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Fact-checked by Blackjack is a card game where you try to finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. With good table rules and perfect basic strategy, the house edge is under half a percent. Wizard of Odds puts Evolution’s Infinite Blackjack at 0.45%, with eight decks and the dealer standing on soft 17.
That low edge depends on how you play. Under Atlantic City rules, Wizard of Odds puts the edge at 0.43% with correct play. Copy the dealer’s moves instead and it rises to 5.48%, more than ten times as much.
How blackjack works
Cards 2 to 9 count their face value, 10s and picture cards count 10, and an ace counts 1 or 11. You and the dealer each get two cards, and one of the dealer’s is face up.
An ace with a 10-point card is a blackjack, which usually pays 3 to 2. Other winning hands pay even money, and a hand over 21 is bust. These rules come from Wizard of Odds’ blackjack basics.
Your options on each hand:
- Hit: take another card.
- Stand: keep your total.
- Double: double your bet and take exactly one more card.
- Split: turn a pair into two hands, with a second bet.
- Surrender: where it’s allowed, give up half your bet and end the hand.
The dealer has no choices: it draws on 16 or less and stands on 17. Some tables make the dealer hit a soft 17, which is a 17 that counts an ace as 11. Insurance, offered when the dealer shows an ace, is a side bet that pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack.
Table rules that change the house edge
Small rule changes move the edge more than most players think. Wizard of Odds measures each one against eight decks, the dealer standing on soft 17 and doubling after a split allowed. A minus figure means the rule costs you.
| Rule | Effect on your return |
|---|---|
| Blackjack pays 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2 | -1.39% |
| Blackjack pays 7 to 5 | -0.45% |
| Dealer hits soft 17 | -0.22% |
| Doubling on 10 and 11 only | -0.18% |
| No doubling after a split | -0.14% |
| European no-hole-card rule | -0.11% |
| Six decks instead of eight | +0.02% |
| Late surrender allowed | +0.08% |
| Single deck | +0.48% |
Of these, a 6 to 5 payout costs you the most. On a RM100 bet, a blackjack pays RM120 instead of RM150. Find the payout and the soft 17 rule in the game’s rules screen before you sit down.
Basic strategy in brief
Basic strategy is the best play for every hand against every dealer card. Wizard of Odds’ chart for four to eight decks, with the dealer standing on soft 17, starts with these rules:
- Never stand on a hard 11 or less: hit, or double where the rule below says so.
- Stand on hard 12 against a dealer 4 to 6; otherwise hit.
- Stand on hard 13 to 16 against a dealer 2 to 6; otherwise hit.
- Always stand on hard 17 or more.
- Double hard 11 unless the dealer shows an ace, and hard 10 unless it shows a 10 or ace.
- Double hard 9 against a dealer 3 to 6.
- Always split aces and 8s; never split 5s or 10s.
- Never take insurance or “even money”.
This is a summary, not the full chart. Soft hands, other pairs and surrender have their own rules, and the chart changes slightly when the dealer hits soft 17.
A “hard” hand has no ace counted as 11. A hand of 10 and 6 is hard 16; ace and 6 is soft 17.
Three hands, played by the chart
You hold 10 and 6, a hard 16, and the dealer shows a 10. The chart says hit, even though it feels risky. Where surrender is allowed, the chart gives up this hand instead and keeps half the bet.
You hold 6 and 5, a hard 11, and the dealer shows a 6. Double: you add a second bet equal to the first and take exactly one card.
You hold two 8s and the dealer shows a 10. Split them, as the chart says to with every pair of 8s, and play two hands of 8.
Why insurance is a bad bet
Insurance pays 2 to 1, so it has to win one time in three just to break even. It wins only when the dealer’s hidden card is worth 10, and just 16 of every 52 cards are. That’s less than one in three, which is the maths behind the chart’s “never take insurance”.
Live blackjack versions
Evolution, listed by 9 of the 10 casinos we compare, runs several versions of the game. Which ones a casino carries isn’t in our records, so check its lobby.
- Classic tables: seven seats, with optional insurance.
- Infinite Blackjack: any number of players start from the same two cards, then play their own hands. Six cards totalling 21 or less win automatically (six-card Charlie).
- Free Bet Blackjack: free doubles on hard 9, 10 and 11, and free splits on pairs other than 10-value cards.
- Power Blackjack: eight decks with the 9s and 10s removed, and you can double, triple or quadruple down.
- Lightning Blackjack: a 100% Lightning fee on every initial bet, in return for a multiplier of 2x to 25x on a winning score.
Of these, Wizard of Odds’ list of live games includes only Infinite Blackjack, at 0.45%. For the others, read the rules screen and paytable before you play.
Side bets cost far more than the main game. With eight decks, Wizard of Odds puts Perfect Pairs at about 2% to 8%, depending on the paytable. It puts 21+3 at about 2.6% to 12.9%.
Blackjack and bonus turnover
Turnover is the total you must bet before you can withdraw a bonus. At the casinos we compare, blackjack often counts for little or nothing (checked 5 Nov 2026):
- 12Play doesn’t count blackjack towards any turnover, including its all-games offer of 100% up to RM588 with 25x on deposit + bonus.
- BK8 and Maxim88 don’t count non-live (RNG) blackjack.
- GOD55’s live casino offer, 100% up to RM200 with 30x on deposit + bonus, doesn’t count Evolution or Playtech tables.
- UWIN33’s all-games offer, 100% up to RM688 with 25x on deposit + bonus, doesn’t count RNG games.
If you mainly play blackjack, playing without a bonus is often simpler. Our live casino guide and bonus page compare the offers and their turnover.
Seven of the 10 casinos we compare carry a Red flag, because their licence number can’t be checked on a public register. See where each stands on our full ranking.
Practical tips
- Check the payout. Look for 3 to 2 on the rules screen, and walk away from 6 to 5.
- Look for “dealer stands on soft 17”. A dealer who hits soft 17 costs you 0.22%.
- Learn the chart. It’s the difference between an edge of about 5.5% and one under 0.5%.
- Skip insurance and side bets. Both add cost without changing the main game’s maths in your favour.
- Don’t chase losses. Wizard of Odds’ verdict on betting systems: varying your bet after wins or losses “makes no difference in the long run outcome”.
- Set a budget. Decide what a session can cost before the first hand, and stop when it’s gone.
Casino games are built so the house wins over time. Expect to lose more than you win.