If you make it as far as Nevada on your travels, and for some reason the bright lights and brash sinfulness of Las Vegas doesn’t tempt you, then Reno might. Known as the “Biggest Little Town in the World” Reno is not quite as grand or as flash as Las Vegas, but it’s not too dissimilar and there are over twenty casinos.
Reno was the home of gambling in the United States before Las Vegas, before the City of Sin took over in the mid twenty-first century. Now Reno is the perfect place for nearby citizens to toss some chips without heading all the way to Las Vegas. In fact it is very popular with residents of California who don’t want to drive all the way to Las Vegas and don’t have far to travel to get to Reno. It is also popular with blackjack players because of the deck sizes. In Atlantic City, for example, you will find an abundance of 8 deck shoe blackjack games. In Vegas you will find similar games — with more of a variety of 6 deck and even 4 deck games — but in Reno the vast majority of blackjack games are played with just one or two decks. Not only is this the preferred setup for card counters, but it is generally what most blackjack players prefer as fewer decks mean lower house odds.
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One of the most popular places in Reno to play blackjack is the Silver Legacy Casino. Here you can choose from single deck, double deck or 6 deck games. At the Silver Legacy players are allow to split and re-split their aces a maximum of 4 times, and they can also double-down on their first two cards. The rules and the odds differ slightly depending on which game you play, but the house edge is fairly low here and with a huge variety of other table games available, including poker, pai gow and baccarat, it is a great choice all round.
The Peppermill is also a great casino, with a lavishly decorated interior that makes you feel like a VIP. This is also an ideal choice for the high-rollers, thanks to their special high-roller areas, where huge amounts can be won and lost on single hands. The Harrah’s brand, which is recognised all over the world, also has a resort in Reno that should be checked out, and the Grand Sierra Resort is another great stop-off for a game or two of blackjack.
Some of the most popular casinos in the area include the Atlantic Casino Resort Spa and the Sienna Hotel, Spa and Casino. Both of these include blackjack games on their long list of table games, and they both offer variants on the sizes of decks used, much like the Silver Legacy Casino. These are perfect places to spend the night, or to pamper yourself in the spa, and there is also some great entertainment and restaurant choices, but the Silver Legacy Casino wins hands-down when it comes to blackjack, and that should be your casino of choice.