The quality of blackjack games in Las Vegas has declined over the past 15-20 years. The availability of strategy information over the internet has forced casinos to drop some of the more liberal rules. Casinos first started hitting on soft 17. Some stopped offering surrender or re-splitting aces in shoe games.

This Vegas hotspot is known for being the best casino for new blackjack players on the Las Vegas Strip. They have great blackjack rules and a variety of low-limit games. Every day at noon the blackjack dealers at Luxor Hotel & Casino offer free gaming lessons to help you learn how to play. Then, with tables that run at all hours of the day, the. I’ve noticed that the CSM (Continuous Shuffler Machine) at the blackjack table does not shuffle ALL of the cards at the end of each hand. There are a few cards left in the shoe part of the machine (anywhere from 1 to 20 or so) that are not shuffled. I was just wondering if Las Vegas Video Blackjack reshuffles after every hand or after all.

If you are new to video blackjack, the first thing that you want to do prior to sitting down at a machine is understand exactly what you and the electronic dealer are attempting to do. Basics You initially receive two cards, and you can be dealt as many additional cards as you would like. Good Video Blackjack Down to Six Las Vegas Strip Casinos The Las Vegas Strip has shed most of its video blackjack machines. Only Circus Circus, MGM, Monte Carlo, Venetian, Slots A Fun, Stratosphere and Tropicana still offer it on the Las Vegas Strip. It is also gone from every downtown Las Vegas casino.

The biggest rule change that goes against players was rolled out first at single deck games. This terrible rule started paying players 6:5 on a blackjack, as opposed to 3:2. This means that a $10 blackjack would pay $12 instead of $15. Once the casinos got away with this at single deck games, the 6:5 rule started infecting double deck and shoe games. Most single deck blackjack tables have disappeared from the Las Vegas Strip because of this. A 6:5 payout on a blackjack adds 1.39% to the house edge.

While some Las Vegas casinos offer terrible rules on blackjack these days, there are still several places where a good game may be found. Some are even on the Las Vegas Strip, although some of the better ones are located downtown and in the locals market. All of the games mentioned below pay 3:2 on a blackjack.

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Best Las Vegas Strip Blackjack

The Strat is the best Las Vegas Strip casino for blackjack. It offers $5 3:2 blackjack during the day that goes to $10 during busier hours. These shoe games offer double down before and after splitting with surrender and re-split aces. A double deck with double down before and after splitting starts at $15. These games hit soft 17.

A $100 six-deck table in high limit has the same rules as the $5 game but stands on soft 17. This game may require reservations with a host to ensure it is open.

Treasure Island is another great Las Vegas Strip casino for blackjack. Players will find $10 games with great rules at Treasure Island. The shoe games offer surrender, re-split aces, and double down after splitting. These tables start at $10. Double deck starts at $15. Those tables allow double down after splitting. These low limit games hit soft 17.

Players willing to bet $50 can move to the high limit salon. They will get a shoe game with double down after splitting, re-split aces, and surrender. The high limit double deck starts at $50 and allows double down after splitting. The dealer stands on all 17’s at both games. The high limit salon is only open on weekend nights.

Sahara spreads good $15 3:2 blackjack. Players can double down on any two cards and after splitting in the blackjack pit at Sahara. The dealer hits soft 17. This game is offered in the high limit salon for $50 where the dealer stands on all 17’s. This game adds surrender and re-split aces to the rules.

Caesars properties that spread 3:2 blackjack under $25. Bally’s, The Cromwell, Paris and Rio deal $10 or $15 3:2 eight-deck blackjack during slower hours. This game allows double down after splitting and surrender. The Cromwell and Rio also have $15 3:2 double deck game. Double down before but not after splitting is allowed. Otherwise, all other Caesars Entertainment 3:2 blackjack tables start at $25. It takes $100 to get a stand on all 17 game.

Best Downtown Las Vegas Blackjack

El Cortez offers the best blackjack game in downtown Las Vegas. It is a single deck that pays 3:2 on a blackjack. Players can double down on any two cards and the dealer hits soft 17. The minimum bet is usually $10. Be careful in this game as the pit bosses will sweat large action or bet spreads. El Cortez also has $10 double deck and six-deck games for $10. These tables allow double down before and after splitting.

Downtown Grand offers the best shoe games downtown. For a $5 minimum, players can double down after splitting, re-split aces and surrender. The double deck game with double down before and after splitting starts at $10. Low rollers will find an even money $1 blackjack table at Downtown Grand. The pit is open Thursday through Sunday.

Circa, The D and Golden Gate only offer 3:2 blackjack. The minimum bet is typically $10 or $15 at The D and Golden Gate and $15 or $25 at Circa. There is also a $100 stand on all 17 six-deck game in the high limit salon at Circa. Double down before and after splitting is available at these casinos.

All regular blackjacks pay 3:2 at Plaza. Plaza deals a $5 or $10 six-deck game with double down before and after splitting. The double deck game gas the same rules. It has a $25 minimum bet.

Best Las Vegas Locals Blackjack

The competition in the off-strip blackjack market is fierce. Players will be able to find shoe games that start at $5 where double down after splitting, surrender and re-split aces are allowed at Cannery andEllis Island.

Aliante and Station Casinos have $5 or $10 3:2 blackjack games with surrender but not re-split aces. Club Fortune, Silverton and Tuscany have re-split aces instead of surrender for $10. South Point has $5 3:2 six-deck tables with double down before and after splitting. A $3 table with a continuous shuffle machine at Jerry’s Nugget has the same rules.

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Station Casinos properties offer double deck blackjack where players can double down after splitting. It is $5 at Boulder Station and Santa Fe Station and $10 at the others. M Resort offers the same game with a $15 minimum. The dealer hits soft 17. Suncoast, The Orleans, Gold Coast, South Point and Silverton also spread this game. The minimum bet is usually $10 at these tables. A $5 version of this game is dealt at Jerry’s Nugget.

Some locals casinos have a high limit salon with stand on all 17 blackjack tables. M Resort has a $50 minimum with double down before and after splitting, surrender and re-split aces. Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Red Rock and Rio have the game for $100 with surrender but no re-split aces.

Video Blackjack No Longer Viable For Low Limit Players

Video blackjack was a great alternative for Las Vegas gamblers looking for a quality return on bets of $5 or less. Most Strip casinos offered this product at one time. In many cases, video blackjack games offered better rules than live tables. Video blackjack dealers often stayed on soft 17s. Surrender is available on nearly all of these devices. That is no longer the case.

Video blackjack conditions deteriorated in 2014 and collapsed in 2015 along the Las Vegas Strip. MGM started the trend in 2014 when some installs at MGM Grand and all machines at Mandalay Bay started paying 6-5 on a blackjack. The situation at Mirage was worse. The two Enchanted Blackjack games were dropped from 3-2 on a blackjack down to even money. That made the house edge nearly 3% on a game with a $5 minimum bet.
Caesars quickly followed this movement in late 2014 and early 2015. There were 3-2 blackjack machines at The Linq and Caesars Palace. Those were dropped to 6-5. Video blackjack at Harrah’s and Bally’s were installed with the 6-5 payout.

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Other video blackjack machines in the MGM family paid 3-2 at the time. These were located in Luxor, Excalibur, Monte Carlo and Slots A Fun. The machines’ dealers stood on all 17s at these casinos. They were the best game available at most of these casinos, including video poker and live tables. MGM changed all of these games to a 6-5 payout in late 2015. Some still stand on all 17s, an odd rule for a 6-5 blackjack game.

Cosmopolitan followed suit. It once offered a 3-2 blackjack machine next to two that returned only 6-5 on a natural. Now, two of those games pay even money on a blackjack, while the other pays 6-5. The minimum bet on the 6-5 game is $10. The even money machines require $5 to play.

The news is not all bad for Las Vegas video blackjack players. Venetian and Palazzo host the last remaining 3-2 video blackjack games on the Strip. These machines permit double down before and after splitting. Surrender has a button on the machine, too. The dealer hits soft 17, a change from standing on all 17s like it did in 2014. Venetian and Palazzo allow players to use the Grazie card on these video blackjack machines. Some gamblers report generating mailers for free rooms based on action on these games.

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Downtown Grand, El Cortez and Palms also spread 3-2 video blackjack games. El Cortez is the only one of these three that accepts a rewards card on these devices. These have the same rules as the ones at Venetian and Palazzo.

No other Las Vegas casinos reviewed in our survey offer video blackjack. It seems these games are falling out of favor for casinos, gamblers, or both.

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