Single Deck Blackjack
Single deck blackjack can be a great game if you’re getting the full 3:2 payment on your blackjacks. Unfortunately 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 .20% up to nearly 2%. That’s a 10X 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 Pay
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.
Updated 3/12/2012: I’ve recently broken my single deck blackjack list into two sections. The first list is of casinos that allow players to double down on any two cards, therefore holding a house edge that is usually under .20% on single deck. The second list is of casinos that restrict player doubling to only on 10 or 11, therefore holding a house edge that is typically just over .40% on single deck.
Double down on any two cards:
- Barona Casino – San Diego, CA *single deck no longer offered as of June 2011
- Viejas Casino – San Diego, CA
- Robinson Rancheria – Nice, CA
- Feather Falls Casino – Oroville, CA
- El Cortez – Las Vegas, NV
- Hacienda – Boulder City, NV *I’ve been told that they allow DAS & RSA!
- Gold Dust West – Elko, NV
- Barton’s Club 93 – Jackpot, NV
- Pioneer Casino – Laughlin, NV
- Eureka Casino – Mesquite, NV *SuperFun21 changed back to single deck!
- Boomtown Casino – Reno, NV
- J.A. Nugget – Reno, NV
- Siena Casino – Reno, NV
- Alamo Casino – Sparks, NV
- Rail City – Sparks, NV
- Topaz Lodge – Topaz Lake, NV *surrender available!
- Montego Bay – Wendover, NV
- Peppermill Casino – Wendover, NV
- Rainbow Casino – Wendover, NV
- Red Garter Casino – Wendover, NV
- Wendover Nugget – Wendover, NV
- Fitzgeralds Casino – Tunica, MS
- Gold Strike Casino – Tunica, MS
- Harrah’s – Tunica, MS
- Horseshoe Casino – Tunica, MS
- Sam’s Town – Tunica, MS
- Tunica Roadhouse – Tunica, MS
Double down only on 10 or 11:
- Soboba Casino – San Jacinto, CA
- Colusa Casino – Colusa, CA
- Coyote Valley – Redwood Valley, CA *table games: Sun-Th 10AM-2AM, Fri-Sat 10AM-4AM
- Cher-Ae Heights – Trinidad, CA *opens at noon
- Binion’s Casino – Las Vegas, NV
- Hooters Casino – Las Vegas, NV
- Riviera Casino – Las Vegas, NV
- Silverton Casino – Las Vegas, NV
- Four Queens – Las Vegas, NV
- Carson Nugget – Carson City, NV
- Gold Dust West – Carson City, NV
- Fandango Casino – Carson City, NV
- Cactus Pete’s – Jackpot, NV *double 9-11
- Colorado Belle – Laughlin, NV
- Edgewater Casino – Laughlin, NV
- Riverside Casino – Laughlin, NV
- Atlantis Casino – Reno, NV
- Bonanza Casino – Reno, NV
- Cal-Neva – Reno, NV
- Circus Circus – Reno, NV
- Diamond’s – Reno, NV
- Eldorado Casino – Reno, NV
- Grand Sierra – Reno, NV
- Harrah’s Casino – Reno, NV *only one table (high limit)
- Peppermill – Reno, NV
- Silver Legacy – Reno, NV
- Sands Regency – Reno, NV
- Harrah’s / Harvey’s – Tahoe, NV
- Lakeside Inn – Tahoe, NV
- Route 66 – Albuquerque, NM
- Chinook Winds Casino – Lincoln, OR
- Oneida Casino – Green Bay, WI
- L’Auberge du Lac – Lake Charles, LA
- Isle of Capri – Biloxi, MS
- Ameristar Casino – Vicksburg, MS *casinos in Vicksburg stand on Soft 17
- Rainbow Casino – Vicksburg, MS *casinos in Vicksburg stand on Soft 17
- Riverwalk Casino – Vicksburg, MS *casinos in Vicksburg stand on Soft 17
If you’re playing single deck blackjack anywhere other than a place listed above, the odds probably aren’t that great. Every casino listed above offers the full 3:2 payment on blackjacks. You may have noticed there is no legitimate single deck blackjack on the Strip in Las Vegas (Hooters is close) or in Atlantic City. However, you can still find multi-deck games that have excellent odds if you know what to look for (S17, DAS, RSA, LS). The best single deck odds in the entire country are currently found at Barona in California and Topaz Lodge in Nevada because they both 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
About the "Blackjack Instructor":
When I'm on a card counting trip, I'm hitting the tables hard. When I'm home with the family, I run BlackjackClassroom.com and go by the title "Blackjack Instructor". I hope you've enjoyed the site and come back soon. If you're interested in any of my training services, please don't hesitate to contact me to discuss your options.
All posts are written by Blackjack Instructor
34 Responses to “Single Deck Blackjack”
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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?
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.
Which of the casinos listed has the best player odds?
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.
Me and my mother enjoyed reading your blog post. Keep up the good work.
Does Barona Casino ever offer single deck at 3 to 2 odds on a minimun less than $100?
Loretta: Unfortunately the 3:2 single deck games always stay at $100. Check out my Barona Blackjack page for a comparison of the games offered there.
hi guys this site is realy strong and much apreciated!!! i have had the oppurtunity to play all over the country:):) and the best limits i have seen to date is the horseshoe in counsel bluffs IA 25$ min and 25k limits hope this helps all of you>>:):)
Michael: Are you sure it’s a $25K max? I believe it might be $5K. Still, not too many people find themselves needing (or should I say wanting?) to bet more than $5K on a hand.
If you play by that card, You will lose every time. Fact. I will play just like I am the dealer. Why do you think the house plays like they do?. Double down is a bad bet. No matter what the dealer is showing. No matter how many decks..If it was a good bet…The casino would not allow it. HELLO…. FACT. Play just like a dealer plays and put the odds back to even. Play one on one. That’s how you win in Black Jack.
Dealerman.
Gary: No disrespect intended, but you’ve got a lot to learn. The way you are suggesting to play will increase the house odds against you dramatically.
Binions is 6:5 and let’s you double on anything. I played there last night. I have never in my life seen single deck 3:2 in Vegas. One casino claims the most liberal rules in the world and they pay 1:1 on blackjack, 2:1 if it’s suited. So, slightly less than 5:4?
Well… I was playing the baby tables, maybe that’s why I never see the 3:2 or the rules you mention in your list.
Seth, you’ll find 3:2 single deck in Las Vegas at Hooters, Silverton and downtown at El Cortez. That’s it for Vegas right now, so everything else is 6:5. In Reno 3:2 single deck is the norm.
What is you strategy for initial bet in single deck, 3:2? Obviously a zero count at this point.
Evan
Hi Evan. Your initial bet shouldn’t always be the same. Sometimes one unit, sometimes more. When betting more than one unit you sacrifice a little EV for cover, but that should easily be made up for with the extra time you buy yourself at the table.
I can’t share my specific strategies here for everyone to see, simply because I don’t want it repeated too much by other APs and I don’t want to be identifiable by casinos. I usually reserve that kind of info for my students that attend a live class. Good luck out there!
Hi, just had a dealer in single deck blackjack tell me that hitting on soft 18 only applies playing head to head, and that basic strategy contemplates playing head to head only. Is that possibly true? Thanks.
Lyn: Hitting or doubling on Soft 18 will depend on what the dealer is showing. I don’t think that playing heads up should change your basic strategy, although knowing the count should.