Blackjack is a favourite card game among many casino players because it is known to offer some of the lowest house edges. In addition, players who learn how to use a basic strategy can further boost their chances of winning. As blackjack is a game of skill and chance, you can influence the outcome of every hand by making the correct decisions.
Along with employing the correct strategy, the various rules of blackjack also affect the house edge of the card game. While the single-deck version of blackjack is considered the ultimate choice for players, it is not commonly found either offline or online. This is because the number of decks also impacts the house edge. More decks reduce your chances of winning, which is why six or even eight decks are commonly used by casinos that offer blackjack.
If you want to know how the number of decks in blackjack affects the house’s advantage, we suggest you continue reading. That way, you will know which variations of blackjack are the best to play, and which ones to avoid. Moreover, you will learn how the number of decks may also influence other rules in the game, further altering the house edge.
Effect of Number of Decks on Blackjack House Edge
While the rest of the rules in blackjack are important when choosing which variation to play, the number of decks is crucial. If we compare different versions of blackjack with identical rules, the best option is always the one that uses fewer decks. If you are lucky enough to find a single-deck variation, you should definitely go for it.
As you may know, the house edge of any casino game can indicate your potential chances of winning. The lower the casino’s advantage, the higher your chances of achieving favourable results. The number of decks used in the card game will certainly affect the casino’s advantage over players, with the single-deck version having the lowest house edge.
| Number of Decks Affecting House Edge in Blackjack | |
|---|---|
| Number of Decks | House Edge |
| 1 deck | 0.16% |
| 2 decks | 0.46% |
| 4 decks | 0.60% |
| 6 decks | 0.64% |
| 8 decks | 0.66% |
As you can see, just by adding a second deck to the game, the house edge rises by 0.3%. Meanwhile, the increase is less pronounced with each additional deck. When you compare a game with four decks to one with six decks, the difference in the house edge is just 0.04%. However, if you juxtapose a single-deck blackjack game with a variation that uses eight decks, you will see the house edge surge by 0.5%. Given the way the number of decks affects the house edge, it is no surprise that this is the second most influential rule in blackjack.
Why Single-Deck Blackjack Is the Ultimate Version to Play
As already mentioned, to play with the best possible player advantage, we recommend you go for a blackjack variant that uses a single deck. Playing with just one deck is extremely beneficial for card counters and players using a basic blackjack strategy. Knowing the optimal move for every hand that is dealt will ensure a greater advantage for blackjack players. Combine that with using just one deck, and your chances of winning will significantly improve.
If you have mastered the skill of counting cards, the single-deck version is the best one for you. As there are only four Aces in the game, you will find it easier to track them in the deck. Dealing with less information in general allows for easier card counting and smoother strategic play.
The players who introduced card counting to blackjack fans were actually playing single-deck or two-deck versions of the card game. Naturally, they would not have any issues utilising their counting skills in games using only a couple of decks at most. Having very few cards to count made keeping a running count much easier.
While playing with just one deck is very advantageous, there are also a few things to consider. As there is only one deck in the game, it will be reshuffled once it is exhausted. For card counters, this means they will need to start a new count every time the deck is reshuffled.
Since only one deck is used, the gaming session starts with players placing their bets before any cards have been dealt. This means card counters have no idea of the card composition, making it impossible to size their bets according to a running count.
Why Casinos Add More Decks to Blackjack
As already covered, adding just one additional deck to the game of blackjack significantly increases the house edge. Although this is reason enough to add more decks, there are other objectives that prompt casinos to increase the deck count. Whatever the reasons, the end goal is always to give the casino a bigger advantage.
One objective is to prevent advantage players from using card counting to gain an edge over the house. After the card-counting system became extremely popular, casinos started adding more decks to the game. In this way, keeping a running count becomes trickier, as there are more cards in the shoe to consider.
The fewer decks used, the more accurate the count is, giving players a better idea of how to handle their bets. Meanwhile, with more decks in play, card counters must concentrate harder to maintain an accurate count, which can lead to mistakes.
Another reason why casinos choose to use more decks in blackjack is simply to increase their profit. Using more decks ultimately leads to more hands being played in a single hour. That also increases the casino’s potential return, leading to a higher profit per hour. Meanwhile, if the game uses only one deck, you will go through the entire deck fairly quickly. That requires the dealer to pause the game to reshuffle the cards, slowing down the gameplay and resulting in fewer wins per hour for the house.
When the blackjack variation uses more decks, the cards are typically reshuffled once two-thirds of the shoe has been discarded. The dealer will not use the entire shoe before a reshuffle to prevent card counters from obtaining a more accurate count. As more decks are used, advantage players reach an accurate count only near the end of the shoe. However, with multiple decks, a cut card prevents this from happening.
Blackjack Rules Making Single-Deck Blackjack Less Appealing
As already mentioned, the number of decks is the second most important rule in blackjack, giving you an idea of whether the game is worth playing. However, even if you come across a single-deck blackjack version, there is still a chance that it is a game to avoid. The first thing to check about the blackjack variation you are about to play is the payout offered for a blackjack.
The standard payout for a natural blackjack is 3 to 2, ensuring lucky players a typical blackjack reward. However, you may come across blackjack games that offer a payout of 6 to 5 for a natural blackjack. At first glance, this may not seem like such a significant difference, but you should know that the 6 to 5 version increases the house edge by 1.39%. Some casinos take advantage of players who are less aware of all blackjack rules and offer single-deck variants that pay 6 to 5 for a natural blackjack.
While it is true that a single-deck version is usually the best blackjack option to play, if you are not offered the usual 3 to 2 payout, you should stay away from that particular variation. No matter how much a single deck brings down the house edge, it will not be enough to compensate for the lowered payout.
Blackjack Rules to Look For
While we have covered the rule that can make even the single-deck version less appealing, we should also discuss the rules that give the player better odds of winning. Of course, the ultimate blackjack game is one that features all rules favourable to the player. However, such versions of the card game are hard to find, as they drastically lower the house’s edge.
As casinos wish to maintain a reasonably high advantage, they tend to combine favourable and less favourable blackjack rules. However, some combinations of rules are better than others, so it is useful to know what to ignore and what to look for in blackjack variations.
Even though a single-deck version is the best option to play, it is not common at casinos, at least not with a standard 3:2 payout. The usual blackjack version that offers reasonably good rules is typically played with six decks and pays 3 to 2 for a natural blackjack.
The standard blackjack game that offers a mix of good rules looks something like this:
- Six decks
- Blackjack pays 3 to 2
- Dealer stands on soft 17
- Doubling down after a split is allowed
- Double down on any two initial cards
- Resplit allowed up to four hands
- No surrender allowed
- No resplitting of Aces
The house edge of the aforementioned blackjack game is 0.43%, which is a rather good rate compared with other variations of the card game. However, as this set of rules gives players a significant advantage, this variation of blackjack is not easily found at land-based or even online casinos.
The Effect Changes in Rules Have on the House Edge
While different rules have a certain effect on the house edge in blackjack, adding more decks to the game further emphasises these changes. By examining how each rule combined with the number of decks alters the house edge, you can determine which blackjack options are the best to play for real money. We will look at several important blackjack rules and the way each one changes the player’s advantage when it is applied to the game.
When both the player and the dealer go bust, the dealer wins. This is because the first one to bust loses the game. Since the player must act before the dealer, they are at a disadvantage, busting first and losing the bet. If we compare this rule in a single-deck blackjack game and an eight-deck variation, we will notice that playing with more decks gives players a slightly bigger advantage. This is due to the increased chances of busting as the number of cards used in the game decreases.
As has already been covered, the payout for a natural blackjack is the most important rule to consider when choosing the variation to play. While the 3:2 payout is always better than 6:5, adding more decks to the shoe still causes the player’s expected return to decline. If you are playing a single-deck version, the standard 3:2 payout results in a potential player return of 5.91%. Meanwhile, that rate drops to 5.89% when the game is played with eight decks.
Allowing players to stand on hard totals of 12 to 16, while the dealer is not allowed to do so, gives the player a greater advantage. Adding more decks to the game when this rule applies will definitely reduce the player’s edge. In a single-deck blackjack variant, when the player can stand on hard totals of 12 to 16, there will be less frequent busts for players using basic strategy (14.74%). However, there will be more face-offs with the dealer, many of which will result in a win for the house (11.04%). In that case, the potential net gain for the player in a single-deck game is estimated to be 3.7%. If we alter the rules and use eight decks, the player’s advantage drops to 3.3%.
If the player is allowed to double, the advantage in a single-deck blackjack game is estimated at 1.65%. Like most rules, this one is also affected by the number of decks used. Apply the same rule to an eight-deck variation of the game, and the player’s advantage is reduced to 1.38%. Doubling is more valuable in a single-deck variant, as this option is most common when players are dealt hard 9 to 11. Doubling is done with two cards, which may end up being lower than average. If two cards are removed from a single deck after the player doubles on hard 9 or 11, the chance of the next card being a ten is estimated at 32%. If the same situation occurs in an eight-deck game, the probability of the next card from the shoe being a ten reduces to 30.92%.
If a player is allowed to split, this rule will further increase their advantage, provided full basic strategy is used. Yet again, the number of decks in the game will change the advantage granted when splitting is permitted. In a single-deck blackjack variation, the player’s advantage is estimated to be 0.54%. Add another seven decks to the game, forming a total of eight decks, and the player’s advantage rises to 0.67%. Splitting is more beneficial in eight-deck variants because there are higher chances of landing a pair in the first two cards.
Conclusion
Whenever you are choosing the blackjack variation to play for real money, there are certain rules you should consider to make your gameplay more successful. One of the most important elements of the game of 21 to consider is the number of decks being used. This will directly affect the potential return you can enjoy and will enable you to choose the most suitable version of blackjack to play.
While blackjack used to be played with a single deck or two decks, the card counting trend forced casinos to take countermeasures, adding more decks to the play. Having more cards in the game makes card counting harder, ultimately affecting the accuracy of this method. Nevertheless, if you happen to come across a single-deck blackjack version, you should consider choosing it over variations with multiple decks.
Single-deck blackjack, however, is not that common in land-based or even online casinos. Even if you come across a game using just one deck, casinos tend to give themselves a bigger advantage by altering the payout for a natural blackjack. While playing with a single deck is considered the ultimate blackjack game, there are a series of other important rules to consider before heading to a table with a single deck in play.
