1 and 2 deck blackjack games are sought after by blackjack players. The house is more in favor of the player compared to multi-deck games. It’s also easier for players (to learn how) to count cards, track deck penetration and so on.

• 4 Deck Blackjack Odds
• Blackjack Deck Size And Its Effect The House Edge
• Blackjack Probability Odds - Winning Blackjack Odds Charts

Here’s the house edge for the same game with the adjusted payout for blackjack: 1 Deck: 1.55%; 2 Decks: 1.83%; 4 Decks: 1.96%; 6 Decks: 1.99% (2% rounded up) 8 Decks: 2.019%; As you probably expected, the house edge is higher playing a 6:5 blackjack game. This example shows that the house edge is lower when the game has fewer decks in play. For this example, we’ll use one deck. To get a blackjack, you need either an ace-ten combination, or a ten-ace combination. Order doesn’t matter, because either will have the same chance of happening. Your probability of getting an ace on your first card is 4/52. You have four aces in the deck, and you have 52 total cards. If we add the probabilities of these two events, this will give us the odds of getting blackjack. The odds of getting a ten-value as your first card is 16/52. 16 ten-value cards divided by the total number of cards in 1 deck. The fraction 16/52 reduces to 4/13. The odds of getting an ace as your second card are 4/51. Here's the situation: You are playing in a multiple deck game where the option of soft doubling is allowed (which means the vast majority of casinos). You're dealt an Ace and a four, while the dealer gives himself an upcard of three. Naturally, a signal would go off, identifying a possible doubling situation here. Learn how to read a blackjack strategy chart and find examples of a 4 deck black jack strategy charts to use while playing online blackjack games.

But it’s also because of these player advantages that many casinos have done away with their smaller deck blackjack games, or have altered the rules significantly to put the majority of the edge back in favor of the casino. So you’ll be lucky to find a 1 or 2 deck blackjack game, either live or online.

4 Deck Blackjack Odds

Don’t let that stop you from looking, though. There are many benefits to single deck blackjack games, which I’ve outlined below. Further below I’ve shared some methods that casinos use to lower the player’s edge.

There are a number of benefits to playing at 1 or 2 deck blackjack casinos.

• More player blackjacks. The odds of being dealt a natural blackjack in a single deck game is 4.82%. With 8 decks your odds decrease to 4.75%.
• Less dealer blackjacks. The dealer is less likely to have a blackjack to tie the player if the player has one, because the one of 4 (or 8) aces have been used, drastically lowering the odds of the dealer having one.
• Deck penetration. Assuming the cards aren’t reshuffled every hand, a single deck will be penetrated more than two decks, than 3, 4 and so on. The further a deck is penetrated, the more accurate a card counter’s count, as well as his assessment of how many 10s and aces are left in the deck, and possibly, where.
• Card counting. Single and double decks are easier for players to count and keep track of.
• Great value for double downs. Similar to the reason for more player blackjacks, the chances of a player receiving a good card when double downing increases in a single and double deck.

The difference in any one of these points is miniscule, comparing the odds of a single deck to multiple decks. However, if you combine all of these points together, along with the various rules in favor of the player (like splitting aces, double downs after splits, etc), then it adds up to a significant advantage in favor of the player.

Blackjack Deck Size And Its Effect The House Edge

What Casinos Do to Lower the Player Edge

Blackjack Probability Odds - Winning Blackjack Odds Charts

Obviously (it should be obvious, at least), the casino isn’t going to stand around and let players have this massive edge. They’re there to make money, after all. So assuming you can find a single or double deck blackjack game online, be aware that the casino may take the following actions to reduce your odds.

• Bad blackjack odds. In a single or double deck game, don’t be surprised to see 6:5 payouts for natural blackjacks. That reduces the payout from $1.50 to $1.20 per $1 wagered. This adds 1.39% to the house edge.
• Dealer hits soft 17. This adds .22% to the house edge.
• Shuffle every hand. This applies only to live blackjack games, since online games shuffle every hand anyway. But shuffling removes the advantage of tracking deck penetration and getting a (more) accurate count.
• Anti-card counting policies. Some casinos have policies prohibiting card counters from playing. 5Dimes is an example of this. Card counters that try to take advantage of live dealer games may have their accounts closed and winnings confiscated.

In short, casinos will do everything they can to increase their odds in single and double deck games, as well as prevent (or discourage) advantage players from counting cards.