The gaming industry holds an expo every year where they introduce the latest in games and slot machines. Few new table games ever make it to the casino floor, but those that do have a house edge of at least three percent.

Blackjack has the lowest house edge of all casino games and players can even win in the game by using a card counting strategy. Blackjack is also currently the most popular casino table game but if it were being introduced today it would probably never make it to the casino floor. A player using basic strategy can shave the house percentage down to about one half of one percent and this is well below the three percent that operators of corporate casinos care to hand over to the players.

It was in 1963 that Edward O. Thorp released his book “Beat The Dealer”, in which he revealed that for players who took the trouble to learn card counting, blackjack was a beatable game and a close to even game for those players willing to learn basic strategy. The popularity of Blackjack exploded after that book hit the stores when players flocked to the tables trying to beat the game. The casinos immediately countered by adding more decks to make it harder for the card counters. But even playing with multiple decks, the basic strategy player is facing less than a one percent house edge.

Actually, the truth is that very few players take the time to study and practice card counting. And of those who do, many will fail in a live casino environment with all its distractions. Moreover, out of the millions of people who play blackjack, only a small percentage will take the time or make the effort to play perfect basic strategy. So while the mathematical edge may be lower than one percent, the average player is usually giving up around two percent. With the number of Blackjack players sitting in casinos, you would think that this would be profitable enough for the casino.

But management in some casinos feel otherwise. In the last few years they have been introducing new changes to try and squeeze more profit from the players. The automatic shuffling machine has been introduced in some casinos to speed up the game. Not allowing players to double down after splitting is another new rule introduced by some casinos in an attempt to increase the house edge. While these and other minor variations made in the past are only minor, there is a now a new variation that has been adopted by some of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip that is making a major impact on the game.

Instead of paying 3 to 2 for natural Blackjacks the casinos are paying 6 to 5. The result is as follows: If you were betting ten dollars a hand you would normally be paid $15 dollars for a blackjack. Now, with a blackjack paying only 6 to 5 you will only be paid $12 for your natural. This one rule variation increases the house edge by 1½ percent. This puts the basic strategy player at a two percent disadvantage. Players should try and avoid these games.

Adding insult to injury, some casinos are actually advertising that “Our Blackjack Pays 6 to 5” as if this is a brand new and highly generous offer. Unsuspecting players may be suckered in by this advertising. Once upon a time when you heard that a game used “Las Vegas Strip Rules”, it meant it was a decently run game. The dealers would stand on soft 17 and you were allowed to double after splitting. Now if more of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip adopt the 6 to 5 payoff for blackjacks, “Strip Rules” will mean Bad Blackjack.