Only one Las Vegas casino still deals live $1 blackjack. It comes with a catch. Blackjack pays even money. The house edge is around 2.9% at this game, which is among the worst blackjack games in Las Vegas. It uses a continuous shuffling machine.
Downtown Grand is the casino with this game. It is one block north of the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas.
Downtown Grand blackjack games
In addition to the $1 table, there is always a $10 3/2 blackjack game at Downtown Grand during pit hours, which are 11am to 3am Monday through Thursday, 10am to 5am Friday and Saturday, and 10am to 3am on Sundays.
This $10 3/2 blackjack game uses a continuous shuffling machine, hits soft 17, and allows double down before and after splitting, as well as re-split aces. The house edge for this game is 0.55%, according to the Wizard of Odds blackjack calculator.
A player at the $10 table theoretically loses $0.055 per hand at the minimum bet. The theoretical loss per hand at the $1 table is about $0.029 per hand at the minimum. It would take nearly 700 hands to theoretically bust a $1 player who buys into the game for $20. It would take about 364 hands to bust the $5 player on the same $20 buy-in. These numbers do not include variance and risk of ruin calculations. The numbers slightly improve when accounting for splits and double downs.
The variance at the $10 game is substantially higher, as the swings will likely bust the $20 well before it gets to the theoretical, while the $1 player could last hundreds of hands longer because the swings are not as volatile.
Verdict: While playing $1 even-money blackjack sounds terrible, the theoretical loss is about half per hand of the $10 3/2 game. Once the player averages a $2 bet, the lower expected loss swings to the $10 game. The variance is higher, requiring a larger bankroll to survive the swings.
Oyo removed $1 blackjack in 2025
Oyo was the other Las Vegas casino that dealt $1 blackjack after the pandemic closure. It removed the game in late 2025. Oyo now starts blackjack games at $5. The bonus is that these tables pay 3/2. The expected loss is nearly identical between $1 even-money games and $5 3/2 ones.
Play $1 video blackjack instead
Many Game King machines have video blackjack. The minimum bet is usually $1. Some are as low as $0.25. These machines pay even money on a blackjack. Ensure that the game permits splits and double downs. If it does not, the house advantage is well over 3%. It sometimes gets in the 4% range, depending on the other rules. If the game does not allow doubling down or splits, find a video poker game on the same machine instead.
Also note that Game King blackjack plays much faster than a live game. The hourly expected loss is accelerated.
Another option is an electronic table game. Interblock and Casino Wizard machines often have $1 video blackjack games. Some pay 3/2 on a natural. Most Las Vegas casinos have at least one of these types of games. The minimum may be higher, like $2, $3, or $5.
The last $1 3/2 blackjack table disappeared from the Las Vegas market in 2020
There was a $1 3/2 blackjack game in the Las Vegas market until the pandemic closure in March 2020 at Lucky Club in North Las Vegas. It reopened without live table games. It is now called Ojos Locos.
Poker Palace also had a $1 blackjack game in March 2020. It went to $2 before disappearing in 2024. It was a double deck that paid even money and did not allow double down after splitting. For $3, there was a 3/2 six-deck blackjack game at Poker Palace that allowed double down before and after splitting on two or three cards. It was the last traditional blackjack game in the Las Vegas market that allowed double down on three cards. It was also the cheapest 3/2 blackjack game in the market. Poker Palace closed in 2025.
Riviera and Sahara both dealt $1 even-money blackjack for years. Sahara stopped dealing the game when it closed in 2011 to become SLS Las Vegas. It is now Sahara again. Riviera had even money $1 blackjack until the night before it closed in 2015.
