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Blackjack payouts: why 3:2 beats 6:5 every time

A 3:2 table pays $15 on a $10 natural blackjack; a 6:5 table pays only $12. That one rule change roughly triples the house edge - from about 0.5% with basic strategy to about 2%. Always check the felt before you sit down.

The math on 100 hands

A natural blackjack comes up about once every 21 hands. Playing $10 a hand over 100 hands you can expect roughly 5 naturals: at 3:2 they pay $75, at 6:5 they pay $60. You give up $15 per 100 hands - an extra $1.50 per 100 hands per dollar of house edge - just for sitting at the wrong felt.

Other payout traps

Even money is insurance in disguise: taking even money on your blackjack against a dealer ace is the same bad bet as the insurance side bet. Insurance itself pays 2:1 on a bet that wins less than a third of the time - decline it under basic strategy. And watch for tables paying 1:1 on blackjacks, which are worse still.

How to read table rules

The payout is printed on the felt or the table placard: “Blackjack pays 3 to 2” or “pays 6 to 5”. Also check whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17. Our free trainer uses classic 3:2 rules - practice on it here.