Blackjack Odds Of Winning
- Blackjack Odds Of Winning Chart
- Blackjack Odds Of Winning
- Blackjack Odds Chart
- Odds Of Winning At Blackjack
- Blackjack Odds Sheet
The best games to play are blackjack, Spanish 21, Vegas Strip BJ and Blackjack Switch. Avoid side bets. Side bets look exciting, because for a nominal amount you could possibly win a huge jackpot — worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The problem is that the odds against winning can be anywhere from 2-40%. Avoid wives tales. Blackjack odds are percentage figures which represent your probability of losing or winning a hand. They can also represent the house edge or their profit margins as well. Usually probability odds don't mean much on the short term, but they clearly average out in the long term and this is why the casinos always win over the long term.
Hand Value | Probability of Going Bust % |
---|---|
11 | 0% |
12 | 31% |
13 | 39% |
14 | 56% |
15 | 58% |
16 | 62% |
17 | 69% |
18 | 77% |
19 | 85% |
20 | 92% |
21 | 100% |
How To Play Blackjack To Win
- Be Aware Of House Edge - Both land-based and online casinos will always have at least a small edge over you, the player. This is simply the nature of the beast and is one of the reasons why you’ll never see a casino going out of business. For example, you’ll have to play first. Therefore, if you go bust, you’ll automatically lose the hand even if the dealer goes bust two seconds after you. Make sure you understand all aspects of the house edge before you start playing.
- Different Variations = Different Rules - Don’t just assume that because you’re playing blackjack all of the rules will be the same as the standard version. If you go in with that mindset it will be a recipe for disaster. There are far too many versions to list here. However, the games you’re most likely to encounter are Blackjack Surrender, Atlantic City Blackjack, Double Exposure Blackjack, and a few others.
- Blackjack Strategies - As with all games, there are several betting systems on the market claiming to give you a better chance of winning. First of all, forget counting cards. Not only is it against house rules but you basically have to be a math genius in order to work out the percentages. However, there are certain legal strategies which can increase your chances - such as basic blackjack strategy. You can also use cheat sheets since the dealer can’t see you.
Blackjack Tips for Beginners
- Increase Your Stakes Slowly - Firstly, start playing with small stakes. If you go in all guns blazing on your very first hand and try to win half a million there’s a good chance you’re going to leave the table with your tail between your legs. Respect the game and try to get an understanding of how it works. Blackjack is a fun game to play, our advice would be to play through a minimum of 50 hands on the lowest stake before you start increasing the size of your bet.
- Understand the Percentages - Obviously, the main aim of this game is to get to 21. Therefore, it’s extremely important that you fully understand the odds. For example, if you’re sitting on 18 and you choose to hit there’s a good chance that you’re going to go bust. However, if you’re sitting on 11 or less you literally can’t lose by taking one more hit. Do your research and don’t play blindly. It’ll pay off in the long term.
- Focus On Yourself - It’s easy to make rash decisions based on what other players are doing. For example, if somebody at the table raises the stakes significantly it might send a shiver down your spine. However, it doesn’t really matter what the players around you are doing. You’re playing against the dealer and nobody else. Always keep this in mind before you make any decisions. This is one of our golden rules in regards to blackjack.
Blackjack Odds Chart
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Blackjack Odds FAQs
What are the odds of winning blackjack?
There are many factors that will affected your chances of winning a hand of blackjack. Your hand, the dealer's hand - and the rules can all impact the outcome. See our full strategy guide above for more details.
Should I use a blackjack odds chart?
It is certainly a helpful tool to have - and we have a free one you can use above. However, we recommend a blackjack strategy chart that shows you the optimal strategic play for that hand. This will lead you to more fruitful results and reduce the house edge to its minimum.
Is a blackjack odds calculator useful?
In some situations - yes. But once again, a basic strategy chart is more useful as it gives you the best plays possible for what the dealer has.
What is the blackjack games with the best odds?
To find the game with the best odds, we want to look at blackjack games with the best house edge. Single deck games where the dealer stands on soft 17 boast a house edge of just 0.18%. See above for more info on house edge.
Blackjack, unlike other gambling games is not considered a game of chance, it is one that you can win if you start applying some knowledge. Unlike many other games where the result depends on player luck only, this game provides probabilities depending on the player decisions. Therefore, in order to win you have to know what your probabilities are now and how and when to increase them.
Before we take a look at player and dealer blackjack odds, we should consider all the parameters that affect the odds in the game.
The easiest way for you to calculate the odds in blackjack is by using our free House Edge Calculator. This tool will help you to count player odds and the probabilities of dealer going bust on various dealer's up cards.
Blackjack Rules Variations
Blackjack variations were created to entertain players and provide them with a chance to win more money on side bets. Each rule variation affects the house edge, some rules making a big, others making a minor difference. Most common rule variations can be found at our House Edge Calculator in the «Rules» window. Now, let's take a closer look at the rules and see how they affect the odds in the game.
NOTE: The rules chosen in the table below are most favorable for the player.
Number of decks
The first thing a player should consider when choosing a table is the number of decks used in the game. The more decks there are - the less odds the player has. (See the table - Probabilities – Number of decks)
Dealer hits or stands on soft 17
The main rules of the game are usually written on the table felt and it may say either dealer hits or stands on soft 17. If according to the rules dealer hits soft 17, the game gives the house a 0.2% extra edge.
Rules for doubling
This rule is sometimes called the 'Reno' rule, which restricts doubling only to certain hand totals. Double 9 - 11 affects the house edge increasing it by 0.09% (8 decks game) and 0.15% (1 deck game). Double 10-11 increases the house edge by 0.17% (8 decks game) and 0.26% (1 deck game).
Doubling after Split
If the casino allows a player to double after he splits a pair, the player will get a further edge of around 0.12%.
Resplitting
Most casinos allow players to split again after he/she splits a pair and is dealt another card of the same rank. However, if the casino does not, this means the odds favor the house. As the best hands for splitting are a pair of Aces and 8s, there may be a special rule for Splitting Aces. If the casino allows the player to re-split Aces, the player gets a 0.03% extra edge. Moreover, in most cases if the player splits Aces, the casino will deal only one card per hand and that's it. Allowing players to hit on a hand of Split Aces gives the player an edge of 0.13%. We do not consider this rule in our calculator due to the fact it is almost never used, especially online.
Good for player- 1 deck of cards (house edge 0.17%)
- Doubling allowed on any cards
- Doubling allowed after Split and after Hit (player edge 0.12%)
- Early surrender is preferable
- Dealer stands on soft 17 (player edge 0.2%)
- Resplitting any cards allowed (player edge 0.03%)
Extra Rules Affecting Blackjack Odds
European No-Hole-Card Rule
Some blackjack variations are played with a hole card that is dealt to the dealer only after all the players have played their hands. This rule affects player strategy when playing against dealer up 10 or an Ace. In a typical hole-card game the player would know whether the dealer has a Blackjack or not before he makes any decisions. In this game, however, the player is risking a lot more if he decides to double or split. This rule adds 0.11% to the house advantage. However, there may be some casinos that allow the player to push on all the additional bets (doubling down and splitting pairs) if the dealer happens to have Blackjack.
Another Payouts on Blackjack
The classic payout on player Blackjack is 3 to 2. However, some casinos change the payout to increase the house edge. The payout on blackjack thus may vary from 1:1 to 6:5. As a Blackjack hand frequency is approximately 4.8% (see the table Two Card Hand Frequency), the payout of 1:1 will increase house edge by 2.3% and the payout of 6:5 - by 1.4%. The first rule (1:1) is only rarely found , while the second (6:5) can be found at some tables with a single deck blackjack game. The payout on Blackjack is generally written on a table felt.
Best tip
for odds seekers
The easiest way to choose the game with the highest odds is to play blackjack with no extra special rules. Do not forget where your basic odds are hidden - chance to Split, Double Down and get a 3 to 2 payout on Natural.
Dealer wins Ties
Another disadvantage for the player is when the rules of the game say that dealer wins all ties. This rule is almost never used in the classic games, though it can be found in some blackjack variations.
Insurance
The Insurance bet is a casino trick that gives the house a huge edge. The main factor why many players take this bet lies in the fact it costs only half of the original one. However, when the player takes Insurance every time he plays the game, the house edge may raise up to 7%. Added to all the other rules the casino sets on the game and you will see why probabilities are worth learning if you want to quit winners.
Side Bets
All blackjack games that offer side bets seem to be the biggest attraction for blackjack lovers. However, if you consider blackjack odds on these bets, you will notice that no matter how big the jackpot is (as in progressive blackjack rules) or how great the payout is for the pair (as in perfect pairs rules), the odds still favor the house and you are not likely to win.
Blackjack Odds Of Winning Chart
Blackjack Probabilities charts
Number of decks | House Advantage % |
Single | 0.17 |
2 | 0.46 |
4 | 0.60 |
6 | 0.64 |
8 | 0.66 |
Blackjack Odds Of Winning
The quantity of decks increases the house advantage with each extra deck added to the game. Look for games with the smallest number of decks. However, some games offering a chance to play with 1 deck may only still provide low player odds due to low payouts on Blackjack and other rules. Be sure to check them before you play.
Blackjack Odds Chart
Hand value | % frequency |
21 | 4.8 |
17-20 | 30 |
1-16 | 38.7 |
No Bust | 26.5 |
The table on the left describes how often the following hands can appear. The hands are the first two-cards dealt to the player. The frequency stands for the average number of times dealt per deck of cards. As you can see, the most frequent hands dealt are the 'Decision hands' that demand knowledge of blackjack strategy.
Hand value | % of busting |
21 | 100 |
20 | 92 |
19 | 85 |
18 | 77 |
17 | 69 |
16 | 62 |
15 | 58 |
14 | 56 |
13 | 39 |
12 | 31 |
11 or less | 0 |
In this table you can see the probability of going bust on any hand if the player decides to Hit. This means that with 0% you can never go bust when hitting a hand of 11 or less. As you can see, the table is for hard hand totals as you will 100% bust if you Hit on a hand of hard 21.
Card | House edge % (when cards removed) |
2 | 0.40 |
3 | 0.43 |
4 | 0.52 |
5 | 0.67 |
6 | 0.45 |
7 | 0.30 |
8 | 0.01 |
9 | -0.15 |
10,J,Q,K | -0.51 |
Ace | -0.59 |
You probably already know that in blackjack small cards in the deck favor the dealer while big ones favor the player. In this table you can see that removing 2s from the deck adds a 0.40% of advantage to the player, while if 10's are taken out - the odds are 0.51% for the house.
Dealer Face Up Card | Dealer Bust % | Player Odds % (Using Basic Strategy) |
2 | 35.3 | 9.8 |
3 | 37.56 | 13.4 |
4 | 40.28 | 18 |
5 | 42.89 | 23.2 |
6 | 42.08 | 23.9 |
7 | 25.99 | 14.3 |
8 | 23.86 | 5.4 |
9 | 23.34 | -4.3 |
10,J,Q,K | 21.43 | -16.9 |
Ace | 11.65 | -16 |
Blackjack probabilities are calculated due to different parameters, including the dealer up card. The table on the left depicts how likely it is that dealer will go bust with certain up cards and what the player odds are in this very situation. For example, the highest player odds are when the dealer shows a 6, as he is most likely to go bust with this hand. The lowest player odds are when the dealer's up card is a 10 or an Ace.
Odds Of Winning At Blackjack
You can count the players and casino odds any time you play with the help of our House Edge Calculator. The tool helps to find the probabilities for any game rules and the results can be calculated for all parameters.