No Six to Five Blackjack

There's a real crisis developing for fans of casino blackjack. Many casinos in the US
have begun introducing a rule change that dramatically increases the house
advantage in the game. If you've been to Las Vegas lately, you may have seen signs
advertising "Single Deck Blackjack" at many of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.

But, there's a catch. Look out for a sign on the table that says "Blackjack Pays 6:5".
In a normal game, a "natural" or blackjack pays 3:2. If you bet $10 and draw a
blackjack, you'll be paid $15. However, at these new 6:5 games, a $10 blackjack wins
only $12.

The casinos have so far been successful in marketing this game, because many
occasional players have been told over the years that single deck blackjack is a better
game than the more common 6 or 8 deck games on the casino floor. Using that single
marketing angle, the casinos have drawn lots of players to the new 6:5 version,
despite the fact that these single-deck games are worse for the player than the worst
8 deck game on the casino floor. Much worse.

Changing that one rule, reducing blackjack payouts from 3:2 to 6:5 adds a
substantial 1.39% to the casino advantage.

Consider this example from the Flamingo on the Las Vegas Strip: They offer a single
deck 6:5 game, where the house edge for a basic strategy player is 1.45%. (Like most
of these 6:5 games, they allow double after split, which doesn't nearly compensate for
the poor 6:5 rule.) They also offer an 8-deck game where the house edge for a basic
strategy player is 0.56%. So, a player who chooses their single deck offering has
almost triple the expected loss of a player at their single deck game.

What's the difference in actual dollars? For a $25 player, assuming 80 hands per hour,
the expected loss at the Flamingo's 8 deck is $11.20 per hour. The expected loss for
the same player at the 6:5 single deck game is $29.00 instead. And, remember, this is
compared to the game that was previously the worst blackjack in the house!

What can you do to help?

Don't play any blackjack game that pays less than 3:2 for a blackjack.
Warn your friends and family if they are headed to the casino. Tell them to play
the multi-deck "shoe" games instead.
Let the casino floorperson at your favorite casino know that you hate to see the
casino floor filled with misleading games instead of real blackjack.
If you have a casino host, let them know your displeasure as well.

If players don't stop supporting these games, it's just a matter of time before the
casinos remove all of the real blackjack games. Don't let it happen.

Billy Joe's Comments: I was just in Las Vegas in Sept. 2006, and the 3:2
single deck games are just about gone. I didn't see any, but I bought a copy of
Stanford Wong's CURRENT BLACKJACK NEWS, and counted 12 tables in the whole
city. I also saw some two deck games which had been converted to 6:5. What
they are doing is trying to eliminate any damage done by card counters. Once the
single deck games are all 6:5, you can bet your last chip they will convert the two
deck games. You see, card counting isn't very profitable against any shoe game.
The card counters advantage erodes to almost break even at six decks, except
with the highest level professional systems. Fortunately for me, I play a lot of
betting progressions, so I still manage to win even against the continuous
shuffling machines. As long as the shoe and CSM games remain at 3:2, I'll be OK.