52 card Black Jack, sounds like a blackjack players dream right? Well not when the reward for blackjack is lowered from the typical 3-to-2, or 7.5-to-5, to 6-to-5. This makes the edge the casino holds over the player jump by more than 800 percent.
In your average Black Jack game where a blackjack pays 7.5-to-5, if you are risking $20 and are dealt a blackjack, you will be paid $30 (assuming you do not match the dealer), however if you are dealt that at a table where blackjack is only paid $6 for each $5 bet then you will only be paid $24 which is $8 less per blackjack. If a player is dealt on average four blackjacks an hour, this means you will make $32 less every 60 minutes than you would playing at a table that pays 7.5-to-5. Now I do not know about you, but there is just no way I am going to cough up $32 an hour just to play 52 card blackjack, which is exactly what is going down every time you put money on a blackjack table that pays 6-to-5 with a $20 minimum.

Even though sinking the reward for blackjack to 6-to-5 raises the house edge by over 800%, the general public does not seem to care. Then why is this game spreading across the country? It may be due to the large amount of information out there about one-deck games offering a lowered casino mathematical advantage which is right, but only if the payoff for blackjack stays the same. In a one-deck game that pays 6-to-5 the casino edge is around 1.5% rather than.18% with these rules in effect: dealer draws at soft 17; split any pair, resplit any pair except aces up to 4 times; and double on any two cards, except after splitting.

Another one of the unseen disadvantages of 6-to-5 black jack is that the numbers for the payout odds on a blackjack only works if your bet is divisible by 5. For example, if you are risking $12 on a 6-to-5 table and are dealt a blackjack you are paid 6-to-5 on the first $10 and even money on the other $2. Your total win for that hand would only be $14 as opposed to $18 on a 3-to-2 table.

It is kind of funny to see that the 6-to-5 blackjack game is only found at lower-limit tables because the higher limit, more experienced players would never waste money on such an awful sucker bet.

By Matt Bourie
Matt Bourie is an associate editor of the American Casino guide which is about the world of Casinos. Come and see who has the best promotions in Las Vegas. You can also read about online poker rooms. Vist the American Casino Guid