Las Vegas is more than just the tourist corridor. The Vegas Strip is a beautiful tourist trap that we all know and love. The glitz and glamour can be great but this can also be pricey and have less than optimal gambling.
There’s more to Las Vegas than just the places frequented mostly by tourists. There are great values located all over town. Whether you’re looking for cheap eats or good gambling you’ll be able to find it away from the Vegas Strip. This includes fair blackjack games.
Today we’re going to look at cheap blackjack games that are in casinos a few blocks away from the Vegas Strip. We’re going to look at these casinos because they’re often the first casinos that someone explores when leaving the Vegas Strip.
Many will visit casinos in downtown Las Vegas but there are some that prefer exploring closer to home base. These casinos are not too far so traveling away from familiar territory isn’t very daunting. These near-strip casinos are within a 10-minute walk from Las Vegas Boulevard.
There are great casinos all over Las Vegas but these are easier to get to for someone in Las Vegas for a short time. It’s understandable that someone wouldn’t want to take a 20-30 minute car ride each way to a casino. Getting to these near-strip casinos isn’t very different than going from one end of the Vegas Strip to the other.
These near-strip properties are important for two reasons. The affordable blackjack games with fair rules are great to learn how to gamble properly. The blackjack rules at these casinos should allow players more time on the table for the same bankroll they might use on the Vegas Strip.
I learned how to gamble mostly in Atlantic City casinos but honed my skills at these near-strip casinos when visiting Las Vegas. The Gold Coast will always have a special place in my heart for this reason. Also because of Ping Pang Pong but that’s another story.
Experienced gamblers like these near-strip casinos because the games are good and the vibe is a bit more mellow. This is something I’ve come to appreciate with age.
Best Cheap Near Strip Blackjack
According to Vegas Advantage, the best off-strip blackjack games are a short walk (or drive) from the Vegas Strip. Both Mohegan Sun Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and Palace Station have great blackjack games for $100 per hand.
That’s cool but we’ll focus on the best blackjack games that are available under $25. These are the denominations played by most blackjack players visiting Las Vegas.
It should be noted that casinos will sometimes increase the minimum bet on nights and weekends. These usually remain red chip games but they’ll require more of those on a busy night.
Each of the following casinos has at least a few games that pay 3:2 when a player is dealt a natural blackjack:
- Ellis Island: 6 decks, $5 minimum
- Gold Coast: Double-deck and six-deck, $10 minimum
- The Orleans: Double-deck and six-deck, $10 minimum
- Oyo (formerly Hooters): Look for the $10 minimum game, lower limits have worse odds
- Palace Station: Double deck, $10 minimum
- Rio: Eight decks, $10 minimum. Double-deck, $15 minimum
There are plenty of good blackjack games at these casinos. However, there are some 6:5 blackjack games available at most. Make sure to read the rules before sitting down. For example, Oyo offers 3:2 blackjack along with 6:5 and even money games.
