Blackjack is one of the gambler’s favourite games, both online and at any land-based casino. Whether you’re in the gambling mecca of Macau, on the snazzy street that is The Strip in Las Vegas, or even at one of Crown’s casinos in Australia, blackjack is among the more popular table games out there.
However, while blackjack stands as one game that should offer the punter among the best odds in the house, Crown Casino has found a way to further tip the odds in its favour, and seasoned gamblers are turing away. Here’s why you should, too.
Crown Blackjack – how it differs
The old saying goes that “the house always wins”, and in reality that’s true. Every single game on the casino floor has a house edge that eventually, over time, gives the casino the edge.
At first glance, this blackjack hybrid, called Blackjack Plus, seems to be very “pro” player. A natural blackjack, for example, pays 3/2, a nice improvement over traditional payouts of 6/5 in most other forms of blackjack. All 21 hands are paid out immediately, and five-card hands under 21 are also paid out, which is a fantastic rule. The dealer is forced to stand on a soft 17 (as is the case in Crown blackjack), and players can double-down on any hand of two or three cards.
Sounds great, right? Those a fairly significant differences, but they are completely devalued when you consider how significant a boost the casino gets in one specific area.
Why to avoid Blackjack Plus at all costs
The dealer can’t bust on 22.
It is one of the most ridiculous, lopsided rules in human history. Shockingly, in a game about beating the dealer without going above 21, the dealer can avoid a bust on 22.
It gets worse: as one might expect, the original 99.44 theoretical return drops to 97.14 percent. That’s a house edge of 2.86, which a huge advantage over the standard 0.50 percent house edge in blackjack the world over. It may seem fairly insignificant, but the reason the casino has a house edge in the first place is to ensure that over time, it always comes out on top.
Crown has completely turned the odds against the player in a shocking shift away from the traditional rules and etiquette of blackjack, which is why you should avoid it.
Other Crown blackjack games
Unsurprisingly, Crown has kept many of the traditional variants of blackjack, except most of them carry $50 betting minimums, and are often closed during low-peak times throughout the day. The cheaper blackjack offerings are exclusively blackjack plus, so out of principle you may choose to avoid playing blackjack at Crown all together (which is our suggestion). However, there are a few alternatives if you have a larger bankroll and are prepared to play into Crown’s hand.
Crown (traditional) Blackjack
Prior to 2011, Crown blackjack was the most common type of blackjack found in Crown’s casinos. It offers a 6/5 payout on nature blackjack, and the dealer must hit on soft 17s. The house edge sits at 0.56 percent, and as such, these tables can be incredibly expensive, hovering between $50 and going up to as much as $150 during peak weekend times.
Mahogany Blackjack
Also called Vegas blackjack, this variant is hidden from the common gambler and is instead tucked away in the high-roller Mahogany Room. If you’ve ever played blackjack in Vegas, then this is the game for you. No strings attached, no made-up rules, and insurance. Just as blackjack should be. Now all you need to do is find your way into the Mahogany Room, and it won’t be cheap!