It seems like single deck blackjack games are becoming more common once again, but the trend in some casinos is to make the payoffs for blackjack 6:5 instead of the customary 3:2. Keep reading to see how this affects the overall dealer advantage.
We advice players to play single deck blackjack games because if you play using perfect basic strategy on a single deck game the house edge shrinks to a meager 0.15%. Most casinos used to have single deck 3:2 games. But today, they are rarities, replaced by the single deck game which is 10 times worse than it was a decade ago. The ruse going on now is that some casinos are advertising the return of Single-Deck Blackjack, but only offering 6:5 for a blackjack. In this new single-deck version, a player’s blackjack gets paid only 6:5 rather than the usual 3:2. That means that if you bet $5 and get a blackjack, you get only $6 instead of the $7.50 you once received. The house will keep your buck and a half with a nice smile.
Consequently, where the house edge against the perfect basic strategy player was once a measly 0.15%, the house edge on this game has spiraled to 1.45%.
Given a choice between a six-deck game and 6:5 single-deck blackjack, avoid the latter. A six-deck shoe game is three times more advantageous than 6:5 single-deck blackjack.
Bottom line, Casinos that advertise Single-Deck Blackjack, or any blackjack game that pays only 6 for 5 for a blackjack are simply trading a marketing gimmick for your dough-for which you had spent hours of hard work.