on his arm; and Barbra Streisand escorts Ray Charles to his table. Soon the place erupts into "Viva Las Vegas" and the tourists are filling up the seats of the Legends Pit.
Who's there
So far, the Imperial Palace has had 16 impersonator dealers working 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. Thursdays through Sundays. The casino plans to go daily soon with the celebrity mimics and add several more characters to the 16-member cast, which already includes Madonna, Rod Stewart, Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and Elton John in addition to Elvis, Marilyn, Cher, Ray and Barbara.
"People have always come to Las Vegas for two reasons -- gambling and entertainment," Garland said. "Now, you can keep those two things separate or find a way to combine them." The modest Imperial Palace is oddly situated among the constellation of opulent casinos along Las Vegas Boulevard. The IP, as it is known to Vegas-philes, is at center Strip, across the street from Caesars Palace. While it enjoys the advantage of being in the middle of some of the heaviest tourist foot traffic on earth, it suffers in comparison to the billion-dollar resorts, such as the Bellagio and the Venetian, that are within walking distance.
"Let's face it, Las Vegas is full of wonders to be seen -- the pirate ship in front of Treasure Island, the fountains at Bellagio, the volcano in front of the Mirage," Garland said. To compete, the Imperial Palace is trying to woo customers by turning its gambling pits into lounge acts.
Legends Pit
The celebrity impersonator blackjack games are dealt in what is known as the Legends Pit, which is outfitted with a pair of refurbished antique Wurlitzer jukeboxes. The idea is a spin-off of the casino's long-running "Legends in Concert" tribute show, which includes some of the same entertainers that are impersonated on the casino floor. To staff the Legends Pit, Garland first recruited entertainers, then taught them how to deal.
To keep the action from becoming too tense, the game dealt in the Legends Pit is relatively low limit with a minimum bet of $5 and a maximum of $500, and the rules are similar to most Strip casinos. One feature of the game that some serious players will not like is that it is dealt from a continuous shuffling machine. The machine thwarts skilled players, such as card counters, because the cards that are dealt on one hand are reintroduced to the shoe that will distribute the cards for the next hand.
Champagne Pit
If players are looking for a good gaming proposition and a little extra atmosphere, the Imperial Palace has still another entertainment-oriented blackjack game, the Champagne Pit. There, the feel is Sinatra Rat Pack, with dealers dressed in fedoras, skinny black ties and garter armbands. Frank, Dean and Sammy provide the music and the staff "free pours" champagne, which means exactly what it sounds like -- free bubbly.
The blackjack game is double-deck, meaning two decks are used, a rarity these days when most casinos are using at least six decks or have gone to the continuous shuffling machine. Statistical analysis shows that the casino edge is reduced when fewer decks are used.
Even so, the crowds are flocking to the Legends Pit.
While Garland would not be specific about how much it has added to the bottom line, he does say that the drop -- the cash that players hand over for chips -- has "increased substantially" in the Pit.
Gamblers have fun with the dealers, who steadfastly stay in character and are happy to pose for photographs with the customers.
XContact Bill Ordine at ordineb@aol.com.