Blackjack
Single-deck blackjack with the rules tilted toward the player: dealer stands on soft 17, double on any two, double after split, blackjack pays 3:2. Played with optimal basic strategy, the house edge collapses to 0.5% — the lowest of any non-zero-edge original.
How Blackjack works
Get dealt two cards. Dealer gets one face-up. Aim higher than dealer without busting (over 21). Hit (take a card), Stand (stop), Double (one card, double bet), Split (pairs), Surrender (give up half-bet, end hand). Dealer reveals second card, draws to 17 (stands on all 17, including soft). Higher hand wins; tie pushes; blackjack (A + 10-value on first two) pays 3:2 unless dealer also has blackjack.
Basic strategy is not optional
Blackjack is the only original where your decisions change EV. Optimal basic strategy is a 17-cell decision matrix (player total × dealer up-card) that drops the edge from ~5% (random play) to 0.5% (perfect play). Memorise it — or open a chart on a second screen, the casino does not police it. The house margin lives entirely in the gap between your decisions and the chart.
How to verify a Blackjack hand
The shuffled deck order is derived from HMAC-SHA-256 of the seed pair + nonce, mapped to a Fisher-Yates shuffle of 52 positions. Verify by reproducing the shuffle locally and confirming the dealing order matches what the casino played.
Read the full fairness guideBlackjack FAQ
Is the deck reshuffled every hand?
Yes — single-deck mode reshuffles after every hand, so card counting offers zero edge. The single-deck rule choice is for the lower house edge it provides, not for counting opportunity.
Can I count cards to beat the house?
No. Reshuffling between hands removes the count's information value. The 0.5% edge requires basic strategy alone — no further skill caves the math.
What is 'soft 17'?
A hand totalling 17 that includes an Ace counted as 11 (e.g. A-6). Dealer stands on soft 17 in this version, which is more player-friendly than 'hits soft 17' rule sets.
Does the casino offer insurance?
Yes, when dealer shows an Ace. Mathematically insurance is a -7% EV bet — never take it under basic strategy. The button is there because rules require offering it, not because it is recommended.