Blackjack Pays 3 to 2: How It Impacts Your Winnings

It used to be that all blackjack games paid a blackjack 3 to 2.  Before Edward Thorp wrote his excellent book, ‘Beat The Dealer,’ and let the cat out of the bag as regards the actual hold percentages on blackjack and how to beat the game, most games were dealt using a single deck and paid a blackjack 3 to 2.

Almost all the players didn’t play well, hitting hands they shouldn’t, splitting pairs they shouldn’t, doubling down on bad hands, and in general, making the casinos more money than they should have been making.

After ‘Beat The Dealer’, there came a slew of other books that expanded on Thorp’s original premise, and the casinos found themselves with a game that a knowledgeable player could beat.

Which was not where they wanted to be.

And btw – learn how to become a very strong blackjack player using the Basic Strategy guide, and also learn how to count cards well enough to do it professionally.

One of the standard things that all players knew was that single deck with a 3 to 2 blackjack payout was the best game to play.

The House Advantage increases as the number of decks increases. The House Advantage increases as the players don’t make good decisions about splitting, doubling down and so on.

But as the players became smarter, the casinos found themselves with a game where the revenues were declining because the players became better players.

And one of the things the casinos did to reverse that trend was to introduce the 6 to 5 payout for a blackjack.

What does that actually do to the game?

What Does Blackjack Pays 3 to 2 Mean?

It means that for every 2 units you bet, you get paid 3 units. 

For every 10 you bet, you get paid 15.

So if you have a $20 bet that gets paid 3 to 2, it means your $20 bet gets paid $30. (and of course, you keep your original $20 bet).

Why is the 3 to 2 Blackjack payout better than 6 to 5?

If the blackjack pays 6 to 5, your $20 bet will now only get paid $24.

Changing the payout from 3 to 2 to 6 to 5 increases the House Advantage by 1.39%.

Which means the House Advantage has now gone from approximately 0.5% (yes, that’s ½ of 1%) for a standard single deck game, to a whopping 1.89% - almost 2%. 

So the House Advantage increased by approximately 250%.

The word on the street is that single deck is still the best blackjack game to play, and if the blackjack pays 3 to 2, it’s probably true.

But once the casino changes the blackjack payout to 6 to 5, it becomes one of the worst games to play.

And a serious benefit of that from the casino’s point of view is that the card counters won’t waste their time playing the game.

When I was the VP of Table Games at Red Hawk Casino, I was getting a lot of requests to have at least one permanent $5 minimum game.

And also a lot of requests to have a single deck – which I knew was in response to the ‘urban legend’ that the single deck was the best game to play.

I decided to give the players what they asked for – which was both games on one table – and I put a $5 minimum single deck on the retail floor of the casino. 

Ordinarily, as the casino gets busier, the pit managers will increase the minimum bets.  It’s a standard procedure, called yield management, that all casinos do.

It’s good management, because why would I keep a $5 minimum game when many players are just as happy with a $15 or $25 minimum.  Which increases the casino revenue without the players getting upset that they can’t find a game they want to play.  And that’s  part of my job.

But I made the rule that the minimum on our $5 single deck was never allowed to be changed.  Ever.

Why would I do that? 

Because I put a 6 to 5 blackjack payout on the single deck and knew that the House Advantage on the game would make sure that the game would perform just as well as the other games with a 3 to 2 blackjack payout, even though they had a higher minimum bet. 

And that’s exactly what happened. 

I was shocked to see how busy my little single deck game was, even with a 6 to 5 blackjack payout. It was busy all the time. 

And the revenue was just as good as most of the higher limit games.

The additional benefit of knowing the game was not susceptible to advantage players was an added bonus for me, and a beautiful thing.

How to calculate the payout for 3 to 2 Blackjack?

There are a few ways to calculate the payout.

For me, the easiest way is to multiply the bet by 1.5

So $10 x 1.5 = $15

$50 x 1.5 = $75 and so on.

Another way to do it is to divide by 2 and multiply by 3.

$10/2 = $5, and $5 x 3 = $15.

$50/2 = $25, and $25 x 3 = $75.

Or another way is to add one half of the bet to the bet.

Half of $10 is $5.  Add $5 to $10 = $15.

Half of $50 is $25.  Add $25 to $50 = $75.

Let’s say you have an odd amount. 

Half of $25 is $12.50. 

So $12.50 added to $25 is $37.50.

Half of $55 is $27.50.  $55 plus $27.50 is $82.50 

3 to 2 Blackjack Payout Table

Expert’s Advice

If I’m out and about, I will never play a 6 to 5 blackjack game.  Never.

I would rather not play than play against that House Advantage.

You should always try to find a blackjack game that pays 3 to 2. 

Many of the casinos have now adopted the 6 to 5 pay out on their retail floors, reserving the 3 to 2 pay out for the games in the High Limit room, with a $50 or more minimum.

Most online casinos still pay out 3 to 2 simply because they don’t have the high cost of labor and can afford to have an old-school structure in place.

And many of the off-Strip casinos like Treasure Island, the Stratosphere and the Station Casinos still pay 3 to 2.

Conclusion

Finding a game that pays 3 to 2 for a blackjack is worth your time and effort. 

It’s virtually impossible to beat a game that pays 6 to 5 for blackjack.

I know it doesn’t seem like it’s a big deal, but take it from me, it is.

And as always, good luck.