What is a good house edge in blackjack?

Under 0.5% with basic strategy. You get there with 3:2 blackjacks, the dealer standing on soft 17, doubling after splits and surrender.

How bad is 6:5 blackjack?

It adds about 1.4% to the house edge, more than every other rule together. On a $25 bet at 70 rounds an hour that's about $24 more an hour.

A little: a single deck is about 0.5% better for the player than eight decks with the same rules. But single-deck games often come with worse rules like 6:5, which more than cancels it.

Why does the calculator say perfect play?

The edge assumes you follow basic strategy on every hand. Guessing instead usually costs 2% or more.

Free tool

House edge calculator.

Set the rules on the table sign and your bet. You'll see the house edge with perfect basic strategy, and what it costs on average per hour.

DecksSoft 17Double after splitSurrenderBlackjack pays

House edge0.41%with perfect basic strategy

Average cost per hour$7.25$25 bets · 70 rounds an hour

Over 3 hours$21.74210 rounds; luck swings this a lot

Bet $25Rounds per hour 70Hours 3

Deck numbers are approximate: the maths assumes an endless shoe and adds the usual adjustment for fewer decks. The real cost of mistakes is usually far bigger than the edge: players who guess instead of using the chart often give up 2% or more.

Numbers make more sense at a table.Take the 2-minute lesson

Questions people ask

What is a good house edge in blackjack?: Under 0.5% with basic strategy. You get there with 3:2 blackjacks, the dealer standing on soft 17, doubling after splits and surrender.
How bad is 6:5 blackjack?: It adds about 1.4% to the house edge, more than every other rule together. On a $25 bet at 70 rounds an hour that's about $24 more an hour.
Do fewer decks help?: A little: a single deck is about 0.5% better for the player than eight decks with the same rules. But single-deck games often come with worse rules like 6:5, which more than cancels it.
Why does the calculator say perfect play?: The edge assumes you follow basic strategy on every hand. Guessing instead usually costs 2% or more.

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