Casinos really can make money on 3/2 blackjack

I'm just not buying the casinos line about low limit BJ not being profitable. I was at Twin Rivers casino in Providence this weekend and played for about 2 hours. The place was packed. Their low limit weekend games were $15. Finding a seat was difficult. There were 6 spots at each table and almost always completely full. The rules are reasonable, 8 decks, H17, BJ pays 3/2, late surrender, split to 4 hands (except aces), no re-split on aces, double any 2, and double after split. The tables also offer match the dealer which was being regularly played by about 1/2 the table.

The hand shuffle and side bet limited the number of hands per hour to maybe 75. The average bet was definitely higher than $15 so I'll (under) estimate it at $25 across 6 hands. So that comes to about 11,000 bet per hour on BJ, or about $55 expected casino win. Across the match the dealer, let's say $5 per hand, so about $2000 being bet for a nice casino win of over $100.

So that means at this table the casino could expect to win about $155 an hour. Perhaps they don't think that's good enough, but wait! In reality they win much more. People came and went from the table. Only 1 person left with a good chip stack. I'm not sure what she had bought in for but she might have been a small winner.
I left exactly even after 2 hours. Every other player was a loser or a big loser. They played "poorly", no one surrendering a hand other than me, not doubling in clear cut cases, not doubling correctly on soft hands, and worse, doubling in cases they shouldn't. And, of course, chasing loses.

So in these 2 hours I saw several people come and go, buying in for 1 or 2 hundred, and then leaving with nothing. In this particular 2 hours I'm sure the casino won 5 or 6 hundred. I know 2 hours is short time but in my experience these 2 hours are typical. And if there is an occasional winner, that's good for the casino in the long run.

So casinos, give good rules, let the players have some fun, and you will continue to make your money.

Unless it is 3 dollar action they always make money in the long run. Dealer wages are cheap and floor wages are split between many tables. The break even point is 3 players betting 5 a hand getting 100 hands at a 2% edge. I know of a small tribal that makes no money offering blackjack because they have mostly empty tables and real low rollers that bet like 3 dollars a hand on average. Casino manager straight up told me we offer blackjack to attract guys to bring their wife to play slots.

With six players, and people coming and going, plus a side bet and hand shuffle, I seriously doubt you were getting even sixty hands a minute.

Casinos are run by braindead scum. Id triple their profit in a heartbeat.

I've been there before.....something tells me they don't have the brightest clientele. The casino is absolutely massive, especially considering there's nothing around it. I doubt the average bet at a $15 table there was only $25....my guess would be at least $50. If memory serves right, they had a bunch of $50 and $100 tables that were fairly busy on the main floor (I don't think they have a high limit room, at least for tables?). Given something like 90%+ of the casino is all slots and very limited video poker, that casino has to absolutely be making a ton of money.

>>>>The hand shuffle and side bet limited the number of hands per hour to 75.
OUCH. That is a mind numbing and hand numbing number. Most dealers don't get that fast.

>>>They played "poorly",
Most players do, particularly at the low tables. Casinos still make money with expert play.

>>>let the players have some fun, and you will continue to make your money.
MBAs and stockholders want MORE. Vegas made a fortune on blackjack for years and then tried to milk the players dry with six to five and Cleavage Tax and thimbles full of watered-down drinks. Its that desire for 'more' than ended the customer loyalty in Vegas and gave players an incentive to try nearby casinos rather than trek to Mecca.