What you need to know about Blackjack Payouts
When it comes to any casino game you're always up against the house edge. Games like video poker and blackjack afford players the opportunity to lower the house edge through strategic game play and earn greater returns.
A quick visit to any online casino reveals that there are a number of blackjack variants on offer and the odds in each game depend on a variety of factors including the rules and number of decks used in each shoe. Some blackjack games offer fewer decks or more favourable rules than others, but you have to know what you're looking for in order to be able to find the best variants.
Why the huge number of variants, differing decks and rules? So the casino can build in a profit margin on each game in order to maintain their edge of course! In being in control of the number of decks used and the rules that govern a particular variant the casino ensures that not all players get the maximum returns on each bet that they play.
These little tricks are often referred to as "short pays" within the industry and they serve to reduce the payout to players who hold Blackjack. In traditional blackjack games, players generally receive a 3:2 payout on Blackjack, but in modern variants you'll often find this being lowered to 6:5 and occasionally 7:5.
If like most players gambling mathematics is not your strong suit, then let's look at a real world example to better illustrate these payouts:
- 3:2 payouts in blackjack mean that for every $50 you wager you'll earn $75 when you hold blackjack
- In games with 6:5 payouts if you bet $50 per hand you will be paid out $60.
As you can see from the above example, the 6:5 payout is considerably low and will affect high and low rollers alike. Even if you're playing a single deck blackjack game with 6:5 odds, you're still eight times more likely to go bust quickly than you are if you play a standard 3:2 payout, single deck blackjack game.
Recently we've seen a number of casinos boasting that they have added a number of new single deck games to their blackjack portfolios which of course grab players' attention as they are the most favourable variant. This is of course until you examine the rules and discover that Blackjack pays 6:5.
So before playing it's always important to examine the rules and paytable and if you come across a game with a 6:5 payout, keep looking as playing it will make a considerable dent in your casino bankroll! Why should you give the casino an even greater advantage when you're already up against the house edge in any game you play? Rather play smart and choose a game with the best possible odds and returns that will continue to fund your bankroll for a long time to come.