I know this question is not well defined and has lots of hard to define variables, like how fast you push the slots button vs. how fast the dealer deals each hand and how many other players are at the table. But does anyone have a WAG as to which would COST ME LESS MONEY per hour????
I'm fairly certain the answer is blackjack, generally speaking, but I'll spit out some ballpark numbers just for comparison purposes. You'll see that his worst possible average loss in blackjack is still more favorable than his best possible average loss in slots.
Note that I did not factor in comps. Just for the sake of completeness, slot players get ~.25%
cashback ($1.5-$2 per hour), and blackjack players get ~.8% (2% HA assumed * 40% rebate) in
comps ($2-3 per hour).
Slots
Cost per game = $1
Games per hour = 600-800
- This is a combination of my best guess and some searching on the net. This seems about right since a very fast VP player can crank out ~600 hands per hour. Slot play requires no thought, so you should be able to crank out at least that many hands if not a few more.
Average slot payback percentage = 94-96%
- Source is internet casino
statistics.
Average loss per hour =
$27-48
- Where I got these numbers - $1*600*.045 = $27 & $1*800*.06 = $48
Blackjack
Cost per game = $5
Games per hour = 50-80
- This is a function of the number of other people at the table. With three other players at the table, you will get in ~80 hands per hour, and with six others you will get in ~50. Being an Indian casino, the tables will probably be packed, so expect to get in 50 hands/hr. BTW, to approximate the number of hands you'll get in an hour for any number of players at the table, solve for 400/n (where n is the total number of participants at the table, including the dealer) and you'll probably come close.
House advantage = .4%-5.5%
- If he follows
basic strategy (shouldn't be hard, you can even print out a BS sheet and use it in the casino) it will be .4%, if he follows a "no bust" strategy (never hit 12 or above) it will be 3.9%, and if he follows a "mimic the dealer" strategy (hit 16 or less, stand 17 or more) it will be 5.5%.
Average loss per hour =
$1-22
- Where I got these numbers - $5*50*.004 = $1 & $5*80*.055 = $22
-- Homer