18% house edge, which means a player’s estimated loss will be 1.8 cents for every $10 wagered. The Rio’s big come-on was a bevy of stacked “single-deck” games advertised with brightly colored electronic signs.Įdge to the houseSINGLE-DECK blackjack was the most advantageous game for players when played by traditional rules, offering a microscopic.
At Rio, another “fun”-oriented casino, the blackjack pits had a proliferation of “carnival games,” which might be more at home in a carnival than in a casino. Leave all that odds making to the house.Ĭruising the maze of Strip casinos, I found numerous instances of blackjack tables where the odds aren’t in your favor. In other words, sit down, have a drink and let the good times roll. She paused for a moment, then said, “Well, we call this the Party Pit,” pointing out that the Flamingo’s new theme is that of a Cancún-like tropical beach party. “Why should I play here when you pay only 6-to-5?” I asked. Though the casinos didn’t return my phone calls to explain this shift, a supervisor standing behind the Flamingo’s tables made the point. Trying to measure the depth of this change, I visited Las Vegas for a couple of weekdays earlier this month, spoke with players, pit bosses and the experts, and was staggered by what I found.
