A 6:5 payout on a blackjack adds 1.39% to the house edge. Most single deck blackjack tables have disappeared from the Las Vegas Strip because of this. Once the casinos got away with this at single deck games, the 6:5 rule started infecting double deck and shoe games. This means that a $10 blackjack would pay $12 instead of $15. This terrible rule started paying players 6:5 on a blackjack, as opposed to 3:2. The biggest rule change that goes against players was rolled out first at single deck games. Some stopped offering surrender or re-splitting aces in shoe games. Casinos first started hitting on soft 17. The availability of strategy information over the internet has forced casinos to drop some of the more liberal rules. The quality of blackjack games in Las Vegas has declined over the past 15-20 years.
