Las Vegas Blackjack Hall of Fame – Best Blackjack Casino

It is time to honor the casinos that know that it is still a good business practice to offer a great blackjack game to players.

This year’s Las Vegas Blackjack Hall of Fame award goes to MGM Grand. They were also the best place to play blackjack in last year’s survey. MGM Grand offers the lowest limit blackjack game in Las Vegas that stays on all 17’s. A player can bet as little as $15 to play in this game and some mornings that game is $10. You have to look for those tables though. There are 11 of them buried in the back of the table game pits near the high limit area. This game also allows double down after a split, resplit aces and surrender.

They also offer a double deck that stays on all 17’s, although that game has a minimum bet $100. This game allows double down after splitting. An early morning version of that game may still be as low as $50.

Honorable mentions go out to other MGM Resorts properties. Mirage offers double deck and shoe games that stay on all 17’s with the same rules with a $25 minimum. Aria and Bellagio offer the shoe game with a $25 minimum and a $50 minimum on double deck.

Las Vegas Blackjack Hall of Shame – Worst Blackjack Casino

The loss of O’Sheas means that I am forced to choose another casino for our 2013 Blackjack Hall of Shame. The Quad, formerly Imperial Palace, wins this disgrace. That is because every game in The Quad pays 6-5 on blackjack. The Quad is also still a construction zone that sent its poker room into the Siberian like third floor, killing one of the juiciest poker rooms in the city. Even the most motivated poker player may never find it buried in its new home. Honorable, or disgraceful mention goes to Casino Royale, who offers some Blackjack Switch games but also pays 6-5 on all other blackjack games. This includes the new and fun Free Bet Blackjack. Casino Royale was not satisfied by just making Free Bet Blackjack a 6-5 game, they had to also take away the player’s ability to receive a free double after they have hit. This feature is available everywhere else Free Bet Blackjack is installed.

How I Scouted Las Vegas Blackjack

I pulled into Mandalay Bay at about 3pm on Friday, December 21, 2012. This was the slowest Friday night of 2012 for Las Vegas due to the holiday season. I walked from Mandalay Bay up the west side of the Las Vegas Strip up to Treasure Island. I then started at Encore on the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard and went back down the strip on that side. This took about ten hours. I went back out on December 27^th at about 6pm. I visited the north end of the Las Vegas Strip as well as Fremont Street. I ended the night at Red Rock. The next day I drove to South Point and Palms.

I took note of the minimum and maximum bets of every table that I passed. I also noted whether the felt stated whether a player got paid 3-2 or 6-5 on blackjack and if the dealer hit or stood on soft 17. Some of the placards on the table disclosed other rules such as whether a player could double anything, double after a split, surrender or resplit aces. Those placards were few and far between though. I would often have to ask idle dealers or pit bosses what the rules were in their blackjack games. In many cases, I would actually have to sit down and play as I did not want to draw too much attention to myself or disturb players by slowing down their game by bothering their dealers.

The most surprising issue with creating these surveys is that many dealers do not know the rules of their games offhand. There were at least ten times that I asked a dealer if I could double down after a split in a double deck game or whether I could surrender or resplit aces in a shoe game and they did not know the answer. They would have to ask the pit boss or ask the dealer next to them. I also got some odd answers that I had to confirm with other dealers. For example, I had one dealer tell me that surrender was allowed in the double deck game that they were dealing. I knew this was not true but I had to go to the pit boss to confirm it just in case. This is a leak for the casinos as players may be able to angleshoot a poorly trained dealer.

The most noticeable change was that there were more 6 to 5 blackjack games. This is where a dealt blackjack pays only 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2. This adds 1.39% to the house advantage. There were many more of these tables than there were last year. The noticeable increase in 6 to 5 tables were at the lower end Caesar’s Entertainment properties, Luxor and Monte Carlo.

Another noticeable difference was that there were far fewer tables. Many casinos had closed entire pits and replaced them with slot banks. Other times blackjack was replaced with other table games such as Three Card Poker or Paigow Poker. At MGM Grand, there were 18 tables that were essentially blocked off. These tables would require some work to reopen as the entire pit did not look like it was in operation. As a whole, the city shed at least 10% of their tables. This includes the opening of 14 tables at Margaritaville which is connected to the Flamingo. It also includes the loss of tables at the now closed Sahara.

Something else I noticed was that Caesar’s Entertainment has started offering surrender in their 8 deck games. Surrender was posted on most tables and offered on virtually all of the shoe games. Previously, surrender was only available in the high limit areas which typically have a $100 minimum bet. Most of these tables paid 6 to 5 on blackjack though the games are still not playable.

I also noticed a new video blackjack machine manufactured by Azure Gaming. This new video blackjack game is 6 decks and will tell you when it shuffles. It also has favorable player rules. Players can double anything, double after the split, split up to three hands, and players can surrender. The machine also stays on all 17’s. In three casinos where this machine was offered, it was better than the live blackjack games. It also accepted player’s cards so players could earn cashback and comps.

The average blackjack game in Las Vegas got a little worse over the past year. There are still several good places to play blackjack though. The best game in the city is the single deck at El Cortez. Bellagio, MGM and Aria all offer a good shoe game with a reasonable minimum bet. While there are hundreds of bad blackjack games in Las Vegas, players can still find a blackjack game with loose rules in certain casinos.

Players Not Using Basic Strategy Cost You Money

There is a basic strategy to blackjack. Not everyone adheres to it though. Players that stray from basic strategy are usually new to the game. Other times they just do not recall the correct play. Some players will get mad when a player hits when they should have stayed or stayed when they should have hit and the dealer wins the hand. This is the product of results oriented thinking. Over a million hands, what the player next to you did has no effect on your win or loss rate. The change of cards will help you win as many times as it will make you lose.

That Dealer is Unlucky

Some players actually believe that some dealers are luckier than others. A certain dealer always beats them and another dealer always deals that player blackjacks and 20’s. There is no such thing as a lucky dealer. The cards are shuffled in the same way and always cut before dealing. Over a million hands the dealer does not affect your win or loss rate. The cards will all even out in the end.

I’m Feeling Lucky

Sometimes a player will get a feeling about what card is coming next. If a player has not been counting the deck then this lucky feeling is meaningless. Always play using basic strategy if you are not counting the cards. Sometimes a card counter will use the line “I’m feeling lucky” while making a play that deviates from basic strategy, that is entirely different than a superstitious player using their gut feeling to make a play.

Players Sitting in Middle of a Shoe

Some casinos will have rules in their single or double deck games that state “No mid deck entry”. This means that a player cannot get dealt in after the first hand of a deck has been dealt. This is usually done to help the house so that advantage players cannot watch the game and jump in when the count gets favorable. Some players take it to mean that there is some disadvantage to seated players when someone jumps in the game in the middle of the deck or shoe. Unless there is a very favorable card count, a player joining the game mid deck will not affect you. The number of times a player sits on a good count will be equal to the number of times that they sit on a bad count. This will even out over time.

Single Deck Games Are the Best Blackjack Games

This was once true but for the most part it has become a myth. There are still a couple of good single deck blackjack games around but for the most part single deck blackjack is dead. These games usually pay 6-5 on blackjack which more than cancels out the very small advantage playing with one deck has.

Always Take Insurance

If taking insurance were a good bet, the house would not offer it. Some people think that they should always insure a bad hand because it makes it more likely that the dealer has a face card. Others think that they should always take even money when they have a blackjack. Some even think that if they get dealt 20 that they should insure their good hand. They are all wrong! The house advantage on insurance is 7.4%. Players should never take insurance.

Playing Like the Dealer

Some people think that if they play like the dealer they will increase their chances of winning. If the dealer hits 16 and stays on 17 then the player should play that way too in their opinion. The reason this does not work is because the house has the advantage because the player must act first. The dealer can win two ways. Either the player busts before they have to act, or the dealer outdraws them. To the player, they must survive the drawing round before they can move on to the dealer’s turn. By hitting all hands 16 and lower when basic strategy says otherwise a player will increase the house advantage by 5.5%.

We could go on and on about player’s myths in blackjack but these are the most common ones. Gamblers are superstitious by nature so sometimes it is hard to avoid thinking some of these myths are true. In the long term, ignore all of the outside elements of the game and just use basic strategy. None of the outside distractions affect your game in any way whatsoever.

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<br /> <a href="http://www.onlineblackjack.com/blog/techcrunch-blackjack-infographic/"><br /> <img src="http://www.onlineblackjack.com/images/infographic/techcrunch-blackjack.jpg" alt="TechCrunch Blackjack Infographic" width="595" height="1564" border="0" /></a></p> <p>Via: <a href="http://www.onlineblackjack.com">OnlineBlackjack.com</a>

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Myth #1-Card counters never lose.

This myth is based on the idea that people who count cards beat the dealer and the casino every time they play. This is maybe the silliest and most damaging myth about counting cards–casinos are afraid of card counters because they think their profit is going to walk out the door every time a counter walks in. Real card counting only slightly increases the counter’s odds against the house. We’re talking about tenths of a percent difference in odds, which only make a big difference if you’re betting huge amounts.

Card counters only have a positive edge against the house in certain gaming situations–people who study card counting say that counters only “go up” against the house about 1 in every 6 rounds. The other 5 rounds, card counters have a slight disadvantage, just like people who play using basic blackjack strategy.

Myth #2-Counting cards only works for single deck games.

Since counting cards is really just keeping mental track of favorable and unfavorable cards, it makes no sense that card counters can’t keep track of more than one deck. In fact, card counters tend to stay away from single deck games, as dealers at these games are looking out for card counters and these tables have bet maximums that limit the profits counters could make to begin with.

Learning to count cards is just as easy for an eight deck game as it is for a single deck game; the numbers just get bigger. Instead of keeping track of sixteen 10 point value cards, counters in an eight deck game have to keep track of 128 cards. A little practice, and you could count a shoe made up of hundreds of decks.

Myth #3-It takes a lifetime to learn to count cards.

New methods for counting cards appear all the time, and modern counting methods tend to put an emphasis on ease of use. Older counting methods like the High-Low system can take a little time to learn and perfect, but new methods (such as Speed Count) can be learned in just a few hours of study.

While it is true that the more time you spend learning to count and the more complex method you use, the better your potential profits, learning a simple method like Speed Count can increase your edge against the casino in just a few hours of practice.

Myth #4-Casinos harass card counters.

In Las Vegas and a few other gambling jurisdictions, card counting is really frowned upon. But the truth is that most casinos don’t lose enough money to counters to really worry about them. Casinos are not legally allowed to harass customers for any reason, especially customers who haven’t committed a crime. Since card counting isn’t illegal, most card counters never experience any heat whatsoever.

Myth #5-You have to be rich to make money counting cards.

This myth is based on solid blackjack strategy–every player is going to experience his share of short-term losses. That’s why people assume that you need a massive bankroll to win lots of money counting cards. The truth is, card counters tailor their bet size to their bankroll so that they can weather the losing streaks and live to play another day.

Beware of a slight change in the rules of blackjack offered by lots of casinos in Vegas and elsewhere in the world–look for a little card or sign that says “Blackjack Pays 6-5.” This means that instead of winning $15 for your natural, you’d have won just $12.

Believe it or not, this slight change in the rules of blackjack greatly affects the player’s odds. This rule is most often a part of a single-deck blackjack game. Since lots of blackjack players automatically assume that single-deck blackjack offers better odds, they’ll step up and play a 6-5 game without realizing the impact that rule has on their odds.

How the 6:5 Rule Affects Blackjack Odds

Let’s just write it down in black and white–a casino that pays 6-5 for a natural increases its edge by 1.39%. That means that players who use basic blackjack strategy are now at a 1.45% disadvantage instead of the standard 0.56% for an 8-deck game of blackjack. That means that the 6-5 payout rule triples the casino’s expected take, a huge difference in the odds for a single rule change.

If you bet $25 per hand, playing a standard average of 80 hands per hour, you can expect to lose $11.20 per hour of play. If you were to switch over to the single deck game (with a 6-5 blackjack payout rule), you can expect to lose $29.00 during that same hour. Considering that a blackjack game with an 8-deck shoe is supposed to be the worst possible table to play at, you’d think a switch over to a single deck game would be a smart financial decision. Not so, if they pay out 6-5 for a natural.

It is easy to forget how much a single change of the rules of blackjack affects your potential winnings. Blackjack tables where the dealer stands on a soft 17 lose about 0.21% of their edge. If a blackjack table doesn’t allow doubling after splitting, the player edge is reduced by about 0.11%. These sound like small numbers, but spread over 80 hands an hour, they can have a big impact on your bankroll. The 6:5 blackjack payout is no different.

How to Overcome 6-5 Blackjack

In the casino, you vote with your chips. The best way to get around the 6-5 payout rule is to not play any table offering 6-5 for a natural. If enough people avoided blackjack games with this rule, the casino would have to stop offering them.

Another way to beat the house when they only pay out 6-5 for a blackjack is to learn to count cards. If you step up to a single deck game (most of which payout 6-5) and you’re armed with the ability to count cards, you can still take money out of the casino’s coffers with regularity. At a single deck game, the dealer is trained to recognize card counters, so you’ll probably be asked to leave as soon as you start winning, but before you’re booted out, you can make a nice withdrawal.

The next time you’re in the casino, make sure you only play tables that pay out at least 3-2 (sometimes called 1.5-1) for naturals. If people continue to do business with casinos that only pay 6-5, they’ll keep opening new 6-5 tables.

Casinos count on people not knowing basic blackjack strategy and not being aware of the rules of a particular table. If you want to lose your shirt (and your pants and your shoes) in the casino, blackjack dealers are willing and able to help you out. Here’s are three quick steps to losing a ton of money playing casino blackjack.

1. Leave Your Strategy Card at Home

If you’re a student of blackjack and don’t have a strategy card or printable blackjack strategy chart, what’s wrong with you? They’re available for free online and for sale on the cheap at the casino gift shop.

If you own a strategy card and choose not to bring it to the blackjack table with you, you’re setting yourself up for big losses. Casinos don’t care if you bring your strategy card–they wouldn’t sell them if they didn’t want you to have them. Maybe you’re afraid to bring the card along because of what other gamblers will say. Who cares?

The blackjack strategy card will help you win, plain and simple. It gives you the mathematically appropriate play for any game situation you’ll come across. Since the game of blackjack is set up to favor of the house, playing with perfect strategy still won’t automatically turn you into a high roller, but leaving it at home is asking for trouble.

2. Use Betting Strategies

We’re not talking about card counting here–if you can count cards, by all means tailor your bets. But if you aren’t trained in counting cards, using one of those ludicrous betting strategies based on winning and losing “streaks” will drain your bankroll faster than anything else.

Betting strategies that base your bet size on whether you’ve been winning or losing make one huge mistake–they ignore maximum bet limits. Let’s say your doubling your bets after losses. Your first bet was $2, and you lost, so you doubled it to $4. Another loss, another doubled bet, so now you’re betting $8. It only takes four more losses and doubled bets before you’ve hit the max bet at most blackjack tables. Since you can no longer double your bets, your system has failed and you can’t recoup your losses.

3. Play Like a Sucker

There are any number of other habits that you could take on to lose money at blackjack, all of which fall under the umbrella of “playing like a sucker.” Though this isn’t by any means a complete list, playing like a sucker means taking insurance, ignoring the table rules, drinking too much, forgetting to tip the dealer, splitting every pair you’re dealt, and being too scared to double down. Playing like a sucker means ignoring everything you’ve ever read about how to play blackjack, pretending like you’re God’s Gift to Gambling.

Casinos are more than happy to host players who think they know all there is to know about blackjack. If you’re unwilling to use your strategy card, plan on incorporating a betting strategy you read about online, and forget the basic rules of blackjack play, the casino will be happy to ask you to visit again and again.

1. Not Doubling Down

The game of blackjack is very formulaic. If you follow the prescribed strategy, and if you happen to get a little lucky, you can usually walk away a winner. While it is true that blackjack tends to reward conservative play, sometimes doubling your bet is the right thing to do. Let’s say you’re holding a soft thirteen (A and 2) against a dealer’s 5. The only card that would keep you from significantly improving your hand is a 9 or a 10. That means statistically speaking you can expect a win, so go ahead and double the bet. The dealer’s bust probability showing a 5 is significantly high. Not doubling your bet is like throwing money away. Memorize double down opportunities before your next blackjack venture.

2. Playing By Feel

If I had a nickel for every time someone said they were taking insurance because it just “felt” like the dealer had a blackjack, I’d never have to gamble again. Playing blackjack (or any casino game) by “feel” is about as smart as driving by smell. Blackjack is a game based in odds and strategy, not feel or emotion.

3. Fear of Surrender

People are as scared of surrendering as they are of doubling down. The fact is, basic blackjack strategy holds that sometimes it is best to surrender and avoid a potentially big loss, saving half your bet in the process. Specifically, if your point total is 15 or 16 and the dealer’s up card is a 9 or higher, you should always surrender to avoid an easy win for the casino.

Why does surrendering make sense under these conditions? 15 and 16 are the most dangerous totals in blackjack–not high enough to beat a dealer standing at 17, and not low enough to safely take a hit. You can safely stand at 15 or 16 if the dealer’s up card is on the low side, when his bust probability is over 50%.

Being afraid to surrender will cost you money in the long-run. Play the odds and you’re guaranteed to have a more successful blackjack experience.

4. Ignoring the Table Rules

Unless you’re playing blackjack in Atlantic City, where the state of New Jersey dictates that all blackjack tables offer the same rules, you should make sure you know the specific game rules for the game you’re joining. Small changes in blackjack rules can mean a big difference in your odds–for instance, if the dealer in a particular game is allowed to draw on a soft 17, the casino’s edge increases by a couple of percentage points. Blackjack games where the house pays 6 to 5 on blackjacks alter the odds by a few more percentage points. There’s no reason not to play blackjack at tables that offer the best rules. What are the best blackjack rules? Early surrender, double down on any two cards, 2-1 payout in blackjacks, double down after splits, and draw to split aces.

If you are new to blackjack, avoiding these common mistakes will save you a lot of losses at the blackjack table. If you’re a long-time blackjack player and are still falling into these same old traps, making a few small changes to your game will greatly increase your chances of winning, which just happens to make playing blackjack even more fun.