Two Deck Blackjack
New: Las Vegas is currently reopening after the Covid-19 shutdown. Read more about the current state of blackjack in Las Vegas post reopening.
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.
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.
As stated above, Multi-deck blackjack was introduced to minimise the possibilities of card counting by involving two, four, six or eight decks of cards used simultaneously. Due to differences in the number of decks, the odds and house advantage varies. Listed below is the house advantage for multi-deck blackjack. Double decks give 0.46% house. Finger slot for easy card pick-up. Two pre-drilled holes available for fastening to the table top. For standard playing cards. 2 Deck measures 3.75”L X 2.75”W x 2”H; 4 Deck measures 3.75”L X 2.75”W x 3.6”H; 6 Deck measures 3.75' L x 2.75' W x 4.5' H; 8 Deck measures 3.75' L x 2.75' W x 6' H. Great for blackjack and other casino games.
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 or in the locals market. All of the games mentioned below pay 3:2 on a blackjack.
- Playing two deck blackjack, also known as double deck blackjack, offers a lower house edge than games with greater numbers of cards, but casinos generally make up for that by paying out lower odds. Two Deck Strategy Chart Gamblers are famous for their inventiveness.
- One of the most exciting Blackjack games, Double Deck Blackjack games are available at PokerStars Casino in both Single Player and Multi-Player modes.
Best Las Vegas Strip Blackjack
Treasure Island is the best Las Vegas Strip casino for blackjack. Players will find $10 games with great rules. The shoe games offer surrender, re-split aces, and double down after splitting. The double deck games allow double down after splitting. These low limit games hit a soft 17.
Players willing to move up to $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 dealer stand on all 17’s in this game. The high limit double deck starts at $50 and allows double down after splitting. The dealer stands on all 17’s.
Sahara spreads good $15 blackjack dealt from a shoe. Players can double down on any two cards and after splitting. Surrender and re-split aces are also permitted. The dealer hits soft 17. This game is offered in the high limit salon for $100 where the dealer stands on all 17’s.
Caesars properties spread 3:2 blackjack under $25. Bally’s, Caesars Palace, The Cromwell, Flamingo, Harrah’s, Paris and Planet Hollywood each have a number of 3:2 blackjack games under $25. Each casino offers multiple tables with a house edge under one half of one percent (0.05%). Caesars offers more 3:2 blackjack games under $25 on the Vegas Strip.
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 $5 or $10. Be careful in this game as the pit bosses will sweat large action or bet spreads.
Downtown Grand offers the best shoe games downtown. For a $5 minimum, players can double down after splitting, re-split aces and surrender.
The D and Golden Gate only offer 3:2 blackjack. Every table at these casinos pays 3:2 for a natural blackjack. When Circa Resort and Casino opens it will also offer 3:2 blackjack since it has the same owner as the other casinos.
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 or $10 where double down after splitting and surrender at are allowed at Rampart, Aliante Casino, Arizona Charlie’s and all Boyd and Station casinos.
M Resort offers a $50 double deck game where players can double down before and after splitting, as well as re-split aces. This game stands on all 17’s This is the best blackjack game in Las Vegas. There is also a six-deck shoe game that adds surrender.
Station Casinos properties offer double deck blackjack where players can double down after splitting. M Resort offers the same game. The dealer hits soft 17. Suncoast, The Orleans, Gold Coast, South Point and Silverton also spread this game.
We’ll take a look at how the number of decks used in a game of blackjack impacts the house edge and card counting, and the number of decks used by land-based casinos.
Technically there’s no limit to how many decks of cards can be used in a game of blackjack. While a couple of friends playing at home can play a decent game of 21 using as little as one or two decks, casino blackjack is most commonly played with six to eight decks of standard 52 playing cards, excluding jokers.
How the number of decks affect the house edge
When optimal blackjack strategy is employed, the theoretical house edge for a game of 21 is less than 1% depending on the rules in play, making this the most player friendly of all casino card games. However, the house edge can vary significantly depending on the number of decks of cards that are used per game and the rules that are in place, with a 0.5% house edge typically reserved for fewer deck games with player-friendly rules.
As more decks of cards are added, the house edge becomes higher and higher, growing even further with the introduction of new rules that have been implemented by land based casinos to give the house an extra advantage (for example, excluding doubling on soft hands, offering lower payouts for natural blackjacks, unfair Soft 17 rules, etc).
The reason for the variation in house edge is that the more decks of cards that are used, the lower your chances are of drawing a natural blackjack (a hand with a 10 value card plus an ace), with fewer decks giving you a better chance. With fewer decks in use, the dealer also has a lower chance of drawing a natural blackjack against the player’s natural blackjack, which means there is a lower chance that a pushed tie bet will occur.
Impact on card counting
Two Deck Blackjack
Card counting is big in blackjack, with many players benefitting in big ways from being able to mentally calculate which cards have already been dealt versus which cards remain in the shoe in order to determine their next move.
With single deck blackjack, card counting could be mastered with some work even if you weren’t the most mathematically advanced type, with many card sharks publishing bestselling books teaching their card counting methods. However, the addition of each and every deck of cards makes card counting that little bit more difficult, so counting is very difficult for casual players who might not have the time or the patience to master the technique.
Why some land based casinos use fewer decks
It wasn’t too long ago that casinos around Australia used the single deck blackjack format, with similar rules to those we’re used to seeing employed with online six deck blackjack games, which is what put the house edge around the 1% mark. As more players honed their blackjack strategy and card counting began to grow in popularity and effectiveness, the casinos had to put certain provisions in place to protect the house against these player-friendly rules.
Initially, casinos kept the single deck format but introduced some rules that were so unfavourable to players that recreational punters were turned off the game entirely, which is what led to the introduction of the higher deck games, which you’ll find at some casinos. At Australian casinos like Crown Melbourne, Crown Perth and Star Sydney, blackjack games commonly use between four and eight decks.
However, to keep players happy by continuing to offer blackjack games using fewer decks of cards, some casino vendors imposed less player-friendly rules, like restricting splits, imposing lower betting limits and paying less for blackjack wins. So while players can benefit from using fewer decks, the unfair rules make the game work in the houses favour.
These blackjack games using fewer decks and limiting rules have become favoured by Australian casino vendors as they are highly favourable to the house, much to the disdain of punters. Dedicated blackjack players should consider switching to play online where the probabilities and house edges are more favourable to the player.
Benefit of online play
Online gambling was made illegal in Australia as of September 2017 following the introduction of the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016, so for Australians the content on this page is informational in nature only. The information about online blackjack is intended exclusively for international readers.
Online blackjack games from leading developers like Microgaming and NetEnt are typically played with six to eight decks of cards, but with rules that are much more favourable to players than some of the sketchy rules being employed by land based casinos. Playing online gives players the chance to choose from several 21 variants, including Single Deck Blackjack, so you can hand pick games with better house edges using the player friendly rules that you prefer.