I’ve seen multiple sources refer to El Cortez as the “best blackjack downtown.” So, what. When it comes to blackjack’s house edge, one thing to keep in mind is that the number of decks used will alter the house advantage. Single deck blackjack has the lowest casino edge of 0.16%, which gives the player better odds. Double deck games have a considerably low edge at 0.46%. An hour is all you need to learn the basic rules and strategies of blackjack and increase your odds of winning against the house. If you are consistent in your playing, you might even stand a good chance of walking out with some of the casino's money.
- Blackjack Odds Chart
- Best Blackjack Odds In Las Vegas
- Best Blackjack Odds Las Vegas Strip
- How To Win Blackjack In Vegas
- Las Vegas Best Gambling Odds
- Best Blackjack Odds Downtown Vegas
- Best Blackjack Odds In Vegas
The quality of blackjack games in Las Vegas has declined over the past 15-20 years. The availability of strategy information over the internet has forced casinos to drop some of the more liberal rules. Casinos first started hitting on soft 17. Some stopped offering surrender or re-splitting aces in shoe games.
The biggest rule change that goes against players was rolled out first at single deck games. This terrible rule started paying players 6:5 on a blackjack, as opposed to 3:2. This means that a $10 blackjack would pay $12 instead of $15. Once the casinos got away with this at single deck games, the 6:5 rule started infecting double deck and shoe games. Most single deck blackjack tables have disappeared from the Las Vegas Strip because of this. A 6:5 payout on a blackjack adds 1.39% to the house edge.
- A 6:5 payout on a blackjack adds 1.39% to the house edge. While some Las Vegas casinos offer terrible rules on blackjack these days, there are still several places where a good game may be found. Some are even on the Las Vegas Strip, although some of the better ones.
- If the two cards in your hand total 19 and 20, hitting might not be your best option since your odds are respectively 85% and 92%. Another interesting odds percentage which deserves mentioning is the one that concerns your probability of getting the highest paying combination – blackjack.
While some Las Vegas casinos offer terrible rules on blackjack these days, there are still several places where a good game may be found. Some are even on the Las Vegas Strip, although some of the better ones are located downtown and in the locals market. All of the games mentioned below pay 3:2 on a blackjack.
Best Las Vegas Strip Blackjack
The Strat is the best Las Vegas Strip casino for blackjack. It offers $5 3:2 blackjack during the day that goes to $10 during busier hours. These shoe games offer double down before and after splitting with surrender and re-split aces. A double deck with double down before and after splitting starts at $15. These games hit soft 17.
A $100 six-deck table in high limit has the same rules as the $5 game but stands on soft 17. This game may require reservations with a host to ensure it is open.
Treasure Island is another great Las Vegas Strip casino for blackjack. Players will find $10 games with great rules at Treasure Island. The shoe games offer surrender, re-split aces, and double down after splitting. These tables start at $10. Double deck starts at $15. Those tables allow double down after splitting. These low limit games hit soft 17.
Players willing to bet $50 can move to the high limit salon. They will get a shoe game with double down after splitting, re-split aces, and surrender. The high limit double deck starts at $50 and allows double down after splitting. The dealer stands on all 17’s at both games. The high limit salon is only open on weekend nights.
Sahara spreads good $15 3:2 blackjack. Players can double down on any two cards and after splitting in the blackjack pit at Sahara. The dealer hits soft 17. This game is offered in the high limit salon for $50 where the dealer stands on all 17’s. This game adds surrender and re-split aces to the rules.
Caesars properties that spread 3:2 blackjack under $25. Bally’s, The Cromwell, Paris and Rio deal $10 or $15 3:2 eight-deck blackjack during slower hours. This game allows double down after splitting and surrender. The Cromwell and Rio also have $15 3:2 double deck game. Double down before but not after splitting is allowed. Otherwise, all other Caesars Entertainment 3:2 blackjack tables start at $25. It takes $100 to get a stand on all 17 game.
Best Downtown Las Vegas Blackjack
El Cortez offers the best blackjack game in downtown Las Vegas. It is a single deck that pays 3:2 on a blackjack. Players can double down on any two cards and the dealer hits soft 17. The minimum bet is usually $10. Be careful in this game as the pit bosses will sweat large action or bet spreads. El Cortez also has $10 double deck and six-deck games for $10. These tables allow double down before and after splitting.
Downtown Grand offers the best shoe games downtown. For a $5 minimum, players can double down after splitting, re-split aces and surrender. The double deck game with double down before and after splitting starts at $10. Low rollers will find an even money $1 blackjack table at Downtown Grand. The pit is open Thursday through Sunday.
Circa, The D and Golden Gate only offer 3:2 blackjack. The minimum bet is typically $10 or $15 at The D and Golden Gate and $15 or $25 at Circa. There is also a $100 stand on all 17 six-deck game in the high limit salon at Circa. Double down before and after splitting is available at these casinos.
All regular blackjacks pay 3:2 at Plaza. Plaza deals a $5 or $10 six-deck game with double down before and after splitting. The double deck game gas the same rules. It has a $25 minimum bet.
Best Las Vegas Locals Blackjack
The competition in the off-strip blackjack market is fierce. Players will be able to find shoe games that start at $5 where double down after splitting, surrender and re-split aces are allowed at Cannery andEllis Island.
Aliante and Station Casinos have $5 or $10 3:2 blackjack games with surrender but not re-split aces. Club Fortune, Silverton and Tuscany have re-split aces instead of surrender for $10. South Point has $5 3:2 six-deck tables with double down before and after splitting. A $3 table with a continuous shuffle machine at Jerry’s Nugget has the same rules.
Blackjack Odds Chart
Station Casinos properties offer double deck blackjack where players can double down after splitting. It is $5 at Boulder Station and Santa Fe Station and $10 at the others. M Resort offers the same game with a $15 minimum. The dealer hits soft 17. Suncoast, The Orleans, Gold Coast, South Point and Silverton also spread this game. The minimum bet is usually $10 at these tables. A $5 version of this game is dealt at Jerry’s Nugget.
Some locals casinos have a high limit salon with stand on all 17 blackjack tables. M Resort has a $50 minimum with double down before and after splitting, surrender and re-split aces. Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Red Rock and Rio have the game for $100 with surrender but no re-split aces.
Best Blackjack Odds In Las Vegas
There was a time where you could find great blackjack games in Las Vegas with ease. Over the last couple of decades, though, the games have gotten tougher… But what does that mean?
The basic blackjack rules are the same everywhere, but the little details make a big difference to your odds. For example, in some casinos, the dealer stands on soft 17, while in others, the dealer hits a soft 17.
It’s much better for the player if the dealer is required to stand on soft 17, but most of the casinos in Vegas have moved away from this rule.
Some casinos even changed the payouts for a blackjack from 3:2 to 6:5. Please do yourself a favor, and refuse to play in one of those games. Some Las Vegas casinos do still offer good blackjack rules, and I’ve listed seven of them here along with why their games are good.
1 – El Cortez
I’ve seen multiple sources refer to El Cortez as the “best blackjack downtown.” So, what makes their blackjack games better than the others?
They usually have a couple of single deck tables and at least one table where they’re only using two decks. They also cater to low rollers, and several of their tables have $5 minimum bets. The max bets range from $500 to $2000 per hand, which makes them suitable for high rollers, too.
They do hit a soft 17, but there are no casinos in Downtown Vegas that stand on a hard 17 anymore, anyway. The house edge on all their games is below 0.7% with perfect basic strategy, but their best games have a house edge of around 0.3%.
If you want to get the best odds downtown, stick with those $5 single deck tables at El Cortez.
El Cortez also offers video blackjack with reasonably good rules.
2 – Treasure Island
Treasure Island is probably the best blackjack casino on the Strip. Most of the time, I suggest trying to find a single deck game, but the six-deck game at Treasure Island has better odds. In fact, even if you play with perfect strategy, the house edge on the single deck game at Treasure Island is almost 1.7%.
Why is that? It’s because it’s a 6:5 blackjack table.
Some people get confused and think that 6:5 blackjack is better than 3:2 blackjack simply because 6 is more than 3. They’re not accounting for the nature of odds; they’re a ratio, not a single number.
If you place a $100 bet a 6:5 blackjack table and get a blackjack, you only win $120. If you were getting 3:2 odds, you’d win $150. The six-deck games with the $25 minimum bet offers the best odds on the Strip, with a house edge of less than 0.3%.
Why is this game so good? It’s one of the only places where the dealer is required to stand on soft 17.
But a lot of my readers can’t afford that level of action, so they’ll probably lean toward the $10 tables, which are also great. The house edge on those games is just under 0.5%.
3 – Any of the Station Casinos
The Station Casinos all cater to the local market in Las Vegas, and they’re well-known for offering great odds on both their blackjack and video poker games.
You can usually find multiple tables offering $5 blackjack. Their two-deck games have a house edge of 0.45%, and they often have plenty of those tables available. At Boulder Station, for example, they have seven of those tables.
Be careful of their single deck games, though, because of the 6:5 payouts. Even though all the other rules for those tables are liberal, the house edge is over 1.5%.
Station Casinos own the following properties, all of which offer good blackjack games:
- Red Rock Casino
- Green Valley Ranch
- Palace Station
- Sunset Station
- Boulder Station
- Santa Fe Station
- Texas Station
4 – M Resort
The best odds for any blackjack game in Vegas are the odds on the two-deck game at the M Resort, but it has a minimum bet of $50. The max bet at those tables is $3,000. This game has all kinds of rules that are favorable to the player.
For one thing, the dealer stands on soft 17, which I’ve already explained is great for the player.
You’re also allowed to double down after splitting, and you’re even allowed to re-split aces. They do not offer surrender, though.
Best Blackjack Odds Las Vegas Strip
They only have two tables for this game most of the time. The house edge is only 0.2%. That’s the best deal in town as of this writing.
They also have $5 tables, so low rollers needn’t despair. The rules are excellent here, too, with a house edge of under 0.7%.
5 – Downtown Grand
One of the things I like about Downtown Grand is that they don’t have any 6/5 tables. All their games are dealt from a shoe, but they have generous rules. They even allow you to surrender.
The house edge for all their games is under 0.5%, and they have reasonable limits. Most of their tables have a minimum bet of between $5 and $15.
The biggest action they take is $1,000 per hand at their six-deck game with the $10 minimum.
6 – Aria
Aria offers some great blackjack games, but they’re only great if you can afford them. They have a $100 minimum, but the odds are excellent. The house edge is only 0.5% on this game.
They also have a $500 minimum game with a house edge of only 0.25%. In that game, the dealer is required to stand on soft 17, which is an unusual rule for any Strip casino, even ones with such high limits.
Their low limit tables, like their $10 tables, aren’t even worth playing at. There are far better games in town.
How To Win Blackjack In Vegas
7 – MGM Grand
You can find games here with a minimum bet of $25 per hand where the dealer is required to stand on soft 17. The house edge for this game is only 0.46%.
The lowest limit games at the MGM Grand are $10, and I recommend avoiding them . The house edge is just over 2%. Again, that’s mostly because of the 6:5 payout. Please stay away from any 6:5 blackjack games.
If gamblers stop playing these games, the casinos will stop offering them.
Conclusion
Even though a lot of Las Vegas casinos have tightened up their blackjack rules, several good casinos still offer great games. And even though I only have space to list seven of those casinos here, you could find more if you did a little research.
If you’re looking for other options, try searching for information about which Vegas casinos are popular with the locals. Also, focus on casinos that AREN’T located on the Strip. The Strip generally offers the worst return on games. There is also the option to play blackjack online for real money, which is always a great choice.
Las Vegas Best Gambling Odds
Keep in mind, too, that all the house edge figures I quoted above assume you’re playing with perfect basic strategy.
Best Blackjack Odds Downtown Vegas
One more thing to remember, game conditions at casinos change all the time, in Las Vegas and elsewhere. Just because you see it listed here doesn’t mean that it will still be available when you get there.
Best Blackjack Odds In Vegas
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