Quote:
Unfortunately, Vegas is the only place I've been able to find fair games of sub-$25 blackjack.


There are no fair blackjack games. All of them have a built-in edge for the operator. The question is only how much the worst of it are you willing to take.

Even a "bad" blackjack game with dealer hit soft 17 and 1 card on split aces is the "best" (least house edge) wager in the casino. The second best bet in the casino is the craps Pass wager, with a house edge of 1.41%. You'd have to have a really, really bad blackjack game to reach that kind of disadvantage. Even the double 10 and 11 only blackjack games have a house edge of less than 1%.

Don't go to a casino expecting a "fair" anything.

Others have said that the free drinks pay for the worst of it you're taking in blackjack, but this isn't true. Well, it might be true if you flat-bet $5. You'll place about $500 in wagers and lose about $2.50 per hour. Most people, however, can't stay at a flat $5 wager, especially after they've been drinking.

FWIW,

Jim