What push means in blackjack

Push in blackjack: what it means

In blackjack you're only ever playing against the dealer. When your final total equals the dealer's, neither side wins: that's a push, sometimes called a standoff. The dealer leaves your chips where they are, or in an online game your stake is credited back, and the next round starts.

The word turns up in other games too, such as a tied bet in baccarat or a returned stake in sports betting, but in blackjack it has one precise meaning: equal final totals, or a blackjack against a blackjack. Our glossary entry for push gives the short definition, and this page goes through when it happens and what it means for your money.

When a push happens in blackjack

The dealer must draw on 16 or less and stand on 17 or more. That simple rule tells you something useful: the dealer never finishes on 12 to 16 without busting, so a push can only happen when both hands land on 17 to 21, or when both are blackjacks.

Two rows deserve a second look. A two-card blackjack beats any other 21, so a three-card 21 against a dealer natural loses. And a double bust isn't a push: you act first, so your bust ends your hand before the dealer plays. Also notice that standing on 16 can never push, because the dealer can't stop on 16.

What happens to your money on a push

On a push you get back exactly what you staked on that hand. That includes any extra money added during play.

• Doubled hand: you bet £10, double down to £20, finish on 19 and the dealer makes 19. All £20 comes back.
• Split hands: each hand is settled on its own. Split 8s into two £10 hands; one finishes on 18 against the dealer's 18 and pushes, the other busts. You get £10 back and lose £10.
• Side bets: these are settled separately. A main-hand push doesn't affect a side bet that won or lost on the first cards.
• Insurance: if you insured against a dealer ace and the dealer had blackjack, the insurance is settled at 2 to 1 on its own, whatever happens to the main bet.

Online, a game's history log may show the hand as a returned stake rather than a win. However it's displayed, a push leaves your balance exactly where it was before the hand, which is worth remembering when you check the real-time net spend figure UK casinos must show.

Push rules in popular blackjack variants

Several versions change who wins a tie, or add pushes the standard game doesn't have. These rule changes are paid for elsewhere in the game, as the house edges show.

Under Wizard of Odds' analysis of the online Pontoon game (opens in a new tab), ties losing is offset by the 2 to 1 bonus hands, and the house edge comes out at 0.38%. Read more on our Pontoon, Double Exposure and Spanish 21 pages.

The dealer 22 push explained

In Free Bet Blackjack, the game gives you free doubles and splits. To pay for them, a dealer total of exactly 22 doesn't bust: it pushes against any player hand of 21 or less. Wizard of Odds' Free Bet Blackjack page (opens in a new tab) puts the house edge under its standard rules at 1.04%, higher than a good standard game.

Some versions offer a Push 22 side bet that pays 11 to 1 if the dealer draws to 22. With six decks and the dealer hitting soft 17, Wizard of Odds gives the probability as 0.073536. You can check the cost yourself: 0.073536 × 11 = 0.808896 won, against 0.926464 lost, for a net of −0.117568, a house edge of about 11.76%. On £5 per hand, that side bet costs about 59p a hand on average.

Blackjack Switch uses the same dealer 22 push, alongside its even-money blackjack, as Wizard of Odds' Blackjack Switch page (opens in a new tab) sets out. Your own blackjack still beats a dealer 22 there.

Pushes and the even money offer

If you have blackjack and the dealer shows an ace, many games offer 'even money': take a 1 to 1 payout now instead of risking a push if the dealer also has blackjack. Even money is simply insurance taken on a blackjack, and Wizard of Odds' basic strategy says never take insurance or even money.

With an infinite-deck model, insurance pays 2 to 1 on a 4 in 13 chance, returning (2 × 4 − 9) ÷ 13 = −1/13 per pound, a house edge of about 7.69%. Turning down even money means you'll sometimes push a blackjack, but over many hands you keep more.

Why the push rule matters for the house edge

The dealer's main advantage in blackjack is that you act first and lose on a bust even if the dealer would have busted too. Pushes don't change that, but they do soften it: a tie at 17 to 21 costs you nothing. Games that make ties lose, or make 22 a push, shift value to the house and have to give something back elsewhere.

Because pushes return your stake, they don't add to your expected loss. That comes only from hands you lose and win. On a standard six-deck game with the dealer hitting soft 17 and a 0.62% edge, £10 hands still cost about 6.2p each on average, pushes included. See our blackjack house edge page and what is a blackjack push rate for more.

How to spot and settle a push, step by step

1. Finish your hand by standing, or by reaching 21.
2. Watch the dealer reveal the hole card and draw to 17 or more.
3. Compare totals. If they match, the hand is a push.
4. Check that the full stake on that hand, including any double, is returned.
5. For split hands, settle each hand separately.
6. Check side bets and insurance separately, then decide whether to play another round within your budget.

Myths about the push in blackjack

• Myth: a push counts as a win. It returns your stake and nothing more.
• Myth: the dealer wins all ties. Not in standard blackjack; equal totals push. Some variants, like Double Exposure, do give ties to the dealer. Our answer on why the dealer wins ties covers where the idea comes from.
• Myth: a push means a win is due. Each round is independent; an RNG game reshuffles every round. See independent events.
• Myth: both busting is a push. You bust first, so you lose.

For basic rules from the start, read how to play blackjack or Wizard of Odds' blackjack basics (opens in a new tab).

Blackjack and our partner offers

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Our Casumo review has the full picture for that casino.

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.