Whether you play casino games online or at a land-based venue, every casino title comes with a built-in house edge. And the game of Blackjack is no exception to it. The house edge or casino advantage ensures that the gambling venue generates revenue and doesn’t incur losses. In this article, we explain everything you need to know about the house edge in Blackjack, from basics to how increased card decks affect the house edge. Keep reading!
The basics of Blackjack house edge
To explain to you simply, the house edge is the mathematical advantage that a gambling venue has over its players in a given casino game (Blackjack, in this case). The house edge is calculated over the long term and is present in both land-based and online Blackjack games, though it varies from one Blackjack variant to another.
As a novice player, you can expect the house edge in Blackjack to be around 2%. And you can further bring it down to 0.5% by making use of a basic Blackjack strategy. This makes online Blackjack one of the few casino games that come with the lowest house edges.
Now speaking about calculating the house edge for Blackjack, it’s quite simple to do so. You just have to take the expected negative value for a wager and divide it by the total wagering amount. Then you multiply that result by 100 to denote it in the percentage form. If the calculation process seems a bit daunting to you, you always have the option to use a Blackjack calculator for the same.
Factors determining the Blackjack house edge
As with any other casino title, there are several factors that determine the casino advantage in Blackjack. First, it’s the strategy that you’re using to play the game. If you make uncalculated decisions and don’t use your playing strategy properly, the casino advantage in Blackjack rises.
Then there are the hit-and-stand rules and some other factors that affect the house edge in Blackjack. To give you an example, casinos paying 6:5 instead of the standard 3:2 payout on getting a Blackjack increases the house edge. Other rules affecting the Blackjack house edge are the dealer hitting on a soft 17, players allowed to double down after a split, and the chance to re-split Aces.
It’s worth noting that the house edge for some Blackjack side bets can be a bit high. For instance, based on the number of decks used, the house advantage for the Blackjack Insurance wager can be between 5.8% and 7.5%.
The case of more card decks and increased house edge
While this may sound a bit surprising, the house edge in Blackjack increases when more decks of cards are used. Now you might wonder why it is so. Sure, the number of card decks has increased, but the ratio of high cards to low cards is still the same.
Well, the answer to that lies in the probability of getting a Blackjack. Let’s say you’re playing a single-deck Blackjack game at an online casino UK and draw an Ace as your first card. A standard Blackjack card deck consists of 52 cards, so taking out an Ace means there are 51 cards left in the deck. And 16 of these remaining cards carry a value of 10. That way, your likelihood of getting a Blackjack here is 16/51 or 31.37%.
Now let’s consider the same scenario with eight decks of cards. Here, taking out an Ace leaves us with 415 cards remaining in the shoe. And 128 of these cards are valued at 10. So, the chances of you getting a Blackjack here are 128/145 or 30.84%.
As you can see, the likelihood of you getting a Blackjack decreases as more decks are used. And fewer Blackjacks translates to higher casino advantage.
Can counting cards give you an edge over the house?
Card counting is an advantage gambling technique that Blackjack players use to get an edge over the house. When counting cards, what you essentially do is keep a relative count of how many high cards vs. low cards are remaining in the shoe. You then use that information to place your bets accordingly. For example, if there are many high cards left, you go on to raise your wager.
- While not illegal, many casinos don’t like players who count cards. And some of them may even suspend you from playing the game if you’re found counting cards. Also, the chances of you losing a substantial amount are quite high if you happen to make a mistake while counting cards. Furthermore, owing to the nature of RNG-based Blackjack games, it’s not possible to count cards when playing Blackjack at a mobile casino UK. So, be sure to keep all those things in mind if you’re planning to count cards at a Blackjack table.