Blackjack 3:2 vs 6:5

A blackjack, or natural, is an ace and a ten-value card as the first two cards. Players can check the game’s rules, which typically show the payout as either 3 to 2 or 6 to 5. The first payout is far more favourable, as a £10 bet on a blackjack wins £15 at a 3 to 2 table, while a 6 to 5 payout wins £12. The difference, however small it may feel, quietly shifts the house edge.

Payout is the rule that matters most

The payout line on the felt is not a supplementary detail: it makes a different version of blackjack. A 3:2 table is plainly better for the player, because the blackjack is the one hand that pays more than even money.

The frequency behind the difference

The margin matters, because natural blackjacks are no headline event. On average, a blackjack occurs roughly once every 21 hands, so the £3 lost on each £10 blackjack at a 6:5 table comes round again and again. It might not feel like much on one hand, but it is measurable.

What the house edge changes by

The 3:2 vs 6:5 payout difference is larger than the effect of most other rule changes: paying 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2 increases the house edge by about 1.4 percentage points.

Where players see the rule

A payout is a rule, like whether the dealer stands on a soft 17, and it is part of the table’s rules. The table felt will typically display one of two lines:

• blackjack pays 3 to 2, or
• blackjack pays 6 to 5

Other rules that also move the edge

The payout, however, is not the only factor that changes a game’s house edge. Other rules that move it include:

• dealer stands on soft 17
• dealer hits on soft 17
• the number of decks in play

The practical comparison

The blackjack payout is a rule that players can check for themselves, because it is written on the table felt or in the game rules. So, if the felt reads 3 to 2, that is the more favourable payout; if the felt says 6 to 5, it is the inferior payout impacting the house edge.

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