Casino Blackjack- WARNING

I just got off the Sept 13th 7 day Alaska cruise on the Amsterdam.

In any casino I have ever been all over the world, when you get blackjack, you are paid 3/2. That means that for every $5 you bet, you receive $7.50 back for a blackjack. NOT ON THE AMSTERDAM. They were paying $6 on a $5 bet.

I understand that casino's get a vig, but getting an EXTRA $1.50 on EVERY blackjack made, is HIGHWAY ROBBERY.

I complained to the casino manager and was told that they pay 3/2 at the $10 table only. They pay $15 for a $10 blackjack.

When I complained to the casino manager, the answer I got was "that is the way we do it".

So......words of advice and WARNING. BEWARE OF THE BLACKJACK PAYOFFS and don't play blackjack.

This is common. Paying out 3/2 on all blackjacks is not a fixed part of the game. It's still common, but 6/5 payouts are becoming more and more common in casinos. I first heard of if when some Las Vegas casinos made the change.

You should always know the odds and payouts before you play, rather than simply assuming that they're just like some other casino's odds and payouts.

All Casinos are "highway robbery"; it's pretty strange to be surprised by that.

 

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I understand that casino's get a vig, but getting an EXTRA $1.50 on EVERY blackjack made, is HIGHWAY ROBBERY.

 

 

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Please excuse my ignorance but what is 'a vig'?

"Vig" means the house's profit.

This is not an earth shattering rip off. It happens. Just bet a little more to make more.

Please excuse my ignorance but what is 'a vig'?

 

The casino's "cut". See wikipedia definition:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigorish

Thanks,,,,,, I'm not a gambler but for slots now and then if the casino is not too smoky.

This is common. Paying out 3/2 on all blackjacks is not a fixed part of the game. It's still common, but 6/5 payouts are becoming more and more common in casinos. I first heard of if when some Las Vegas casinos made the change.

 

You should always know the odds and payouts before you play, rather than simply assuming that they're just like some other casino's odds and payouts.

Vegas started 6/5 payouts (at least on some tables) at least 5 years ago.

Here is another one - on video poker, not all the machines worldwide deal the cards from a 52 card deck. I know that in Nevada its the law that they must, but this is not true everywhere.

As stated, you should always know the rules of any game before you start to gamble.

I remember a couple of years ago when people complained about the pay offs when HAL started to get new slot machines.

Looks as though the low payoffs are now happening at the tables.

Thanks for the warning.

The rules of the table are posted so why is this a surprise to you?

I will not play 6/5 blackjack. Reminds me of the old days in Reno when the majority of tables were 6/5. Vegas was 3/2 and much more player friendly, vig considered, than Reno. Reno switched to offering more 3/2 but with larger 6 and 8 deck shoes. Vegas offers some 6/5 but a lot of that play is double-deck out of hand. Oh well.....my heavy duty semi-pro 21 days are behind me and I rarely play on a cruise anymore.

In any casino anywhere in the world, the payoff rules are posted and it is your responsibility to read them. It is not the responsibility of the casino to take you aside and tell you what they are.

DON

In any casino anywhere in the world, the payoff rules are posted and it is your responsibility to read them. It is not the responsibility of the casino to take you aside and tell you what they are.

 

DON

And, quite honestly, the blackjack payout is usually right on the table felt. It's not like they actually hide it. What they typically they don't make obvious are splitting and doubling rules which can really bite if not the more liberal Vegas version. You often, actually usually, have to ask for those.

The rules of the table are posted so why is this a surprise to you?

Do you bring a magnifying glass with you? It is NOT prominently displayed anywhere.

It is NOT on the felt. It is on the 'electronic' screen in the corner of the table telling you how much to play on the table. Below the $5 table sign is the HAL logo/words on the bottom of the screen. I have been told by the casino manager that the 6/5 payout is mentioned (in VERY small print) below the Holland America words.. I have sight problems and I could not see it or read it.

Do you bring a magnifying glass with you? It is NOT prominently displayed anywhere.

 

It is NOT on the felt. It is on the 'electronic' screen in the corner of the table telling you how much to play on the table. Below the $5 table sign is the HAL logo/words on the bottom of the screen. I have been told by the casino manager that the 6/5 payout is mentioned (in VERY small print) below the Holland America words.. I have sight problems and I could not see it or read it.

My last cruise on HAL Veendam in May: 6/5 on single deck tables with 3/2 on tables using 6 deck shoes....all tables were $5 min and odds were posted on felt in big letters

Do you bring a magnifying glass with you? It is NOT prominently displayed anywhere.

 

It is NOT on the felt. It is on the 'electronic' screen in the corner of the table telling you how much to play on the table. Below the $5 table sign is the HAL logo/words on the bottom of the screen. I have been told by the casino manager that the 6/5 payout is mentioned (in VERY small print) below the Holland America words.. I have sight problems and I could not see it or read it.

I'm surprised that you've never come across 6/5 payout before this. Because the payout varies, depending on the casino, I always ask the dealer what the payout for Blackjack is if I don't see it posted -- or can't read it. No surprises.

The math does not work for us. It is similar to cruise art auctions. There is a reason that so much floor space and promotion is put into it. And it isn't about the passengers.

Oh, Art Auctioneers are much more entertaining than Casino dealers - and you don't have to pay to watch! ;)

Oh, Art Auctioneers are much more entertaining than Casino dealers - and you don't have to pay to watch! ;)

Are you saying (by negative implication) that HAL Casinos charge passengers to watch table games? Just curious.

The best advice for anyone entering a casino is to keep your hands in your pockets and continue walking. Do you think that they built Vegas with money made from winners?

The best advice for anyone entering a casino is to keep your hands in your pockets and continue walking. Do you think that they built Vegas with money made from winners?

You sound like my father. I don't know how many times I heard the lecture on "the odds are with the house."

Same on the Westerdam I was on a couple of weeks ago. They paid 6/5 for blackjack on the $5 table and 3/2 on the $10 table. Rules can vary from table to table in any casino, so I make it a point to know the rules of the specific table I'm thinking about playing. That said, the 6/5 payout is not that big a deal. The odds of getting blackjack in any give hand in a multideck game are less than 5%. With roughly 50 hands an hour, that's 2-3 times that you'd lose $1.50 on a blackjack, or the equivalent of losing one hand an hour. You can easily make that up by betting properly (which I didn't see much of on our cruise). On the other hand, it makes taking even money on a dealer ace a no-brainer. Much more important is the fact that the casino was not using automatic shuffling machines. I was surprised to see that.

You'd like this one. They had a blackjack game called "Fun Blackjack". Rules as I remember them are:

- 3/2 payout on blackjack

- Double down any time (even after you have 3 or more cards)

- You win automatically and get paid on any 21 (not only first 2 cards)

Nice huh? Here's the catch - NO KINGS in the deck!

Please excuse my ignorance but what is 'a vig'?

 

"Vig" means the house's profit.

 

 

More commonly used as the interest on a loan or cash advance at generally higher than market rates. In the HAL casinos, for instance, they charge 3% for charging cash on your sign and sail card. That clearly falls within "my" definition of "Vig".

Same on the Westerdam I was on a couple of weeks ago. They paid 6/5 for blackjack on the $5 table and 3/2 on the $10 table. Rules can vary from table to table in any casino, so I make it a point to know the rules of the specific table I'm thinking about playing. That said, the 6/5 payout is not that big a deal. The odds of getting blackjack in any give hand in a multideck game are less than 5%. With roughly 50 hands an hour, that's 2-3 times that you'd lose $1.50 on a blackjack, or the equivalent of losing one hand an hour. You can easily make that up by betting properly (which I didn't see much of on our cruise). On the other hand, it makes taking even money on a dealer ace a no-brainer. Much more important is the fact that the casino was not using automatic shuffling machines. I was surprised to see that.

As a non-player I have to say, this post makes the game sound interesting.

More commonly used as the interest on a loan or cash advance at generally higher than market rates. In the HAL casinos, for instance, they charge 3% for charging cash on your sign and sail card. That clearly falls within "my" definition of "Vig".

Banks also charge 3% for cash advance on a credit card.

Banks also charge 3% for cash advance on a credit card.

When banks charge 3% for cash advances or 17.9% on credit card balances, its called interest; when loan sharks do it, its called "vig", I'll let you decide who's the bigger crook.

When banks charge 3% for cash advances or 17.9% on credit card balances, its called interest; when loan sharks do it, its called "vig", I'll let you decide who's the bigger crook.

I seem to be quoting my Dad a lot lately, but here's another of his bits of wisdom. If Jesse James were alive today, he'd be on the OTHER side of the bank teller's window.