Blackjack Odds, Payout, and House Edge Explained
Live Blackjack is a popular casino game that involves a lot of strategies when aiming to win big. To better maximize blackjack strategies, it’s important to know a blackjack table’s house edge and the odds and payouts of different bets available in a table to be able to play at the right table. Some blackjack tables also feature side bets with their own respective odds and payouts.
Blackjack House Edge
The house edge is the casino’s advantage over the player. Both European and American Blackjack feature low house edges, with them being 0.5% and 2% respectively. The house edge is already low enough to make the game attractive for anyone who wants to game for real money and the house edge can go down further when using Basic Strategy and advanced strategies like card counting. However, the house edge can easily go up when the gambler makes mistakes with how they play.
| Blackjack Variation | Payout | Odds | House Edge |
| European Blackjack | 3:2 | 31.25% | 0.5% |
| American Blackjack | 6:5 | 15.38% | 2% |
The Player’s Edge in Blackjack
The player can affect their edge over the casino from either 99.5% or 98% to a higher value by doing the following while practicing Basic Strategy and card counting:
Mastering Basic Strategy and learning how to count cards will help gamblers increase their edge over the casino. Additionally, gamblers must know when to quit before they suffer bad losing streaks.
Blackjack Side Bets Payouts and Odds to Win
Side bets are bonus bets available in some blackjack variations and implemented by several gaming providers in their own blackjack games. Some of these side bets include 21+3 bets, pairs, and more. These side bets have their own respective odds and payouts that gamblers can review to see whether they should place the side bet or not.
| Side Bets | Payout | Odds |
| Insurance | 2:1 | Varies on the number of decks |
| Mixed Pair | 6:1 | 16.39% |
| Colored Pair | 12:1 | 8.26% |
| Perfect Pair | 25:1 | 3.98% |
| Suited Three of a Kind | 100:1 | 1.00% |
| Straight Flush | 40:1 | 2.49% |
| Three of a Kind | 30:1 | 3.32% |
| Straight | 10:1 | 9.90% |
| Flush | 5:1 | 19.61% |
Bust It is a blackjack side bet available in certain blackjack tables where the gambler wins when the dealer busts on their third card. The payout per bust depends on the third card.
| Dealer Outcome | Payouts |
| Bust with 6 | 15:1 |
| Bust with 7 | 9:1 |
| Bust with 8 | 7:1 |
| Bust with 9 | 5:1 |
| Bust with 10 | 10:1 |
| Bust with colored 888 | 50:1 |
| Bust with suited 888 | 200:1 |
Hot 3 is another blackjack side bet available in certain blackjack tables where the gambler wins when the combined total of the player’s upcard and the dealer’s upcard is 19, 20, or 21. The paytable is as follows:
| Upcard Total | Payouts |
| 7-7-7 | 100:1 |
| Suited 21 | 20:1 |
| Unsuited 21 | 4:1 |
| 20 | 2:1 |
| 19 | 1:1 |
These side bets are available in some blackjack variations and tables with special rules and have their own winning conditions. Some of the side bets mentioned above are exclusive to Evolution Gaming’s blackjack tables.
Odds of Winning in Blackjack
The odds of winning a blackjack game will usually vary from variation to variation, but the odds can get as high as 42.22% and as low as 1.00%. The odds will fluctuate as the game goes on, but it’s safe to say that a player’s odds will only improve if they play correctly according to Basic Strategy and other advanced strategies.
It’s better to review blackjack probabilities to understand better how likely it is to win in blackjack.
Probabilities of Winning Blackjack
The probability of winning in blackjack will shift as the game goes on, so it’s hard to give any probability values. Instead, it’s easier to provide the probability of winning by getting Blackjack or 21.
| Number of Decks | Probability |
| 1 | 4.827% |
| 2 | 4.780% |
| 3 | 4.764% |
| 4 | 4.757% |
| 5 | 4.752% |
| 6 | 4.749% |
| 7 | 4.747% |
| 8 | 4.745% |
As shown in the table above, it’s easier to get Blackjack the fewer decks in play. The more decks there are, the harder it is to get a Blackjack through face cards, 10s, and Aces since there are more 2-9 cards at play.
Probabilities of Busting
Both player and dealer can bust in blackjack, and the probabilities can easily be understood based on the player’s hand value and the dealer’s upcard.
Probability of Player Busting
A player can bust when hitting, and the probability of them busting will differ depending on their hand’s value.
| Hand Value | Probability of Busting (Dealer Stands on Soft 17) |
| 20 | 92% |
| 19 | 85% |
| 18 | 77% |
| 17 | 69% |
| 16 | 62% |
| 15 | 58% |
| 14 | 56% |
| 13 | 39% |
| 12 | 31% |
| 11 and below | 0% |
There is no 100% probability of busting unless all Aces are gone since it’s still possible of getting Blackjack when hitting on 20, but there’s a significant chance of busting since there are more 2-10 value cards than there are Aces.
Probability of Dealer Busting
It’s possible for the dealer to bust, especially since they’re usually forced to hit until they get 17. Some tables allow the dealer to hit on Soft 17, giving them more chances to get a Blackjack or get a higher hand than the player. The table below shows the probability that the dealer must stand on Soft 17.
| Dealer’s Upcard | Probability of Busting |
| 0 | 21.43% |
| 9 | 23.34% |
| 8 | 23.86% |
| 7 | 25.99% |
| 6 | 42.08% |
| 5 | 42.89% |
| 4 | 40.28% |
| 3 | 37.56% |
| 2 | 35.30% |
| Ace | 17% |
Observing the table above will reveal that the probability of busting on 6 is higher than when the upcard is 7 or higher. This is because the dealer can still hit when they get a 10 and hitting again introduces more risks since the dealer must draw an Ace up to 5 to avoid busting. When the dealer is forced to stand on a Soft 17, drawing a 10 when the upcard is 7 means that the dealer will have a relatively strong hand.
How Gamblers Can Reduce Blackjack’s House Edge and Improve Their Odds
Gamblers can improve their blackjack odds of winning by following some of the tips written below. These tips will include Basic Strategy rules and some advanced strategies so it’s important to practice proper blackjack strategies instead of playing randomly.
Be Mindful of the Blackjack Variation
Different blackjack variations will usually have different house edges and some tables have side bets or special rules and features. Go Perya is powered by Evolution Gaming and this provider has a selection of different blackjack tables.
A basic rule of thumb is to focus on American Blackjack and its 6:5 payout. Trying out any available side bets can also be a good idea.
Practice Blackjack Basic Strategy
Mastering Basic Strategy is essential to improve a gambler’s chances of winning real money. Additionally, all successful blackjack strategies require gamblers to first master Basic Strategies before they can use them effectively. Basic Strategy guides gamblers to make the right decision depending on what their hand’s values are and what the dealer’s upcard is.
Practice Counting Cards
Card counting is an advanced strategy that gamblers can use to increase their stakes when they have an advantage and decrease them when they’re at a disadvantage. Gamblers must first master Basic Strategy to be able to make the correct decisions and deviate from them intentionally to throw off the dealer, limit losses, and even use insurance.
Counting cards is only viable when playing live blackjack since video blackjack tables produce cards based on RNG and it’s impossible for certain cards to run out and count the cards.
Never Take Insurance
Unless a gambler’s a card counter and they want to throw off the dealer or limit their losses through insurance, they should avoid insurance like a plague. This is because it cancels out the chance of getting paid 3:2 when getting Blackjack and they’ll just get refunded.
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Conclusion
Live blackjack is a popular online casino game for gamblers who want to win real money and several gamblers have already beaten casinos after mastering card counting. Studying probability and odds allows gamblers to understand why Basic Strategy has several rules set in place the way they are and even pick a side bet to use when the option is presented to them.
Gamblers can register at Go Perya today to try out our selection of online blackjack tables. Go Perya is an online casino with a wide selection of games, including popular casino games like blackjack, baccarat, poker, and online slots. Register today to start playing blackjack with us.
