Las Vegas was the first gambling city to pioneer swim-up blackjack, which allows players to wager at the game of 21 while sitting partially submerged in a pool. At the time of publication, three casino resorts offer the game in Sin City, with many more offering games like blackjack and craps at poolside tables.

May 14, 2014  (Caesars Palace) Last summer, Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis – at Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino also home to the year-old Nobu Hotel – expanded to. Swim, sunbathe or enjoy a private cabana in the opulence of the Garden of the Gods Oasis in this six-pool paradise at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Jun 01, 2017  Most, if not all, poolside blackjack and swim-up blackjack games pay 6:5 when you’re dealt a natural blackjack. The house edge in the best 6:5 blackjack games is greater than 1.5%. The house edge in 6:5 blackjack games can be greater than 2.3%. Using basic strategy with these game can only help you so much. These rules aren’t just for outdoor blackjack games.

Caesars Palace and Tropicana

You've got two options for swim-up blackjack on the Strip: Tropicana (troplv.com), which started the trend in the 1980s, and Caesars Palace (caesarspalace.com), now one of the most well-known casino resorts in Las Vegas. Caesars deals the game in the shaded section of its Fortuna pool at its Garden of the Gods complex, with several tables for water-loving gamblers. At Tropicana, you will find the swim-up blackjack games at its pool area, complete with tropical foliage and long curved benches.

Hard Rock

Hard Rock (hardrockhotel.com) provides both in-water and poolside blackjack games at its resort a block off the Strip. You can play 21 at water's edge at the Poolside Palapa at Nirvana, formerly the Hard Rock Hotel Beach Club. If you want to play out of the water — and throw some craps into the mix — you can wager under the nearby Palapa Hut adjacent to the Nirvana Bar and Grill.

Procedures

The blackjack pits in the pools are run similarly to other table game pits in the casino, with a pit boss and multiple dealers. Players sit on submerged seats, with the tables above the water level. Dealers wear bikinis or swimsuits, and the rules of the game are similar to those in the other blackjack games in each casino. Minimum bets are often a little higher at swim-up blackjack. Special dryers are used to dry out paper bills, and players are usually given pouches to store their chips when they leave the tables.

Poolside Games

Several casinos deal blackjack by their pools for players who don't want to play while wet. These include Palms (palms.com), Cosmopolitan (cosmopolitanlasvegas.com), Golden Nugget (goldennugget.com), M Resort (themresort.com), Red Rock (redrock.sclv.com) and Stratosphere (stratospherehotel.com). Flamingo (flamingolasvegas.com) has both blackjack and craps tables by the waterfalls and tropical landscaping at its GO pool. Mandalay Bay (mandalaybay.com) built a three-story glass-fronted casino with scenic views of its massive pool complex and in proximity to its summer Concerts on the Beach. Cosmopolitan's poolside blackjack is in its Marquee Dayclub, which requires a cover charge. Many of the poolside options in Las Vegas are only open on nights or weekends.

Caesars Casino Blackjack

Caesars Palace Swim Up Blackjack

About the Author

A veteran of the newspaper industry, Johnny Kampis has worked as a freelance writer since 2005. His articles have appeared in various publications including 'The New York Times,' 'Atlanta-Journal Constitution' and the 'San Francisco Chronicle.' He currently serves as an editor of poker-based 'Rounder' magazine and writer for the Alabama football publication 'Crimson' magazine.

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