The difference
| Blackjack on a $10 bet | Win |
|---|---|
| Paid 3:2 | $15 |
| Paid 6:5 | $12 |
| Paid 1:1 (some variants) | $10 |
You get a blackjack about once every 21 hands (4.75%). Losing $3 each time adds about 1.4% to the house edge: from about 0.5% to about 1.9%.
What it does to a night out
$10 bets, about 80 hands an hour, perfect basic strategy:
| 3:2 table | 6:5 table | |
|---|---|---|
| Average loss per hour | about $4 | about $15 |
| Over 4 hours | about $16 | about $60 |
These are long-run averages: a real night can end up or down. But over time the 6:5 table costs almost four times more, even if you play perfectly.
How to spot a 6:5 table
- It's printed on the felt: "Blackjack pays 6 to 5" instead of "3 to 2".
- Often low minimums, or a single deck sold as a perk (it doesn't make up for 6:5).
- Online, check the "Blackjack pays" rule in the table's help.
In Blackjack Play you can set the blackjack payout and run the simulator to see the gap over 100,000 hands.
Compare both rules yourself over thousands of hands.
Open the simulatorFAQ
Is single-deck 6:5 a good deal?
No. One deck helps the player by about 0.5%, but 6:5 takes away about 1.4%. Still clearly negative.
Can you count cards at 6:5?
In practice no: 6:5 takes away more than counting can win under normal conditions.
Does 1:1 blackjack exist?
Yes, in some variants (usually with other, friendlier rules). Compare the full rule set.