Blackjack House Edge Calculator
Know what a blackjack table really costs before you sit down
Set the rules printed on the table (or in the game's help screen) and see the house edge you face when you play perfect basic strategy — plus what each rule costs or gives you.
House edge
0.40%
Good rules. This is about as low as the house edge gets without counting cards.
Expected loss
4.00
House edge × bet × hands, on your initial bets. A long-run average: any single session can land far above or below it.
Rule by rule (positive = costs you)
| 6 deck(s), Vegas Strip baseline | +0.54 pt |
| Double after split allowed | −0.14 pt |
| House edge | 0.40% |
Additive rule-effect model based on Arnold Snyder's published tables (Blackbelt in Blackjack), cross-checked with an exact infinite-deck calculation. Accuracy about ±0.05 points; assumes perfect basic strategy for those rules, no side bets, no insurance. 18+, play responsibly.
How it works
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Read the rules on the table felt or in the game's help screen: number of decks, what blackjack pays, what the dealer does on soft 17.
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Set them in the calculator, or start from one of the typical tables and adjust.
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Read the house edge, the rule-by-rule breakdown, and the expected cost for your bet and number of hands.
About this tool
Blackjack is not one game but hundreds of rule sets, and the rules alone move the house edge from below 0.5% to well over 2%. The biggest single factor is the blackjack payout: a 6:5 table takes about 1.4 points more than a 3:2 table, because you lose 30% of your winnings on the hand you get roughly once every 21 deals. After that come the dealer hitting soft 17 (about 0.2 points), the number of decks, and restrictions on doubling.
This calculator adds up the published effect of each rule, the same method used by blackjack analysts, and we cross-checked those effects with our own exact infinite-deck computation. It assumes you play the correct basic strategy for those rules — every mistake adds to the edge, which is why the strategy chart is the first thing to learn. Use it to compare tables and to see what a session really costs on average. 18+, play responsibly.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good house edge for blackjack?
Under about 0.5% with basic strategy is a good game: typically 6 or 8 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, blackjack pays 3:2 and double after split is allowed. Above 1% something important is missing — almost always the 3:2 payout.
How much worse is a 6:5 blackjack table?
About 1.4 percentage points worse than the same game paying 3:2. On a 6-deck table that roughly turns a 0.6% game into a 2% game — more than three times the expected cost per hand.
Is a single-deck game always better?
Only if the other rules stay the same. One deck is worth about half a point to the player, but single-deck tables often pay 6:5 or restrict doubling, which wipes out the gain and more. Enter the full rules to see the real figure.
Does the house edge mean I lose that percentage of my bankroll?
No. It is the average loss per unit of initial bet over a very large number of hands. With a 0.5% edge, €10 hands cost about 5 cents each on average, so 100 hands cost about €5 — but a single session swings far more than that, either way.
Can a betting system lower the house edge?
No. Martingale, D'Alembert or any other progression changes how big your bets are, not the odds of each hand. Only playing decisions (basic strategy) and, in a real shoe, card counting change the edge.
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Open toolThis tool is for entertainment and education. It does not predict outcomes and cannot beat the house edge. 18+ — play responsibly.