Best Blackjack Odds In Vegas

• Blackjack House Odds
• Best Odds Blackjack Tables In Vegas
• Best Craps Odds In Vegas
• Best Craps Odds In Vegas Survey
• Best Odds In Vegas Games

Most of the good $3 blackjack tables are in the Henderson area. Some are in North Las Vegas. All of these casinos pay 3-2 on a dealt blackjack and most offer double down before and after splitting. Whatever the case, where are the cheapest tables in Vegas? Best Cheapest Casino Tables in Las Vegas, NV. The truth is, blackjack odds across Las Vegas have declined over the years due to the popularity and accessibility of optimal strategies and card counting. That means casinos have shifted from 3:2 blackjack odds to 6:5 odds. Despite this, there are still a few options for playing the best blackjack in. 25 Minimum at Treasure Island (House Edge = 0.26 Percent) Compared to the next two entries on.

Las Vegas is different things to different people. The Vegas Strip is known for its mega casino-resorts. This part of Las Vegas is where you’ll find the luxury casinos, Michelin rated restaurants, huge nightclubs, luxurious spas, and big-name entertainment. There’s one thing noticeably missing from the Vegas Strip – great affordable gambling. This week we highlighted the best blackjack games under $25 for tourists looking for the best games in the area.

Things change once you leave the Vegas Strip. Sure there are luxury resorts but they’re a little less over the top and aren’t home to as many amenities as the Vegas Strip. Gamblers that enjoy casino games with fair odds often look to casinos away from the glitz and glam.

Many tourists that started visiting Las Vegas when gambling was king, have migrated downtown. Plenty will stay and play in downtown Las Vegas while others will stay on the Vegas Strip and visit downtown Las Vegas for great affordable gambling.

Great Blackjack in Downtown Las Vegas

Downtown Las Vegas is often called “Old Vegas.” Most of the casinos are older and more modest than those on the Vegas Strip. These properties don’t have quite as many amenities. Downtown Las Vegas casinos are more modest so the owners have fewer expenses. This allows them the ability to keep prices lower. This goes for everything from hotel rooms to drinks and, of course, the casino.

What downtown Las Vegas casinos lack in amenities they make up for with great gambling. Not only is gambling better downtown but it’s better – and affordable. Unlike the Vegas Strip, there are plenty of games with $5 and $10 minimum wagers in downtown Las Vegas.

Further, there are plenty of casinos with better craps and roulette odds than the Vegas Strip casinos. The video poker and slot machines return more to players on average than the big casinos in the tourist corridor. Blackjack is where the downtown Las Vegas really shines. Many casinos offer favorable blackjack rules.

Unlike the Vegas Strip, almost every casino in downtown Las Vegas offers 3:2 blackjack under $25. In fact, downtown Las Vegas casinos have almost as many good blackjack games in less than half the casinos as the Vegas Strip. $25 blackjack players are high rollers and can often play the same games but in semi-private rooms.

Best Downtown Las Vegas Blackjack Games

The annual Las Vegas blackjack survey was recently released. Not only is the information useful for finding the best affordable blackjack on the Vegas Strip but the research offers similar information for downtown Las Vegas casinos. Let’s take a look at the best blackjack games under $25 in downtown Las Vegas.

House Edge: 0.30%
El Cortez – 9 tables

House Edge: 0.46%
El Cortez – 2 tables

House edge: 0.48
Downtown Grand – 5 tables

House edge: 0.55%
Golden Nugget – 6 tables

House edge: 0.60%
California – 13 tables
Fremont – 10 tables
Main Street Station – 10 tables

House edge: 0.64%
The D – 8 tables
El Cortez – 2 tables
Golden Gate – 12 tables
Plaza – 8 tables

House edge: 0.78%
California – 2 tables
Fremont – 4 tables

Worst Blackjack Games In Downtown Las Vegas

Unfortunately, it seems as though there are more bad blackjack games in downtown Las Vegas than in previous years. Once again, Binion’s and 4 Queens lead the way with unplayable blackjack games. Both offer way too many 6:5 blackjack games.

Additionally, the owner of the two properties took the bad blackjack games to an even worse level. Both casinos (and the Golden Nugget) are offering 3:2 blackjack…with a mandatory “Bonus Spin” side bet. These are among the worst blackjack games in Las Vegas.

Blackjack House Odds

According to this year’s downtown Las Vegas blackjack survey 4 Queens has three Bonus Spin Tables while Binion’s has another table. The house edge in this game is a whopping 4.4%. The Golden Nugget has four Bonus Spin tables with an even larger house edge of 5.5%.

This game is designed to attract tourists looking for a cheap $5 blackjack game. These casino guests most likely aren’t aware of how much the house edge changes by making the side bet mandatory.

Las Vegas attracted an astounding 42 million visitors in 2018, and when these gamblers got into town, they overwhelmingly hit The Strip.

This iconic stretch of 30 casino properties lining Las Vegas Boulevard – starting with Mandalay Bay on the southern end and stretching 4.6 miles northbound to the Stratosphere tower – has become synonymous with Sin City. In fact, for millions of gamblers worldwide, the idea of playing blackjack games or slots anywhere else in Las Vegas is a nonstarter to say the least.

Best Odds Blackjack Tables In Vegas

It wasn’t always this way of course. Up until the 1990s, the beating heart of Las Vegas could be found a few miles north of The Strip in the Downtown district. The historic old gambling halls clustered along Fremont Street were famously frequented by Frank Sinatra and the “Rat Pack” pals, while Elvis Presley’s legendary film “Viva Las Vegas” (1964) featured plenty of scenes filmed on the old Fremont drag.

Eventually though, Las Vegas Boulevard’s seemingly endless space for new construction prompted casino operators to build their modern mega-resorts there. Over the last 30 years or so, glittering monuments to all things gambling like the Bellagio, Caesars Palace, and Wynn emerged from the Mojave Desert sands like flowers after a summer shower.

Las Vegas’ History with Blackjack

The Strip’s appeal for tourists is its ability to combine slots, table games, poker, and all the other casino staples with an endless supply of non-gambling entertainment. From the glory days of “Mr. Las Vegas” himself Wayne Newton – to more recent permanent residencies by luminaries like Celine Dion, Britney Spears, and Aerosmith – visitors to The Strip can have fun for weeks on end without ever stepping foot on the gaming floor.

That’s all well and good of course, but if you found your way here, you’re looking to learn more about the Las Vegas Strip’s blackjack selection.

Unfortunately for blackjack players who enjoy The Strip, corporate casino ownership has muddied the waters, so to speak. Companies like MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment have come to dominate the market – these two industry titans collectively control 17 casinos on The Strip – and consolidation is never good for consumers.

To wit, today’s blackjack scene on The Strip is largely defined by diluted 6 to 5 payouts on blackjack rather than the old standard of 3 to 2. Knowing most casual gamblers and tourists looking for a good time won’t know the difference, the casino operators who lord over The Strip have mostly replaced their 3 to 2 tables with the inferior 6 to 5 setup.

In reality, this subtle adjustment balloons the house edge incurred by basic strategy players, swelling the house’s advantage from 0.40 percent to over 2 percent (depending on various house rules).

Best Craps Odds In Vegas

As a result, many advanced blackjack players who have been around the proverbial block have sworn The Strip off altogether. These thinking players have studied the numbers, and they know that many of the best places to play blackjack in Las Vegas can be found in Off-Strip casinos.

That’s a shame though, because The Strip didn’t become an oasis of glitz, glamour, and gambling for no reason. Even if you’ve already experienced the sights and sounds of The Strip for yourself, and your sole focus is finding the best blackjack odds and house advantage, Las Vegas Boulevard still has a few diamonds in the rough waiting to be discovered.

With that in mind, check out the list below for a full rundown of the best places to play blackjack when you’re on The Strip.

1 – Treasure Island

While not as popular as many of The Strip’s more well-known casinos, Treasure Island is home to the very best blackjack game in the area – both in terms of house edge and price point.

You’ll learn about a few other venues where blackjack’s house edge can be reduced to 0.19 percent – one of the lowest rates in all of casino gambling – but only Treasure Island lets you enjoy those odds for just $25 per hand.

That’s the minimum bet limit found on three of the 28 tables at Treasure Island which award 3 to 2 payouts on blackjack. This trio of 3 to 2 tables uses the double-deck system too, so players concerned with the count only have 104 cards to sort through instead of 312 (six-deck shoe) or 416 (eight-deck shoe).

To finish things off, the three best blackjack tables on The Strip require the dealer to stand on soft 17, rather than take a mandatory hit. This rule tweak shaves a full 0.20 percent off any game’s house edge rate, creating the razor-thin 0.19 percent advantage held by Treasure Island on its 3 to 2 double-deck games.

Other venues might be able to match that house edge, but they require minimum wagers of $100 or more, while Treasure Island lets low-rollers live a little thanks to that $25 limit.

And if you want to bet smaller at the standard $5 minimum stakes, Treasure Island has 16 six-deck tables which use the 3 to 2 payout for a house edge of only 0.46 percent.

2 – ARIA Resort & Casino

Sticking with the lowest house edge on The Strip of 0.19 percent, blackjack players with good blackjack bankroll management will enjoy the swanky ARIA Resort & Casino.

And of the 18 blackjack tables at the ARIA which offer 3 to 2 payouts, you’ll find three using the same double-deck, dealer stands dynamic described above. Those rules combine to create the elusive 0.19 percent house edge rate, but the minimum bet of $100 represents a 4x premium on the price paid by Treasure Island players.

3 – Bellagio Hotel & Casino (Honorable Mention to Mirage and MGM Grand)

If the ARIA is the epitome of modern luxury, the Bellagio is an homage to the utterly unique beauty of antiquity.

Centered around its Old World Italy theme, the Bellagio is famously home to dancing water fountains outside, and art galleries, designer shopping, and even a one-of-a-kind Dale Chiluly handblown glass exhibit.

Those amenities provide the Bellagio’s backdrop, but 14 blackjack tables – four of which offer 3 to 2 payouts and the same 0.19 percent house edge setup for $100 minimum bets – are this casino’s centerpiece.

And if you’re looking to save a few bucks on the room rate, check out MGM Resorts sister properties Mirage (2) and MGM Grand (3) to find a few of the exact same tables.

4 – Tropicana

You’ll find dozens of tables on The Strip which use a six-deck shoe, have dealers stand on soft 17, and pay 3 to 2 on blackjacks.

Best Craps Odds In Vegas Survey

This structure produces a house edge of 0.26 percent, but while everywhere else asks for minimum wagers of $100, the Tropicana halves that limit to $50 on four tables.

The “Trop” also has four double-deck 3 to 2 tables with a 0.35 percent house edge at $25 minimum bets.

5 – Circus Circus Hotel & Resort

This joint has seen better days, but if you can abide the abundance of children running around the periphery, Circus Circus spreads one of the most affordable 3 to 2 blackjack games on The Strip.

Two tables here come in double-deck format with dealer hits on soft 17 to bring the house edge to 0.40 percent, all for the low price of $15 per hand.

Best Odds In Vegas Games

6 – Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino

If variety is the name of your game, Caesars Palace has 21 different 3 to 2 blackjack tables on hand.

On the other end of the spectrum, seven tables with a 0.26 percent house can be found at $100 stakes.

7 – Wynn Las Vegas

Closing out the list is the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, which houses 19 tables using the 3 to 2 payout system. The lowest house edge here is 0.26 percent on seven $100 tables, while 12 other $50 tables offer 0.40 percent hill to climb.

Conclusion

In exchange for betting a bit higher, blackjack sharps can still enjoy all the amenities and attractions found on The Strip – without sacrificing any equity in terms of the house edge along the way. It’d be great if all blackjack tables on Las Vegas Boulevard offered 3 to 2 payouts and liberal house rules, but alas, that ship has sailed.

The Strip will always be a money pit designed to separate suckers from their dollars and cents, but you don’t have to be one of them. Armed with this list of top-rated places to play blackjack on The Strip, you can have your cake and eat it too.