Single deck blackjack can be a great game if you’re getting the full 3:2 payment on your blackjacks. A new trend in many casinos is to only pay 6:5 on single deck games. That means if you get a blackjack on a $50 bet you’re going to be paid $60 rather than the traditional $75. This may seem like a small difference, but it can actually change the house edge from under .25% up to nearly 2%. That’s an 8X increase against you! If you’re not getting paid 3:2, then move to a different game. A multi-deck game with the full 3:2 payment has much better odds than a 6:5 single deck game.
Best Single Deck Blackjack – Full 3:2 Payment
Please Note: When I refer to “best” single deck blackjack, I’m simply talking about games where you’ll get the full 3:2 payment on blackjack. For the purposes of this article, I’m not taking into consideration card counting conditions such as dealer penetration or the amount of heat you’ll receive from increasing your bets and making various play deviations. That type of info is covered in my blackjack training.
- Barona Casino – San Diego, CA
- Robinson Rancheria – Nice, CA
- Feather Falls Casino – Oroville, CA
- Binion’s Casino – Las Vegas, NV
- El Cortez – Las Vegas, NV
- Four Queens – Las Vegas, NV
- Golden Nugget – Laughlin, NV
- Pioneer Casino – Laughlin, NV
- River Palms Casino – Laughlin, NV *single deck is no longer available
- Eureka Casino – Mesquite, NV *changed to SuperFun21, in other words “horrible odds”
- Boomtown Casino – Reno, NV
- Topaz Lodge – Topaz Lake, NV
- Montego Bay – Wendover, NV
- Peppermill Casino – Wendover, NV
- Rainbow Casino – Wendover, NV
- Red Garter Casino – Wendover, NV
- Wendover Nugget – Wendover, NV
- Isle of Capri – Biloxi, MS
- Fitzgeralds Casino – Tunica, MS
- Gold Strike Casino – Tunica, MS
- Harrah’s – Tunica, MS
- Horseshoe Casino – Tunica, MS
- Sam’s Town – Tunica, MS
- Ameristar Casino – Vicksburg, MS
- Rainbow Casino – Vicksburg, MS
- Riverwalk Casino – Vicksburg, MS
If you’re playing single deck blackjack anywhere other than a place on this list, the odds probably aren’t that great. Every casino listed above, with the exception of Binion’s and Four Queens in Las Vegas, has a minimal house edge of .25% or less on their single deck games. Binion’s and Four Queens restrict doubling down to 10 and 11 only (same as the casinos in Reno other than Boomtown), therefore making the house edge about twice that of the casinos listed above. Since I’m focusing on low house edge games in this article and not card counting, I’ve left Reno’s single deck games off the list. The best single deck odds are currently found at Barona in California and Topaz Lodge in Nevada because they offer surrendering. Feel free to contact me if you have a question about a specific casino that you don’t see listed here.
Single Deck Basic Strategy
Playing optimal single deck blackjack requires a slightly different basic strategy than multi-deck blackjack or even double deck blackjack. The exact basic strategy you will want to use will depend on the specific rules of the table.
This single deck basic strategy chart assumes that the dealer will hit on Soft 17 and that the player cannot double after splitting and cannot surrender. These are the most common rules for single deck blackjack.
Single Deck Basic Strategy Chart
Single Deck Basic Strategy Chart
Great article and resource. 3:2 single deck blackjack is awesome!
Which of the casinos listed has the best player odds?
Kara: Barona in San Diego easily has the best single deck blackjack odds. Next in line would be the casinos in Wendover, NV. If you want to let me know where you live, I would be happy to tell you where the best games are in your area.
I just had to post to say how much I love your site, keep up the good work.
Is there no good single deck blackjack on the Strip in Las Vegas?
~ E.C.
Good article. Is low odds of making 20 or 21 with a pair of sevens against dealers ten the main reason your chart says stand on the pair?
E.Collins: All single deck blackjack on the Las Vegas Strip pays 6:5 on blackjack instead of 3:2. These are terrible games that you want to avoid at all costs. I’d rather play craps… and I don’t play craps!
Clumsy: If you have 7,7 in a single deck game and the dealer has a 10 showing, your chances of drawing a third 7 to beat a dealer 20 is quite slim. The easy answer as to “why” you don’t hit… because basic strategy says so! Computer simulations have already worked out the tough mathematics behind the correct playing decisions in all situations. Most human minds can’t handle all the calculations, so we trust the computer results and stick to memorization.
Do you know the table betting limits of the single deck blackjack games in Wendover and Tunica? By the way, your Aria article is awesome. Will you be covering more casinos like this?
Mike S: You will find that Wendover has some great single deck blackjack with very low table minimums. You will find plenty of tables with a $5 minimum and I believe you can find tables as low as $2 or $3 at Red Garter. Single deck blackjack in Tunica will carry a table minimum of either $10 or $25 depending on the casino.
I just had to post to say how much I love your site, keep up the good work.
Is there no good single deck blackjack on the Strip in Las Vegas?
~ E.C.
I just had to post to say how much I love your site, keep up the good work.
Recently when in Las Vegas I was told 5$ single deck blackjack is available at the Gold Coast. I didn’t have the opportunity to check it out, but can someone confirm whether it is a 3:2 or 6:5 game?
Do you know the table betting limits of the single deck blackjack games in Wendover and Tunica? By the way, your Aria article is awesome. Will you be covering more casinos like this?
Which of the casinos listed has the best player odds?
Me and my mother enjoyed reading your blog post. Keep up the good work.
Amy: The best odds for a basic strategy player are at Barona in San Diego. For card counters there are better games due to the importance of good dealer penetration. I’ll be keeping details on penetration at specific casinos to myself and my blackjack students.
Steve: Wendover has tables that are $5/$10 – $500 and $25 – $1,000. I’m a little less familiar with Tunica, but I believe there are tables going up to $5,000 and even $10,000 maximums.
Richard: Unfortunately it’s 6:5. If you want full payment on single deck blackjack in Vegas you’ll have to head downtown to El Cortez. You’ll get the full payment plus $5 minimums. Not exactly the greatest place to hang out though (no offense intended to those that hang out at EC).