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Blackjack tips, strategy, odds & more
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Blackjack Odds
Whether you are playing casino blackjack or online blackjack you should
be aware of the situations in which the odds are in your favor or the
house’s favor.
Right from the beginning, blackjack odds favor the house by about 8% .
This is mainly derived from the rule that the player must draw first and
if the player busts the house wins, no matter if the house busts or not.
The house has this advantage because about 8% of the time both the player
and house will bust.
If you are able to effectively use basic strategy and know when and how
much to bet you can reduce this house advantage to almost 0.5%. This includes
knowing when to hit and when to stand and the house payout of a blackjack
at 3 to 2.
However, these blackjack odds still favor the house over the player. Beating
blackjack means reducing this 0.5% even further. There are two ways to
accomplish this. The big players in casino blackjack, that is, those who
play frequently and bet large amounts are courted by the casino and given
many “comps” or complimentary items. This can range from everything
from free drinks to tickets to shows and free hotel suites. In some cases
the value of these comps is more than your winnings at the blackjack table.
The other way to reduce the house edge is counting cards. By finding and
playing at a blackjack table advantageous to card counting (i.e. fewer
decks, London Deal, less shuffling, etc) you can turn the tables on the
casino and go home in style! If you are playing online blackjack, forget
counting cards and stick to basic strategy. This is virtually your only
recourse in getting favorable blackjack odds.
Blackjack rules may vary from casino to casino and site to site. The following
shows how different rules can affect blackjack odds:
| Rule |
Effect on Player Expectation |
| Two decks |
-0.32% |
| Four decks |
-0.48% |
| Six decks |
-0.54% |
| Eight decks |
-0.58% |
| Dealer hits soft 17 |
-0.20% |
| Double down only on 11 (no
soft, no 10, no 9, no 8) |
-0.78% |
| Double down only on 10 or
11 (no soft, no 9, no 8) |
-0.26% |
| Double down only on 9, 10,
11 (no soft, no 8) |
-0.14% |
| No re-splitting of any pairs |
-0.03% |
| Dealer wins ties |
-9.00% |
| Natural pays 1 to 1 |
-2.32% |
| Natural pays 2 to 1 |
+2.32% |
| Double down on any number
of cards |
+0.24% |
| Double down after splitting
pairs |
+0.14% |
| Late surrender |
+0.06% |
| Early surrender |
+0.62% |
| Six-card winner |
+0.15% |
| Players 21 pushes dealer's
10-up Blackjack |
+0.16% |
| Re-splitting of aces |
+0.06% |
| Draw to split aces |
+0.14% |
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