Live dealer blackjack is available at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Wisconsin for the first time since March 2020. The Milwaukee casino also reopened roulette tables for the first time since Covid-19 reached the US. The casino expects to Baccarat, Craps, and Ultimate Hold’em tables in time for Thanksgiving.
The Potawatomi Hotel & Casino returned to all-day operations with slot machines on October 18, 2021, for the first time since last year. The casino only opened with slot machines available for guests.
Reopening table games is the second (blackjack) and third phases (others) of Potawatomi returning to a traditional full casino floor.
President and CEO Dominic Ortiz said:
“It’s been a hard road to get the business back up and running and create jobs in the city. But we’re excited. We’re ready. Table games have always been the heart of entertainment for Potawatomi Hotel and Casino.”
Electronic blackjack games and slots can only fill so much of a void for many gamblers. The return of live dealer blackjack is another step towards a return to pre-Covid normalcy for Potawatomi guests.
Potawatomi Blackjack Rules
Potawatomi Casino blackjack rules are typical for a casino outside of Las Vegas. Most games are multi-deck and dealt from a shoe. There are also some double-deck pitch blackjack games available for those who prefer games with fewer decks.
- The casino pays 3:2 when a player is dealt a natural blackjack.
- Players may split on any pair dealt. Aces only receive one card when split.
- Players may double down on any first two cards they receive except for Aces and a natural blackjack.
Potawatomi Casino offers the 21+3 side bet. This wager pays based on the player’s first two cards and the dealer’s up card.
According to Wizard of Odds, the house edge on this side bet is between 2.74% and 7.26%. The house edge depends on the number of decks in the shoe. The advantage for the casino decreases as more cards are in play.
Potawatomi Casino pays 9-1 for the following 21+3 side bet hands:
- Straight Flush
- Straight
- Flush
- Three of a Kind
Potawatomi Is Now A Smokeless Casino
Potawatomi no longer allows smoking inside the casino. The casino initially banned smoking as part of its Covid-19 health and safety protocols. Guests are still able to smoke at specific outdoor areas near the Northern Lights Theater.
Potawatomi and many other Wisconsin casinos have banned smoking indoors. The following Wisconsin casinos are non-smoking according to smokefreecasinos.org:
- Bad River Lodge & Casino
- Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Black River Falls
- Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Madison
- The Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Nekoosa
- Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Tomah
- Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells
- The Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Wittenberg
- Lake of the Torches Resort Casino
- Legendary Waters Resort and Casino
- Menominee Casino Resort
- Mole Lake Casino
- North Star Mohican Resort
- Oneida Casino
- Thunderbird Convenience Store (Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin)
Many casinos around the country have gone smokeless in the past year. The Covid-19 pandemic forced casino operators to re-assess all health and safety protocols. Numerous casinos have kept certain codes as others have become more relaxed.
There are still plenty of casinos that allow smoking. However, that number is decreasing as casinos are still re-evaluating the practice.
A complete smoking ban may only work for some properties. Some of the properties that still allow smoking are reducing the space on casino floors where guests can still smoke.
