Question of the Day - 29 October 2018

6/5 black jack is so bad that I even have a hard time playing any game in a casino that offers this abortion of a BJ game.  Bad enough that it is offered on single and double deck games, but I am now seeing it on 6 and 8 deck games.  Some times I think the casinos are shooting themselves in the foot with this game.  Too bad the people who play these games are so informed.

I was at the Flamingo about 10-12 years ago waiting for a 2 deck to open up and was watching the 6 deck. One of the players was telling another how to play the game and his advice was pretty good until he got to the part where he said 6:5 paid better than 3:2.
The whole table broke down crying when the dealer told the other guy to stop listening to this idiot as he obviously failed basic math in school.

So the further stupidity of not placing a bet that can be paid properly isn't much worse. It's like dressing in a tutu for a job interview, but then deciding to wear a bowler hat as well. In other words, not much worse.

I guess a better analogy would be that placing the 5 or 9 in craps is a dumb bet, but some people bet $3, getting paid only $4 when they win. Or deciding to stay at a Strip megatoilet and then happily absorbing the resort and parking fees. Or going to Vegas for vacation instead of any of a hundred infinitely more desirable and less expensive destinations. Human stupidity is boundless and assumes epic proportions...

in a long series of Blackjack rules changes. In the late 1960s when I played my first hand, you could still find single-deck games dealt down to the last card. Double- and then multiple-deck games soon followed--plus they stopped dealing to the end of the deck--in response to the early card counters. Mid-deck entry was prohibited in the 1970s/80s to counter "back-counting" and "team play." Along the way we've seen continuous shufflers, "fake double-deck," "Super-Fun 21," "Spanish 21," and other variations. Many Native American casinos have "antes," which often makes it worse than 6-5. 
It's all part of the continuing struggle, almost as old as Blackjack itself, between the operators' greed and the players' collective willingness to continue playing. Right now, the casinos seem to be winning; but in the long run, Blackjack is a dying game, and the game that most of us grew up on has pretty much died already. 

Blackjack isn’t dying. 
Casinos are killing it. 

Take the best expert advice and just don’t play any 6-5 blackjack game. If you can’t find a 3-2 game at a betting level comfortable for you, go to another casino. Worrying if a rip-off game is ripping you off even more is ridiculous. 

Just another reason to avoid the strip.  Sure you can find a random 3/2 game sometimes but why bother?  Gamble downtown and off strip.  Free parking, friendly (mostly) dealers, more bang for you buck.  If you're a Vegas newbie or going with a newbie stay on the strip (but don't gamble there).  Otherwise don't bother unless you want to see a show or eat an overpriced meal with a "celebrity" name on it.