Dear Mark,
I have noticed a trend in some casinos where the payoffs for blackjack were
6:5 instead of the customary 3:2. It didn’t seem to matter whether it was
single, double deck or shoe; it was 6:5 for a blackjack in those places. Is this
a trend? And how does this affect the overall dealer advantage? Hal M.
When
I first started this column eight years ago, I advised players to play by preference
on single deck blackjack games. Why? Because perfect basic strategy on a single
deck game, shrinks the house edge to a meager 0.15%. Most casinos back then had
single deck 3:2 games. But today, they are rarities, replaced by the single deck
game which is 10 times worse than it was a decade ago.
The
ruse going on now is that some casinos are advertising the return of Single-Deck
Blackjack, but only offering 6:5 for a blackjack. In this new single-deck version,
a player’s blackjack gets paid only 6:5 rather than the usual 3:2. That means
that if you bet $5 and get a blackjack, you get only $6 instead of the $7.50
you once received. The house will keep your buck and a half with a nice smile.
Consequently, where the house edge against the perfect basic
strategy player was once a measly 0.15%, the house edge on this game has spiraled
to 1.45%.
Given a choice between a six-deck game and 6:5 single-deck blackjack,
avoid the latter. A six-deck shoe game is three times more advantageous than
6:5 single-deck blackjack.
Bottom line, Hal: Casinos that advertise Single-Deck
Blackjack, or any blackjack game that pays only 6 for 5 for a blackjack are simply
trading a marketing gimmick for your dough—for which you had spent hours
of hard work. Sign up for Shunning 101.
