- Blackjack Vegas World
- How To Win At Blackjack In Vegas Casino
- How To Win At Blackjack In Las Vegas
- How To Win At Blackjack In Vegas
Las Vegas has long been one of the most popular places in the world to play blackjack. The reason is because Sin City offers over 100 casinos and a venerable buffet of blackjack tables.
The goal to playing blackjack in Vegas or anywhere else is to give yourself the highest possible chance to win. And the best ways to do this include finding the best tables and getting the largest comps.
Let’s discuss below exactly how to do these things. Also, note that you can apply the general principles listed here to finding good blackjack games anywhere in the world.
Know Where to Find the Best Blackjack Games in Vegas
Set a Hard Limit on Earnings. Although card counting doesn’t perform the magic people expect, as. To win your total must be closer to 21 than the total of the dealer. If you or the dealer is dealt a 21 on your first two cards, this is a natural blackjack. You will be given the opportunity to improve the total of your first two cards by asking for a hit, or another card. You can also choose to stand on the total you have, double down, or split.
The great thing about playing blackjack in Las Vegas is that you have more options than anywhere else. This breeds competition among local casinos, which in turn creates some favorable tables.
The key is knowing what to look for in regard to the top blackjack games. Let’s cover what you need to know about how to find these tables, along with some of the best blackjack casinos in Vegas.
What’s the Criteria for a Good Blackjack Game?
A lot of factors can go into determining a quality blackjack game, including the atmosphere, employee attitudes, and amenities. But the two most important aspects with regard to winning are the stakes and house edge.
The stakes are important because more of your money is exposed to the house advantage when you’re forced to bet $25 or more per hand.
Some players enjoy the thrill of putting more money on the line. But smaller bets mean that you have a better chance of booking a profit.
The house edge is determined by the table rules and your skill level. We’ll discuss improving your blackjack skills later.
As for the other point, you want the casino to offer as many favorable rules as possible.
You won’t find every player-friendly rule imaginable on a single table. Otherwise casinos would quickly go broke, because they’d lose their edge.
But the goal is to search for several beneficial rules in one game. Here are the key things that you want to look for:
- 3:2 natural blackjack payouts (instead of 6:5) – Lowers the house edge by 1.40%.
- Number of decks – The closer you get to single-deck blackjack, the better.
- Double down on any total – This lowers the house edge by 0.25%, as opposed to only doubling on 9 through 11.
- Dealer stands on soft 17 (instead of hitting) – Lowers the house edge by 0.20%.
- Double down after splitting – Drops the house advantage by 0.17%.
- Re-splitting aces – Lowers the house edge by 0.08%.
- Late surrender – Drops the house advantage by 0.07%.
How to Find the Top Games
Once you have a good understanding of blackjack rules, the next step is to use this knowledge to find quality tables. And the internet is your best tool for doing so.
You can run several Google or Bing searches like “best blackjack games Vegas,” “top Vegas blackjack games,” or “best blackjack house edge Vegas” to find what you’re looking for. After doing this, I found a number of articles that discussed the top blackjack games and rules in Sin City.
Each site has its own opinions on the matter. But you can narrow it down to the best blackjack casinos by looking at enough articles.
Online research can also be applied to any other casino destination, like Atlantic City, Detroit, Florida, Laughlin, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, and Reno.
It’s harder to find great blackjack outside of Vegas because no other city/state has the same casino concentration. In fact, you’ll see a lot of 6-8 deck games with 6:5 blackjack payouts elsewhere.
But you can still find decent games in other casino destinations with enough research.
Who Has the Best Blackjack Tables in Vegas?
Here’s my list of Vegas’ top blackjack games based on stakes, house edge, and miscellaneous factors:
1 – El Cortez – This low-roller casino has $5 and $25 tables with a 0.304% house edge. El Cortez is also known for comping blackjack players well.
2 – Treasure Island – Here you’ll find the lowest house edge in Vegas, at 0.26%. The minimum bet is $25, just like most casinos in Sin City.
3 – Silverton – You’ll find a $10 game here with a 0.304% house advantage.
4 – Arizona Charlie’s – This casino is a little out of the way. But Arizona Charlie’s is worth the trip, thanks to its $5 games with a 0.341% house edge.
5 – Bellagio – This lavish venue has a blackjack game with a 0.26% house edge. The only catch is that you’ll need to bet $50 per hand.
How you determine the best blackjack casino is subjective. Some players value the atmosphere and amenities more than just having the best chance to win.
Serious gamblers who only care about lowering the house edge will value table rules above all else. This is why I suggest doing your own research when possible if you’re looking for more than just the highest chance to win.
But the list above should get you started in the right direction when you’re searching for good blackjack.
Look for the Best Blackjack Comps
Comps are another important aspect to finding quality blackjack action.
Most casinos are in the same ballpark with regard to how they comp blackjack players. Oftentimes, you’ll be looking at a comp rate worth between 0.05% and 0.1% of your total betting action.
But some casinos may offer more because they cater to blackjack players and want to keep them coming back. This is especially the case in Vegas, where the competition helps create better offers.
How to Find the Best Comps
This is another area where it pays to do your research. I googled the “best blackjack comps in Vegas” and found a wealth of information through both websites and forums.
You’ll also have luck by calling casinos and speaking to a casino host, or simply visiting and asking what comp rates they offer.
You may not always get a clear answer on this, because some employees aren’t at liberty to offer their exact comp rate. Other casinos may tell you something like they give “$2 for every hour when you play $25 stakes.”
If you’re able to get several rates from different casinos, you can compare these to determine who’s offering the best comps. Here’s an example:
- Casino A offers $1 for every hour of playing $10 blackjack hands.
- Casino B offers $2 for every hour of playing $50 hands.
- Casino C offers $2 for every hour of playing $25 hands.
Provided the rules are the same at each casino, you’d want to choose Casino A based on comps alone.
Kinds of Blackjack Comps
What’s fun about playing land-based blackjack is that you can receive a variety of freebies. Here are some different rewards that Vegas casinos offer frequent players:
- Free hotel stays
- Limo transportation
- Free meals and drinks
- Room service
- Show tickets
- In-store credit at the gift shop
These are only general examples of what you’ll find in the average Vegas casinos. The larger venues offer an even wider variety of perks.
You can also expect more special treatment as your bets and play increase. The biggest blackjack players are assigned a casino host, who arranges things like transportation, show tickets, and special nightclub seating.
The top comp level is room, food, and beverage (RFB), which means that your room, food, and drinks are paid for during your casinos stay.
Obviously, this sounds great. But keep in mind that you often need to bet anywhere from $150 to $300 per hand to get RFB.
How to Get Blackjack Comps
The pit boss must rate your play before you receive any blackjack comps. And the problem is that the pit boss doesn’t have time to monitor every $5 and $10 player.
This means that you can’t just make minimum bets at a table and expect the pit boss to shower you with comps. The best way to ensure that you get rated involves signing up for the players club.
Blackjack Vegas World
You then hand your players club card to the dealer and tell them that you wish to be rated. The dealer will in turn give your card to the pit boss and let them know that you’re interested in comps.
From here, your average bet size and amount of play determines how many rewards you get.
Some players try to trick the pit boss by making a large first bet, or increasing their wagers whenever they come around. The idea is to fool them into thinking that you’re playing much higher stakes than you actually are.
But keep in mind that pit bosses and dealers can work together to ensure that you don’t receive more comps than you deserve.
In any case, join the players club and give your card to the dealer so that you’re eligible to earn freebies.
Never Play Blackjack Just for Comps
Some blackjack players get obsessed with comps and play past their means just to earn more rewards. The key thing to understand here, though, is that comps will never be worth your theoretical losses.
Let’s look at an example:
- You’re playing at a casino that comps players 0.1% on total bets.
- You’re facing a 1% house edge.
- You bet $10,000 during a session.
- Your comps are worth $10.
- Your theoretical losses are $100.
The best thing to do is to enjoy yourself at the blackjack tables and let comps come naturally. And if you do research beforehand, you’ll maximize your amount of rewards.
Don’t Forget to Study Blackjack Strategy
Up to this point, we’ve discussed what you need to know to find good Vegas blackjack games. But you can’t fully take advantage of a low blackjack house edge until you know the proper strategy.
Let’s cover two different ways that you can learn basic strategy and boost your chances of winning.
Blackjack Strategy Chart
A blackjack strategy chart is a guide the shows when you should hit, stand, double down, split, and late surrender (if available).
These tools are great because any novice can look at a chart and quickly get up to speed on the optimal blackjack strategy.
You use these charts by looking at your score total and the dealer’s upcard. You then scan down your chart and look for what action you’re supposed to take.
Here’s an example:
- You have 14.
- The dealer’s up card is 5.
- The chart shows that you stand in this situation.
You can find a large variety of strategy charts across the internet. All you have to do is run a Bing or Google search for “blackjack strategy chart” and look in the images section.
From here, you can either use the guide on your smartphone, or print it out from a PC or Mac.
One thing worth adding here is that strategy charts cover different blackjack variations and rules. For example, a chart that covers Atlantic City blackjack rules will have slightly different strategy than one for downtown Vegas rules.
This is why it’s helpful to know the exact rules of the game you’re playing in order to find the appropriate strategy card.
Another thing worth noting is that you should memorize your chart before playing in a land-based blackjack game.
Referring to your chart on every hand will slow down the game. And this annoys the dealer and other players.
Blackjack Trainer
One more helpful option for improving your skills is a blackjack trainer.
How To Win At Blackjack In Vegas Casino
These programs work just like an online blackjack game in terms of features and gameplay. But the key difference is that a trainer points out when you make mistakes while playing.
Let’s look an example of when the trainer will correct mistakes:
How To Win At Blackjack In Las Vegas
- You’re dealt a pair of 9s.
- The dealer’s upcard is 6.
- You stand.
- The trainer points out that you should’ve split your pair instead.
The goal is to keep playing with a trainer until you learn from your mistakes and habitually make the correct plays.
How To Win At Blackjack In Vegas
Just like strategy charts, you can find free blackjack trainers at numerous websites. All you have to do is run a search and choose one of the options to get started.
Conclusion
No other place in the world offers as good of blackjack opportunities as Vegas. And you’ll definitely want to take advantage of these opportunities if you live in the area or are taking a trip to Sin City.
The first step is to scout out where you can find a combination of reasonable stakes and good rules. The latter drops the house edge and improves your chances of winning.
Another important aspect is to find the best comps for blackjack players. You can either ask casino employees directly or do online research to get the top comps in Vegas.
The final piece of the puzzle involves improving your blackjack skills to the point where you avoid mistakes. This ensures that you don’t give up any more edge to the casino than the rules dictate.
Also note that the best blackjack casinos in Vegas or anywhere else can change over time. This is why you should update your information every so often in order to keep playing in the top games.