All blackjack tables are not created equal.
Other than checking out the minimum bet requirements, I’ve never really put much thought into which table I sit at when playing blackjack. Thankfully, just in time for my next trip to Las Vegas, Marc Cooper has educated me about my folly.
A Winners Guide to Blackjack is a truly informative article which anyone visiting a casino in the near future should really spend time to read. Cooper informs us that over the last few years, Vegas casinos have been slowly stacking the cards against us. Of course, the cards have always been stacked against us, but now they’ve taken the one game with the best odds for gamblers and practically destroyed them.
The biggest tragedy is that some casinos are switching from a 3-2 blackjack payoff to a 6-5 payoff. Unless you check out the small print on a table before sitting down, you’re going to be short changed your winnings. Also make sure that you can double down on any combination of cards, and that the dealer has to stand on a soft 17.
Cooper cruised through Vegas looking for the best combination of rules which benefit the gambler and found only a couple of tables to his liking. In fact, Cooper informs us that out of some 1000 blackjack tables in Vegas, only four offer a 3-2 payoff on a single deck–the best odds facing a gambler. The tables were located in the El Cortez Hotel and Four Queens–two places you won’t find on the glitzy strip.
The best bit of advice is to read the small print before playing. At the MGM Grand, for example, Cooper discovered some tables offering a 6-5 payoff with dealers hitting on a soft 17, while others offered a 3-2 payoff where dealers couldn’t hit on a soft 17. Do yourself a favor and don’t sit down where the cards are already stacked against you before they are even dealt.