Strip casino offering $5 blackjack with a live dealer

Amid all the recent talk of value in Las Vegas, a major Strip casino has been quietly offering a rarity on its gaming floor for weeks now: a live dealer $5 blackjack table.

Excalibur, an MGM Resorts International property, is the only casino on the Las Vegas Strip promising the low-limit table game with a live dealer. A highway billboard and a casino floor sign at Excalibur have been advertising $5 blackjack “Dealt by hand” since mid-summer.

The $5 game at Excalibur pays 6:5 for blackjack, and the dealer must hit on soft 17, according to the listed table rules.

Excalibur, a budget-friendly property at the South end of the Las Vegas Strip, has electronic table games with even lower limits. Digital craps, roulette and blackjack are offered with a minimum bet of $3.

MGM, the Las Vegas-based gaming and hospitality conglomerate that operates nine casinos on the Strip, did not offer any comment on the game except to note that live-dealer $5 blackjack had been available at Excalibur for some time and was not related to the city’s recent efforts to promote value.

Circus Circus occasionally offers a live-dealer $5 blackjack game, although the North Strip casino’s table games pit is getting smaller, and $10 minimums are common.

Several casinos on Las Vegas Boulevard offer $10 minimums at select table games during off-peak times, but $15 is generally considered the standard minimum on the Strip.

Off-Strip casinos, such as Silverton, Ellis Island and Palms all offer $5 blackjack, but table minimums are subject to change based on business volume and demand.

Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0378. Follow @AC2Vegas_Danzis on X.