Cosmopolitan is the newest casino on the Las Vegas Strip built from the ground up. It opened on December 15, 2010. It was the last resort constructed during the boom era.
Cosmopolitan launched in the middle of the epic recession that struck Las Vegas. This caused its original owners to lose the property to the bank before it ever got off the ground. It was acquired by Deutsche Bank and later sold to Blackstone Group, its current owners.
Cosmopolitan is known more as a nightclub venue than a casino. The resort makes a substantial amount of its revenue from its food and beverage departments, as well as its luxury hotel rooms, many of which offer balconies over the Las Vegas Strip, a rarity in today’s Las Vegas landscape.
The lack of connections to other casino companies has proven to be a hardship for Cosmopolitan. The resort is competing against the gaming conglomerates of MGM Resorts on its side of the Las Vegas Strip and Caesars Entertainment across the street. It is the only independent operator between Tropicana Ave and Flamingo Rd on Las Vegas Blvd.
Cosmopolitan Tables and Games
One would think that Cosmopolitan’s competitive disadvantage would make it spread good casino games to put it level with other resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The blackjack conditions at Cosmopolitan are dismal with the exception of the highest limit games. Even then, they still are not all that competitive.
The video blackjack is a good indicator of just how bad the action is at Cosmopolitan. There are two video blackjack games. One has a $15 minimum bet and only pays 6-5 on a natural. Double down before and after splitting is permitted, as is surrender. The dealer hits soft 17. The house edge for this video blackjack game is 1.91%. Even worse, players earn points at half the rate of a normal video poker machine at Cosmopolitan.
The other video blackjack machine has a $25 minimum bet. It pays 3-2 on a natural. Double down before and after splitting is allowed. Surrender is also available on the machine. The dealer hits soft 17. The house edge here is 0.6%. Points are also earned at half the rate of a normal machine.
There are 48 blackjack tables on the main casino floor. There are 40 double deck games and eight shoes.
There are two rule versions of the double deck blackjack. Both allow double down before and after splitting. One pays 6-5 on a blackjack, while the other pays 3-2. The 6-5 games have $10 to $1,000 and are often, but not always, found in the party pit by the front entrance. The house edge there is 1.83%. The 3-2 blackjack games typically have $50 to $5,000 limits, although the limits can drop to $25 during very slow periods. The house edge for this game is 0.4%.
There are eight shoe blackjack tables. These use six decks. Some use continuous shuffle machines. Players may double down on any two cards and after splitting. The dealer hits soft 17. The limits are $25 to $2,000. This game can run as low as $15 during extremely slow periods of the day. The house edge is 0.64%. Some of these tables will spread 6-5 payouts from time to time. If they do, the house edge is 2.01%.
There are two different games in the high limit salon. One has $200 to $10,000 limits. It uses six decks and allows double down on any two cards and after splitting. Surrender is also permitted, but re-split aces is not. The dealer stands on all 17’s. The house edge is 0.36%. There is a $300 to $10,000 double deck with the same rules as the $50 game on the main floor.
Identity for Frequent Blackjack Players
Cosmopolitan uses the Identity players card. It is arguably the worst players club for blackjack players in Las Vegas. You might get noticed a little from $50 double deck blackjack action. The high limit games will definitely get a player on the radar. Low limit players should not bother with presenting an Identity card at Cosmopolitan’s blackjack tables. The play will likely not get recorded.
What’s Different?
Cosmopolitan is the only casino in Las Vegas that spreads 6-5 double deck games. These are all through its party pits and some are also in the main part of the casino floor. It takes $50 to get a decent game at Cosmopolitan, although there is a 3-2 shoe game in the $15 to $25 range. Cosmopolitan also offers the two highest limit video blackjack games in Las Vegas. One has a $15 minimum bet and only pays 6-5 on a blackjack. The other has a $25 minimum bet but pays 3-2.
The Inside View
The Cosmopolitan is a beautiful casino. It is one of, if not, the nicest resort in all of Las Vegas. Unfortunately, its blackjack rules are mostly atrocious. Double deck 6-5 games are located throughout the property. The 6-5 video blackjack has a $15 minimum. It takes $25 to even get a 3-2 video blackjack game. That borders on embarrassing.
The $50 double deck game is not bad, but it is typically $25 at other casinos. The $200 stand on 17 shoe games in high limit is $100 everywhere else and some places offer better rules at these limits than Cosmopolitan. The $300 double deck game has the same rules as the one on the main casino floor. If you go to Bellagio or Aria, located on either side of Cosmopolitan, they both offer this game for $100. There just is not any reason to play these higher limits with better options on both sides of the resort.
Cosmopolitan is a great place to party and check out the nightclub action. Play blackjack anywhere else for better rules and lower limits.