Quick answer: Pick the rules printed on your table (decks, soft 17, what a dealer blackjack takes, doubling, splits and the blackjack payout) and enter your bet. The calculator shows the house edge and your average cost per hand, per hour and per session in A$. It also covers Blackjack Plus, Blackjack Challenge and Pontoon in each Australian city.
Most blackjack calculators online assume Las Vegas rules: a hole card, doubling on any two cards, no Aussie variants. We built this one for Australian tables. Choose the rules below and the numbers update as you go.
Estimates assume correct basic strategy for the rules chosen. They are long-run averages: any single session can finish far above or far below them. Base game and rule effects: Wizard of Odds (Australian Blackjack and Rule Variations pages, updated August 2026). Free tool from blackjack-unblocked.com, no real money.
How the calculator works
We start from a published Australian game and adjust it rule by rule:
- Base game: 0.59%. Wizard of Odds calculated this for the Star City Sydney rules of 2008: 8 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double on 9-11, double after split allowed, one split only and the BB+1 no hole card rule.
- Rule adjustments come from Wizard of Odds' Australian Blackjack and Rule Variations tables (both updated August 2026).
- Variants (Blackjack Plus, Blackjack Challenge, Pontoon by city) use Wizard of Odds' full analysis for each game, because their rules are too different to adjust from the base.
What each rule is worth
Positive numbers make the game worse for you, negative numbers make it better:
| Rule | Change in house edge |
|---|---|
| Blackjack pays 6:5 instead of 3:2 | +1.39% |
| Dealer hits soft 17 | +0.22% |
| No double after split | +0.14% |
| ENHC (dealer blackjack takes all your bets) instead of BB+1 | +0.10% |
| Double on 10 or 11 only (instead of 9-11) | +0.09% |
| OBBO instead of BB+1 | +0.02% |
| OBO (original bet only) instead of BB+1 | -0.03% |
| 6 decks instead of 8 | -0.03% |
| Resplit pairs to 3 hands (not aces) | -0.05% |
| 4 decks instead of 8 | -0.07% |
| Double on any two cards (instead of 9-11) | -0.09% |
| Resplit any pair, aces too, to 3 hands | -0.12% |
Notice what sits at the top. One bad payout rule (6:5) costs more than every other rule on the list put together. If you only check one thing at a table, check the blackjack payout.
Three worked examples
- A typical hit-soft-17 table: 8 decks, dealer hits soft 17, BB+1, double 9-11, one split. House edge about 0.81%. At A$25 and 60 hands an hour that is about A$12 an hour.
- A friendlier game: 6 decks, stand on soft 17, OBO, resplits allowed. About 0.48%, or around A$7 an hour at the same bet.
- Blackjack Plus: 6.36%, or about A$95 an hour at A$25 a hand. See our Blackjack Plus guide.
What house edge really means
Think a 0.5% house edge means you lose 50 cents every hand? Not quite. It is the average loss per dollar bet over a very long time.
- In one session you can win or lose many times the "average cost". Blackjack swings a lot.
- Over months of play, results drift towards the average.
- Your speed matters. The same house edge costs more per hour at a fast electronic table than at a full, slow live table.
- Your mistakes matter more. The figures assume correct basic strategy. Common errors (taking insurance, standing on 12 against a 2) add more than most rule changes. Practise with the blackjack trainer and strategy chart.
The limits of this calculator
We would rather tell you what it cannot do:
- Rules interact. Adding effects one by one is a close estimate, usually within a few hundredths of a percent, but not an exact simulation.
- Side bets are not included. They carry their own, usually much higher, house edge.
- Casino rules change. Check the current rules document for your table (we link them from our Crown Melbourne and The Star Sydney guides).
- It is a planning tool, not advice to gamble. We are not a casino and we do not take bets.
Rules change from one casino to the next, and sometimes from one table to the next in the same room. Want every casino in one view? See blackjack rules at every Australian casino (one table, with sources). Or use these guides side by side before you choose a table: New to Aussie tables? Start with our Australian blackjack rules guide and keep the strategy chart open while you practise.Compare with other Aussie casinos
Casino guide What stands out Key number Crown Melbourne blackjack Rules Version 29.0: no hole card, double 9-11, Crown Blackjack hits soft 17 Pontoon 0.38% The Star Sydney blackjack Star Blackjack hits soft 17, Blackjack Challenge, NSW carded play Pontoon 0.42% Crown Sydney blackjack Traditional vs Crown Blackjack, partial doubles, no pokies A$20 legal minimum Crown Perth blackjack Soft 17 set by table layout, dealer blackjack takes all, resplit aces Pontoon 0.38% The Star Brisbane and Gold Coast Star Blackjack hits soft 17, 2026 ownership change About 0.8% SkyCity Adelaide blackjack Freebet and 6:5 Party Blackjack, SA's only casino Pontoon 0.64%
Game and tool guides What it covers Key number Blackjack Plus Dealer 22 pushes, instant pays on 21 and five cards 6.36% house edge Pontoon vs blackjack 48-card decks, player 21 always wins, house edge by city 0.34% to 0.64% Side bets in Australia Crown Pairs, Buster Blackjack, Any Pair, insurance 1.9% to 22% Minimum bets in Australia What players report at Crown and The Star, electronic tables Checked Sept 2026 Card counting in Australia What is legal, counting devices, bet limits and bans NSW s87(2) House edge calculator Enter your table's rules and see the cost per hour A$ per hour
Frequently asked questions
What is a good house edge for blackjack?
Under 0.6% is good for an Australian table. Most Aussie games land between about 0.5% and 0.9%. Anything above 1% usually means a bad payout or a variant such as Blackjack Challenge or Blackjack Plus.
How much does blackjack cost per hour?
Multiply your bet by the hands per hour and by the house edge. At A$25, 60 hands an hour and 0.6%, that is about A$9 an hour on average.
Does no hole card increase the house edge?
Only under some rules. ENHC (a dealer blackjack takes all your bets) adds about 0.10% compared with BB+1. OBO is mathematically the same as a hole card game.
Which rule costs the player the most?
A 6:5 blackjack payout. It adds about 1.39%, more than all the other common rules combined.
Where do the numbers come from?
From Wizard of Odds' published analysis of Australian blackjack, rule variations, Blackjack Plus, Blackjack Challenge and Australian Pontoon (updated August 2026).
Try the rules for free
Numbers make more sense once you have played a few hundred hands. Our free blackjack game uses Aussie no hole card rules with practice points only.