5 Simple Blackjack Tips to Lower the House Edge Under 1%

Blackjack strategy may seem complicated at first glance. After all, every decision that you make in this game affects the house edge.

Therefore, you may feel discouraged from learning blackjack strategy before you even get started. The truth, though, is that the strategy isn’t that difficult to master.

In fact, you’ll become a strong player and lower the house age under 1% just by following five simple rules. That said, you can quickly pick up on the following five tips and boost your chances of winning immensely.

1 – Find a Table With Player Friendly Rules

One of the biggest misconceptions about blackjack is that every table is the same. Players may know that the stakes vary from one table to the next, but they don’t realize that the rules can also be different.

You might pick up on the rule differences eventually after playing for so long. But you’ll be better off when knowing the discrepancies right away.

You stand a better chance of winning at tables with player-friendly rules. The latter lower the house advantage and improve your odds of winning.

Below, you can see some of the most-important rules to check for when choosing a table:

• 3-to-2 natural payout – Lowers the edge for the casino 1.39% when you compare it to 6-to-5 payouts.
• Single deck blackjack – Lowers house advantage by 0.6% compared to eight-deck shoe blackjack.
• Double down on any total – Lowers the edge for the casino 0.25% compared to doubling down on 10-11.
• Dealer stands on soft 17 – Lowers the edge for the casino 0.20% compared to when the dealer hits a soft 17.
• Doubling down after splitting (DAS) – This lowers the edge of the casino 0.17% compared to no DAS.

As seen above, natural blackjack payouts play a crucial role in the odds. A 3-to-2 payout, versus a 6-to-5 payoff, lowers the house edge by almost 1.4%.

The number of decks also plays a major role in your chances of winning. The closer you get to one or two decks, the lower the house advantage will be.

Of course, all of the other rules mentioned above also play a crucial role. Therefore, you should only select tables that provide a solid chance to win.

2 – Stick to Online Blackjack

Both land-based and online casinos can offer beatable real money blackjack games. However, your chances of finding quality games improve when you play online.

Unlike brick-and-mortar casinos, gaming sites don’t need to pay dealers or cover heavy utility costs. Instead, they can offer as many tables/games as their server allows for a relatively cheap cost.

As a result, online casinos are usually more generous regarding rules and the house edge. Chances are, you could randomly pick any internet blackjack game and enjoy less than a 1% house advantage (i.e. 99%+ RTP).

Nevertheless, you should still check the rules before choosing a cyber table. You can do so by selecting the info option and looking for the rules area.

The info screen will show you which rules are in play. In some cases, it’ll also reveal the overall house advantage.

The latter is very helpful because it shows your exact chances of winning without you needing to take a deep dive into the rules.

Some online blackjack games pay better than others. That said, you should shop around and look for the best options. Certain internet blackjack games feature less than a 0.4% house advantage (i.e. 99.6%+ RTP).

3 – Understand Basic Strategy

Quality rules and expert strategy go hand-in-hand in blackjack. You can’t drop the house edge to its lowest form without combining both elements.

As mentioned before, blackjack strategy isn’t as difficult as it may initially seem. It’s relatively easy once you know which tools to use.

The simplest way to learn strategy is by finding an online chart. Blackjack strategy charts provide you with the plays you should make depending on the dealer’s showing card and your total score.

Here’s an example:

• You have a score of 12.
• The dealer’s showing card is 6.
• You refer to the chart.
• The chart shows that standing is the optimal move in this playing situation.

You can find strategy charts at many websites and through image searches. That said, you’ll experience no trouble locating these resources.

Blackjack trainers are another helpful tool that you may consider using. A trainer is a free software program that points out when you make mistakes. Trainers are nice because they allow you to practice both online and land-based blackjack.

In the latter case, you may not always have time to refer to your chart before making decisions. After all, the dealer and fellow players get annoyed if you stare at a chart before every decision.

4 – Don’t Take Insurance or Other Side Bets

Like other table games, blackjack features side bets and insurance. These extra wagers spice up the action and give you an opportunity to win additional money.

However, you’re better off playing the game straight and ignoring these extra opportunities. Insurance and other side wagers feature a higher house than if you just play the game like normal.

Casinos offer you insurance when the dealer shows an ace upcard. With insurance, you pay 50% of your original bet.

In exchange, you receive a 2-to-1 payout on insurance if the dealer indeed has a natural blackjack. This proposition sounds good in theory because it doesn’t cost much and protects you in the event of a dealer’s 21.

However, the odds of the dealer holding a 10-value card are just 9:4 (31%). Even with the 2-to-1 payout, you’re still facing a 7% house edge with insurance.

It offers payouts based on queens and other pairs. You can win up to 1,000:1 if you have a pair of queens coupled with the dealer getting a natural.

Lucky Ladies’ big payouts are no doubt enticing. However, you’ll quickly be scared off this wager when considering the 24.7% house advantage.

You might still consider placing blackjack side bets given that they do add some entertainment value. As a general rule of thumb, though, you should be prepared to lose more money through these wagers than when playing the game straight.

5 – Look for Blackjack Bonuses

You don’t need to rely on winning money through the tables alone with online blackjack. Instead, you can also pick up extra money via bonuses.

Most online casinos offer a welcome bonus that’s based on your first deposit. For example, you might qualify for a 100% match bonus worth up to $500.

When playing live dealer blackjack, you may be privy to a free bet. The latter gives you an opportunity to win back (potential) losses stemming from your first wager.

You must meet terms and conditions before getting money from deposit bonuses, free bets, or any other type of deal.

Playthrough (a.k.a. rollover) is an especially important term. Rollover determines how much you’ll need to wager before being able to withdraw a bonus.

Here’s an example on how it works with deposit bonuses:

• You qualify for a $100 blackjack bonus.
• Rollover is 50x.
• 100 x 50 = $5,000 must be wagered before cashing out

Here’s an example on how playthrough works with live bets:

• You get a free wager worth up to $25.
• You bet and lose $25.
• Playthrough is 10x.
• 25 x 10 = $25 must be wagered to regain the losses

Rollover isn’t the only term that you’ll need to worry about when unlocking bonus money. That said, I highly recommend you read all of the T&Cs before going after any blackjack bonus.

Even with the T&Cs, though, blackjack bonuses are always worth the effort if you’re going to play the game anyways. They can replenish some of your losses or boost your winnings.

Conclusion

In relation to casino games like slots and roulette, blackjack seems like a tough game. However, you can master blackjack with relatively little knowledge.

The five tips above will give you a strong command of basic blackjack strategy. You’ll drop the house edge under 1% through these tips.

Assuming you get really good at blackjack, you might try card counting in the future. First step is first, though: you should study the five tips covered here before trying to go pro.