Not all tables are equal. Know what to look for before you sit down. The difference between a 0.5% and 2.5% house edge is just four rule changes.
A $100 bet pays $150 at 3:2, but only $120 at 6:5. On a natural blackjack (4.8% frequency), you're losing $30 per occurrence. Never play 6:5.
When the dealer hits soft 17, they have a chance to improve their hand. This small rule change adds ~0.2% to the house edge.
Restricting your ability to double down removes profitable opportunities, particularly with soft hands (A2-A7 vs dealer 5-6).
DAS (Double After Split) is valuable when splitting pairs like 2s, 3s, or 7s against weak dealer upcards. Re-splitting Aces adds ~0.06% player edge.
Late surrender (after dealer checks for blackjack) lets you forfeit half your bet on bad hands like 16 vs 10, saving EV in the long run.
Fewer decks slightly favor the player, but this is often offset by worse rules (6:5 payout) at single-deck tables. Always check the full rule set.
Help build a crowdsourced database of table rules. Submit the rules at your local casino so the community knows where it's mathematically safe to play.
Table submissions coming soon.
Small rule changes compound dramatically over thousands of hands.
| Rule Change | Effect on House Edge | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 6:5 Payout | +1.39% | AVOID |
| Dealer Hits Soft 17 (H17) | +0.22% | WORSE |
| Double After Split (DAS) | -0.14% | BETTER |
| Late Surrender | -0.08% | BETTER |
| Single Deck (with fair rules) | -0.04% | BETTER |
| Perfect Basic Strategy | ~0.5% total | OPTIMAL |