Las vegas
Downtown Las Vegas is known for its similarity to Northern Nevada, in that the dealer draws on Soft 17. However, unlike their northern counterparts, downtown players may double down on any two cards. Casinos on Fremont Street are smaller than most Strip casinos, but proportion-ately offer many more single- and double-deck games.
Although casinos exist all over the state of Nevada—in towns such as McDermitt, Wendover, Ely, and Mesquite, to name just a few—in the blackjack world “Northern Nevada” has become synonymous with Reno and Lake Tahoe. Casinos here are known for restricting the player from doubling down on any total other than 10 or 11, in addition to the dealer hitting Soft 17s. The double down restriction adds an additional -0.18 to -0.28 to the already-present -0.20 (for hitting Soft 17s), for a Basic Strategy starting disadvantage of about -0.38 to -0.48 off the top.
Atlantic City rules include doubling down on any two cards, doubling down after splitting, and the more traditional game wherein the dealer stands on all 17s. These rules are enforced by the Casino Control Commission—the authority having jurisdiction up and down the boardwalk and out on the shores of Brigantine Bay. The vast majority of AC casinos offer eight-deck games, although several houses have high-limit pits offering the six-deck variety. As of this writing, only one Atlantic City casino offers a six-deck game throughout.