Commission approves 6-to-5 blackjack payout

The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission on Thursday approved a rule change that would allow the state’s casinos to offer blackjack players a 6-to-5 payout instead of the current 3-to-2. The change would reduce the payoff on a winning $10 wager from $15 to $12.

Casino operators said the change would give them the option to offer single-deck blackjack games. Blackjack games using a single deck of cards offer bettors better odds than multi-deck games, so the reduced payout keeps the casino’s revenue in balance — although there’s nothing in the rule change to prevent the lower payout being used across the board.

Lois Rice, executive director of the Colorado Gaming Association, predicted competitive pressure would keep casinos from switching to 6-to-5 en masse. She compared it to the odds on slot machines, where casinos are permitted to keep as much as 20 percent of all wagers.

“But nobody would because they would lose all their customers,” Rice said. To keep players coming, casinos typically hold only 6-7 percent of slot bets, she said.

Mike Hirsch, general manager of the Gold Rush Casino in Cripple Creek, said he’d be surprised to see 6-to-5 blackjack games become common.

“Anyone that’s educated in the game would understand, ‘Don’t play 6-to-5,’” he said. “The player can’t overcome that edge.”

Casinos can adopt the new payout beginning April 30.