Odds In Blackjack For House
- Appendices
- Miscellaneous
- External Links
Blackjack House Edge: FAQ. Do bet sizes impact house edge in blackjack? It makes no difference whether you bet $10 or $10,000 - the house advantage stays the same. The amount you lose or win per bet changes, of course, depending on how big of an edge either you or the casino's got. Which blackjack game has the smallest casino edge? We’ll assume that the house edge in a blackjack game is 1.50%. Out of every $100 bet the player will lose $1.50 on average. The key here is on average. The player could lose much more money than that in a short period of online blackjack, or the player could win more. It's important to be aware of the blackjack odds like the odds of being dealt a blackjack or the odds of hitting a 10. The house has an advantage in blackjack simply because the player has to draw first and if he busts, the player automatically losses regardless if the dealer subsequently busts in the same round. This is the casino's solitary advantage in blackjack and if everything were equal, the house edge in. Diamond Reels Casino.
On This Page
Introduction
I saw Buster Blackjack in Lake Tahoe on July 9, 2016, but I think it has been around for years. The bet wins if the dealer busts. The more cards it takes, the more the player wins. The bet is marketed by AGS.
Rules
The rules to the side bet are quite simple. If the dealer busts, then the player wins according to how many cards were needed to bust. If the dealer does not bust, then the side bet loses. I know of two pay tables, which are shown below. All wins are on a 'to one' basis.
Version 1 Pay Table
Version 2 assumes that if the player gets a blackjack, then the dealer will still play out his hand.
Version 2 Pay Table
| Cards | Pays |
|---|---|
| 8+ cards & player BJ | 2000 |
| 7 cards & player BJ | 800 |
| 8+ cards & no player BJ | 250 |
| 7 cards & no player BJ | 50 |
| 6 cards | 18 |
| 5 cards | 4 |
| 3 or 4 cards | 2 |
Pay Table 1 Analysis
The following table shows the probability and return of all possible outcomes, assuming six decks and the dealer hits a soft 17. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 6.21%.
Pay Table 1 — Six Decks — Dealer Hits Soft 17
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bust with 8 cards | 250 | 0.000012 | 0.002986 |
| Bust with 7 cards | 50 | 0.000214 | 0.010722 |
| Bust with 6 cards | 12 | 0.002638 | 0.031651 |
| Bust with 5 cards | 4 | 0.020473 | 0.08189 |
| Bust with 4 cards | 2 | 0.089392 | 0.178784 |
| Bust with 3 cards | 2 | 0.173032 | 0.346064 |
| Dealer doesn't bust | -1 | 0.714241 | -0.714241 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.062143 |
The next table shows the house edge for other number of decks and whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.
House Edge Summary
| Decks | Stand on Soft 17 | Hit on Soft 17 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8.77% | 6.89% |
| 2 | 8.48% | 6.51% |
| 4 | 8.31% | 6.29% |
| 5 | 8.27% | 6.25% |
| 6 | 8.25% | 6.21% |
| 8 | 8.22% | 6.17% |
Pay Table 2 Analysis
The following table shows the probability and return of all possible outcomes, assuming six decks and the dealer stands on a soft 17. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 6.20%.
Pay Table 2 — Six Decks — Dealer Stands on Soft 17
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8+ cards & player BJ | 2000 | 0.00000037 | 0.000746886 |
| 7 cards & player BJ | 800 | 0.00000786 | 0.006284453 |
| 8+ cards | 250 | 0.00000808 | 0.002020582 |
| 7 cards | 50 | 0.00016478 | 0.008239127 |
| 6 cards | 18 | 0.00231512 | 0.041672197 |
| 5 cards | 4 | 0.01911939 | 0.076477552 |
| 3 or 4 cards | 2 | 0.26030574 | 0.520611475 |
| No bust | -1 | 0.71807866 | -0.718078658 |
| Total | 1.00000000 | -0.062026386 |
Mega Blackjack
Mega Blackjack is a blackjack variant that has special pay tables for the Buster Blackjack bet, as shown below. Note that for pay table 3 the dealer must bust with four or more cards for the side bet to win.
Buster Blackjack Version 3
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bust with 8+ cards | 250 | 0.000012 | 0.002986 |
| Bust with 7 cards | 50 | 0.000214 | 0.010722 |
| Bust with 6 cards | 15 | 0.002638 | 0.039564 |
| Bust with 5 cards | 10 | 0.020473 | 0.204726 |
| Bust with 4 cards | 6 | 0.089392 | 0.536351 |
| All other | -1 | 0.887272 | -0.887272 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.092923 |
Version 2 of Buster Blackjack has a pay table that pays for any busted dealer hand of three or more cards. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 13.79%.
Buster Blackjack Version 4
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bust with 8+ cards | 250 | 0.000012 | 0.002986 |
| Bust with 7 cards | 50 | 0.000214 | 0.010722 |
| Bust with 6 cards | 15 | 0.002638 | 0.039564 |
| Bust with 5 cards | 4 | 0.020473 | 0.081890 |
| Bust with 4 cards | 3 | 0.089392 | 0.268175 |
| Bust with 3 cards | 1 | 0.173032 | 0.173032 |
| All other | -1 | 0.714240 | -0.714240 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.137870 |
Evolution Gaming
Blackjack Odds Table
The live dealer studio by Evolution Gaming offers a game called Infinite Blackjack with the following pay table. The other rules are eight decks, dealer stands on soft 17, and the dealer always plays out his hand, even if the player gets blackjack. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 6.18%.
Evolution Gaming Pay Table and Rules
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bust with 8+ cards | 250 | 0.000009 | 0.002216 |
| Bust with 7 cards | 100 | 0.000177 | 0.017679 |
| Bust with 6 cards | 50 | 0.002337 | 0.116829 |
| Bust with 5 cards | 9 | 0.019139 | 0.172254 |
| Bust with 4 cards | 2 | 0.087163 | 0.174325 |
| Bust with 3 cards | 1 | 0.173015 | 0.173015 |
| Dealer doesn't bust | -1 | 0.718160 | -0.718160 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.061842 |
General Dealer Analysis
As long as I took the trouble to analyze this bet, I created a table showing the probability of various dealer events for a six-deck and eight-deck games and whether the dealer hits or stands on a soft 17.
Dealer Probabilities — Six Decks
| Event | Stand Soft 17 | Hit Soft 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer blackjack | 0.0474894880039574 | 0.0474894880039574 |
| Total of 17 | 0.1452452688762730 | 0.1334589459656700 |
| Total of 18 | 0.1392577712671790 | 0.1412046774882130 |
| Total of 19 | 0.1336847392868550 | 0.1356816733415020 |
| Total of 20 | 0.1795273038236620 | 0.1815306022489940 |
| Total of 21 | 0.0728740870713831 | 0.0748744175668735 |
| Bust with 3 cards | 0.1730318431697950 | 0.1730318431697950 |
| Bust with 4 cards | 0.0872738945778543 | 0.0893918097334332 |
| Bust with 5 cards | 0.0191193879779139 | 0.0204725508735587 |
| Bust with 6 cards | 0.0023151220619265 | 0.0026376021859953 |
| Bust with 7 cards | 0.0001726381111420 | 0.0002144441681795 |
| Bust with 8 cards | 0.0000082097440626 | 0.0000115279883244 |
| Bust with 9 cards | 0.0000002420252193 | 0.0000004080497202 |
| Bust with 10 cards | 0.0000000039733294 | 0.0000000090950948 |
| Bust with 11 cards | 0.0000000000293970 | 0.0000000001198596 |
| Bust with 12 cards | 0.0000000000000475 | 0.0000000000008244 |
| Bust with 13 cards | 0.0000000000000000 | 0.0000000000000022 |
| Total | 1.0000000000000000 | 1.0000000000000000 |
Dealer Probabilities — Eight Decks
| Event | Stand Soft 17 | Hit Soft 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Total of 17 | 0.145215 | 0.133409 |
| Total of 18 | 0.139318 | 0.141280 |
| Total of 19 | 0.133629 | 0.135630 |
| Total of 20 | 0.179709 | 0.181714 |
| Total of 21 | 0.072838 | 0.074841 |
| Blackjack | 0.047451 | 0.047451 |
| Bust with 3 cards | 0.173015 | 0.173015 |
| Bust with 4 cards | 0.087163 | 0.089276 |
| Bust with 5 cards | 0.019139 | 0.020491 |
| Bust with 6 cards | 0.002337 | 0.002661 |
| Bust with 7 cards | 0.000177 | 0.000219 |
| Bust with 8 cards | 8.60E-06 | 1.21E-05 |
| Bust with 9 cards | 2.63E-07 | 4.44E-07 |
| Bust with 10 cards | 4.58E-09 | 1.06E-08 |
| Bust with 11 cards | 3.76E-11 | 1.55E-10 |
| Bust with 12 cards | 8.35E-14 | 1.29E-12 |
| Bust with 13 cards | 0.00E+00 | 4.56E-15 |
External Links
- Discussion of Buster Blackjack in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.
- Discussion of Buster Blackjack in my forum at Card Counting the Buster Blackjack Side Bet at A.P. Heat.
Odds In Blackjack For House Plans
Written by:Michael ShacklefordBlackjack is a very popular card game, widely played in the casinos. It is largely a fair game because blackjack offers the best odds of winning for gamblers when compared to other casino games like slots and roulette.
Blackjack has an element of skill to it. Players play against the dealer. Several people can play the game at one time and instead of trying to beat each other, they are actually trying to beat the dealer. The player, whose hand comes closest to 21, without exceeding the figure, wins the game.
House Edge in Blackjack
House Edge, in blackjack, is the statistical advantage the casino has over the player. In any round of a blackjack game, at the table, the dealer is representative of the house or casino. As he acts last in a hand, he is able to see the other players’ cards and identify the probable actions they will take or the potential mistakes they will commit. This way, he has an advantage over other players.
Blackjack, compared to other casino games, has a lower house edge, which is just 0.5%. The percentage is true for when players are using the basic blackjack strategy. For pro gamblers who are using and executing the more advanced blackjack strategies, the house edge can even go down to 0. Similarly, if the player is unable to implement a strategy or take the right decision at the right time, the house edge percentage can rise up to 2.
What Are the Odds of Winning at Blackjack?
Blackjack has one of the best odds of winning, among many other casino games. In any round of a game of blackjack, the probability of an overall win is about 42.22%. The chances of a loss and a tie are 49.10% and 8.48% respectively. That being said, the odds of winning a single round of blackjack are quite unpredictable.
The odds of winning blackjack, when played over time, improve in favor of the player because he is able to implement strategies, apart from the basic one. Also, the variety becomes less making forcing the odds to even out eventually. That is why; blackjack is not only an entertaining game but a rewarding one for the long-term too.
Is Online Blackjack Rigged?
Odds In Blackjack For House Of Representatives
No, online blackjack is not rigged and is as fair as blackjack is in land-based casinos. However, the challenge is that different online casinos have different rules, which players need to be aware of before they start. Also, the odds of winning a game of blackjack in an online casino are much less. This is because, in the online version of the game, the cards are shuffled after each hand, eliminating the possibility of card counting.
There are some gambling sites that allow playing multi-deck games with a cut card. However, they also deal with about 50% of the cards before reshuffling. And even with a 50% cut, the edge with card counting is essentially very low.
Does Having a Solid Blackjack Strategy Increase My Winning Odds?
Yes, a solid blackjack basic strategy does help in increasing the winning odds of the blackjack player. The basic strategy is a set of rules, laying down the optimal way of playing each hand dealt with the given information. The strategy brings into account the process of card counting. It is a mathematically correct way of playing every hand and reducing the house edge to less than 1%.
However, the way modern blackjack is played, especially in online casinos, increasing the odds of winning consistently is a rare possibility. There are multiple decks, sometimes, more than 6 in a single round of the game. Also, the decks are reshuffled after every round, making card counting even more difficult. Even with all this, playing with the basic blackjack strategy in mind is the best way to go forward in the game.
Do Blackjack Dealers Count Cards?
Blackjack dealers do not count cards mainly because there is precisely no need to do so. They just need to deal the cards knowing well that the house edge is in their favor. With the casino already holding a profitable edge at every table, it is unnecessary for the dealer to cheat for the house. Also, they are paid an hourly wage, which does not depend on how much profit the casino makes. And of course, no casino would institutionalize and reward such behavior of a dealer because that would be risky and foolish at the same time.
Apart from this, there are other reasons why it is highly unlikely for the dealers to count cards. For instance, the process would be extremely hard for them to execute. Keeping a count and deciding when and how to act will require a lot of concentration along with the ability to take almost rapid-fire decisions.
Blackjack Side Bets Are Unfair
Blackjack side bets are additional bets placed during a standard round of the blackjack game. They involve the process of predicting which cards the players and at times, the dealer will receive. Blackjack side bets are mostly unfair because they significantly increase the house edge, unlike the main game.
Odds Of Winning At Blackjack
The house edge gets larger because the returns do not reflect the odds of each of the bets coming in. Side betting does not involve any skill and is rather, simple luck of the draw. That is why; they are good for adding complexity to the game but should not be the main focus of any player’s gameplay as such.
The three most common types of side bets are Insurance, 21+3, and Perfect Pairs. 21+3 is when the player plays a poker hand with two cards and the dealer’s one up-card. This bet alone increases the casino’s advantage by at least 3%. Some of the other side bet games give casinos, odds advantage of up to 15% too.
As a whole, blackjack is interesting and by far, a fair casino game that can reward players, only if they acquire a thorough understanding of the strategies and implement them at the right time.