Vegas Strip Blackjack Rules

Vegas Strip Blackjack Rules Rating: 4,1/5 2667 votes

Vegas Strip Blackjack grew in popularity on the Vegas Strip. Go figure. The game is played like traditional American Blackjack whereas your goal is to get as close to 21 without going over and beat the dealer. However, Vegas Strip Blackjack has some unique rules that make it different from other forms of the game. Below you can find the rules, odds and tips and also play some fun blackjack games to polish your skills.

Free Vegas Strip Blackjack

  1. Blackjack / 21 Basic Rules. Blackjack or twenty-one as it is sometimes called is played in casinos all over the world including online casinos. For the most part the rules for playing are pretty much the same all over. Most casinos use a multiple deck shoe.
  2. The Worst Blackjack Rules in Las Vegas Are at the Strip Casinos. 80% of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip are owned by the same 4 companies. They all have similar blackjack rules – and those rules aren’t as favorable to the players as you’d hope. Your best bet as a blackjack player is to just avoid the blackjack games on the Strip.

Boasting the second-lowest house edge in the city, 0.29 percent tables are actually dime a dozen in Las Vegas, with more than a dozen casinos running blackjack with the same rules. But the Bally’s game joins the next two entries on our list as the only ones with those odds at the $25 minimum level. Specific Vegas Strip Blackjack rules are as follows: The dealer stands on soft 17. Blackjack pays 3:2 in most Vegas casinos, though several games pay 6:5. The dealer peeks for blackjack. Players may double down on any initial hand. Players may double down after splitting. Players can split to up to 4 total hands. Aces may only be split one time.

You can enjoy two versions of Vegas Strip which you can play here on our site. We hope to add more in the near future. No registration or download required. The only thing you need to do is to enable flash for the games to load. Have Fun!

Rules

Vegas Strip Blackjack has some variants in rules that not only make it more fun to play, but also more advantageous to the player.

  • Fewer Decks Used
  • Dealer stand on all 17’s
  • Splitting: This rules varies from one game to another. See below
  • Double Down on any 2 Cards

4 Decks

Vegas Strip uses just 4 four decks. Many other games use up to 8. The lower number of decks used, the lower the house edge becomes. Obviously, this is just one of the benefits that come with Vegas strip Blackjack.

Dealer

Dealers always stands on a 17, whether it’s a soft or hard 17. This is another advantage of the game as well.

Splitting

NYX allow you to split only once, while in Microgaming are allowed to split up to 3 times, giving you a total of 4 hands to play on one deal. Aces may only be split once however. You can split any 10 value cards.

Double Down

Many forms of Blackjack only allow you to double on totals of 9 through 11. In Vegas Strip Blackjack, you can double down on any total of your first 2 cards. You may also double down on any total after splitting.

How To Win Blackjack In Vegas

Pros and Cons

Vegas Strip Blackjack Rules

Obviously, the main advantage is the use of just 4 decks. Other advantages include the dealer having to stand on any 17 as well as being able to double down on any 2 cards. Splitting up to 3 hands is yet another one of the pros for playing Vegas Strip.

While there are many advantages, there are also a few minor disadvantages.

Not being able to surrender, and no re-splitting of Aces does have it pitfalls.

Having said that, the pros in this game far outweigh the cons. In fact, Vegas Strip blackjack has a very high player return of 99.65% (99.60% at the NYX version). This equates to a low house edge of only 0.35%. This is one of lowest house edge in any form of Blackjack.

Vegas Strip Blackjack Strategy

Many of the standard Blackjack strategies will apply. Always double on 11, always split Aces etc. Other strategies that are unique to this version would be doubling when the dealer shows a 6 and your total is less than 11. This lets you take advantage of the many times the dealer will bust in this situation. Btw, if you check the NYX game, you can follow the perfect strategy by choosing the Auto strategy mode.

Play Online

Vegas Blackjack Dealer Rules

Bottom line: It’s a super fun Blackjack variant to play and should be on the top of your list when deciding which form to play. Although its name is derived from a physical place, Vegas Strip Blackjack can be played online in some Microgaming and NYX casinos. We would recommend Jackpot City, but you can just take a look at our updated rating of best blackjack casinos.

Vegas Strip Blackjack

Thanks to Microgaming, the most commonly played blackjack variant, Vegas Strip, is now available online in both regular and gold edition. Played with 4 decks, Vegas Strip is a hole card game with a lot less restrictive Double down and Splitting rules.

Game Rules and Features

With one card facing down, the dealer must stand on all 17 hands and can peek for blackjack on Aces and 10 value upcards. Players either draw an extra card or stand, unless they decide to split equal value cards, dividing then into separate hands. Alternatively, players can double the bet on any two cards and the option is available even after the hand has been split.

Splitting is limited to 3 times or a maximum of 4 hands at the time. The exception to this rule are Aces, which can only be split once and receive no more than one card per new hand. In cases where the new, split hand is a combination of a 10 and an Ace card, the value is counted as 21 instead of a Blackjack. Microgaming's Vegas Strip does not offer the Surrender alternative, but the players can insure against the dealer's blackjack if the revealed card is an Ace.

Payouts & RTP

Microgaming offers the regular paytable - 3 to 1 payout for a Blackjack hand, 2 to 1 for winning the insurance bet and an even pay for any standard hand. Return to player is 99.65% with $1 bet minimum and $1,000 max bet. Players can increase or decrease the bet amount using the - and + tabs placed at the lower left side of the screen.

Recommended Tips

The key to any successful blackjack hand is knowing when to hit, stand and double down. Since you will want the dealer to bust, the most common strategy will command the player to hit on 12 - 16 totals if the dealer has 7 - 9 or an Ace. If not, the player should stand. Any pair with 8 or lower value can be hit. Hands with 10 and 11 totals should be doubled down if the upcard is 2 - 9. Splitting or hitting a certain pair will of course depend on the upcard. You will always want to split Aces or a pair of 8s, stand on 10s or hit on 7s, 6s, 4s, 3s and 2s if the upcard is 8, 9, 10 or Ace.

Microgaming Vegas Strip Blackjack Summary

If you are unable to take a stroll down the Las Vegas Strip, Microgaming is bringing Las Vegas Boulevard to you, introducing their own version of one of the most popular blackjack variants. The game runs smoothly, offers a fair profit potential and clearly displays the rules, enabling the players to touch basis at any time. For a more authentic casino feel, try the premium version of this game called Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold, also from from the game supplier Microgaming.