The game of Vegas Downtown Blackjack is so named because it is the casino, or online version of the style of Blackjack that used to be found in the Downtown area of Las Vegas, and some say that it still can be played there. It has always been a boast of this blackjack variant that this is the optimal game when it comes to low stakes blackjack, liberal rules, and consequently lower house odds, in the region of 0.4%.

The individual casinos rules that are specific to Vegas Downtown Blackjack will of necessity be well spelt out by the casinos since the blackjack has such low house odds, but pertain predominantly to the doubling and slitting of cards. Players should double check specific rules, and try to play games where the odds on blackjack are paid 3:2 more than 6:5.

The standard rules of Blackjack are that players should endeavour to achieve a hand of cards whose value is closer to 21 than that of the Dealer’s without going over 21. The game of Vegas Downtown Blackjack is played with two standard 52 card decks.

The Notable Rules of Vegas Downtown Blackjack

Vegas Downtown Blackjack is played with two decks, and although card counting is theoretically possible, in online blackjack with the cards being shuffled after every round, not really feasible.

Notably, in Vegas Downtown Blackjack the dealer hits on soft 17 and stands on hard 17 or above, and players may double down after the first two cards are dealt, whatever their value. Vegas Downtown Blackjack is a hole card game, and what this means is that when the dealers’ face-up card is an Ace or a Ten, he will deal himself his second card then immediately check whether his hand is a blackjack. If it is blackjack, he will reveal his hand and the game will be over.

Vegas Downtown Blackjack is in the minority of online blackjack games that allows for players to double down after splitting their hand.  In this game players may also re-split up to three hands.

The best way to enjoy Vegas Downtown Blackjack is to use the free-play game option initially to get a feel of the casino. This game is available in both download and instant play versions and therefore ideal for mobile users.

The Core Strategy Needed for Vegas Downtown Blackjack

There are a number of invaluable tips that players can utilise to make the most of Vegas Downtown Blackjack and improve their winning rate. The first of these tips is that players should stand if they have a 17+ hand, a pair of 10’s or soft 20. If the players’ hand value is 11, they should immediately double down, irrespective of the dealers’ card.

Additional knowledge players should have, is that they should always split a pair of Aces, and the insurance bet in Vegas Downtown Blackjack, as a double deck game is 6.8%, making it rather unprofitable.

Being dealt a pair of 5’s in Vegas Downtown Blackjack is always a dilemma, but players are advised to hit if the dealers card is a 10 or 11. Anything else, and the recommendation is to double down.