However, depending on the rules, players may have the option to double their bets during a hand, which can improve their odds if the situation is favorable to them. What most gamblers are more interested in than the payoff for a two card blackjack, is what their odds are of coming away from blackjack a winner.
General Odds
Getting the best odds in blackjack requires the use of basic strategy. Basic strategy is a chart of blackjack decisions calculated for maximum success value.
Failing to use basic strategy simply means you will lose at blackjack more often. If you do use basic strategy, how well you can expect to do depend on the rules at that particular casino.
In a standard eight deck situation in which the dealer stands on soft 17, doubling on any two cards is allowed. Players can split, re-split and blackjack pays 3-to-2. The House edge is about .43 percent, meaning for every $100 wagered, the player can expect to lose 43 cents in the long term.
Specific Odds
Changes in rules can alter this House edge. For example, if the dealer must hit his soft 17, the House edge jumps to around .64 percent.
If the number of decks used drops to six, the House edge also drops, to around .40 percent. If surrender is allowed, the House edge even further, to around .33 percent.
Basic Strategy Charts
What you can do though, is to get familiar with some basic probability odds in blackjack. Study these charts below for a better understanding of the game.
This first chart shows the odds of busting if you choose to add another card to your two-card hand.
Hand Value | % Bust If You Hit |
21 | 100% |
20 | 92% |
19 | 85% |
18 | 77% |
17 | 69% |
16 | 62% |
15 | 58% |
14 | 56% |
13 | 39% |
12 | 31% |
11 or Less | 0% |
The seconds chart shows the probability of the dealer to bust depending on the up card that he is holding. As you can see, the biggest chances of the dealer busting is when he is holding a 5.
Dealer Up Card | Dealer Bust % |
2 | 35.30% |
3 | 37.56% |
4 | 40.28% |
5 | 42.89% |
6 | 42.08% |
7 | 25.99% |
8 | 23.86% |
9 | 23.34% |
10 | 21.43% |
J,Q,K | 21.43% |
A | 11.65% |
Studying these two basic probability charts will give you a good first insight to the game. Remember that the house gets its advantage in blackjack by being the last one to act. Â This makes it quite possible for the players to go bust before the dealer has his turn.
Learn more
Blackjack strategy card This strategy tells you what to do for each possible combination of your hand and the dealer's up-card. It's not that easy to memorize, so make sure you print it out and keep it as a blackjack strategy card in reach from your computer.
