Why does the dealer win ties in blackjack?

Why does the dealer win ties in blackjack? Usually they don't

The idea that the dealer wins ties is one of the most widespread blackjack myths. In the standard game, set out in Wizard of Odds' blackjack basics (opens in a new tab), a hand where you and the dealer finish on the same total is a push. Nobody wins, your bet stays yours, and you can let it ride or pick it up.

So where does the belief come from? Two places. First, the dealer does win the one 'tie' that matters most: when both of you go over 21. Second, a handful of popular games, including the online version of Pontoon, really do settle ties in the house's favour. Both are explained below, with the maths behind each.

How ties are settled in standard blackjack

Here is how every finish of a standard hand is settled on a £10 bet, assuming no doubling or splitting:

The first row is the important one. It is the only situation where matching outcomes do not cancel out, and it is the source of the whole house edge.

The dealer's real edge: you act first

In blackjack, every player finishes their hand before the dealer draws a card. If you take a card on hard 16 and bust, your bet is collected straight away. The dealer then plays out their hand and might bust too, but by then your money is already gone.

Everything else in the game leans slightly towards the player. You can double, split and sometimes surrender; the dealer can't. You get 3 to 2 for a natural; the dealer collects only your stake. You see one dealer card before deciding; the dealer follows fixed rules and makes no choices. Those options roughly balance the cost of acting first, which is why blackjack's edge ends up so small. Under Wizard of Odds' European rules (six decks, no peek, dealer stands on soft 17), it is 0.62% with perfect basic strategy.

Some players try to dodge the bust risk by copying the dealer: never bust, always hit to 17. That throws away doubling, splitting and standing on stiff hands against weak dealer cards, and it makes the game noticeably more expensive.

When both bust: the one tie the dealer always wins

Ask a regular player why 'the dealer wins ties' and they usually mean double busts. Picture a £10 hand: you have 15 against a dealer 10, hit and draw a queen for 25. Your £10 is taken. The dealer turns over a 6 for 16, draws a 9 and busts with 25 as well. In casino terms that is not a tie at all, because your hand was settled the moment you went over.

How often does that bite? Each time you hit a stiff total you accept a real chance of busting. With a simplified infinite deck, hitting 15 busts you on 7 of the 13 ranks (7 to king), or about 53.8%. That is why basic strategy stands on 13 to 16 against a dealer 2 to 6: the dealer is the one more likely to break, so you let them take the risk. Our hard hands and dealer soft 17 pages go deeper into those decisions.

Blackjack variants where the dealer does win ties

A few games change the tie rule on purpose. Each one pays something back elsewhere, so the house edge stays modest under optimal play. The figures below are from Wizard of Odds.

You can read the full rules on our Pontoon, Double Exposure and Blackjack Switch pages.

How tie-losing games balance the maths

Losing ties sounds brutal, and on its own it would be. The rule-variation figures show how big these changes can be: making a dealer 22 a push, with nothing else changed, costs the player 6.91% according to Wizard of Odds' rule-variation table (opens in a new tab). Free Bet Blackjack still ends up near 1% because the free doubles and splits hand most of that back.

Pontoon works the same way. Giving ties to the dealer costs you a lot of hands that would otherwise push, but paying 2 to 1 on a pontoon and on any unbusted five-card hand returns most of it. Double Exposure lets you see both dealer cards, which is a huge information gain, and the casino recovers that by taking ties and paying naturals at even money.

The lesson: never judge a variant by one rule. Compare the published house edge, which already nets out every rule against every other.

What happens when you and the dealer both have blackjack

In standard games, two naturals push. In a peek game, the dealer checks for blackjack with an ace or ten showing, reveals it at once, and your natural is returned while every other bet on the table loses. In a no-hole-card game the dealer draws later, so your natural waits until then, but the result is the same push.

The difference shows up with doubles and splits. Under Wizard of Odds' European no-peek analysis, if the dealer ends up with blackjack you lose the total amount bet, including what you added by doubling or splitting. That is not a tie rule as such, but it is another way the order of play favours the house.

How to check a blackjack table's tie rules

1. Open the game's help or rules screen before your first hand.
2. Look for the words 'push', 'tie' or 'stand-off' and see how equal totals are settled.
3. Check for a dealer 22 rule. If 22 pushes, the game will usually offer free doubles, switching or other compensation.
4. Note the blackjack payout: games that take ties sometimes pay naturals at even money or 2 to 1 for special hands.
5. Compare the published RTP or house edge with a standard game, using our house edge calculator to turn it into pounds.
6. Pick the game whose rules you understand fully; mistakes in an unfamiliar variant cost more than any rule difference.

Ties and pushes at UK online and live tables

Most RNG and live blackjack at UK-licensed casinos follows the push-on-ties rule, but providers set their own rules, so the help screen is the final word. In live games a push is shown on screen and your bet stays in the box; you can usually remove it before the next round. Since 17 January 2025 autoplay is banned for online casino games, including live tables, though a re-bet button is allowed. Our live blackjack page covers the main live formats.

Where to find standard blackjack tables in the UK

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For blackjack, browse each casino's table game lobby and read the rules of the specific table. Our UK casino reviews summarise each operator.

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.