There was a time that Las Vegas was flush with single deck blackjack games that paid 3-2 on an ace and a face. That is no longer the case. Most single deck blackjack games in Las Vegas only pay 6-5 on a natural.
But step into any casino, you will find at least five to eight decks of cards used in Blackjack game! Excluding jokers, each of these decks come with a standard 52 cards. That being said, let’s take a look at how the decks of cards used in Blackjack affects the house edge as well as card counting. In fact, you will notice that when playing a single-deck game of blackjack many casinos only offer a 6:5 payout for blackjack, while multi-deck games offer 3:2. If you placed a $10 bet and got blackjack on a multi-card game with 3:2 payout you'd walk away with $15, whereas you'd only get $12 for a single-deck game with a 6:5 payout.
El Cortez, located just east of the Fremont Street Experience downtown, is one of two casinos in Las Vegas that still spreads 3-2 single deck blackjack. The game is found at most of its tables. The minimum bet is usually $5, but peak hours may become $10. Players may double down on any two cards but not after splitting. The dealer hits soft 17. Split aces receive only one card each. Surrender is not permitted.
Silverton Single Deck Blackjack
Silverton offers single deck blackjack. It is down to just one table at this locals’ casino located south of the Las Vegas Strip. The rules are a bit tighter here than they are at El Cortez. Players may only double down on 10 and 11 and not at all after splitting. The dealer hits soft 17. Re-split aces and surrender are not permitted. The minimum bet is usually $10.
Blackjack players willing to drive an hour will find a good single deck game in Mesquite. It is at Eureka Casino. Players may double down on any two cards and double after splitting. Like the Las Vegas single deck games, the dealer hits soft 17 and there is no surrender or re-split aces. The bet limits for this table are $10 to $100.
What Happened to 3-2 Single Deck Blackjack Games on the Vegas Strip?
Unlike real money blackjack tables online, there are very few 3-2 single deck blackjack games on the Las Vegas Strip these days. These casinos tightened up over the years. Single deck games became double deck or shoes with six or eight decks. The single deck games that remained started paying 6-5 on a natural.
Casinos bet on the fact that players would still give action to 6-5 single deck games with the attitude that they wouldn’t know how much that affected the odds or just not care. The belief among some gamblers was that 6-5 single deck is still better than a 3-2 game with more decks. Unless there are unusual rules, this is simply not the case.
What You Can Play Instead?
Players that do not have access to the 3-2 single deck games should choose double deck games. At Treasure Island, players will find a $10 double deck with double down before and after splitting. This game hits soft 17, however, for $25 the dealer stands on all 17’s. Most MGM properties offer the hit soft 17 game for $25 and stand on all 17 games for $50 or $100.
Single Deck Blackjack Games in Vegas
Even though there are no 3-2 single deck blackjack tables in Vegas, there are still plenty of one-deck tables. In this survey you will find all the casinos in Las Vegas that have single deck games.
| Casino | # of Decks | Min Bet | Max Bet | H/S 17 | DA | DAS | RSA | Surrender | # of Tables | 6/5 BJ | Video | Exotic | House Hold % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aliante Casino | 1 | 5 | 500 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 3 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
| Arizona Charlie’s – Decatur | 1 | 10 | 500 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | No | No | No | 0.15945% |
| Binion’s | 1 | 10 | 500 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
| Boulder Station | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
| California | 1 | 5 | 200 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
| Casino Royale | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
| Circus Circus | 1 | 10 | 500 | H | No | No | No | No | 1 | No | No | No | 0.30346% |
| Circus Circus | 1 | 15 | 1000 | H | No | No | No | No | 1 | No | No | No | 0.30346% |
| El Cortez | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 6 | No | No | No | 0.30346% |
| El Cortez | 1 | 25 | 2000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 1 | No | No | No | 0.30346% |
| Fiesta Henderson | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
| Fiesta Rancho | 1 | 5 | 500 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
| Fremont | 1 | 10 | 500 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
| Fremont | 1 | 10 | 200 | H | – | No | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | Super Fun 21 | 1.54654% |
| Gold Coast | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | No | Super Fun 21 | 1.16000% |
| Golden Nugget | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | – | – | – | – | 1 | Yes | No | Free Bet | 1.96000% |
| Golden Nugget | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
| Golden Nugget | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | No | Super Fun 21 | 1.16000% |
| Main Street Station | 1 | 5 | 200 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
| Main Street Station | 1 | 5 | 500 | H | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | No | Super Fun 21 | 1.16000% |
| Orleans | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
| Palace Station | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
| Park MGM Casino | 1 | 10 | 500 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
| Poker Palace | 1 | 2 | 50 | H | Yes | No | Yes | No | 1 | Even | No | No | 2.79000% |
| Red Rock | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
| Sam’s Town | 1 | 5 | 500 | H | – | Yes | – | Yes | 1 | – | No | Super Fun 21 | 1.16000% |
| Santa Fe Station | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
| Silverton | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | No | No | No | No | 3 | No | No | No | 0.57982% |
| Silverton | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | No | No | No | No | 1 | No | No | Blackjack Spin | 0.57982% |
| Silverton | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | No | No | No | No | 1 | No | No | Royal Match | 0.57982% |
| Suncoast | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
| Stratosphere | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 6 | No | Yes | No | 0.03748% |
| Treasure Island | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
| Westgate | 1 | 10 | 2000 | H | No | No | No | No | 3 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Single-Deck & Double-Deck vs. Multi-Deck Blackjack
If you are new to the game of blackjack you may not have noticed that some blackjack games are played with one deck of cards while others are played with 2, 4, 6 or even more decks of cards. What's the difference between single and multi-deck games and what are the advantages or disadvantages?
At one time, single-deck blackjack was the standard. However, casinos have swayed towards multi-deck games to make it harder for players to count cards, a strategy which has taken the blackjack world by thunder. Not only is it more difficult for players to count cards with multiple decks in use, but using multiple decks also increases the house edge slightly.
Many casinos have reintroduced the single-deck blackjack game, but don't be fooled into thinking that playing a single-deck game will give you better odds. In fact, you will notice that when playing a single-deck game of blackjack many casinos only offer a 6:5 payout for blackjack, while multi-deck games offer 3:2. If you placed a $10 bet and got blackjack on a multi-card game with 3:2 payout you'd walk away with $15, whereas you'd only get $12 for a single-deck game with a 6:5 payout. The slight increase in the house edge in a multi-player game isn't worth the decrease in payout that the house gives for a single-deck game.
How Many Decks Are Used In Online Blackjack
Casinos also often enforce rule variations on single-deck and double-deck games in order to give the house more of an edge. These variations can include requiring the dealer to hit on soft 17, not allowing players to double down after a split and a number of other variations.
How Is Blackjack Dealt
Even if you are a card counter, you can still count cards when using multiple decks, though it can be slightly harder than counting cards in a single deck. Therefore, unless you can find a casino that offers a 3:2 payout for single-deck blackjack it is a wise decision to stick to multi-deck games.