Where Should You Play Blackjack in Las Vegas?

Las Vegas offers numerous opportunities to enjoy blackjack. In fact, Sin City features hundreds of blackjack tables.

That said, you may be at a loss when it comes to choosing a table. Furthermore, you might just take the first available seat. However, you can boost your chances of winning greatly by putting some thought in the matter.

The following guide discusses what to consider when picking Vegas blackjack games. It also covers which casinos offer the best games regarding the house edge, favorable rules, and affordable stakes.

What Makes a Worthwhile Blackjack Game?

Unlike slot machines, blackjack actually gives you an opportunity to influence the house edge through skill. Therefore, you can improve your chances of winning by using strategy. Blackjack strategy isn’t hard to learn, but it does take a little bit of work.

However, strategy only takes you so far with blackjack. You also need to look for a table with favorable rules so that you stand a better chance of winning.

The stakes should play a role in which table you choose as well—especially if you’re a low roller. Below, you can check out how all of these aspects are helpful in picking a blackjack table.

Low House Edge

This house edge directly affects your long-term chances of winning. Simply put, a lower house gives you a better opportunity to win.

That said, you definitely want to choose Las Vegas blackjack games that feature low house advantages. Here are some of the top Sin City casinos in this regard:

• M Resort – 0.19%
• Aria – 0.26%
• Bellagio – 0.26%
• Mandalay Bay – 0.26%
• MGM Grand – 0.26%
• Mirage – 0.26%
• Park MGM – 0.26%
• Treasure Island – 0.26%
• Palace Station – 0.40%
• Palms – 0.40%
• Red Rock – 0.40%
• Silverton – 0.40%

Favorable Rules

Along with strategy, the rules play a huge part in the advantage for the house. You stand a better opportunity of making money when player-friendly rules are present.

Here are some important rules you need to be conscious of:

• 3:2 blackjack payouts reduces the house advantage by 1.39% (versus 6:5 payouts).
• Single-deck blackjack lowers the house edge by 0.58% (versus eight decks).
• Doubling down on any total lowers the house advantage by 0.25% (versus being restricted to 9 through 11).
• Dealer stands on a soft 17 lowers the house advantage by 0.2% (versus hitting).
• Doubling down after you split (DAS) lowers the house advantage by 0.17% (versus no DAS).

Others rules can affect the house advantage as well. However, the ones presented above are especially crucial.

Low Stakes

Any of the Vegas blackjack games with low house edges feature high stakes. This is perfectly fine if you don’t mind risking $50 or $100 per hand. However, it takes a major toll when you don’t have the funds to play high limits.

If you’re a low roller, then you should seek tables that offer a combination of good rules and low stakes. Unlikely, Sin City provides a fair number of tables with this perfect combo.

Here are some Las Vegas casinos that offer player-friendly games with low stakes:

• Lucky Club – $1 minimum bet; 0.64%
• Poker Palace – $2 minimum bet; 0.41%
• Joker’s Wild – $3 minimum bet; 0.78%
• Sam’s Town – $3 minimum bet; 0.78%
• Aliante Casino – $5 minimum bet; 0.46%
• Arizona Charlie’s: Decatur – $5 minimum bet; 0.46%
• California – $5 minimum bet; 0.60%
• Cannery – $5 minimum bet; 0.46%
• Club Fortune – $5 minimum bet; 0.46%
• Eastside Cannery – $5 minimum bet; 0.46%
• El Cortez – $5 minimum bet; 0.46%
• Fiesta Henderson – $5 minimum bet; 0.46%

Which Vegas Casinos Offer the Best Blackjack Action?

Your personal preferences will come into play when deciding which Las Vegas casinos offer the best real money blackjack action.

For example, you may value a low house more than anything. In this case, you should seek games with the lowest house advantages.

Assuming you’re dealing with a rather limited bankroll, then you need to really consider the stakes as well. A low house edge is always nice, but it can still result in an expensive game if the minimum stakes are $50 or $100.

Here’s a comparison between two games that illustrate this point:

As can be seen, the second game offers a more-favorable house edge. But its $50 minimum bet leads to more theoretical losses.

Of course, you may not be shackled by small bankroll and, thus, are willing to place higher bets. In this case, you may only care about the house advantage.

If you’re like most players, though, you need to take the minimum wager into account. The goal in this scenario is to find casinos that feature both a low house edge and reasonable stakes. You can return to the previous section for recommendations in this regard.

Most of the Best Games Offer 2-6 Decks

Assuming you’re searching for blackjack tables with the perfect mix of a small house edge, fair rules, and low stakes, then you’ll find that most of these games feature between two and six decks.

Single-deck blackjack typically draws many blackjack players’ attention. After all, you can’t do any better in terms of decks.

However, the number of decks is only one aspect of the house edge. You also need to consider the other rules that make up a quality game.

When looking at Vegas, many of these games feature between two and six decks. For whatever reason, most casinos offer their best blackjack rules at two-, four-, and six-deck tables.

Of course, this isn’t to say that you can’t still locate good games with one or eight decks. You just won’t find them with as great of frequency.

Do You Want to Play on the Strip or Downtown?

Las Vegas is comprised of several sections, including the Strip, North Vegas, and downtown. The Strip is definitely the most-glamorous section of Sin City.

It offers some of the world’s most-lavish casinos and impressive amenities. You can truly play blackjack in style at these venues.

The Strip also features plenty of blackjack tables with low house edges. The catch, though, is that you normally must bet between $25 and $200 to enjoy these games.

Assuming you don’t want to risk this much just to play in Vegas’ priciest street, then you can head to North Vegas or downtown.

Both sections offer tables with below 0.50% house edges along with $5-$10 minimum bets. These are the perfect places to gamble as a low-stakes player.

The trade-off, though, is that you sacrifice amenities for better blackjack games. Downtown and North Vegas don’t feature the same awe-inspiring resorts that the Strip does.

Of course, you can always stay somewhere else and still play at off-Strip casinos. You’ll just need to find transportation to and from these establishments.

The other side of the coin is that you might feel perfectly comfortable staying off the Strip. If so, then you can enjoy excellent blackjack action at, or near, the same place you stay.

Conclusion

You won’t be at a loss for finding blackjack action in Sin City. As explained above, though, you shouldn’t just sit down to the first table you see.

Vegas blackjack games differ greatly regarding stakes and house edge. Your goal should be to find the best tables in terms of the house advantage and affordable bets.

Some casinos feature below a 0.3% house edge on certain tables! The best part is that you don’t even need to wager $50-$100 to play on these tables when at the right casino. Be sure to consult this guide before heading out to play blackjack in Las Vegas.