Most casinos now offer the alternative of video blackjack along side live dealer blackjack. There are a variety of reaasons why a player might prefer video blackjack. One player asked us to explore the topic more:
How bad are the typical odds with Video BlackJack? I normally play table blackjack but the play by other players (or non-players) drives me nuts at times. i.e. takes them 2 minutes to decide to hit or stay, etc.
Pam
For this question we turned to one of our contributors John Mehaffey, who has invested a lot of time over the years writing about table games. Here’s what he shared with us:
Electronic table game installations have exploded in recent years. Blackjack is the most popular version. These games come in many different forms. Some are heads-up, while others are multiplayer.
Video blackjack rules can vary, even within the same casino. The most common difference is the blackjack payout. The best payout is 3/2. Most video blackjack pays 6/5. Some versions pay even money on a dealt blackjack.
Typical Video Blackjack Rules
Most video blackjack games use six decks, pay 6/5 on a blackjack, hit soft 17, allow splitting pairs once, and permit doubling down before and after splitting. Cards are usually shuffled after every hand.
There are some exceptions to the rules above. Some are better, while others are worse.
Best Video Blackjack Rules
The best video blackjack Flip The Switch has found in recent years is the Dealers Angel machine. It pays 3/2 and adds surrender to the typical electronic blackjack rules. It uses a shoe and shuffles after about 3.2 decks are dealt. The shuffle point is disclosed. The house edge on this game with perfect play is 0.6%. Past versions of these games stood on soft 17. If you find one, that drops the house edge to 0.4%.
Some older Shuffle Master blackjack machines have the same rules with a 3/2 payout as Dealers Angel above, except that pairs may be split up to three hands. It deals four of the six decks before shuffling but does not disclose when the shoe ends. The house edge in this game is 0.56%.
Worst Video Blackjack Rules
The worst video blackjack games pay even money on a blackjack. These are typically on Game King video poker machines, often installed on bar tops. Some multiplayer blackjack games have this same bad rule. Game King machines can be worse than even money multiplayer games because some player-friendly rules are missing. Some Game Kings do not permit splitting or doubling down. Others only permit doubling down on 10 or 11. This is why you should avoid Game King blackjack.
The most common Game King version pays even money and allows doubling down on 10 and 11 before and after splitting. That has a house edge of 2.48%. If you find a game that does not permit splitting or doubling down, the house edge skyrockets to 4%. Considering how fast the game plays, it is a bankroll destroyer. Playing any video poker game on the same Game King is likely better if you understand a beginner’s level of strategy.
How Live Blackjack Games Compare
The worst blackjack game Flip The Switch has found is at Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas. It is $5 Lucky Cat Blackjack with a forced $2 side bet. At the minimum bet, the house holds almost 9%. That is worse than triple zero roulette. Lucky Cat Blackjack is faster than triple zero roulette.
Several other downtown casinos require a $1 blackjack side bet at some tables. The house edge on these games is 4% to 5.5%, depending on the rules.
Those are the worst-case scenarios. All traditional 3/2 blackjack games hold under 1%. The 6/5 tables have a house edge around 2%.
The best Las Vegas blackjack games hold around 0.25%. That is a double-deck that stands on soft 17. These are in salons with minimum bets of at least $50 but are often $100 or more. High-limit six-deck games that stand on soft 17 and allow surrender and aces to be re-split into four hands hold about 0.03% more.
More affordable common blackjack games hold anywhere from 0.46% to 0.67%, depending on the rules. Jerry’s Nugget’s $5 double-deck game in North Las Vegas holds 0.46%, which is about 2.3 cents per hand. The $25 3/2 games on the Las Vegas Strip tend to hold 0.48%, which causes a $0.12 expected loss per hand.
Video Blackjack Is Faster Than Live Version
Game King video blackjack can deal 1000 hands per hour. The minimum bet is usually $1. Heads-up Interblock games deal about 600 hands per hour and often have a $3 minimum bet. Multiplayer video blackjack games are not much faster than live ones, dealing about 125 hands per hour. The minimum bet on these games is usually $3 or $5.
As you see in the lists below, bad rules and fast games are disastrous combinations for your bankroll. Slow down heads-up games or choose multiplayer ones. At live games, look for the 3/2 payout as 6/5 games hold about three times more than its full-pay counterpart.
Video Blackjack Theoretical Loss Per Hour
- $1 Game King with double down on 10 and 11: $24.80
- $1 Game King with no double down or splitting: $40
- $3 Interblock 6/5 heads-up: $36.54
- $3 6/5 multiplayer: $7.61
- $5 6/5 multiplayer: $12.69
- $1 3/2 multiplayer: $0.87
- $3 3/2 multiplayer: $2.60
- $5 3/2 multiplayer: $4.33
Live Blackjack Theoretical Loss Per Hour
Live blackjack tables deal about 60 hands per hour at a full table. The list below shows the expected loss at common live games.
3/2 Games
- $5 double-deck: $1.38
- $5 six-deck: $1.92
- $10 double-deck: $2.76
- $10 six-deck: $3.84
- $15 double-deck: $4.14
- $15 six-deck: $5.76
- $25 double-deck: $6.90
- $25 six-deck with surrender and re-split aces: $7.23
6/5 Games
- $5 six-deck: $6
- $10 six-deck: $11.99
- $15 single-deck: $13.99
- $15 six-deck: $17.98
- $25 six-deck: $29.97
The above rates do not include comps like free drinks, slot play, and hotel rooms. These can swing the odds in your favor. Even if you cannot find the best live or video blackjack rules in your area, it is important to have fun and play within your bankroll.
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