What Las Vegas Casinos Have the Best Blackjack Games?

It was once possible to find excellent blackjack games in Las Vegas. The games have become more difficult over the past two decades. But what does this mean?

Although the basic blackjack rules remain the same, the details can significantly affect your chances of winning. In some casinos, the dealer holds a soft 17 while in others the dealer hits soft 17.

It is better for the player to have the dealer stand on soft 17. However, most casinos in Vegas have abandoned this rule.

Some casinos have even altered the payouts for blackjack from 3 to 2 to 6:5. Do yourself a favor and decline to play in any of these games. There are still Las Vegas casinos that offer blackjack rules. I have listed seven of them, along with reasons why they are great.

1 – El Cortez

Multiple sources have referred to El Cortez in the past as having the best blackjack downtown. So what makes their blackjack games so special?

There are usually a few single-deck tables, and one table that only uses two decks. Many tables offer $5 minimum bets and cater to low rollers. They accept high-rollers as well, with max bets ranging from $500 to $2000 per table.

Although they do hit a soft 17 there aren’t any casinos in Downtown Vegas that can stand on a hard 17. Their house edge is 0.7% for all games, with the best strategy. However, their highest games have a house advantage of 0.3%.

You can get the best odds of winning downtown by sticking with $5 single-deck tables at El Cortez.

El Cortez also offers video Blackjack with fairly good rules.

2 – Treasure Island

Treasure Island is the most popular blackjack casino on The Strip. While I recommend that you stick with a single-deck game most of the time, the six-deck Treasure Island game has better odds. Even if you have a perfect strategy, the house edge for Treasure Island’s single-deck game is only 1.7%.

What is the reason for this? It’s a 6 to 5 blackjack table.

People get confused and believe that 6:5 Blackjack is better than 3:2 Blackjack simply because 6 is greater than 3. They are not accounting for the nature and value of the odds.

You will only win $120 if you place $100 on a table of 6:5 blackjack and you get a blackjack. If you were getting 3:2 odds, you’d win $150. With a minimum of $25, the six-deck games offer the best odds with the lowest house edge at 0.3%.

This is why this game is so great. This is the only place where the dealer must stand on soft 17.

However, many of my readers cannot afford this level of action so they will likely opt for the $10 tables. These are great too. These games have a house edge of just 0.5%.

Also read: Match the Dealer in Blackjack

3 – Any Station Casino

Station Casinos cater to the Las Vegas market and are well-known for their great odds of winning at both blackjack and poker.

Multiple tables often offer $5 blackjack. They often have many tables with $5 blackjack and a 0.45% house edge. They have seven of these tables at Boulder Station.

Due to the 6:5 payouts, be careful with single-deck games. Despite all other rules being liberal for these tables, the house advantage is greater than 1.5%.

Station Casinos has the following properties that offer great blackjack games:

• Red Rock Casino
• Green Valley Ranch
• Palace Station
• Sunset Station
• Boulder Station
• Santa Fe Station
• Texas Station

4 – M Resort

Blackjack games in Vegas have the best odds of winning. However, the M Resort has a two-deck game with a maximum bet of $50. There is a maximum bet of $3,000. There are many rules to this game that are beneficial for the player.

One, the dealer is on soft 17, which I have already explained is great news for the player.

After splitting, you can double down and even re-split your aces. However, they do not allow surrender.

Most of the time, they only have two tables to play this game. The house edge is 0.2%. This is the best deal available as of writing.

You can also play at $5 tables so you don’t have to be discouraged if your low-roller friends are playing. You will find the rules to be very easy here with a house edge below 0.7%.

5 – Downtown Grand

Downtown Grand doesn’t have any 6-/5 tables, which is something I love about it. They have very generous rules and all their games are played from a shoe. You can even surrender.

Their house edge is below 0.5% for all games. They have reasonable limits. The minimum bet at most of their tables is between $5 and $15.

They take the largest action at their six-deck game, which has a $10 minimum.

6 – Aria

Aria has some amazing blackjack games. However, they are only available to those who can afford them. The minimum deposit is $100, but the odds of winning are great. This game has a house edge of 0.5%.

There is also a $500 minimum game, with a house edge only 0.2%. The dealer must stand on soft 17 in that game. This is a rare rule for Strip casinos, even those with high limits.

They aren’t worth playing at, especially with their low limit tables like the $10 ones. There are better games around town.

7 – MGM Grand

There are games with a $25 minimum bet where the dealer must stand on soft 17. This game has a house edge of 0.46%.

The MGM Grand has a $10 limit game. I recommend that you avoid them. The house edge is slightly less than 2%. This is mainly due to the 6:5 payout. Avoid any 6:5 Blackjack games.

These games will be removed from the casino’s site if gamblers stop playing them.

Conclusion

Although many Las Vegas casinos have made it harder to play blackjack, there are still great casinos that offer great games. Even though I have only listed seven casinos, there are many more available if you do a little bit of research.

You can also search for information on which Vegas casinos are most popular among locals if you’re interested in other options. You should also focus your attention on casinos that aren’t located on the Strip. The Strip offers the lowest return on your investment. You can also play Blackjack online for real money. This is a great option.

Remember, too, to keep the house edge figures above accurate, you must play with a perfect basic strategy.

Remember that game conditions change at all casinos, whether in Las Vegas or elsewhere. It doesn’t necessarily mean it will be available when it is listed.