6 Deck Blackjack House Edge
Dec 12, 2019 It does not mean that all the games with a single deck in play will have a lower house edge than those using 6 or 8 decks. Other factors affect the house margin as well, and we will cover them in the next chapter. Other Factors that Affect the House Edge. One of the rules that increase the house edge is when the dealer hits on a soft 17. Bovada’s 6 deck Blackjack provides one of the lowest House Edges of any casino game online. At just 0.06%, this is contingent on the fact that perfect basic strategy is used on all hands. See further below for an easily referenced Basic Strategy chart to help you keep the House Edge down to a minimum.
By Henry Tamburin
There's an awful blackjack game that is spreading like wildfire in casinos throughout the US. The game is played with a single deck of cards (that’s the come-on) and when a player gets a blackjack, he is paid at 6-to-5 instead of the traditional 3-to-2. That change in blackjack payoff increases the house edge by about 700% (Yikes!). Let me show you in dollars and cents what a 6-to-5 blackjack payoff costs you.
If you bet $10 and get a blackjack in a traditional game (3-to-2 payoff on blackjack) you will win $15. In a 6-to-5 game that same $10 bet will net you only $12. So you're out $3 for every blackjack hand that you get. On average you'll get four blackjacks per hour so for every hour you play a 6-to-5 single deck game, it costs you $12. Do you want to hand over to the casino $12 per hour for the privilege of playing blackjack? Of course you wouldn't but that is exactly what you do when you play the 6-to-5 single deck game at a $10 minimum bet.
When this game was first introduced at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas several years ago I thought it didn't have a chance because I mistakenly believed that players weren't going to stand for the reduced payoff. But unfortunately I was dead wrong as uneducated players are flocking to play these 6-to-5 single deck games to the delight of casino operators. The game has since spread to casinos in the south, mid-west, and east coast so be wary.
Why is the public enamored with this terrible game? I believe it's because the majority of players have heard for years that 'single deck blackjack games offer better odds.' That's a fact and the smart basic strategy player can virtually eliminate the house edge in a traditional single deck game where blackjacks pay 3-to-2. The problem is that the traditional single deck blackjack game is hard to find these days so marketing the 'new' 6-to-5 single deck games to the gullible public has been very easy.
The 6-to-5 game has these additional pitfalls:
1. The 6-to-5 payout rule hurts all players. That means the tourists will be adversely affected by this rule as well as the more skilled basic strategy players and card counters.
2. If you wager an amount that is not divisible by 5, your payoff for a blackjack gets worse. Suppose you wagered $8 and get a blackjack. In a 6-to-5 game you'll get paid $6 for the first $5 of your wager and even money for the remaining $3. In other words you get paid a net of $9 which is $3 less than what you would have gotten paid in a traditional 3-to-2 game. The reason for this is that a 6-to-5 payoff can only be paid out at the correct odds if the player wagers in multiples of $5.
3. Dealers are also impacted by the 6-to-5 payout. If you make a $1 tip bet for the dealer in a traditional 3-2 payout game and get blackjack, the $1 tip bet would earn the dealer $1.50. But in a 6-to-5 game, they only get even money because of the difficulty in paying off in small change (a $1 bet in a 6-to-5 game would pay $1.20).
4. Because the math doesn't work out with the 6-to-5 payoff, the even money option when a player is dealt a blackjack and the dealer shows an ace is prohibited. Most novice players and low rollers like to take the sure even money when they get a blackjack and in a 6-to-5 game they can't.
5. For the most part card counting is not profitable on a 6-to-5 game unless you can get away with a very big bet spread.
6. You'll not find a 6-to-5 single deck game on high limit tables. The reason is that high rollers wouldn't stand for a 6-to-5 payout (the per hourly added cost for a black chip player playing heads up against the dealer in a 6-to-5 game is about $180).
It's painfully obvious that this game is being marketed to tourists and amateur players that know very little about blackjack. So be forewarned and do not play any blackjack game where player blackjacks pay 6-to-5 (or worse: even money).
If all rules are the same, the house edge in a blackjack game will be lower whether the casino pays 3:2, 6:5, or even money when a player is dealt a natural blackjack. We’ll use the same blackjack game rules to show the difference in house edge depending on the number of decks being played.
Henry Tamburin has been a respected casino gambling writer for the past 50 years. He is the author of the Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide and was editor of the Blackjack Insider newsletter. You can read his latest articles on blackjack, video poker, and his personal playing experiences at https://www.888casino.com/blog/writers/henry-tamburin
Blackjack players are always looking for an advantage. The easiest way is to find a game that pays 3:2 when a player is dealt a natural blackjack. The 6:5 blackjack game has a much higher house edge.
The house edge is even larger when a player doesn’t play with perfectbasic strategy. Casinos allow players to use a basic strategy card at the table. Unfortunately, not many players that could use the help from a blackjack card carry one.
Single Deck Blackjack
There’s another way to find an edge when playing blackjack that’s often overlooked. It’s actually one of the easiest ways to decrease the house edge in a blackjack game. The fewer decks in play during a blackjack game, the lower the house edge. It’s that simple.
Blackjack House Edge By Number Of Decks
Playing a blackjack game with fewer decks single-handedly lower the house edge. This isn’t the only way to lower the house edge. There are plenty of blackjack rules that can make a game more player-friendly. If all rules are the same, the house edge in a blackjack game will be lower whether the casino pays 3:2, 6:5, or even money when a player is dealt a natural blackjack.
We’ll use the same blackjack game rules to show the difference in house edge depending on the number of decks being played.
- Dealer hits on soft 17
- Player can double after splitting
- Player can double on any two cards dealt
- A player can resplit up to four (4) times
- Player cannot resplit aces
- Player cannot hit split aces
- No surrender
- Blackjack pays 3:2
Here are the different advantages for the casino using the blackjack house edge calculator from Wizard of Odds. Remember, the house edge is based on perfect basic strategy. Every misplayed hand increases the house edge for the casino.
- 1 Deck: 0.16%
- 2 Decks: 0.46%
- 4 Decks: 0.60%
- 6 Decks: 0.64%
- 8 Decks: 0.66%
As you can see the house edge for the casino increases when there are more cards in play. The same holds true for a game that pays 6:5 on a natural blackjack. Here’s the house edge for the same game with the adjusted payout for blackjack:
- 1 Deck: 1.55%
- 2 Decks: 1.83%
- 4 Decks: 1.96%
- 6 Decks: 1.99% (2% rounded up)
- 8 Decks: 2.019%
As you probably expected, the house edge is higher playing a 6:5 blackjack game. This example shows that the house edge is lower when the game has fewer decks in play.
Differences In Gameplay Depending On Deck Size
6 Deck Blackjack House Edge Chart
Single deck and double deck blackjack are often played differently than six and eight deck blackjack. The latter two games are the blackjack games players see most often in a casino. These games are dealt from a shoe or a continuous shuffle machine. Cards are dealt face up and the player uses hand signals to show the eye in the sky what play they want t make.
Single and double deck blackjack are considered “pitch” blackjack games. The dealer holds the cards and flings (or pitches) them face down to the players. That’s not the only difference from traditional blackjack games.
The player swipes the cards towards themselves to hit. If a player is dealt a blackjack, they flip the cards over to show the dealer. A player that wants to double or split they will flip the cards over and place the additional money next to the original wager.
When the player is ready to stay, the cards are placed under the wager. Don’t touch the money. Just slide the cards under the wager. The eye in the sky doesn’t like when you touch the money after placing a wager.
6 Deck Blackjack Odds
Blackjack players have different preferences. While most players seem to dislike any game with a continuous shuffle machine, others seem to have a preference for a shoe or pitch game.
Play 6 Deck Blackjack
Personally, I prefer the pitch blackjack games. The lower house edge is an obvious positive but that’s not the only reason. While I can’t really count cards, playing a game with fewer decks makes tracking cards a little easier. Lastly, the game is slower because the dealer has to shuffle or pick up a new deck every few games.