Why You Should Never Play Electronic Versions of Table Games

First things first. When you play a skill game like blackjack, part of the beauty comes from the juiced up payouts dispensed when players land the best possible hand. The payback for landing an Ace and a 10-value card for blackjack used to be 3 to 2 on your initial wager, so a $20 bet would bring back $30 in profit.

But over time, casinos sought to get over on their customers by adjusting the blackjack payout to 6 to 5. At that reduced rate, the same $20 wager would return just $24 – a far cry from the $30 blackjack’s true odds dictate you should receive.

But lowering that already reduced payout to even money is simply criminal, an overreach that cannot stand.

If you don’t believe me, take the word of John Grochowski – a renowned gambling expert and casino game analyst for several decades and counting – when it comes to the impact of even money blackjack payouts:

That’s right, you read it correctly – electronic blackjack tables increase a basic strategy player’s house edge all the way from 0.50 percent to 2.8 percent. That’s nearly six times higher, meaning you’re putting yourself at a serious disadvantage whenever you play even money payout electronic blackjack.

In his nationally syndicated gambling column, gaming industry expert Mark Pilarski echoed those sentiments while answering a query from a reader wondering why he can’t seem to beat the electronic games:

Electronic blackjack tables use another sneaky trick to get over on unsuspecting players – rounding down. At a traditional live table, the minimum bet is almost always $5. This round number makes it easy to determine those 3 to 2 or 6 to 5 rewards for making blackjack, streamlining the dealer’s payout process and speeding up the game.

But electronic tables tend to offer much lower table limits, with $1 and even $0.25 minimums commonly found on the casino floor. Ostensibly, this provides an easier entry point for recreational players trying to learn the game, or gamblers down on their luck looking for an affordable opportunity to rebound.

Here’s the rub though. When you bet in smaller increments like this, the payouts for landing blackjack – even on machines that offer the true 3 to 2 rate – can get funky in a hurry. Let’s say you’re betting $2 on an electronic table that pays 3 to 2 for blackjacks. In this case, you’d collect a nice #3 premium for making the game’s top hand.

But one seat over you notice your neighbor betting in $1 increments instead. Their screen lights up with an Ace and King for blackjack, and they begin to celebrate, only to see the machine return $1 instead. So what happened? Well, while the electronic games are programmed to accept wagers in quarter increments, they aren’t programmed to pay out that way. Thus, what should be a $1.50 return on a $1 blackjack is rounded down to $1 – or even money.

That’s right, even a machine that specifically says it will pay out 3 to 2 on blackjacks can sneakily reduce the rate to even money when you don’t bet enough. Pilarski took on the issue of rounded down payouts while answering another concerned player in his column:

As Pilarski advises, machine players should always protect themselves from rounding down by betting in $2 increments. But on an electronic table that markets itself specifically to players who want to bet lower than that, this bait and switch with the blackjack payouts is simply uncalled for.

Another way electronic table games try to appeal to players is by offering a streamlined experience. Live table games require a dealer to shuffle the deck, deal the cards (or spin the wheel, dispense the dice, etc.), and collect the chips. Each of these actions may take mere seconds, but added up over the course of your session, you’ll be spending several minutes per hour waiting for one hand to end and a new hand to begin.

But take your money to the electronic tables and all of that is taken care of instantly. Your bets are recorded with the push of a button, pixelated chip graphics zip across the screen, and the cards are randomized and revealed in a flash. As a result, a player with quick trigger fingers can easily add dozens of hands per hour to their overall volume.

Check out the tables below – which were compiled by casino game mathematician extraordinaire Michael “Wizard of Odds” Shackleford – to get an idea of how fast live table games play:

Hands / Hour in Blackjack

Rolls / Hour in Craps

Spins / Hour in Roulette

Because electronic table games are essentially one-on-one versus the dealer, we can use the 209 hands per hour for blackjack when playing alone as that game’s baseline. And while that may seem like a ton of action – you’re essentially playing 3.5 hands every minute – it pales in comparison to the frenetic pace offered on the video version.

According to Grochowski’s research, a proficient electronic blackjack player using a brisk pace can easily put in a whopping 800 hands per hour. With no breaks in between to reshuffle the shoe, insert a cut card, make change, or chit-chat, electronic tables let you play more than 13 hands every minute.

That may seem like fun for a gambler who savors every sweat, but you must remember that all gambling games – even a skill-based affair with a low house edge like blackjack – offers players a negative expectation. In other words, your expected return over the long run playing blackjack, or any other table game for that matter, is always a negative number (i.e., a loss).

Take a look at the numbers below, provided by the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), to see how casinos in the Silver State fared in July:

Casino Win in July by Game Type

Why do you suppose the penny slots, which typically start at $0.25 or $0.30 per spin, produce such a massive win rate when compared to $5 minimum blackjack tables? Well, it’s because those slot games allow players to spin away to their hearts content, over and over again, in the time it takes for a single blackjack hand to be completed. We’ve all seen those slot players feverishly clicking the “SPIN” button, putting in a bet every few seconds to rack up huge spins per hour numbers.  Their monetary risk might be the lowest of any bet in the house, but slot players suffer badly because their preferred game is so speedy.

You’ll surely experience short-term wins, and even sustained winning streaks, especially in a strategic game like blackjack that rewards proper play. But when your session sample expands from 200 hands per hour to 800, that increased volume subjects you to negative expectation at a much higher rate.

Here’s how Pilarski described the faster pace of play, and the consequences that can have for players, in his column:

If the goal is to preserve your bankroll and stretch out for enjoyment’s sake over an extended session, sticking to the live tables is by far your best bet.

On a final note, one of the most appealing aspects of live table game play is the camaraderie you develop, both with fellow players and dealers alike. Gambling should be a social experience at its heart, and while slot machine spinners and video poker enthusiasts are usually secluded, blackjack, baccarat, craps, and roulette fans have to huddle together around the same table.

On your next stroll through the casino floor, be sure to take a minute or two to soak in the scene at a live craps table. Up to 11 individuals, largely strangers who have never even met, will be found having the time of their lives. Back claps and high fives are a common sight, and when the shooter goes on a hot run, you’ll be able to hear about it from across the room.

Win a huge double up when the perfect card comes? That’s nice, but you won’t have anybody around to cheer you on. Suffer an especially cruel runout of cards to crack your 20? That’s no fun, but it’s even worse when there’s nobody around to bemoan your fate with.

Syndicated gambling industry columnist Matt Villano addressed the issue of isolation at the electronic tables in his review of video blackjack:

Now, this phenomenon can work in reverse on select occasions. Live table games can often be soured by a surly player who likes to comment on other people’s play, berate the dealer, smoke cigarettes, or harass cocktail servers. These players are, unfortunately, part and parcel of the casino experience when live tables are concerned. And for many recreational gamblers, it’s just easier to avoid the drama and play alone at the video machines.

With that said, the Negative Nancies can easily be avoided by simply picking up and finding a new table. They’re outliers, after all, so it won’t take long to find a few like-minded individuals having a blast playing blackjack, baccarat, or any other table game.

And when you do, be sure to make the most of it. Strike up a conversation, crack a few jokes, and order a round of drinks for your new pals. Those are the moments that truly define a winning night at the tables, whether you leave with chips in hand or not.

This one all depends on the venue of course, but in most of the major casinos, electronic table game players are treated like second-class citizens. Live table games generally have attentive cocktail servers hovering around to hand out complimentary beverages. For the cost of a dollar tip only, you can sip on whisky sours until the cows come home.

But when you’re toiling away at the video tables, the servers seem to be far less interested in taking care of you. Why that is remains a mystery, but many gamblers report a drop in service when they ditch the live games. And it works the same with Player’s Club comps and other rewards. The live table games have a pit boss on hand who is specifically tasked with watching for big bettors. Place enough large chips at risk over the session, and you might just score a buffet voucher, or even a free night’s stay.

Those perks don’t happen at the electronic pits, however, simply because there’s no human employees in sight to scan your wagers. Sure, the Player’s Club system is keeping track and dispensing points, but those slowly accumulated rewards pale in comparison to currying a pit bosses favor.