Blackjack House Edge by Rule Variation
Every common blackjack rule and exactly what it adds to or subtracts from the house edge, so you can price any table on the floor before you sit down.
“Blackjack has a half-percent house edge” is true of one particular game and false of most tables on a modern casino floor. The edge is a function of the rule set, and the spread between the best and worst blackjack games in a single building is routinely five to one.
This page prices each rule so you can add them up.
Baseline
Start from the standard North American shoe game:
6 decks · dealer stands on soft 17 · double on any two cards · double after split allowed · split to four hands · aces split once · no surrender · blackjack pays 3:2
That game is about 0.43% against a basic strategy player. Apply the adjustments below.
Rules that cost you
| Rule | Added edge |
|---|---|
| Blackjack pays 6:5 | +1.39% |
| Blackjack pays 1:1 (some machines, “no bust” variants) | +2.30% |
| Dealer hits soft 17 (H17) | +0.22% |
| Eight decks instead of six | +0.02% |
| Six decks instead of one | +0.48% |
| Double restricted to 9, 10, 11 | +0.09% |
| Double restricted to 10, 11 only | +0.18% |
| No double after split (no DAS) | +0.14% |
| No resplitting of any pair | +0.10% |
| No resplitting aces | +0.08% |
| Split to two hands only | +0.10% |
| European no-hole-card rule | +0.11% |
| Dealer wins ties (never offered at a real table — check novelty games) | +9.00% |
Rules that help you
| Rule | Reduced edge |
|---|---|
| Late surrender | −0.08% |
| Early surrender (against ten) | −0.24% |
| Early surrender (against ace) | −0.39% |
| Double on any number of cards | −0.24% |
| Resplit aces | −0.08% |
| Draw to split aces | −0.14% |
| Five-card Charlie (five cards without busting wins) | −1.46% |
| Six-card Charlie | −0.16% |
| Player 21 always wins immediately | −0.54% |
Worked examples
The good game. 2 decks, S17, DAS, double any two, late surrender, 3:2:
0.43% − 0.29% (two decks) − 0.08% (surrender) ≈ 0.06%
Rare, usually with a high minimum, and worth walking across a casino floor for.
The typical game. 6 decks, H17, DAS, double any two, no surrender, 3:2:
0.43% + 0.22% ≈ 0.65%
Unremarkable and perfectly playable.
The tourist trap. 8 decks, H17, no DAS, double 10–11 only, 6:5:
0.43% + 0.02% + 0.22% + 0.14% + 0.18% + 1.39% ≈ 2.38%
This table costs more than double-zero roulette would if you bet the same money per hour — roulette is 5.26% but resolves far more slowly. It is frequently the $10 table sitting directly beside the $25 table at 0.65%, which is not an accident of layout.
Hands per hour matters as much as edge
Edge is per dollar wagered. Cost is per hour, and blackjack is fast.
| Table | Edge | Hands/hr | $10 bets | Cost/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full table, 3:2, S17 | 0.43% | 60 | $600 | $2.58 |
| Heads-up, 3:2, S17 | 0.43% | 200 | $2,000 | $8.60 |
| Full table, 6:5, H17 | 2.38% | 60 | $600 | $14.28 |
| Heads-up, 6:5, H17 | 2.38% | 200 | $2,000 | $47.60 |
Playing alone against the dealer feels like a better game — more control, no waiting. It triples your hourly cost, because you are wagering three times as much money per hour. A crowded table is cheaper entertainment than an empty one.
The checklist
Before you sit down, in this order:
- What does a blackjack pay? 3:2 or leave. This one line outweighs everything below it.
- Soft 17? Prefer “stands on all 17s”.
- Double after split? Should be allowed.
- Doubling restricted? Should be “any two cards”.
- Surrender? Nice to have, rarely offered.
- Deck count? Fewer is better, but never at the price of a 6:5 payout.
Then play the chart, which assumes items 2 through 5 in their favourable form and adjusts only slightly otherwise.