Today is March 2nd aka 3/2 aka 3:2. Some gamblers call this National Blackjack Day. This is a day to celebrate the traditional 3:2 return when a player is dealt a natural blackjack. We’d all like to think that this is how casinos should be paying customers. Unfortunately, there’s a trend of casinos increasing their edge over customers by moving to the less player friendly payout of 6:5 when you’re dealt a natural blackjack.
Read: Why You Should Not Play 6-5 Blackjack
When a casino pays 3:2 for a natural blackjack the house edge can slightly favor the player for a single deck game if the rules line up (single deck, dealer stands on soft 17, DAS allowed, double on any first two cards, resplit four times, resplit Aces, hit resplit Aces, late surrender allowed). Playing at a 6:5 blackjack table rather than 3:2 blackjack increases the edge for the casino by 1.39%.
Most casinos won’t offer the 3:2 blackjack game rules mentioned above. Most 3:2 games carry a small edge for the casino. While we want the best odds, but it’s understandable that a casino operator would keep a little bit of money over time. Most blackjack players are fine with a small house edge for the casino. After all, if the casino goes out of business there won’t be anywhere to play blackjack.
We should celebrate casinos that still offer 3:2 blackjack games. Every gambler wants the biggest bang for their gambling dollar. Even the worst 3:2 blackjack game with moderate rules has a small house edge. Not only does this give the player more time at the table than bad rules but it increases the chances of walking away from the table a winner.
Gamblers, by nature, are greedy and want to make money when they can. However, in today’s casino landscape having fun is almost as important. When a casino only offers a blackjack game that pays 6:5 on a natural blackjack it can lead to fewer hands. Less action at the blackjack table will lead to less fun. The majority of gamblers are visiting a casino because they want to have fun. It’s almost as if casino operators forgot that.
If you’re not celebrating 3:2 blackjack today you might want to look ahead to June 5 aka 6/5 aka 6:5. This might be a good day to avoid certain casinos who deal a 6:5 blackjack game. This is another excuse to celebrate National Blackjack Day again. Sometimes the only way to affect a business is to speak with your dollars. However, you can make your dollars scream by taking your money to a different casino that supports the best version of the game you love.
Not only would taking money away from this hurt the purveyors of 6:5 blackjack games but it would support those who offer good 3:2 blackjack games. How and where you spend your money is a personal decision. However, if there are one or two days for blackjack players to rise up and support those who support them National Blackjack Day is a good start. If you haven’t thought about National Blackjack Day until now, you may want to prepare for June 5.
