House advantage
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As with the other games, casino has a mathematical advantage over a player. The sad fact is that on the average casinos pocket 4% to 5% from Blackjack because of the poor decision-making by the players.
Learning the Basic Strategy reduces the casino advantage to less than 1%. By applying Basic Strategy, Blackjack gives higher returns to the players than any other decision-making casino game. The difference is even more pronounced when you compare Blackjack to games based on chance, which typically offer poor return to the players.
Soft 17 (when the dealer is obliged to stand on 17) and Hard 17 (when the dealer is obliged to draw another card) affects the probability of winning. Soft 17 works better for the casino, adding 0.2% to the odds in favor of the casino.
Getting a blackjack normally pays 3:2, but some casinos pay less (6:5 is not uncommon; some only give 1:1). Paying less than 3:2 for the blackjack significantly increases the odds in casinos’ favor.
A small number of casinos gives the win to the dealer in case of a tie. Our advice in such cases: DO NOT PLAY.
The number of decks is also important – the more decs there are, the greater the advantage of the casino. On Hard 17, the house advantage varies according to the number of decks from the negligible 0.04% for the single deck to 0.69% when 8 decks are used (this means that over a long period of play, the casino wins 0.69% of the bets).
Another factor influencing the house advantage is whether the casino allows surrender or not. Allowing surrender is advantages for the player, especially if it is possible to surrecnder BEFORE the dealer checks for the blackjack (“early surrender”). If the casino allows the surrender at all, in most cases it is only AFTER the dealer checks for blackjack (“late surrender”).
Allowing unlimited resplits also works better for the player (when the player holds a pair of the same value other than aces, and another card of the same value is dealt). Respliting of aces is rarely allowed – if it is, it is more favorable for the player. Likewise, if the casino allows doubling down after the splitting (“DAS”), it adds 0.12% to the player’s odds.
Casinos may not allow doubling down on soft hands (hands containing an ace), and only allow doubling down on the totals of 10 or 11. This adds 0.20% to the casino odds.
Blackjack online
First, make sure you read How to win at Blackjack – this will give you an edge over all players who rely on “intuition” or “gut feeling”, and frequently an advantage over a casino too, depending on the bonus and the conditions to claim it.
Like everyone else, online casinos are in a competitive business and may offer special promotions for new players and/or loyalty incentives for existing players. Check out online Blackjack offers for the best deal.
