Blackjack rules and payouts in brief
Blackjack is a card game against the dealer: you aim to finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Number cards count their face value, tens and picture cards count 10, and an ace counts 1 or 11. You can hit, stand, double down (double the bet for exactly one more card) or split a pair into two hands, and some tables let you surrender half your stake on the first two cards. The full sequence is set out in how to play blackjack.
Winning hands pay even money, and a two-card blackjack usually pays 3 to 2. That payout matters more than any other rule: a £10 blackjack wins £15 at 3 to 2 but only £12 at 6 to 5, which is why we give 3:2 against 6:5 its own page. The dealer draws to 16 and stands on 17, though at some tables the dealer hits soft 17.
Blackjack house edge: the table rules that change it
With good rules and correct play, blackjack's house edge is small: Wizard of Odds puts Atlantic City rules at 0.43% and a six-deck European no-hole-card game at 0.62%. Each rule nudges that figure up or down. The effects below come from Wizard of Odds' rule-variation table (opens in a new tab), measured against an eight-deck game where the dealer stands on soft 17.
How common blackjack rules change the player's return| Rule | Effect on the player |
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| Blackjack pays 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2 | −1.39% |
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| Blackjack pays even money | −2.27% |
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| Doubling allowed only on 10 or 11 | −0.18% |
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| Dealer hits soft 17 | −0.22% |
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| No doubling after splitting | −0.14% |
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| European no-hole-card rule | −0.11% |
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| Late surrender against a ten | +0.07% |
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| Six-card Charlie | +0.16% |
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| One deck instead of eight | +0.48% |
|---|
The effects are approximate and roughly additive. The practical lesson: check the blackjack payout and the soft 17 rule in the game's help screen before anything else.
Rules and how to play
3:2 vs 6:5Blackjack 3:2 vs 6:5: a £10 blackjack pays £15 at 3:2 but £12 at 6:5, and the lower payout adds about 1.39% to the house edge. The maths in pounds. 18Card valuesBlackjack card values made simple: 2 to 9 at face value, tens and picture cards worth 10, aces worth 1 or 11, plus soft and hard totals with worked haDealer soft 17When the dealer hits soft 17, the blackjack house edge rises by about 0.22%. What soft 17 is, H17 against S17, the cost in pounds and how to spot it. How to playHow to play blackjack: the aim, card values, hit, stand, double, split and surrender, how the dealer plays, what each win pays and a full worked roundNumber of decksHow many decks in blackjack? Games use one to eight, with six and eight most common. What each deck count does to the odds, blackjack chances and costPayoutsBlackjack payouts in pounds: even money wins, 3 to 2 and 6 to 5 blackjacks, insurance at 2 to 1, doubles, splits, surrender and side bet paytables. 18 Strategy and odds
Bankroll and budgetBlackjack bankroll and budget maths in pounds: expected cost per session, how rules and side bets drain money, stake sizing and UK limit tools. 18+Basic strategyBlackjack basic strategy explained: the key hit, stand, double, split and surrender plays for 4–8 decks, why they work, what mistakes cost and its limCard countingCard counting in online blackjack doesn’t work in RNG games, which reshuffle every hand. The theory, history, live shoes, UK legality and cheaper ruleCommon mistakesCommon blackjack mistakes priced in pounds: insurance, 6:5 tables, wrong plays on 12 to 16, skipped doubles and splits, side bets and chasing losses. Continuous shufflingContinuous shuffling machines in blackjack put used cards back after each round. What a CSM does to the odds, card counting, game speed and cost per hDouble ExposureDouble Exposure blackjack deals both dealer cards face up, but ties lose and blackjack pays even money. Rules, the 0.26% to 1.47% edge range and stratHard handsHard hands in blackjack explained: what makes a total hard, the bust odds when you hit 12 to 16, the full hard-total chart and worked examples in pounHouse edgeBlackjack house edge from 0.28% to over 2%: what each rule adds or saves, 3:2 against 6:5, decks, soft 17 and surrender, and the cost per hour in pounMythsBlackjack myths checked against the maths: the dealer's hidden ten, bad players, due wins, Martingale, card counting online, insurance and rigged gameOddsBlackjack odds worked out from the cards: the chance of a natural, of busting on each total, of a dealer blackjack under an ace or ten, and what it coSoft handsSoft hands in blackjack explained: what makes a hand soft, how to play soft 13 to soft 20, when to double soft 17 and 18, and the odds behind each plaAces and eightsSplitting aces and eights explained: why basic strategy splits both pairs, what one card does to each split hand, the rules that change it and the oddReading a strategy chartHow to read a blackjack strategy chart: find your hand’s row and the dealer’s up card column, then decode H, S, D, P and Rh. With worked £ examples. 1SurrenderThe blackjack surrender rule explained: early v late surrender, the exact hands to give up, the 25% break-even maths and what the rule is worth in pouWhen to double downWhen to double down in blackjack: every double in the 4–8 deck chart, the odds of each one-card draw, rules that limit doubling and what they cost youWhen to splitWhen to split in blackjack: a pair-by-pair chart for 4–8 decks, how double after split changes it, the odds of each pair and the rules that cost you. Side bets
21+3The 21+3 side bet pays on a poker hand from your two cards and the dealer's up card. Hand odds, Evolution paytables, house edge by decks and £ exampleBet BehindBet behind blackjack lets you stake on another player's hand at a live table. How it works, what their decisions cost you, worked £ examples and UK ruBust ItThe Bust It side bet in blackjack pays when the dealer busts, more for every extra card. Exact odds by card count, the 6.18% edge and £ examples. 18+Hot 3The Hot 3 side bet pays when your two cards and the dealer's up card total 19, 20 or 21. Exact odds, the 94.60% RTP behind the paytable and £ examplesInsuranceBlackjack insurance pays 2 to 1 when the dealer’s ace hides a ten, but the odds work against you. The house edge by deck count, even money and £ exampLucky LadiesThe Lucky Ladies side bet pays when your first two cards total 20, up to 1000 to 1 for queens of hearts. Real odds, 5.87% to 24.71% edges and £ costs.Perfect PairsThe Perfect Pairs side bet pays when your first two blackjack cards pair. Exact odds for 6 and 8 decks, four paytables, house edges and £5 worked examSide betsBlackjack side bets compared: Perfect Pairs, 21+3, Bust It, Lucky Ladies, Hot 3, Push 22 and insurance, with paytables, house edges and costs in pound Variants and live blackjack
Atlantic City blackjackAtlantic City blackjack explained: the 0.43% published house edge, the rules to check in any game’s help screen, surrender strategy and worked costs iBlackjack PartyBlackjack Party is Evolution's low-stakes live blackjack with music, two hosts, seven seats and Bet Behind. What changes, what doesn't and what it cosBlackjack SwitchBlackjack Switch lets you swap the second cards between two hands, but blackjacks pay even money and a dealer 22 pushes. Rules, switching tips and oddClassic blackjackClassic blackjack explained: the standard rules, the dealer peek, 3 to 2 payouts, house edge by rule set and how it compares with Free Bet and Switch.European blackjackEuropean blackjack explained: no hole card, doubling on 9 to 11 only, six decks, 0.62% house edge, what no-peek costs in pounds and how strategy changFree Bet BlackjackFree Bet Blackjack gives house-funded doubles on hard 9 to 11 and splits on most pairs, but a dealer 22 pushes. How it works, the 1.04% edge and stratHistoryThe history of blackjack from a 1600s Spanish story and Britain's vingt-un to the Klondike name, 1956 basic strategy, UK casino law and live tables. 1Infinite BlackjackInfinite Blackjack is Evolution's live game with unlimited seats and one shared starting hand. Rules, Six Card Charlie, side bet odds and the 0.45% edLightning BlackjackLightning Blackjack adds a 100% fee to every bet in exchange for 2x to 25x multipliers. The real cost per hand, the rules and who the game suits. 18+Live blackjackLive blackjack in the UK: how streamed tables work, the main Evolution and Ezugi games, house edges by rule, £ costs per session and the 2025 UK rulesMulti-hand blackjackMulti-hand blackjack lets you play several boxes against one dealer hand. Why the edge per hand stays the same, how cost and swings change, and tips. Online vs liveOnline vs live blackjack compared: RNG software against real dealers, house edges, shuffling, hands per hour, cost per session and UK rules for both. PontoonThe pontoon card game explained: how online casino pontoon differs from blackjack, why ties lose, the 2 to 1 five-card trick and its 0.38% house edge.Power BlackjackPower Blackjack removes every 9 and 10 from an eight-deck shoe and lets you double, triple or quadruple down. How the changed shoe shifts the odds. 18Single deck blackjackSingle deck blackjack is worth about 0.48% to the player against eight decks, but a 6:5 payout wipes that out. How to spot a fair one-deck game onlineSpanish 21Spanish 21 removes the tens from every deck, then gives back extras: player 21 always wins and 5+ card 21s pay bonuses. Rules, odds and the 0.40% edgeSpeed BlackjackSpeed Blackjack keeps standard live rules but lets every player act at once, about 30–40% faster. What that means for your odds and hourly cost. 18+Vegas Strip blackjackVegas Strip blackjack explained: the liberal Vegas rules behind the name, a 0.28% published edge, what each rule is worth and the 6 to 5 trap. 18+ Blackjack strategy, side bets and variants: where to start
New to the game? Learn basic strategy first, using our interactive strategy chart. It tells you the mathematically best play for every hand and is what the low edges above assume. Guessing or copying the dealer costs far more.
Next, be wary of extras. Side bets such as Perfect Pairs (4.10% on a common eight-deck pay table) and 21+3 (3.70% on one Evolution pay table) cost several times the main game, and insurance carries an edge of about 7.5% with eight decks.
Variants change the maths in both directions. Free Bet Blackjack gives free doubles and splits but pushes when the dealer makes 22 (1.04% edge under Wizard of Odds' standard rules), while Infinite Blackjack lets unlimited players share one hand (0.45% per Wizard of Odds). Lightning Blackjack charges a 100% fee on each initial bet to fund its multipliers.
Online and live blackjack in the UK
RNG blackjack reshuffles every round, which is why card counting, legal in Britain though casinos can refuse service to counters, is of no use there; our card counting page covers it as history and theory only. Live tables deal from multi-deck shoes in a studio and follow the same core rules, with each table's help screen setting the details. UK rules ban autoplay on all online casino games and require at least 5 seconds per game cycle. The £5 and £2 slot stake limits don't apply to blackjack. See live blackjack for how the streamed tables work.
18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.
Frequently asked questions
What is the house edge in blackjack?
Usually between about 0.4% and 0.7% with basic strategy and good rules. Wizard of Odds gives 0.43% for Atlantic City rules and 0.62% for a six-deck European game. A 6 to 5 blackjack payout adds about 1.39%, so the same game can cost more than three times as much. Playing by feel instead of strategy also raises the cost. Our blackjack house edge page shows the effect of each rule with pound examples.
Is basic strategy worth learning?
Yes, if you play blackjack regularly. Basic strategy is the set of plays that loses least for every hand against every dealer card, and all published low house edges assume you follow it. It can't make the game profitable, but it keeps the edge under 1% at a fair table. You can learn it in stages from our basic strategy guide, starting with the hands that come up most often.
Should I ever take insurance?
Standard basic strategy says no. Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has blackjack when showing an ace, paying 2 to 1. With eight decks, about 128 of the 415 unseen cards are tens, so the bet carries a house edge of around 7.5%, far more than the main game. Even money on your own blackjack is the same bet in disguise. The insurance page works through the numbers.
Which blackjack variant has the best odds?
It depends on the exact rules, so check each game's help screen. Classic games with 3 to 2 payouts, few decks and the dealer standing on soft 17 sit near the bottom of the range. Wizard of Odds gives Infinite Blackjack 0.45% and Free Bet Blackjack 1.04%. Avoid tables paying 6 to 5. Our answer to what the best blackjack variant is compares the main options.
Can I use a casino bonus on blackjack?
Often not, or only at a reduced rate. Many UK welcome offers give slot spins after a qualifying deposit and bet, and matched bonuses usually exclude table games or count them for less towards wagering. Always read the offer's terms before playing, because staking on an excluded game can void the bonus. Our page on blackjack bonuses explains game weighting and the 10x wagering cap. 18+, terms apply.
By the BonusKing editorial team. Last checked .