Las Vegas - Cheap Blackjack
 

Staying at the Bellagio over this upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. I enjoy playing blackjack but don't enjoy having to shell out $25 a hand if I don't want to.

I know since it's a holiday weekend my choices may be limited, but my question to all you Vegas veterans is this: which casinos (preferably close to the Bellagio) would I have the best chance of finding $5, or at least $10, minimum BJ tables?

Thanks in advance for your help!

I think the Orleans has tables that are less, maybe $5. My husband has done well at Ballys but I don't have any idea about the cost of the tables.
I am pretty sure that anywhere off the Strip will be better.

The Sahara had $1 tables.

Flamingo & Harrah's & Imperial Palace will likely have $5 tables; almost sure to find $5 (sometimes less) at Barbary Coast, O'Shea's, & Casino Royale. All of these across the street from Bellagio and a little north.

South, probably Monte Carlo & Luxor; Excalibur highly likely (sometimes even has $3)

Not only does Sahara have $1 Blackjack, they have $1 tables usually until late afternoon. There are always $2 or $3 tables available. They keep the table minimum at whatever you started at until you leave the table even after the table limits change.
Doc- Is that you I met at the Sahara tables in Oct.?

Imperial Palace will be your best bet, and it is an easy walk from Bellagio. They often have $3 tables on Thursdays, and always have some $5 tables, even at night. They pay 3/2 for blackjack. They also have Non-Smoking tables, which are a big draw for me!

Sahara's $1 table isn't true Blackjack, but some odd variation of it called "21st Century Blackjack" or something like that. There are wild jokers in the deck, and a blackjack is not paid 3/2 but 2/1. The game is also dealt at about 90 hands per minute. I played it last time I was there, and I will not go back!

Monte Carlo will have nothing less than $10 minimums, especially on a holiday weekend.

We cabbed it down to Golden Nugget downtown. They had two deck blackjack for $10 (there might have been some $5--not sure).

Thanks, everyone, for your replys so far. Please keep 'em coming.

Sounds like Imperial Palace is a place I'll check out b/c as important as it is to me to find "cheap" tables, it's equally if not more important to find non-smoking tables. Thanks for the rec. ChristieP.

There was a $5 table at the Bellagio when we were there in September.

It is all about day of week and time of day. Gamble from 6-10AM or early afternoons during the week and virtually everyone has $5.00 tables. Bally's across the strip should have 5, certainly $10 BJ most times. Treasure Island usually has $10 tables along with the other properties listed.

Maybe you know this, but when you go from Bellagio to Imperial Palace...your world will be vastly different.

Perhaps I did not understand the other poster about BJ at Sahara paying 2-1 vs. the normal 3-2. If that is the case, sign me up! That is a huge improvement for the player.

The Sahara used to have $1 tables for everything - Blackjack, craps, roulette. Within the last 1/2 year they went to $3 tables. Other cheap tables - O'shea's, Slots of fun, Barbary Coast, Imperial Palace, The variety of Station casinos all have at a minimum $5 tables. The Stratosphere and Hilton both had $5. Great sports book at the Hilton as well.

I was at the Excalibur and they had $5 - single deck tables during the day over labor day weekend. At the bigger strip casinos the tables might start off at $5 during the day typically will rise to $10 at night. The big guys Bellagio, Mirage, Paris all had only a couple crowded $10 dollar tables and everything else was $25.

As ComicBookGuy might say --

Best site ever -- for Vegas

http://www.cheapovegas.com/

got from someone on here some time ago. You aint a cheapo if you are staying at Bellagio (the top of the line) but if you want affordable minimum bets check out this site for ideas -- and lots of laughs too.

Doug,

While this doesn't necessarily fit your criterion of being close to the Bellagio, if you're serious about BJ I recommend Binion's downtown. Their casino may be a bit worn, however, you can play BJ there any way you like: face up, face down, single deck, multiple deck--and the minimum bet at many of Binion's tables is still $1.

I make it a point of playing there everytime I go.