Blackjack | HouseEdge

Table 01 Blackjack

Blackjack rewards decisions, but the table rules set the price.

Beat the dealer's total without going over 21. The same hand can have a different correct play depending on the dealer's face-up card, and the printed rules on the felt can move the house edge more than most players realise.

Look for: 3:2
Avoid: 6:5
Edge, good rules + strategy: ≈0.5%

How a hand works

Bet, then two cards each. Players get two face-up cards; the dealer gets one up and one face down (the "hole card").
Card values. 2–10 count face value, J/Q/K count 10, an ace counts 1 or 11. A hand with an ace counted as 11 is "soft".
Your choices. Hit (take a card), stand, double (double the bet, take exactly one card), split a pair into two hands, or surrender half the bet where offered.
The dealer has no choices. The dealer must draw to 16 and stand on 17. The rule printed on the felt says whether a soft 17 is hit.
Payouts. A win pays 1:1, a natural (ace + ten-value card) pays 3:2, a tie is a "push" and your bet stays.

Rules that move the edge

Change in house edge versus a standard 6-deck game
Rule on the felt	Effect
Blackjack pays 6:5 instead of 3:2	+1.39%
Dealer hits soft 17 (H17)	≈ +0.2%
No doubling after a split	≈ +0.15%
Late surrender offered	≈ −0.08%

At $25 a hand, a 6:5 table costs about $35 more per 100 hands than an otherwise identical 3:2 table. Figures: Wizard of Odds rule-variation analysis.

Basic strategy, the whole chart.

The mathematically best play for every starting hand, for the most common rules: 4–8 decks · dealer stands on soft 17 · double after split · late surrender. Tap any square for the reason.

HHit SStand DDouble, otherwise hit DsDouble, otherwise stand PSplit RSurrender, otherwise hit

Tap a square to see why.

Dealer shows

Your hand

Practice table

Play the hand the chart would. Your streak resets on a mistake.

Your move.

Streak 0Correct 0 / 0