Blackjack can be found in any self-respecting casino. Its reputation for balanced odds makes it a popular choice for experienced gamblers hoping to break even over a few hands. Even online blackjack has earned a loyal player base with innovations such as live dealer titles bringing the game to at-home gamblers.
Learn more about why blackjack is known as the casino game with the best house edge, including tips on how to keep the odds in the player’s favour.
How to Win at Blackjack
The rules of blackjack are simple: build a better hand than the dealer. Cards are worth their printed value except face cards, which are all worth 10. All the cards in a player’s hand are added up, and this total is compared to the dealer’s total. Any hand over 21 is bust and automatically loses. Otherwise, the highest hand wins!
One other relevant blackjack term is a “natural blackjack,” where a player or the dealer is dealt an Ace and a 10 (face cards worth 10 also qualify). This results in the maximum hand value of 21 and is considered an instant win. When a dealer achieves a natural blackjack, all players immediately lose their bets. But if a player gets a natural blackjack, they are paid out.
This leaves three ways to win a hand of blackjack:
- Have a higher hand total than the dealer, with neither hand busting
- Don’t bust on a hand where the dealer goes bust
- Be dealt a natural blackjack
Odds in Online Blackjack
A basic hand of blackjack offers a straightforward blackjack payout of +1000. A natural blackjack instead pays +1500 in most casinos, with some venues paying +1200 in recent years.
Consistent payouts go hand-in-hand with reasonable odds. And the even double-or-nothing payouts are directly tied to the low house edge of blackjack, with players and the dealer both reasonably likely to win a given hand.
House Edge in Blackjack
Because players and the dealer are so evenly matched, the house edge in blackjack is famously low. This is one of the major reasons blackjack is considered a game for casino veterans, since experienced players choose blackjack for the favourable return.
Even with basic strategy, the house edge is approximately 1.00%. This means that for every $100 a player wagers over the course of a play session, they can expect to win $99 back.
Remember, the house edge is based on the theoretical probability of the game rules. Random chance can, and will, affect individual results. As well, blackjack features a few gameplay features that can vary from table to table, that affect the house edge and online blackjack odds.
Rules that Change the House Edge
Although the basic rules of blackjack stay the same, depending on the casino, the following rules could vary. It’s important to understand which rules are in play as they will affect the overall house edge in online blackjack.
These changes in house edge are compared to a traditional blackjack game played with eight decks, where a dealer hits on a soft 17, with a +1500 payout on natural blackjacks.
Dealer Hits Soft 17
If a dealer’s hand totals to a soft 17 (meaning one card is an Ace valued as 11), the rules usually dictate the dealer must hit, which benefits the casino. But sometimes this rule is tweaked, so the dealer stands on all 17s, soft or hard.
| Rule | Change in House Edge |
| Dealer hits soft 17 | ±0.0% |
| Dealer stands on soft 17 | -0.2% |
Number of Decks
The blackjack deck is composed of several standard 52-card decks shuffled together. Just how many decks are combined can vary. The fewer decks used, the better the odds for players, while more decks create more consistent draws in the casino’s favour.
| Number of Decks in Play | Change in House Edge |
| Single deck | -0.5% |
| Two decks | -0.2% |
| Four decks | -0.06% |
| Six decks | -0.02% |
| Eight decks | ±0.0% |
Split Rules
Splitting a paired hand can be very powerful for players, so some casinos implement restrictions to avoid hyper-optimized splitting plays. Many of these concern what happens after splitting a pair of Aces — casinos typically require players to stand with each new hand created from the split, with no option to hit, double-down, or resplit.
| Rule | Change in House Edge |
| No doubling-down after splitting | +0.12% |
| Hit after splitting Aces | -0.13% |
| Resplitting Aces allowed | -0.03% |
Natural Blackjack Payouts
As previously mentioned, while most casinos pay +1500 for a natural blackjack, some have taken to only paying +1200. Several brands of video blackjack machines will only pay +1000.
| Natural Blackjack Payout | Change in House Edge |
| +1500 | ±0.0% |
| +1200 | +1.5% |
| +1000 | +2.3% |
