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Table Of Contents
- Online casinos usually use two to eight decks of cards during Blackjack games
- One exception is the Single Deck Blackjack - only one deck of cards is used
- To play Single Deck Blackjack games, register on this page
If you want to play only one game at a Casino, you might want to make that game Single Deck Blackjack.
Why? Let’s see:
- it’s one of the the card games with the best odds (the house edge is only 0.3 percent)
- it’s easier to count cards when playing Blackjack with only one deck of cards
- the game is as exciting and fun as any other Blackjack variant
But you won’t find Single Deck Blackjack games that often. Especially if you play at brick-and-mortar Casinos.
Playing Casino games online? Then play Single Deck Blackjack at this online Casino.
Even before you actually find the game, you need to know some things about the game: how to play Single Deck Blackjack, and more importantly, how to get your best odds to win.
How to Play Single Deck Blackjack
If you’ve played any other variant of Blackjack, you won’t have any problems playing Single Deck Blackjack.
The rules are completely the same - only the number of cards differs.
Need a refresher on the Blackjack rules? This part of the article has you covered.
When You Win and When You Lose
When you open a Single Deck Blackjack game, you have only one goal - to get to 21 or gather more points than the dealer without going bust.
To do so, you need:
- to have a hand that’s a natural Blackjack - 21 points in value from the first two cards, e.g. a Jack (10 points) and an Ace (11 points)
- to have a hand that’s higher than the dealer’s and equal/lower to 21, e.g. a 20 (two Jacks) while the dealer has 19 (a Jack and a 9)
- to have a hand that’s lower than the dealer’s while the dealer’s hand in value goes bust (goes over 21)
If you have a hand exceeding 21 points - you go bust (you lose). Then it doesn’t even matter what hand the dealer has.
If you don’t go bust but the dealer has a higher hand, you lose yet again.
The Game Play Explained
How do you get a winning or a losing hand?
First, you make your bets. That’s a sign for the dealer that you want to join the game.
Then, the dealer deals each person at the table (including themselves) two cards each. Your cards are face-up while the dealer has one card face-up and a hole card face-down.
If the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace or a 10-value card, they peak at their second card to see if they have a natural Blackjack. If they do, the game is over right there and then - the dealer wins, the players lose.
Unless you have a natural Blackjack, too. Then the game is a push.
If the dealer doesn’t have an Ace or 10-value card or after checking the hole card the game goes on, it’s your time to make a move.
You can do the following:
- to hit - to ask for one more card
- to stand - to stick with your current hand
- to double down (only if you have a hard1 9, 10, or 11) - to double your bet and ask for one more (but the last) card
- to split (only if you have two cards of the same symbol, e.g. two Aces) - to make an extra bet and divide your hand into two hands
If you hit and don’t go bust, you can always hit again.
After you finally stand, the dealer plays out their cards. You see which one of you had the higher hand and wins.
Then the game is over and you can make another wager to play again.
How to Get the Highest Odds to Win at Single Deck Blackjack
While the game of Single Deck Blackjack may seem simple, it does require skills and strategy to maximize your chances of winning.
And there are two ways how you can improve your chances:
- by using Blackjack basic strategy
- by counting cards
Basic Strategy
Single Deck Blackjack basic strategy is the list of mathematically best moves you can make under certain circumstances to have the most chances of winning.
They are based on your hand value and the card that the dealer shows.
It’s important to note that each variant of Blackjack has a different basic strategy.
Therefore, to make sure you’re following the right strategy for Single Deck Blackjack games, only use the strategy table presented below.
Your HandDealer Shows | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Ace |
up to 8 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
9 | D | D | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
10 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | H | H |
11 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
12 | H | H | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
13 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
14 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
15 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
16 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
17+ | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
soft1 13 | H | H | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
soft 14 | H | H | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
soft 15 | H | H | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
soft 16 | H | H | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
soft 17 | D | D | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
soft 18 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | S |
soft 19+ | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
When it comes to splitting, NEVER split 10s but ALWAYS split 8s and Aces.
Also split:
- 2s when the dealer shows between 3 and 7
- 6s when the dealer shows 6 or lower card
- 7s when the dealer shows 7 or lower card
- 9s unless the dealer shows a 7, a 10, or an Ace
Card Counting
While the basic strategy gives you the lowest house edge you can get in Single Deck Blackjack, you can improve your chances of winning even more by counting cards.
Card Counting is an advantage play technique that increased in popularity in the middle of the last century.
It involves keeping a track of cards that have been dealt and using that knowledge to hit/stand/split/double down when it makes the most sense.
_____
1You have a hard hand if you don't have an Ace or the Ace in your hand can only have a value of 1.
2You have a soft hand if you have an Ace that can still be counted as both 1 and 11.
There was a time that Las Vegas was flush with single deck blackjack games that paid 3-2 on an ace and a face. That is no longer the case. Most single deck blackjack games in Las Vegas only pay 6-5 on a natural.
El Cortez, located just east of the Fremont Street Experience downtown, is one of two casinos in Las Vegas that still spreads 3-2 single deck blackjack. The game is found at most of its tables. The minimum bet is usually $5, but peak hours may become $10. Players may double down on any two cards but not after splitting. The dealer hits soft 17. Split aces receive only one card each. Surrender is not permitted.
Silverton Single Deck Blackjack
Silverton offers single deck blackjack. It is down to just one table at this locals’ casino located south of the Las Vegas Strip. The rules are a bit tighter here than they are at El Cortez. Players may only double down on 10 and 11 and not at all after splitting. The dealer hits soft 17. Re-split aces and surrender are not permitted. The minimum bet is usually $10.
Blackjack players willing to drive an hour will find a good single deck game in Mesquite. It is at Eureka Casino. Players may double down on any two cards and double after splitting. Like the Las Vegas single deck games, the dealer hits soft 17 and there is no surrender or re-split aces. The bet limits for this table are $10 to $100.
What Happened to 3-2 Single Deck Blackjack Games on the Vegas Strip?
Unlike real money blackjack tables online, there are very few 3-2 single deck blackjack games on the Las Vegas Strip these days. These casinos tightened up over the years. Single deck games became double deck or shoes with six or eight decks. The single deck games that remained started paying 6-5 on a natural.
Casinos bet on the fact that players would still give action to 6-5 single deck games with the attitude that they wouldn’t know how much that affected the odds or just not care. The belief among some gamblers was that 6-5 single deck is still better than a 3-2 game with more decks. Unless there are unusual rules, this is simply not the case.
What You Can Play Instead?
Players that do not have access to the 3-2 single deck games should choose double deck games. At Treasure Island, players will find a $10 double deck with double down before and after splitting. This game hits soft 17, however, for $25 the dealer stands on all 17’s. Most MGM properties offer the hit soft 17 game for $25 and stand on all 17 games for $50 or $100.
Casino Blackjack Online
Single Deck Blackjack Games in Vegas
Even though there are no 3-2 single deck blackjack tables in Vegas, there are still plenty of one-deck tables. In this survey you will find all the casinos in Las Vegas that have single deck games.
Blackjack Single Deck Online Casinos For Real
Casino | # of Decks | Min Bet | Max Bet | H/S 17 | DA | DAS | RSA | Surrender | # of Tables | 6/5 BJ | Video | Exotic | House Hold % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aliante Casino | 1 | 5 | 500 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 3 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Arizona Charlie’s – Decatur | 1 | 10 | 500 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | No | No | No | 0.15945% |
Binion’s | 1 | 10 | 500 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Boulder Station | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
California | 1 | 5 | 200 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Casino Royale | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
Circus Circus | 1 | 10 | 500 | H | No | No | No | No | 1 | No | No | No | 0.30346% |
Circus Circus | 1 | 15 | 1000 | H | No | No | No | No | 1 | No | No | No | 0.30346% |
El Cortez | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 6 | No | No | No | 0.30346% |
El Cortez | 1 | 25 | 2000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 1 | No | No | No | 0.30346% |
Fiesta Henderson | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
Fiesta Rancho | 1 | 5 | 500 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
Fremont | 1 | 10 | 500 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Fremont | 1 | 10 | 200 | H | – | No | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | Super Fun 21 | 1.54654% |
Gold Coast | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | No | Super Fun 21 | 1.16000% |
Golden Nugget | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | – | – | – | – | 1 | Yes | No | Free Bet | 1.96000% |
Golden Nugget | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Golden Nugget | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | No | Super Fun 21 | 1.16000% |
Main Street Station | 1 | 5 | 200 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Main Street Station | 1 | 5 | 500 | H | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | No | Super Fun 21 | 1.16000% |
Orleans | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Palace Station | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 1 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
Park MGM Casino | 1 | 10 | 500 | H | Yes | Yes | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.55422% |
Poker Palace | 1 | 2 | 50 | H | Yes | No | Yes | No | 1 | Even | No | No | 2.79000% |
Red Rock | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Sam’s Town | 1 | 5 | 500 | H | – | Yes | – | Yes | 1 | – | No | Super Fun 21 | 1.16000% |
Santa Fe Station | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Silverton | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | No | No | No | No | 3 | No | No | No | 0.57982% |
Silverton | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | No | No | No | No | 1 | No | No | Blackjack Spin | 0.57982% |
Silverton | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | No | No | No | No | 1 | No | No | Royal Match | 0.57982% |
Suncoast | 1 | 5 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Stratosphere | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 6 | No | Yes | No | 0.03748% |
Treasure Island | 1 | 10 | 1000 | H | Yes | No | No | No | 2 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |
Westgate | 1 | 10 | 2000 | H | No | No | No | No | 3 | Yes | No | No | 1.69824% |