6:5 Blackjack

I have mentioned this earlier in the book — but believe the subject deserves its own page. You may have noticed the disturbing proliferation of 6:5 Blackjack in Las Vegas. 6:5 Blackjack means that a Blackjack pays $6 for every $5 bet instead of $7.50 for $5. One casino advertised this variation as “Single-Deck Blackjack with a whopping 6:5 payoff.” This is a fundamental change to the game of Blackjack. 6:5 Blackjack strategy is very simple. Do not play.

Let us be very clear; 6:5 Blackjack is not Blackjack at all in my opinion. The name Blackjack was given to Vingt-et-un in 1912 when the 3:2 bonus was invented. The very definition of Blackjack requires a 3:2 payoff for Blackjack. Now, 90 years later, the casinos thought no one would notice if they gutted the game. And, they may be right. Few people seem to think that it matters. But look at the effect on the house edge:

www.qfit.com/Book/z900chart.gif

In this chart, DAS means Double after Split and H17 means dealer Hits on Soft 17. We can see that the house edge for 6:5 Blackjack towers over the edges for standard Blackjack variations. I believe not only that the game should be avoided, but that any casino that runs this game should be avoided.

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger