Blackjack House Edge, Measured
Every number on this page comes from our own simulation. We dealt 20,000,000 hands per configuration with perfect basic strategy, through the same engine that runs our trainer and free play table. House edge is the share of each initial bet the casino keeps on average over many hands. At 0.66%, a $25-a-hand player loses about $16 per hundred hands.
Baseline table
6 decks · H17 · DAS · 3:2
0.66%
house edge with perfect basic strategy
Number of decks
Fewer decks lower the house edge. Blackjacks come more often and doubles reach their target more often.
| Configuration | House edge | Change from baseline | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 deck | 0.15% | −0.50pp | |
| 2 decks | 0.44% | −0.22pp | |
| 4 decks | 0.58% | −0.07pp | |
| 8 decks | 0.68% | +0.03pp |
Rule variations
Each row changes one rule from the baseline and holds every other rule fixed.
| Configuration | House edge | Change from baseline | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dealer stands on soft 17 (S17) | 0.47% | −0.19pp | |
| No double after split | 0.79% | +0.14pp | |
| Late surrender allowed | 0.59% | −0.07pp | |
| Resplit aces allowed | 0.58% | −0.07pp |
Blackjack payout
A 6:5 blackjack payout adds more to the house edge than any other rule in these tables.
| Configuration | House edge | Change from baseline | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackjack pays 6:5 | 2.01% | +1.36pp | |
| No DAS · 6:5 (a bad table) | 2.15% | +1.50pp |
What matters most
Two rows outweigh everything else above. A 6:5 blackjack payout adds about 1.36 percentage points and roughly triples the baseline edge. Never play 6:5.
Your own mistakes cost more still. An average player gives away 1 to 2 percentage points to imperfect strategy, while the rules cost about half a percent.
You cannot change the rules. You can remove the mistakes, and the trainer is free.
Methodology
We played 20,000,000 rounds per configuration with total-dependent basic strategy that our expected-value engine generated for that exact rule set. Shoes hold six decks dealt to 75% penetration, except the deck-count rows, which use their own deck counts. The dealer peeks, nobody counts cards, and the player always declines insurance. Seeds are fixed, so a rerun reproduces these numbers exactly. At this sample size each number is accurate to about ±0.05pp (two standard errors). Edge is per initial bet. No number on this page is copied from another source.
Only advantage play beats blackjack in the long run. For everyone else, the edge above is the price of playing. Bet only money you can afford to lose. Data generated 2026-08-05.