Why Blackjack is a Hit with High Rollers

A Very Favourable House Edge

Very few casino games have a lower house edge than Blackjack does. The exact house edge depends on the specific rules of the game that you are playing. However, it can be as low as 0.50% or even smaller with the right rules.

If a person is gambling large enough amounts, then very often casinos are willing to negotiate with them about the rules being used. The most famous example of this is a man called Don Johnson who won $15 million from Atlantic City casinos in 2010 and 2011. He promised to bet $100,000 per hand, and in exchange, the casinos agreed to rules with a house edge of just 0.25% and a 20% daily loss rebate. He ended up winning $5.8 million from the Tropicana, $5 million from the Borgata and $4 million from Caesars.

Unfortunately, casinos are now a bit more cautious and it is unlikely that they will ever agree to such rules again. However, high rollers will still be able to play with favourable conditions.

The type of rules that high rollers will be looking for are:

• 1 deck of cards
• 3:2 payout for natural blackjack
• Double down allowed on any hand
• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Re-splitting aces is allowed
• Game allows for late surrender

If you see a table with these rules, either online or in a land-based casino, then you can be sure that it will be attracting some of the highest rollers around.

High Table Limits

The average blackjack table in a casino will accept bets of up to €500 per hand, even at the very low stakes tables. However, high rollers will often want to bet far more than this, and it isn’t hard to find blackjack tables with very high maximum bets, both online and offline.

Land casinos often have regular tables that will accept bets of up to €2000 per hand, and at some casinos, this is even higher. There are tables in the Regent Play live casino where you can bet €10,000 per hand!

These are extreme examples and you don’t need to bet anywhere near this amount to be considered a high roller. Most casinos will consider you to be a big spender if you are betting in the region of €50 to €1000 per hand.

VIP Treatment

Considering the large sums of money that high rollers gamble, it is entirely reasonable that they enjoy the VIP treatment. They also want an exclusive experience, especially when in a land casino, and they do not want to sit with players who will be in awe of their bets and start pestering them with questions.

All good casinos will have blackjack tables in their VIP sections, so a high roller knows that they will be able to focus on the game without any unwanted distractions. Often the VIP tables are invitation only, but if you sit at a regular table and start betting large amounts, it will not be long before you are invited into the exclusive section.

There are many additional advantages to the VIP sections at casinos, such as more comfortable seating and truly attentive service.

Multi-Hand Play

High rollers love the thrill of gambling huge amounts and Blackjack allows this in the form of multi-hand play. One of the most famous examples of this was Kerry Packer, the Australian media tycoon. He was known to bet $100,000 or more per hand and he would sometimes play as many as seven hands simultaneously.

Not many high rollers bet quite that amount, but by playing multiple hands, high rollers are able to enjoy more action per round. However, in order to play multiple hands at a land casino, you need to occupy multiple seats at a table. The casino will only allow this if the player is betting enough, which is why it is an experience only available to high rollers. The extreme high rollers may even be able to request their own table.

Playing multiple hands simultaneously is of course far more risky than playing just one hand. However, high rollers love the challenge and the thrill, and blackjack is ideally suited to this. Of course, it is also beneficial to the casinos to have a player risking vast amounts.

Mathematically Optimal Strategy

High rollers like betting large amounts, but they don’t like to lose it. This is another area where blackjack has a significant advantage. The game has a mathematically optimal strategy that reduces the house edge and therefore, reduces the risk.

As discussed above, there are many different blackjack rule variations, and each variation changes the strategy. However, serious players will take the time to study the different strategies so that they know the best decision to make in every situation.

Blackjack strategies are displayed in strategy charts that are very easy to use. In fact, they are so simple that you don’t need to have any knowledge of mathematics or statistics to use them. Better yet, many casinos will allow you to take a chart to the blackjack table and when playing online, you can keep one open on your computer screen.

It is largely because of this that high rollers are willing to risk such large amounts playing blackjack. While they are fully aware that you can never guarantee a win, they know exactly how to reduce the risk and give themselves the best possible chance of winning.

Fantastic Comps

One of the main benefits to being a high roller is that casinos often offer some fantastic comps. The more you risk, the better the rewards.

By playing high stakes blackjack, players are able to earn extra comps very quickly. When someone sits at a blackjack table and starts betting €100 or more per hand, then they will come to the attention of the dealer and pit boss very quickly.

Most casinos have tiered VIP schemes and players can climb through the levels by betting more money. Playing blackjack is a relatively low risk way to bet large amounts of money and quickly ascend the levels.

There are many benefits to climbing through the levels, and cashback on losses is a very common one. While it is rare to be offered the 20% cashback that Don Johnson received, most high rollers will be able to secure some form of blackjack cashback and that way further reduce their risks.

To Conclude

It should now be clear that there are many reasons why blackjack is one of the favourite games amongst high rollers. Don’t worry if you don’t yet qualify as a high roller, many of the game’s benefits can also be enjoyed by low rollers. Furthermore, with some luck and proper strategy, you may be able to grow your blackjack bankroll to the point where you too start betting like a high roller.