Las Vegas Blackjack - Casino Gambling at Its Best

(note: click here for a listing of the Las Vegas blackjack minimum bets by casino)

If you want to experience the thrill of playing Blackjack in a land casino, the widest selection of games - and experiences - by far is in Las Vegas. As a Blackjack player, sooner or later you should play in Las Vegas - it's like nowhere else in the world.

The choices for playing Blackjack in Las Vegas are nearly endless. You'll find almost every type of game and rule variation somewhere and it can all be quite confusing. Just stick what you've learned at Blackjack for Everyone and find a table with favorable rules and betting limits you can afford. Keep reading to find out where!

General Overview of Playing Blackjack in Las Vegas

Years ago, when there were only a few strip casinos and downtown was where the action was, it was a competitive market. Blackjack rules were favorable, pretty much the same everywhere and single deck games were common. Sadly, that has changed radically.

While favorable rules and single or double decks can still be found without too much difficulty downtown and at many off-strip casinos, the elegant and expensive mega- casinos on the strip have in many cases dumbed down the game with rules that increase the house edge to the point where a knowledgeable Blackjack player will hesitate to play.

The big Strip casinos are now owned by major corporations with major appetites for profit. They seem to be focusing more on increasing the bottom line than offering a decent game with fair rules. Yes, the house has always had the advantage, but the big casinos are gradually changing the rules of Blackjack to increase the house edge.

They are apparently betting that well-heeled tourists with more money than gambling knowledge will continue to pack the tables. And judging from the busy tables - even those with really lousy rules such as paying 6:5 for a natural instead of the proper 3:2 - they may be right. At least until more people visit web sites like Blackjack For Everyone!

If you want good rules and affordable betting limits, you'll need to play at the older strip resorts (such as the Tropicana, Flamingo and Stardust), or at the off-strip or downtown casinos where the locals play (such as the Palms, Sam's Town, Fiesta Rancho, the Las Vegas Club, and the Station casinos).

At these casinos, you can often still play classic Blackjack the way it was meant to be played: single (or double) deck, full 3:2 payout for naturals, and hand shuffles by dealers that don't look down their nose at you and sniff when you place a three dollar bet. They are also likely to not be as paranoid about spotting and barring card counters as the strip casinos.

That said, you can still occasionally find favorable rules on the strip. However, they will frequently be at the higher limit tables with minimum betting limits starting at $25 and going up. Like many things in life, the best deals go to those who don't need them. Sigh.

Your best bet on the strip is to play in the morning or early afternoon. In the evening - and especially on weekends - the big strip casinos raise the minimum betting limit as the night goes on. You may also find that the free drinks get stronger as the minimum bets get higher. The corporate owners have proven to be fast learners.

Three Types of Casinos - Which Do You Prefer?

1. Strip Casinos
2. Off-Strip and near-strip Casinos
3. Downtown Casinos

(note: click here for a complete listing of all Las Vegas casinos)

Each group has its own ambience, advantages and disadvantages. The bottom line here is that you should base your decision as to where to play on three things: the playing conditions (single or multiple deck, hand shuffle or shuffling machines, how carefully the Pit Boss scrutinizes the players) Blackjack Rules used (whether dealer hits or stands on soft 17, whether a natural pays 3:2 or 6:5) and the betting limits (most particularly, the minimum bet allowed).

If the conditions are favorable, the rules are good and the minimum limit within your budget, then it doesn't matter if you're playing at the luxurious Bellagio or the down to earth Fiesta. Your odds are the same.

No matter where you play, here are the three worst types of Blackjack games and you should avoid them completely:

1. All games that only pay 6:5 when you get a Blackjack. This is one of the worst rules for the player and is especially prevalent in single deck games. Be sure to look for this before sitting down at any single deck game, especially on the strip.
2. All blackjack games that use an automatic, continuous-shuffling machine. You will lose you money faster because of the increased speed of the game. Also, you cannot count cards because the deck is continuously shuffled.
3. All multiple deck shoe games where the dealer must hit a soft 17. You should be able to find plenty of games where the dealer stands on all 17s, so don't play with this unfavorable rule.

Strip Casinos

You should be very careful when choosing Blackjack games at strip casinos. Rules are not the same everywhere and, generally speaking, the fancier the casino the harder you will have to look for good rules and affordable minimums.

While you can find some games with favorable rules, they will frequently be games dealt from a shoe. All of the single deck and most of the double deck games on the strip are now paying only 6:5 for a natural – a rule that knowledgeable Blackjack players avoid at all costs. If you want a single deck game that pays 3:2 for a natural, you'll have to go off the strip.

The best rules at strip casinos are likely to be at multiple deck games dealt from a shoe, or at high limit games. At the newer casinos, even at the multiple deck games you will be hard pressed to find anything less than a $10 minimum, especially at night. On weekends, you may have difficulty finding anything less than a $15 minimum and, increasingly, $25 minimums.

The strip is also making it increasingly difficult for card counters. Pit Bosses are suspicious and will not hesitate to ask you to leave if they suspect you are an advantage player. Once again, we see the influence of corporate bottom lines here.

In a way it's a bit ironic, as many of these games have unfavorable rules that no self- respecting card counter would go near. As a result, they most likely card counter they will discover is the rank amateur who doesn't know enough to play at a casino with decent rules. They would be better off letting these poor players alone, as they will invariably lose their money faster with poor counting skills than if they just played basic strategy.

The table below gives the best strip casinos for playing Blackjack. While this may look like a long list, you'll notice that the only reason many casinos made the list was because shoe games pay 3:2 for a natural and the dealer stands on soft 17. Single and double deck games will have unfavorable rules and/or high minimum bets.

CASINO	COMMENTS
Aladdin	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. But watch out for high minimums.
Bally's	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2.
Bellagio	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. At the time of this writing, they had a $10 minimum game.
Caesars	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. But watch out for high minimums.
Luxor	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. But watch out for high minimums.
Mandalay Bay	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. Also has a good double deck game but with a $25 minimum.
MGM Grand	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. At the time of this writing, they still had a $5 minimum shoe game.
Mirage	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. But watch out for high minimums.
Monte Carlo	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. But watch out for high minimums.
New York New York	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2.
Paris	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. But watch out for high minimums.
Sahara	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. They are also one of only two casinos on the strip where you can find a $1 minimum Blackjack game (but only early in the daytime).
Slots-A-Fun	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. They are also one of only two casinos on the strip where you can find a $1 minimum Blackjack game.
Stardust	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2.
Treasure Island	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. But watch out for high minimums.
Tropicana	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2.
Venetian	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. But watch out for high minimums.

Off-Strip and Near-Strip Casinos

With a few notable exceptions such as the Rio and the Hard Rock casinos, these are your less elegant (or, as some might say, less garish) casinos. The staff (including the Blackjack dealers) tends to be friendlier and the prices lower overall. They don't have the location or ambience of the big strip casinos, so they compensate by offering lower prices and, frequently, better odds on Blackjack as well as other games.

Their major disadvantage is distance. Many are several miles from the strip and they are spaced far apart. Unlike the strip, where you park at one place and walk to several casinos, you'll have to drive to each of the off-strip casinos.

However, the drive can be very worthwhile if it results in a good Blackjack game, along with lower prices overall on everything else.

Here are the best off-strip and near strip casinos for playing Blackjack.

CASINO	COMMENTS
Fiesta Rancho	Lots of good single and double deck games, naturals pay 3:2 and you can find minimum limits as low as $3.
Las Vegas Hilton	Good double deck games, but with a $25 minimum.
Sam Remo	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2. Low minimum limits ($3).
Palms	On games dealt from a shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 and naturals pay 3:2.
Santa Fe Station	Low $3 Limits and some single and double deck games where a natural pays 3:2.
Sunset Station	Good double deck games and $5 minimums.
Texas Station	Good double deck games and $5 minimums.
Suncoast	Good double deck games and $5 minimums.

Downtown Casinos

Downtown had all the lights, the most distinctive landmarks and the serious gamblers, while the strip had most of the big name entertainment. Blackjack rules were similar and favorable and it didn't make much difference from a gambling odds standpoint where you played.

And then the big corporations began buying up strip properties and the era of the themed mega-casinos began. From that point in time on, the race was over. The strip is where all the growth centered and downtown barely was able to remain above water.

Downtown experienced somewhat of a revival in the early 1990's with the Fremont Street Project.

The five blocks of Fremont street, which was for decades the main drag of downtown and one of the most photographed streets in the world, were blocked off from vehicle traffic and turned into a giant pedestrian only area.

Over this, a giant "space frame" was placed. In the frame are 2.1 million lights. These lights become animated at night in a gigantic, computer-generated show, backed by 540,000 watts of music, sound, and animated images controlled by 31 computers.

Two-hundred eight speakers provide spectacular sound which is synchronized to the animation effects. Overall it is an impressive, spectacular display, which is worth the trip downtown even if you do not intend to gamble.

However, if you do want to gamble, this is the place to do it. This is where you will find the most favorable Blackjack rules and affordable minimum betting limits. Downtown gave up long ago on trying to compete with the strip on glamour, so they now compete by continuing to offer classic Blackjack the way it was intended to be played.

There aren't a long list of casinos downtown, but at least half of them offer the best Blackjack rules and play to be found. Here are the best downtown casinos for playing Blackjack.

CASINO	COMMENTS
El Cortez	Single deck games with 3:2 payout for naturals. But has a reputation for spotting and throwing out card counters.
Four Queens	Single deck games with 3:2 payout for naturals.
Golden Nugget	Single deck games with 3:2 payout for naturals (but minimums start at $15 for single deck) and dealer stands on soft 17.
Las Vegas Club	Single deck games with 3:2 payout for naturals. Also lots of double deck games.
Plaza	Lots of decent double deck games.