Calculating the House Edge for Any Blackjack Game

Blackjack is one of the most famous casino games both at the online as well as land-based casinos. Moreover, the house edge in Blackjack game is the lowest. There are a lot of players who go out there and think that counting cards can help them win at an online casino when it comes to Blackjack. This is not the truth. There is a way in which you can calculate the house edge and turn the tables in your favour at the Blackjack table. This article will give you an insight.

Deck Penetration and House Edge in Blackjack Game

Deck penetration is one of the most important factors when it comes to playing Blackjack. Penetration means the number of cards that have been dealt with the players before the Blackjack game starts. Any player who reads a book on card counting knows the importance of penetration. So going by the general rules, shallow penetration means larger betting spread. So, in a single deck game, you cannot win unless the penetration is over 50% and in a 2 deck game, the number has to be 65%. With 4 decks or more, 70% of cards should be already dealt.

To profit from card counting, the players have to calculate the house edge. So, let us understand some easy ways in which you can calculate the house edge.

The Effect of Number of Decks in House Edge in Blackjack Game

The number of decks used in a Blackjack game can vary from 1 deck to 8 decks. Most players do not know this but the number of decks used in a Blackjack game can increase or decrease the house edge. There are different Blackjack games with a set number of decks or an adjustable number of decks. The basic rule that you need to know is that the house edge in Blackjack game increases with the increase in the number of decks. So, if the number of decks is 1 the house edge will be lower than that in 8 decks.

Increased number of decks can make the game less profitable for the card counters as well as the players who are trying to apply basic strategies.

For example, if we take a Blackjack game with the standard rules, it has a 0.02% advantage over the players when using 1 deck. For 3 decks, the advantages go down to -0.43%. As we increase the number to 8 decks, the advantage goes down to -57%.

The Effect of Rules on House Edge in Blackjack Game

Another thing that one needs to consider while calculating the house edge in Blackjack game is the rules. There are a few rules that work in favour of the player if they use appropriate strategies. These rules include surrender, resplitting aces, doubling after splitting and much more. Similarly, there are some rules that might cause a disadvantage to the players. We can find out the approximate effect of these rules in the basic strategy. All you need to do is add the effect of a number of decks used to the effect of rules variation. This will give you the house advantage. To determine the starting advantage, we may consider some basic rules that are used in most of the casinos and each of these rules have some per cent effects that are already determined. We need to take these values and add them to the effect of the decks. This gives a starting advantage.

The casinos always try their best to beat the players in the Blackjack games. Hence, you need to be really focused on looking at the Blackjack rules, house edge and penetration. All of these combined can get you an edge over the other players. Even though the house edge in Blackjack game looks really small in percentage, there is a huge chance that it might beat you. So, calculate the house edge using this easy method given above and plan a strategy so that you can beat the casino in their own game. The game of Blackjack does not solely depend on luck and you can prove this.