Blackjack house edge calculator
With basic strategy, the house edge in blackjack runs from -0.76% at the most generous tables (below zero, the player has the edge) to 2.15% at the worst. The most common Las Vegas game (6 decks, dealer hits soft 17, double after split, late surrender, blackjack pays 3:2) is 0.530%. Paying 6:5 for blackjack instead of 3:2 adds about 1.36% on its own, more than any other rule.
Calculate it for your table
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More rules
On average you lose 0.53 for every 100 you bet. Perfect play: 0.528%.
6 decks, dealer hits soft 17, double after split, late surrender, blackjack pays 3:2.
House edge by number of decks
Blackjack pays 3:2 and the dealer peeks for blackjack in every column but the last.
| Decks | S17, DAS, late surrender | H17, DAS, late surrender | S17, DAS | H17, DAS | H17, no DAS | H17, DAS, 6:5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 deck | -0.16% | 0.01% | -0.14% | 0.05% | 0.19% | 1.44% |
| 2 decks | 0.15% | 0.33% | 0.19% | 0.39% | 0.54% | 1.77% |
| 4 decks | 0.29% | 0.48% | 0.35% | 0.56% | 0.71% | 1.93% |
| 6 decks | 0.33% | 0.53% | 0.41% | 0.62% | 0.76% | 1.98% |
| 8 decks | 0.36% | 0.56% | 0.43% | 0.65% | 0.79% | 2.00% |
What each rule is worth
Each row changes one rule from the common Las Vegas game (0.530% house edge).
| Rule | Change | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| 1 deck instead of 6 | -0.52% | 0.015% |
| 2 decks | -0.20% | 0.330% |
| 8 decks | +0.02% | 0.555% |
| Dealer stands on soft 17 | -0.20% | 0.334% |
| No double after split | +0.14% | 0.674% |
| No surrender | +0.09% | 0.619% |
| Early surrender | -0.63% | -0.095% |
| Blackjack pays 6:5 | +1.36% | 1.890% |
| Double on 9–11 only | +0.11% | 0.636% |
| Double on 10–11 only | +0.20% | 0.731% |
| Split only once | +0.05% | 0.583% |
| Resplit aces | -0.07% | 0.462% |
| Hit split aces | -0.18% | 0.346% |
| No hole card (European) | +0.11% | 0.636% |
Questions and answers
What is the house edge in blackjack?
The share of each bet the casino keeps on average when you play basic strategy: 0.530% at the common Las Vegas game, so about half a chip per hundred bet. It depends entirely on the rules, which is what this calculator measures.
Which rule hurts the player most?
Blackjack paying 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2, which adds about 1.36% on its own, more than any other rule. After that, the dealer hitting soft 17, no double after split and no surrender, each worth a tenth or two of a percent; the table on this page prices every rule.
Can the house edge be negative?
At the most generous rule sets, single deck with the dealer standing on soft 17, it dips just below zero with basic strategy, in the player’s favor. That is why casinos deal those games with 6 to 5 payouts or other restrictions.
Does card counting change the house edge?
These figures assume a full shoe every round. A counter bets more when the cards left favor the player and the minimum when they do not, which turns a small house edge into a small player edge over a session. The card counting page has the drills.
How these numbers were computed
Every figure comes from our blackjack engine. It plays out each hand against the exact cards left in the shoe, with the dealer’s exact chances of each final total, using the basic strategy chart for those rules. Only splits use a small approximation, and the results agree with published combinatorial analyses to within 0.005% of the bet. They assume a fresh shoe every round, like a continuous shuffler; dealing to a cut card adds a little to the house edge.