The House Advantage in Blackjack

The game of blackjack is one of the best for punters when it comes to the house advantage; in fact, few games offer such a favourable chance of success as blackjack, with the house advantage potentially being less than 1%.

In order to achieve such a high chance of success, it is important to be aware of certain things that can influence the house advantage. Firstly and perhaps most importantly, is the strategy that a player uses; as with many other casino games, a basic understanding of strategy is important when it comes to reducing the house advantage.

Many of these basic strategies are fairly obvious and would naturally be played by most players most of the time; however, there are still various moves that players commonly get wrong which can increase the house advantage. Assuming a player learns how to minimise these mistakes then there are other factors that can determine what advantage the house has.

Whilst many games will carry a static house advantage, this is not the case in blackjack. In fact, the rate of return can fluctuate with each card that the dealer takes from the shoe, with the possibility that the advantage even swings in the players favour at times.

One of the other major influences on the house advantage is the rules of the game that a particular casino employs. For example, as the number of decks of cards that are used increases, so does the house advantage. Other rules that help to determine the house advantage in blackjack include restrictions on a player’s ability to split or double down, as well as differing rates in the pay-outs for blackjacks.

Ultimately, if a player picks a game with favourable rules and follows the basic strategies of the game, then it can be one of the best options in a casino for potential rewards.