House edge means the percentage of the player's bet the casino wins on average. This is worth figuring out since the size of house edge has everything to do with how likely you're to win. Educated players always find the games with the least house edge possible and therefore win the most - or at least lose the least.
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For example, if house edge is 1.89%, the player loses $1.89 on average out of every $100 bet he makes. Obviously the player doesn't lose that amount on every single bet; you might win two hands and then lose six hands in a row but in the long run the loss will be about $1.89 per bet. One of the goals of Gaming the Odds is to teach you all about perfect blackjack strategy and to minimize the house edge. You can find several house edge percentages for blackjack game variations below in order to help you to find the best games.
Firstly, what kind of an effect the amount decks has on casino's advantage? The table below displays the house edge for a standard blackjack game: blackjack pays 3:2, the dealer stands on soft 17, doubling is allowed for any two cards and splitting to four hands is allowed.
Number of Decks | House Edge |
---|---|
Single Deck | -0.03% |
Two Decks | +0.25% |
Four Decks | +0.38% |
Six Decks | +0.42% |
Eight Decks | +0.44% |
Under those rules it would actually be profitable to play according to basic strategy with a single deck. It's always optimal to play according to basic strategy but in the vast majority of cases you're still going to have negative expectation.
Let's move on to the next table, which features other blackjack game variations and their house edges. In order to make it easier to compare these games, all the house edge percentages are for six-deck gamesunless otherwise stated.
Game | House Edge |
---|---|
Atlantic City Blackjack | +0.42% |
Blackjack Switch | +0.58% |
Double Attack Blackjack * | +0.61% |
Double Exposure Blackjack | +0.67% |
European Blackjack | +0.62% |
Multiple Action Blackjack ** | +0.42% |
Pontoon Blackjack | +0.45% |
Spanish 21 | +0.37% |
Super Fun 21 | +1.40% |
Three Card Blackjack | +2.10% |
Vegas Downtown Blackjack | +0.62% |
Vegas Strip Blackjack | +0.53% |
* Played with a specific amount of decks (which isn't six).
** Multiple hands played but probability equal to standard blackjack.
The table above was made to give you some idea of which games are better to play than others. It's also important to remember that some casinos may operate with slightly different rules which either increase or decrease the house advantage of the game.
What about other rule variations, then? I'm going to list some of the more common blackjack rule variations and their house edges. The tables below consists of changes made to standard blackjack rules:
Dealer Hits Soft 17 | |
---|---|
# of Decks | House Edge |
Single Deck | +0.15% |
Two Decks | +0.45% |
Four Decks | +0.59% |
Six Decks | +0.63% |
Eight Decks | +0.66% |
Player Can Only Double 9-11 | |
# of Decks | House Edge |
Single Deck | +0.11% |
Two Decks | +0.36% |
Four Decks | +0.48% |
Six Decks | +0.52% |
Eight Decks | +0.54% |
Player Can Only Double 10-11 | |
# of Decks | House Edge |
Single Deck | +0.26% |
Two Decks | +0.48% |
Four Decks | +0.58% |
Six Decks | +0.61% |
Eight Decks | +0.63% |
Dealer Doubles on 17 | |
# of Decks | House Edge |
Single Deck | -0.03% |
Two Decks | +0.25% |
Four Decks | +0.38% |
Six Decks | +0.42% |
Eight Decks | +0.44% |
Player Can Resplit Aces | |
# of Decks | House Edge |
Single Deck | -0.06% |
Two Decks | +0.20% |
Four Decks | +0.32% |
Six Decks | +0.35% |
Eight Decks | +0.37% |
Blackjack Pays 6:5 | |
# of Decks | House Edge |
Single Deck | +1.36% |
Two Decks | +1.62% |
Four Decks | +1.75% |
Six Decks | +1.78% |
Eight Decks | +1.80% |
A couple of conclusions: first of all, the last section ('Blackjack Pays 6:5') shows you how unprofitable it is to play those games. Never play a game where blackjack pays 6:5.
Secondly, games where the player can resplit aces are preferable for the player. Try to find those games. It's also good for the player when the dealer doubles 17.
And finally, blackjack side bets and house edges for them.
Side Bet | House Edge |
---|---|
21+3 Blackjack | +3.20% |
21 Madness | +23.00% |
Bonus Blackjack | +24.00% |
Match the Dealer | +3.10% |
Perfect Pairs Blackjack | +4.10% |
Royal Match Blackjack | +6.50% |
Super Match Blackjack | +2.60% |
Super Sevens Blackjack | +11.70% |
Bust It Blackjack | +7.00% |
No, casinos didn't include the 'side bet' option just to give players a better chance of winning. As you can see, side bets are good for the casino and bad for the player even if they might make the game a bit more exciting.
Here's a list of blackjack rule variations favourable for the player:
I suggest trying to memorize these lists and look for games with beneficial blackjack rule variations for the player. Rule variations in favor of the casino should obviously be avoided.
Do bet sizes impact house edge in blackjack?
It makes no difference whether you bet $10 or $10,000 - the house advantage stays the same. The amount you lose or win per bet changes, of course, depending on how big of an edge either you or the casino's got.
Which blackjack game has the smallest casino edge?
Suggesting all games are played with six decks - which is a common size for a blackjack shoe - Spanish 21 has the best house edge for the player according to the blackjack house edge table on top of this page. Standard 21 Blackjack is good too since you can actually have the edge by playing perfect basic strategy with a single deck.
How big is the house edge if I count cards?
This depends on many variables, such as which blackjack card counting systems you're going to use. In case you're using a highly complicated system, play perfectly and manage to find a good game to play, you may have a significant edge (even 3% or 4%).
Additional Resources:
Spanish 21 is one of the most popular variations of blackjack in the world and is played widely in casinos. While the differences can make the game a bit more complicated, they also influence the odds of winning.
To a normal person, Spanish 21 and blackjack may seem like the same game with different names. However, there are a number of different advantages and disadvantages each game offers through different sets of rules.
Spanish 21 is played on the same traditional table as its counterpart, but it offers the player plenty more options than traditional blackjack; however, these options come at a price.
Giving the player more options to win would typically reduce the house edge, but casinos have found a way to combat that. Rather than playing with the traditional 52 card deck, they remove the four 10 cards, leaving the deck with only 48 cards. Any experienced gambler can tell you that removing 25% of the cards with a face value of 10 will influence your odds negatively.
Although the rules for Spanish 21 can vary at different locations, they are typically as follows:
Most casinos offering Spanish 21 require that the dealer hit on a soft 17. Because of this, the house advantage is about 0.8%, which is worse than almost any other variation of blackjack.
In traditional blackjack, where the dealer stands on a soft 17, the house edge is only about 0.4%. This is definitely something to consider when deciding which game to play.
The payouts in Spanish 21 are similar to blackjack, but there are a few more options if the player meets certain requirements.
If you’re new to blackjack or are just learning the rules, trying to learn Spanish 21 simultaneously may not be your best bet. Trying to grasp all of the special rules and know how to work them to your advantage can make the game much more complicated. It would be best to learn the best strategies for traditional blackjack before moving on to any of its numerous variations.