Video blackjack normally pays even money on blackjacks. When you look at the rules, they often state, "Blackjacks pay 2 for 1." This may sound good, but "2 for 1" means even money; you get double your bet amount back, but that includes your original bet. So if you bet $5, you'd get back $10. ("2 to 1" would mean a return of twice the bet, plus the bet itself. That would be huge. But leave it to game manufacturers and casinos to obscure a big difference in payback -- and house edge -- with the difference between two utterly minor prepositions: "for" as opposed to "to.")
Even money on blackjacks increases the house edge for a basic strategy player by almost 1.5%. Given that video blackjack is a much faster game than at the tables, you're not only playing against a larger house edge, you're also playing many more hands per hour, which increases your hourly loss rate for the same size bets.
On the other hand, video blackjack often lets you bet less than the table game. Where can you play a blackjack hand for 5 cents? If you're interested in playing slowly, for small bets, at a bar, and you get your drinks for free, video blackjack isn't all that bad a bet.
Some video BJ games that appear from time to time that pay 3 to 2 on natural blackjacks, like at the best table games. These are usually good games to play ... though they're few and far between.
