6 To 5 Blackjack
6/5 are the odds casinos pay on a Blackjack so if you hit a 21 with a small $10 bet you will collect $12 versus $15 on a 3/2 payoff. Never to play it is a little harsh, Yes it stinks, but to the average. An average blackjack player with some intermediate experience will know that the single deck games are the best and will also fall for this 6-5 blackjack scam. Players will quickly realize how hard it is to find a truly fair 3/2 single deck game anywhere because of card counters and they will settle for the 6-5.
It’s a question that’s long-plagued blackjack players: How can casinos pay 6-to-5 for blackjack?
For many years in Las Vegas casinos, blackjacks paid 3-to-2. It was the standard. That means if you made a $10 bet, a blackjack would pay $15. In a 6-to-5 game, however, that same $10 bet will get you $12 for a blackjack.
Doesn’t sound like too much at first glance, right? This simple change in rules gives the house an additional edge of 1.39%. Over time, that seemingly small difference can cost players a lot.
Casinos already have an edge. Paying 6-to-5 for blackjacks gives them even more.
In recent years, insidious 6-to-5 blackjack games have started popping up all over The Strip. In some casinos, it’s hard to find a 3-to-2 game at all.
Recently, we tried our hand at blackjack at a downtown casino, and were dismayed to learn, mid-game, that here, too, blackjacks paid 6-to-5. Not downtown! The infection is spreading!
As we do not tend to keep our displeasure to ourself in situations like this, we mentioned our disappointment to a pit boss (a casino floor manager), asking, “How can you pay 6-to-5 for blackjacks?”
We got the most brutally honest answer, ever. The pit boss said, simply, “Because people still play.”
As we were picking our jaw up off the new casino carpet, we realized he was absolutely right. Poor game rules aren’t something casinos do to players. We do it to ourselves.
We vote with our business. If we refuse to play 6-to-5 blackjack, casinos won’t offer it. (Well, it won’t offer it as often, because there will always be people who don’t particularly care. They want to play where they want to play, and they clearly have money they don’t need.)
If we stay at hotels with resort fees, hotels will continue to charge resort fees.
If we attend shows where performers lip-sync, performers will continue to lip-sync.
It’s important to remember, though, we decide. So, what kind of Vegas experience will you have?
Why 6-5 Blackjack Sucks
6/5 Blackjack is a disturbing and relatively new trend in casino blackjack. 6/5 Blackjack is meant to take money out of your pocket. It's as simple as that and new blackjack players need to know the truth.
The History of 6/5 Blackjack
It was always taken for granted that a casino would pay 3-to-2 on a natural blackjack. If you drew a 21 on your first two cards, you take 50% more bet home. Players who bet $10 win $15 on a natural blackjack.
6 To 5 Blackjack Payout Chart For Dealers
But in the last few years, Las Vegas casinos decided to change the old formula. Casinos set up 6/5 games, where the house pays only 6-to-5 on a natural blackjack.
So on a natural blackjack, the casino pays only $12 on a $10 bet. That becomes a huge difference in the amount of money you win in an hour's time. Changing the payoffs on blackjacks adds 1.39% to the house edge on that game of blackjack.
How did the casinos get away with this?
To walk past a 3:2 blackjack game and play 6:5 blackjack seems crazy. The answer is that casinos found a slick new way to market their new game, tricking novice players into handing over more money to the house.
Single Deck 6/5 Blackjack
Single Deck blackjack preys on the half-informed blackjack player if it only pays out at 6 to 5 for a blackjack. Almost everyone who steps into a casino knows that fewer decks mean better odds for blackjack players.
At a time, card counters began to affect the odds of blackjack by counting cards. In a one-deck game, if two Aces or seven 'ten-cards' have been dealt, then you can keep track of what's been used and bet according.
To stack the odds in their favor again, casinos began adding more decks to the game. Most casinos use either 6-decks or 8-decks per game these days. This significantly cuts down on the advantage to card counting. So players see a one-deck game advertised and think, 'Hey, I've got the odds in my favor here.'
Don't Fall For It
Most single deck blackjack games are 6/5 blackjack now. Look for the sign that says 'Blackjack pays 6/5' or something like that. If you see the 6:5 sign, walk away from the game. Whatever advantage you think you can gain from card counting, you're going to lose an automatic 1.39% from the 6/5 payouts.
If you've been playing 6/5 Blackjack and just figured out the trick, then stop. Then spread the word around to family and friends to stop playing this game. Not only are your friends giving away odds at the blackjack tables, but they're going to look foolish to the other blackjack players walking by the table. And you'll look smart explaining why 6/5 Blackjack is a scam.
3 2 Blackjack Payout Chart
See also:
6 To 5 Blackjack Payouts
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