New 6:5 Blackjack Payout Rule: Is It Good?
Every year the gambling industry runs an exposition highlighting new gaming systems and machines. And the number of new table games that actually make it to the casinos over the world is very small. But those that actually do come with a house edge of 3% and even more.
Blackjack being the most widely played table game in casinos and at online casino all over the world has the lowest house edge that can be taken down even lower if employing card counting techniques. But if blackjack was a new game trying to make it to the casino tables in our days it would be very unlikely to get there.
Blackjack players that use the basic strategy usually reduce the house advantage to 1,5%, which is two times less that is usually accepted in the casinos these days.
There is a new trend casinos are using to take more money from you – the 6:5 blackjack rule. They disguise the fact that it is an extremely disadvantageous game for players by highlighting the fact that only a single card deck is used. Naturally, you would think that, because only 1 deck is used, your chances of winning are greater, but this is not the case!
Why? because blackjack usually pays 3:2; meaning if you bet $10, you get $15 back. However, with the 6:5 rule, you will only win $12 with a bet of $10.
A blackjack hand will occur in approximately 4.8% of hands. A good blackjack player places on average 1 bet per minute for every hour playing perfect basic blackjack strategy. The house edge here is 0.5%, but with the 6:5 rule, the house edge increases from 0.5% to a whopping 1.4%; an unbelievable increase of 37% to the casino! But what does this all mean in dollars and cents?
Let’s take a $10 player using perfect basic strategy at 60 hands per hour; his expected loss is $3 per hour. The expected loss for the same player on a 6:5 game is an additional $8.35. So, you see how quickly your bankroll will go down if you play 6:5 blackjack.
Changing that one rule, reducing blackjack payouts from 3:2 to 6:5 adds a substantial 1.39% to the casino’s advantage. If other rules are the same, you’d lose $1.39 more per $100 wagered with 6-5 payoffs. Let’s say the 3-2 game has a house edge of 0.5 % against a basic strategy player. The 6-5 game would have an edge of 1.89 %.
- In 100 hands at $5 minimums at a 6-5 table, you’d risk $500 and have an average loss of $9.45.
- In 100 hands at $15 minimums at a 3-2 table, you’d risk $1,500 but have average loss of $7.50.
For me, the 6:5 rule is the “worst” blackjack rule, according to which a Natural is paid 6 to 5. This is often seen at Vegas casinos, which advertise their blackjack tables with “most favorable” game parameters. However, they make this game pay 6 to 5 for blackjack which decreases the odds.
Therefore, I advise you not to waste your hard-earned money on any blackjack game that pays less than 3:2 for a blackjack hand. In fact, if you see the 6:5 rule at any online casino blackjack table, your first inclination should be to find another table fast! The sad truth is that more casinos are playing on the ignorance of blackjack first-timers and adopting the 6:5 rule. Don’t be a fish – don’t get caught with this bait!
Because, chances are casinos, whether online or offline, will gradually begin to remove the 3:2 tables and replace them with 6:5 tables.. We’re taking the Jeffrey approach of “Caveat emptor” — “let the buyer beware” and imparting this knowledge to you so you don’t fall victim to 6:5 rule, which we consider is bad blackjack by any standards!
So, before you play blackjack make sure you play 3:2 payout. You’ll be amazed to see how tweaking this one rule will dramatically increase the house advantage.
