Blackjack rules are fairly normal, including 3:2 payout, split any pair, dealer hits on soft 17. There are different subtle rules for single-deck, double-deck, and shoe-based games. Harrah's Reno Table Games (B) Harrah's Reno has a large table games section, and is one of the oldest operating casinos. Peppermill Resort Spa Casino has been voted Reno’s Best Table Games by national gaming publications for very good reason! Come and see for yourself and join the fun! Blackjack Rules - Blackjack pays 3 to 2 - Dealer hits soft 17 - Split any pair - Split Aces one time only – one card draw - One card draw on all double downs.

Reno may not be the first place you think of when it comes to blackjack. Instead, you may envision yourself playing blackjack in posh Las Vegas or Atlantic City resorts.

Best

If so, you’ll also be missing out on some of the best blackjack action known to man. Reno offers incredibly friendly rules at certain casinos that greatly reduce the house edge.

What are the casinos in question, though? You can find out by reading more on what makes for quality games and where to find the best Reno blackjack casinos.

What Makes For a Good Blackjack Game?

Your preference of blackjack games can vary based on what exactly you’re looking for. Here are key factors that you might consider:

Reno isn’t known for glitz and glamour. Therefore, you won’t get the Bellagio or Wynn feeling when you’re playing here.

However, the stakes and rules are what separate Reno blackjack from the pack. You’ll find a number of $5 and $10 tables throughout the city.

Blackjack Table Bets

$10 blackjack is more common in Reno. However, it offers a larger percentage of $5 tables than you’ll see in Vegas or Atlantic City.

The rules are exceptional in the Biggest Little City in the World. Reno is one of the few places where you can still play single-deck games with 3:2 natural blackjack payouts.

Most gambling destinations either feature eight-deck games or single-deck tables with 6:5 blackjack payouts. The latter rule increases the house edge by 1.4% when compared to 3:2 payouts.

The Typical Reno Blackjack Game

As mentioned above, Reno offers some of the friendliest blackjack rules anywhere. Here are the common rules throughout the city:

  • One deck
  • 3:2 natural payouts
  • Dealer hits a soft 17
  • Only double on 10-11
  • No DAS
  • No re-splitting aces
  • No surrender

These rules lead to a 0.45% house edge in a standard, hand-shuffled game. Outside of Macau and a few Vegas casinos, you can’t do any better than this in land-based casinos.

Keep in mind that this is just the average game in Reno! A few casinos offer even better rules and lower house advantages.

Of course, you should never blindly assume that every Reno gambling venue has great games. Some casinos actually have much worse rules that are more on par with a Vegas Strip establishment.

What Reno Blackjack Casinos Should You Choose?

With 20 casinos, the Reno-Sparks area is one of the biggest gambling destinations in the United States. Therefore, you can’t walk into just any casino and expect an easy chance to win.

You instead want to target the casinos with the best rules. Below, you’ll find the best Reno has to offer regarding blackjack rules at the time of this post (some casinos have different sets of rules):

Rules for Rail City

  • One deck
  • 3:2 natural payouts
  • Dealer hits a soft 17
  • Double down on any 2 cards
  • Double down after splitting (DAS) allowed
  • No re-splitting aces
  • No surrender
  • House edge = 0.19%

Rules for Alamo, Sands Regency, Western Village

  • One deck
  • 3:2 natural payouts
  • Dealer hits a soft 17
  • Double down on any 2 cards
  • No DAS
  • No re-splitting aces
  • Late surrender
  • House edge = 0.28%

Rules for Boomtown

  • One deck
  • 3:2 natural payouts
  • Dealer hits a soft 17
  • Double down on any 2 cards
  • No DAS
  • No re-splitting aces
  • No surrender
  • House edge = 0.32%

Rules for Atlantis, Bonanza, Cal-Neva, Circus Circus, Diamond’s, El Dorado, Grand Sierra, Harrah’s, Nugget, Peppermill, Sienna, Silver Legacy

  • One deck
  • 3:2 natural payouts
  • Dealer hits a soft 17
  • Only double on 10-11
  • No DAS
  • No re-splitting aces
  • No surrender
  • House edge = 0.45%

Rules for Cal-Neva, El Dorado, Grand Sierra, Nugget, Peppermill, Sienna, Silver Legacy

  • Two decks
  • 3:2 natural payouts
  • Dealer hits a soft 17
  • Double down on any 2 cards
  • No DAS
  • No re-splitting aces
  • No surrender
  • House edge = 0.55%

Several games on this list offer house advantages ranging from 0.19% to 0.32%. These options are about as good as it gets anywhere in the world.

Most Reno casinos feature a table with either a 0.45% or 0.55% house edge. These blackjack games are still better than over 95% of what else is out there.

Used casino blackjack tables

You can’t go wrong at most of Reno casinos. But Rail City, Alamo, Boomtown, Sands Regency, and Western Village offer the best blackjack odds.

Can You Count Cards in Reno?

What if you could combine card counting with some of the top blackjack rules anywhere? You’d be in for quite a score!

But before you jump in the car and start heading to Reno, you should know a few things about the city’s blackjack scene.

This town presents somewhat of a dichotomy regarding card counting. The pit bosses are friendlier than what you’ll find in Vegas, but they also back you off faster.

A back-off either refers to when the pit boss restricts your betting limits or forces you to quit playing blackjack. Restricting your bets serves to prevent you from capitalizing on positive counts.

Reno already features the best blackjack rules across the board. They don’t want to also give you an opportunity to count cards on top of everything.

$2 Blackjack In Reno

Blackjack

I’m not saying that you can’t make money when counting in Reno. Some casinos are relatively lax before they take action against suspected advantage players.

However, you won’t be able to spread your bets as large when counting in Reno. Assuming you normally spread from the table minimum to 10x this amount (i.e. 1-10 spread) in Vegas, you’ll need to consider a 1-6 or even 1-4 spread here.

Pit bosses are much more concerned when they see you spreading at 1-8 or anything higher. If you’re going to count here, then you definitely want to be more conservative.

Is Reno Ultimately Worth Visiting for the Blackjack Experience?

Reno is definitely a nice place to visit as a serious blackjack player. It offers plenty of tables and excellent rules.

You’ll benefit heavily from the latter if you’re a serious amateur player. Most of the time, you’ll only face around a 0.5% house edge or lower.

You’re practically flipping a coin with the casino house edge at this point. Compare this situation to the average casino elsewhere.

Many casinos either feature eight decks or only pay 6:5 on natural blackjacks. They also include other unfavorable rules that push their advantage up over 1.5%.

A 1.5% house advantage isn’t terrible when compared to other casino games. However, it’s not quite on par with Reno blackjack tables.

The other side of the situation is the resort aspect. While this city has some quality resorts, it doesn’t have the same glamorous casino-hotels available on the Vegas Strip.

If you’re more concerned about the surrounding atmosphere than beating the game, then Reno isn’t for you. It’s a laidback spot that focuses on comps and favorable casino odds above all.

Tips for Improving Your Blackjack Winnings in Reno

You’ve seen that Reno has incredible blackjack games. Of course, you also need the skills to achieve the lowest-possible house advantage. Here are some tips to help you pull this off.

Study a Strategy Chart

Without proper strategy knowledge, you don’t have a shot in the dark of enjoying a 0.45% house edge or anything remotely similar. Luckily, blackjack strategy isn’t that difficult to master.

You can quickly start on this matter by getting a blackjack strategy chart. A simple Google (Images) search will result in many options.

These charts show what decisions you should make based on your score and the dealer’s upcard. I recommend memorizing as much as you can before playing.

After all, dealers and players don’t like you slowing down the action to review your chart every five seconds.

Make Sure You’re Properly Bankrolled

Blackjack has low volatility compared to slot machines and a few other games. You win approximately 42% of your hands, plus extra for natural payouts and successfully doubling down.

Nevertheless, you can go on some cold streaks and quickly burn through your bankroll. You want to be properly bankrolled to ensure that you can survive these rough patches.

I suggest having at least 20 units for the average stakes you play. Assuming you bet $10 per hand, then you’ll want $200 or more per outing.

Look for the Best Rules

You can refer to the advice covered here on which casinos have the best rules. Again, these rules are accurate at the time of this writing.

You may ultimately decide that you don’t like one or more of the casinos with the friendliest rules. But with several options to choose from, you should eventually find something good.

Best Blackjack Tables In Reno

Conclusion

Blackjack

Reno will never win the title for being the glitziest gambling hotspot. However, it does deserve recognition for being one of the best places to play blackjack for real money.

The Biggest Little City is a throwback to the days when many casinos offered great rules. Now, most gambling establishments feature poor blackjack odds.

You don’t have to settle for such casinos when you’re in Reno, though. Instead, you can look forward to a wide selection of games with house edges ranging from 0.19% to 0.55%.

Table games are the traditional 'old school' casino experience with cards, dice and dealers. The most popular game by far is Blackjack, aka 21. Other common table games are Craps, Roulette, Pai Gow.

CasinoNumber of Table Games
Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno90
Silver Legacy Resort Casino85
Harrah's Reno Hotel and Casino81
John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino Resort50
Peppermill Reno Resort Casino48
Club Cal Neva45
Circus Circus Reno Hotel and Casino44
Atlantis Casino Resort Spa43
Grand Sierra Resort and Casino42
Sands Regency Casino Hotel13
Boomtown Reno11
Bonanza Casino5
Siena Hotel Spa Casino0
Baldini's Sports Casino0
Tamarack Junction Casino0

Grand Sierra Reno Table Games (B+)

The Table Games area at the Grand Sierra is large and impressively laid out. Don't let the table count fool you, it feels much larger and most of the tables are open. Everything is spread out well, so you don't have to worry about being crowded in next to someone. It can get full on the weekends, which makes finding a $5 table a little harder. Friendly dealers for the beginners, as well as good rules for the more serious blackjack player.

Silver Legacy Reno Table Games (B+)

The Silver Legacy has a large and comfortable table gaming area. It is done in a modern and bright tan/brown theme that looks very nice. The ceilings are quite high with elegant lighting and chandeliers over the gaming area. The seats are new and comfortable, and the tables are spaced out enough that you won't always be bumping into the table next to you. There are a significant number of Asian-based games if you're looking for something like that.

Peppermill Reno Table Games (B)

The main table games area is located in the low-ceiling area in the central casino. Peak times can get crowded, but there's always a game to be had. Even on a busy Friday night, there were several $5 Blackjack tables with available seats. There are many Blackjack tables, several Craps tables, as well as Roulette, 3-card and 4-card Poker, Pai Gow, Let it Ride, and others. Blackjack rules are fairly normal, including 3:2 payout, split any pair, dealer hits on soft 17. There are different subtle rules for single-deck, double-deck, and shoe-based games.

Harrah's Reno Table Games (B)

Harrah's Reno has a large table games section, and is one of the oldest operating casinos. The area is nicely lit, spacious, and well integrated into the casino area. We've found the dealers to be friendly, and there's always a variety of games being played. The rules for blackjack are not terribly tight or loose, and cater to the player who isn't a complete newbie.

Circus Circus Reno Table Games (B)

The Table games at Circus are located on the lower level in the middle of the gaming floor. There's a variety of games, and several blackjack tables. They have many $5 tables open for the newer player, and Circus advertises that all their payouts are 3:2--just like blackjack should be!

Sands Reno Table Games (C+)

There's only a few tables at the Sands compared to some places, but they're mostly always open and have reasonable minimum bets. The dealers are friendly and the games are fair. Its a comfortable place to sit and play without the intensity and impersonal feel of some places. Great to go if you're just learning, too. More information about the Sands Table Games.

Bonanza Reno Table Games (C)

There were 5 table games at the Bonanza, three blackjack, one three-card poker, and a craps table. The area was clean and comfortable, but obviously very small. Keep in mind that many small local slot-houses (hence the name) don't have any table games at all.

Siena Reno Table Games (No Grade)

Apparently that didn't work too well. As for June 2010, the Siena has closed all table games. In August 2009, the Sienna announced they were converting all their table games to a 'Pleasure Pit' style and adding a nightclub to the area. They are reducing their total tables from 10 to 6. A 'Pleasure Pit' involves scantily-clad female dealers, well, dealing and occasionally taking a break from dealing to dance on the tables. We'll followup with more detail when this project is completed.

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