Blackjack House Edge

The blackjack house edge can be the lowest among all casino games, at 0.5%. That’s if you make the right selection regarding variants, rules, strategy, and decks. The house edge, also referred to as RTP, is the first reference point for every casino game, like with blackjack. This value indicates the chances of winning against the dealer.

Things are not as simple as telling you, the blackjack house edge is 0.5%. Many aspects contribute to this, which you must be aware of and use to get the best odds.

House Edge in Blackjack Explained

To understand the blackjack house edge, you can think of it as the expected profit of the casino. There is a house edge for each casino game and blackjack variant, and their total indicates the long-term profits of the casino in percentages.

The blackjack house edge is 2% on average, but it can be higher or lower based on how you play the game and other aspects relating to the rules. Generally speaking, the blackjack house odds are considered the lowest across all other games. For reference, here is the average house edge of other popular games at the casino:

• Online slots 4%
• Video poker 2%
• Online Roulette 3%
• Progressives 8%

An important point relating to the house advantage in blackjack and other games is that even though the statistics are always in favor of the house, this doesn’t mean you cannot win while playing. It’s true that, on average, for every $100 wagered on the blackjack table, you would lose $2, based on the house edge. However, you could take a seat and land 10 or even 20 winning hands in the row.

The house edge and odds in blackjack will usually play out on hundreds or even thousands of rounds.

What Does House Edge Mean in Practice

The house edge can mean different things depending on how you look at it.

True Blackjack House Edge

Now, even though the blackjack house edge can be very low, the casino hold is often much bigger, even from the 2% average. That’s because players are prone to lose due to bad decision-making.

Don’t get us wrong, though. Playing blackjack in the best way possible is challenging, and even professional players sometimes fail.

Our blackjack guides can help you learn the ins and outs and get the best odds each time you take a seat against the dealer.

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  Ways Casinos Optimize their House Edge

  As players can take measures to lower the blackjack house edge, so can casinos. There are two standard ways they can achieve this.

  The first one is simple; the faster blackjack rounds play, the more money the casino makes. That’s because the long-term house edge favors it. In the past, casinos shuffled blackjack cards every 20 hands, and the time required for this cost them precious money. Nowadays, brick-and-mortar casinos have incorporated shoes that automatically reshuffle the deck; the same thing happens online but through a random number generator.

  The second way casinos optimize towards their edge is by monitoring how each game performs. For example, if a slot machine payouts more than it should, it is most likely to remove it. The same can happen with blackjack dealers making errors.

Blackjack House Edge Myths

There is a lot of misinformation online, and that includes blackjack. Not everyone provides the complete picture regarding the house edge or other mechanics. Similarly, someone might just read the first few lines of a guide and leave the page taking for granted that blackjack has a 0.5% house edge. Word of mouth can then spread this further. Below, we will try and clear the air surrounding some of the most common misconceptions tied to the blackjack house edge.

Blackjack House Edge FAQs