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Blackjack house edge calculator
Set the table rules. The house edge is worked out for perfect basic strategy under exactly those rules.
Inputs
On average the house keeps 0.62% of every first bet when you play every hand by the chart for these rules.
The bet and number of hands are only an example, not a suggestion. Over a short session the result swings far above and below the average.
What the house edge means
The house edge is the share of each first bet the casino keeps on average, over a very large number of hands. It already counts the extra money you put out when you double or split. A 0.5% edge means a 10 bet costs about 5 cents per hand on average – but no single hand loses 5 cents; you win or lose whole bets and the average shows up only over many hands.
Which rules matter most
The payout for a blackjack matters most: 6:5 instead of 3:2 adds more to the house edge than any other common rule. After that come the dealer hitting soft 17, fewer decks (which help the player), double after split and surrender. The strategy chart page lists the cost of each rule one by one.
How it is worked out
An exact calculation over the cards left in the shoe for each rule set gives the average result of every hand played by the basic strategy chart for those rules. Split hands are treated as independent and re-splits are approximated (up to 4 hands; aces once). An independent simulator of our own reproduces the figures within its margin of error.
Other calculators
All of them run on the same engine as the strategy chart.
Hit or stand calculator
Every move's average result for any hand against any dealer up card.
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The average result of a session and how far it usually swings either way.
Open →Risk of ruin calculator
The chance of losing your whole bankroll before you reach a goal.
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