Blackjack house edge: what each rule costs
Blackjack with basic strategy and decent table rules costs you about 0.5% of what you bet. A table that pays 6:5 for a blackjack instead of 3:2 adds about 1.35 points on its own, more than every other common rule change together. If the dealer also hits soft 17, add another 0.22.
Rule by rule
| Rules | House edge | Change vs base |
|---|---|---|
| Base: dealer stands on soft 17, peeks for blackjack, double any two cards, double after split, split to 4 hands, 3:2 | 0.51% | |
| Split once only | 0.57% | +0.06 |
| Double on 9, 10, 11 only | 0.60% | +0.09 |
| No hole card (dealer blackjack takes doubles and splits too) | 0.63% | +0.11 |
| No double after split | 0.65% | +0.14 |
| No double after split, split once | 0.69% | +0.18 |
| Dealer hits soft 17 | 0.73% | +0.22 |
| Dealer hits soft 17, split once | 0.79% | +0.28 |
| No hole card, no double after split, split once | 0.80% | +0.29 |
| Dealer hits soft 17, no double after split, split once | 0.91% | +0.40 |
| Blackjack pays 6:5 | 1.87% | +1.35 |
| Dealer hits soft 17 and 6:5 | 2.08% | +1.57 |
Exact expected value per hand with total-dependent basic strategy, infinite deck, split aces get one card, no surrender, insurance never taken. Script blackjack.py in our repo (growth6/daten/phase2/b1b). The rule effects match the Wizard of Odds table within 0.04 points for soft 17, double after split and no hole card.
Before you sit down, look at three things on the table or in the help text: what a blackjack pays, whether the dealer hits soft 17, and whether you can double after a split. Those three cover most of the spread in the table. Deck count matters less than people think. Going from eight decks to six moves the edge by 0.02 points.
Where 0.57% comes from
Stake lists 0.57% for its own Originals blackjack and doesn't print the full rule set on the page. A random generator never runs out of cards, so we ran the numbers for an endless deck, and 0.57% comes out exactly for a dealer who stands on soft 17 and peeks, doubling on any two cards and after a split, one split per hand, 3:2. Open the game's help panel and look for those five rules before you sit down.
- House edge
- 0.57%
- RTP
- 99.43%
- Blackjack pays
- 3:2
- Insurance
- offered when the dealer shows an ace, pays 2:1
- Closest rule set in our table
- S17, peek, DAS, split once, 3:2
Dealer bust chance by upcard
| Dealer shows | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stands on soft 17 | 35.4% | 37.4% | 39.4% | 41.6% | 42.3% | 26.2% | 24.5% | 22.8% | 23.0% | 16.7% |
| Hits soft 17 | 35.7% | 37.7% | 39.7% | 41.8% | 43.9% | 26.2% | 24.5% | 22.8% | 23.0% | 20.1% |
Own calculation, blackjack_extras.py. With 10 or ace showing, the numbers assume the dealer has already checked and has no blackjack.
This is why you stand on 13 against a 5 and hit it against a 7. A 5 or 6 showing busts four times in ten, so you let the dealer take the risk. A 7 busts about one time in four and usually ends on 17 or better, so a stiff hand left standing loses more often than not.
| Hard total | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bust chance | 30.8% | 38.5% | 46.2% | 53.8% | 61.5% | 69.2% |
Cards that bust you ÷ 13 ranks, with 10, J, Q, K counted as four.
Insurance
Insurance pops up every time the dealer shows an ace. It's a side bet that the hidden card is a 10, J, Q or K, paid at 2:1 on a 4 in 13 chance, and that leaves the house 7.69%. With a blackjack in your own hand the offer comes back as even money, and the maths underneath doesn't change, so turn that down too.
18+. Basic strategy lowers the edge but the house keeps it. Help: Responsible gaming.
Not affiliated with Stake or any casino. Names belong to their owners.
Questions
What is the house edge in blackjack?
About 0.5% with basic strategy, 3:2 blackjack and good rules. Bad rules push it past 2%, mostly through a 6:5 payout.
How much does 6:5 blackjack cost?
About 1.35 extra points of house edge in our infinite-deck calculation, so roughly $13.50 more per $1,000 wagered.
What is the house edge of Stake blackjack?
Stake's page shows 0.57%, RTP 99.43%. That figure assumes you play basic strategy. Mistakes raise it.
Is insurance ever worth it?
Not with basic strategy. It pays 2:1 on a 4 in 13 chance, a 7.69% house edge. Card counters in shoe games are the exception.
Sources
- Stake: Blackjack game page (Wayback, 11 Oct 2026) · current page on stake.com. house edge 0.57%, RTP 99.43%, insurance pays 2:1; stake.com answers 403 to our fetcher Checked 12 November 2026
- Wizard of Odds: blackjack rule variations. cross-check: soft 17 0.22, no DAS 0.14, no hole card 0.11, 6:5 1.39 (8 decks); 6 decks vs 8 decks 0.02 Checked 12 November 2026
18+ · Play responsibly · gamblingtherapy.org