By Liz Benston, Las Vegas Sun

The small, unassuming Alamo and Topaz casinos in Northern Nevada have a leg up on the best of Las Vegas’ glittering resorts – at least by the standards of blackjack.

Whatever the Alamo in Sparks and the Topaz in Gardnerville lack in pizzazz they make up for in favorable blackjack games, according to this month’s issue of Casino Player magazine. The two were the only Nevada casinos to make the magazine’s list of properties offering the nation’s best blackjack games.

Both casinos offer blackjack that’s played with a single deck of cards, increasing the player’s ability to gauge when certain cards will appear. The casinos also allow players to surrender their initial two-card hand provided the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack, among other player-friendly rules.

Las Vegas once offered the best blackjack anywhere but has since muddied the water with games that pay 6-5 odds on blackjacks rather than the traditional and more favorable 3-2 odds, said gambling writer Henry Tamburin, who compiled the magazine’s list. Many Las Vegas casinos also have unfavorable rules and blackjack variations with a higher house edge, he said.

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