Downtown Grand Offers $1 Blackjack, It’s Complicated

By Scott Roeben, on October 25 2020
2 min read 7 comments
Blackjack Downtown Las Vegas Gambling Las Vegas

Downtown Grand is serving up a rare deal for its casino guests, blackjack with a $1 minimum.

Downtown Grand Tweeted the news on Oct. 16, 2020, along with the fact it’s the only downtown casino to offer $1 blackjack.

Downtown Grand $1 blackjack
How’s this for a little throwback action?

The response to this news has been counter-intuitive, to say the least. Responses to Downtown Grand’s Tweet include the following.

“Oh, dear.”

“That’s terrible.”

“That’s gonna reel in some quality patrons.”

“I feel for the dealers.”

“Poor dealers.”

That’s because $1 blackjack is a little, well, awkward.

Downtown Grand has struggled to be profitable for years, and offering $1 blackjack could be perceived as a little bit desperate.

The only other casino we can think of with $1 blackjack is Oyo, formerly Hooters.

The economics of a $1 blackjack table are such it’s pretty much a loss leader for a casino due to labor costs.

If everyone at a $1 table actually plays that amount per hand, a $1 6-to-5 blackjack table will only generate about $43,300 in an entire year.

A 6-to-5 $5 minimum blackjack table generates a meager $25 per hour in revenue, or $216,000 a year. A $5 3-to-2 table earns about $86,000 a year.

Now you know the answer to the question, “Why can’t I find any $5 3-to-2 blackjack tables?”

The general idea is to lure players into a casino for $1 blackjack hoping they’ll spend money on other games, whether at other tables or slots or restaurants or the bar.

blackjack
Fun fact: Playing blackjack is the closest we get to liking math.

While a $1 blackjack table may seem enticing, the games often have rules that hurt players.

For example, $1 minimum tables tend to be 6-to-5 payouts for blackjacks, rather than 3-to-2. (It’s worth noting a lot of higher limit tables are 6-to-5 as well.)

In low minimum blackjack games, dealers also hit soft 17, not optimal for players.

Value-seekers should take note of the $1 blackjack at Downtown Grand and enjoy it while it lasts.

We always enjoy Downtown Grand, as we like the generous video poker pay tables and frequent drinks (from the bottle, not the gun) at Furnace bar, and if you like a mellow, quiet casino, Downtown Grand’s hard to beat.

Also, one of our favorite restaurants, Triple George, is mere feet away.