The south end of the Las Vegas Strip consists of all casinos from Mandalay Bay up to Aria, MGM Grand, and Tropicana. The blackjack on this section of the Strip is among the worst on the Las Vegas Strip, value-wise, for low-limit players. Higher-limit blackjack players will find some of the best games here. All games listed below hit soft 17 unless otherwise noted.

• Las Vegas Strip Blackjack Rules
• Las Vegas Strip Blackjack Rules

Las Vegas Strip Blackjack Rules

There are eight casinos in this section. MGM Resorts owns seven of the eight, and Penn Gaming’s Tropicana is the other.

The basic rules for Vegas Strip are as follows: Blackjack is the strongest hand and automatically stands (blackjack is an ace and any card with a value of 10) Blackjack pays 3:2. Both player and dealer can hit up to nine additional cards to make a total hand of 11 cards providing the total value does not exceed 21. Rules in Vegas Strip Blackjack Similar to most American-style blackjack games, Vegas Strip Blackjack uses 4 to 8 decks and is a hole card blackjack. This means that the dealer initially receives one face-up card that is visible to everyone on the table and another one, which is face-down.

The minimum bet noted is our predicted lowest offered at the casino. This pertains to slower hours. Minimum bets may go up, sometimes drastically, during busier hours.

The biggest change on this part of the Las Vegas Strip from last year is that Blackjack Switch is no longer available. MGM Resorts removed this game from all its Las Vegas casinos in 2020.

Related: 2021 Las Vegas Blackjack Survey

Best blackjack on South Las Vegas Strip

The best blackjack is found in three high-limit salons in this section of the Strip. The games are double-deck that stands on all 17’s. Players may double down before and after splitting. The same casinos have a six-deck blackjack game that stands on all 17’s. These games add surrender and re-split aces. The casinos with both games are Aria, MGM Grand and Park MGM. Tropicana and Mandalay Bay deal the six-deck version. The minimum bet is usually $100 for these games but can be $200 or more during busier times.

The pandemic affected table game hours at many casinos, especially high limit salons. If you go to a casino to play a specific game, we recommend making sure that the pits or salon will be open at that time.

Aria

Aria hosts five different blackjack games. The casino’s eight-deck blackjack and Free Bet Blackjack pay 6:5 and start at $25. It also takes $25, often $50, to get a traditional 3:2 game. This is six-deck blackjack that allows doubling down before and after splitting, surrendering, and re-splitting aces. There is a $100 game in high-limit with these rules that also stands on all 17’s. The other high-limit game is stand on all 17 double-deck. It typically has a $100 or $200 minimum. Doubling down before and after splitting is allowed.

Excalibur

There are three blackjack games at Excalibur. This does not include Down Under Blackjack, which the casino dropped in 2020. Players may choose between two 6:5 games for a $10 minimum. One is a standard eight-deck; the other is Free Bet Blackjack. The third game at Excalibur is a 3:2 eight-deck table for $25. It allows doubling down before and after splitting.

Luxor

Blackjack starts at $10 at Luxor. There is a traditional 6:5 eight-deck game along with 6:5 Free Bet Blackjack. Luxor also offers two high-limit games that pay 3:2 and that have a $100 minimum. One is a double-deck table allowing a double-down before and after splitting. The other, a six-deck game, adds surrender and re-split aces. Luxor hits soft 17 at all blackjack tables.

Mandalay Bay

Mandalay Bay has five blackjack games. It takes $15 to play 6:5 games, available for both standard eight-deck and Free Bet Blackjack. A $25 3:2 eight-deck table has standard double-down rules, plus surrender and re-split aces. There is a stand-on-all-17 game with these same rules. There is also a $100 double-deck game that stands on all 17’s with doubling down allowed both before and after splitting.

MGM Grand

The blackjack news out of MGM Grand this year is that all its pit games now hit on soft 17. Players must head to high-limit tables to get a game that stands on all 17’s. One of these is a double-deck table with a $200 minimum bet. It allows a double-down before or after splitting. A $100 six-deck game adds option to surrender or re-split aces. A $25 3:2 game on the floor has these rules as well, but hits on soft 17. There is also $15 6:5 blackjack and 6:5 Free Bet.

New York-New York

Blackjack starts at $10 at New York-New York. It pays 6:5, and players can choose between Free Bet Blackjack or a standard eight-deck game. A $25 minimum gets a 3:2 eight-deck that offers a double-down before and after splitting, as well as surrender and re-split aces. For $100, there’s a six-deck high-limit table with these rules. There is also a $100 3:2 double-deck table in high-limit, with doubling down allowed before and after splitting. All New York-New York blackjack games, including in high-limit, hit soft 17.

Park MGM

Park MGM has either $10 6:5 games in the pits or $100 3:2 stand-on-all-17 games in high-limit. There is nothing in between. The $10 6:5 games are eight-deck or Free Bet Blackjack. The $100 3:2 games are double-deck that allows a double-down before and after splitting and six-deck that adds surrender and re-split aces.

Tropicana

Tropicana requires $15 or $25 for a 3:2 game, depending on the time of day. The options are double-deck or six-deck. Both allow doubling down before and after splitting. The high-limit game is a six-deck that stands on all 17’s. This game adds surrender and re-split aces. The other blackjack game pays 6:5, and it is either $10 or $15 to play.

Last updated: June 26, 2021

Vegas Strip Blackjack is one of the most popular variants of the American blackjack series. Others include Atlantic City Blackjack and Downtown blackjack. The blackjack variant is named after Las Vegas, which is believed to be the casino capital of the world. This article looks at this blackjack variant into details and how it differs from the classic blackjack. It also takes you through the rules and workable strategies that you can employ to increase your chances of winning big either online or while playing a land-based game.

As stated earlier, this Blackjack variant is one among many variants from the classic blackjack game. Therefore, you will find lots of similarities with the classic game and a few striking differences as explained below.

The variant is an American hole card blackjack game where the dealer peeks on the Ace and 10 value. On the other hand, players may double down on any first two cards they may be having. They are also allowed to double after making a split. Players can also split up to three times in order to have four hands. Besides, any 10 valued cards can be split. No surrendering of the hand is allowed.

Players are allowed to double once after splitting the Aces. The Ace is the most valuable card in any blackjack game and can be used as 1 or 11, depending on the number that is more advantageous to the playing hand. A hand that consists of a 10-value card such as Jack, 10, King or Queen and an Ace usually total to 21. These cards usually pay 3:2 except in cases where the Aces are split. Doubling down on the split Aces takes another .08% from the house edge.

The dealer stands on all 17 soft or hard in this Blackjack variant. This only creates a slight statistical difference. However, the difference is tangible for serious players. In this case, the dealer will burst more often, which is advantageous to the players. With everything being equal, the players’ odds are better when the dealer stands on the soft 17.

The game is played in four decks instead of two played in the Downtown Blackjack. Cards are shuffled between every game, making counting cards to be of no use when playing the game.

The chances of increasing the odds on a table depends on the ability to follow simple rules and being keen on the opponents and the dealer. Avoid playing in a table where one or more of the players are reckless. Moreover, you should know when to continue or stop, depending on the budget.

Here are basic tips when playing the game.

1. You should hit if the total of your cards equals to 9 or lower
2. Consider doubling down if you have a 10 or 11. However, if the total of your card is more than the dealer’s upcard, double the bet. On the other hand, if the total value of your cards matches those of the dealer’s upcards, just hit. Here is an example; if you have an 11 and the dealer shows 8, just double down. If the dealer’s upcard shows 11 too, just hit.
3. When you have anything between 12 and 16, hit if the dealer’s upcard shows 7 or higher. However, stand if the dealer’s upcard shows figures smaller than 7.
4. Stand when you have 17 or higher
5. If your hand has a soft 13-18, a 6 and an ace, make a soft 17. However, if the dealer’s up card is either 5 or 6, double down.
6. Stand at soft 19
7. Hot at soft 17 or lower
8. Always split 8’s or a pair of Aces
9. Avoid splitting 10’s, 4’s and 5’s
10. Split any pairs that you have if the dealer’s upcard goes below 6
11. Do not take insurance. Insurance is a side bet that is treated differently with the main cash wagered. It has a payout of 2:1 (2 £ for every £1 wagered). It becomes available when the dealer’s exposed card is an Ace. It increases the house edge to 7.4%.

Being a hole card game, this game follows the rules of a hole card game. Here are the rules.

• The game uses four decks of the standard playing card
• The dealer stands on a soft 17. This is a hand that is valued at 17 and has an Ace, which is valued at 11 points.
• When the face-up cards are an Ace and 10’s, the dealer peeks for a blackjack
• Players are allowed to double down on any two cards that come first
• Surrendering a hand is not allowed
• Players are allowed to split their card for a total of three times to give them a total of four playing hands
• Players are allowed to double down after splitting
• Aces can only be split once
• Cards that are valued at 10 points are allowed to be split. For example, a Jack and a Queen or a Queen and a 10.
• When a player hits 21 when splitting an Ace, it does not constitute to a blackjack
• Players with 21 in 2 cards get a payout at the ratio of 3:2
• After placing the bet, each of the players is dealt two cards, each at a time from the dealer’s left. These cards face up while one of the dealer cards faces up and the other down. If the showing card is an Ace, players will be given a chance to take an insurance side bet.

What is the main difference of Vegas Strip Blackjack in respect to other blackjack types?

The Vegas Strip variant of Blackjack differs from the rest in several ways. First, the card game follows the hole card rule where the dealers immediately give two cards to themselves and open one of the cards immediately.

Second, fold is not possible in Vegas Strip variant but possible in the Atlantic City Blackjack. Third, the Vegas Strip variant is played with four decks while the Atlantic City Blackjack is played with eight decks and the Vegas Downtown Blackjack is played in two decks.

Fourth, in Vegas Downtown Blackjack, the dealer must hit a soft 17 points, which increases the house edge to about 0.2%. This requirement is not a must in the Vegas Strip variant.

The double after a split is allowed in Vegas Strip. However, some casinos disallow it while others only allow it after the Aces are separated. You may find a few deviations to the double and split rules, but some form of doubling and splitting is allowed.

In Atlantic City Blackjack, the dealer does not keep checking cards for blackjack. However, if there is a blackjack, the client loses the basic bet and the cash from splits. However, in Vegas Strip, hitting a 21 does not constitute a blackjack.

The Vegas Strip variant is one of the best blackjack games that you can play and make some good cash out of it. Here is why.

The dealer will always stand at 17 whether a soft or hard one. This means the player cannot burst on the next card. However, it provides more opportunities for the payer to beat the house by scoring 18 or higher.

The variant gives players a chance to take an insurance side bet. While it, at times, seems to be a riskier decision as it increases the house edge, players stand to get a payout of 2:1 on every £ wagered.

Players have a chance to split pairs to as many as four hands which includes face cards. This increases the chances of getting a better hand and beating the house.

The game provides several chances of winning with various payouts. For example, when you beat the dealer, you will get even money (£1 for every £1 wagered). However, if the initial hand is a natural blackjack, you get to win at a rate of 3:2.

Las Vegas Strip Blackjack Rules