3:2 vs 6:5 Online Blackjack Games: What’s the Difference?

Blackjack needs no introduction. It is one of the most popular casino games, owing to its fun strategic gameplay and low house edge. If you properly play blackjack, you can lower the online casino’s advantage to as far as 0.5%! Modern casino games rarely offer you anything quite that good! Even roulette and baccarat are unable to dethrone the king of online casino games.

This success has led many software providers to create their versions of this game. Despite many great attempts at online blackjack variants, they were only able to distract punters temporarily. None of them managed to reach the same heights as the original. However, these games tried something different. 6:5 blackjack, at first glance, seems to play identically to the original.

What Is the Same?

In both cases, blackjack is played with between six to eight decks. Place all the wagers you have, and then the dealer draws cards. The player receives two cards, and two are given to the dealer. Compare the strength of your card to the dealer’s own and how close you are to going over 21. From there, you will decide whether you want to draw another card or not.

After the round ends, the person closest to twenty-one wins. If you manage to get the exact number, you gain an extra prize! You can further enhance your blackjack experience with several side bets. Which ones are available will depend from game to game, though the most popular are 21+3 and Perfect Pairs.

On top of drawing another card or standing, you also have a variety of other bets. If you get a pair of cards, you can split them into two hands. Also, you are allowed to double your wager on a hand you are confident you will win with in the next card draw. Lastly, if the dealer draws an ace, you can place an Insurance bet. It pays if the dealer gets blackjack and beats you.

What Is Different?

The most apparent change will be in a blackjack payout. A standard blackjack pays 3:2. If you wagered ₹200, you would receive ₹300 back for winning. In this changed version, you get ₹600 for winning for a ₹500 wager. This does not seem like a big deal at first. It is a minor adjustment to how much the maximum win is. Not the best, but nothing to ring alarm bells over.

Sadly, this small change results in a massively increased house edge. For regular blackjack, you get paid ₹1.5 on a ₹1 bet. Meanwhile, 6:5 blackjack gives you ₹1.2 for a ₹1 wager. With 6:5 blackjack, your house edge increases from the original 0.5% up to 2%. That is a 400% increase from a single rule change!

Because there are no other changes to how blackjack is played, players can often overlook this change. There is no way around it. Furthermore, that 2% house edge assumes you are playing a basic online blackjack strategy perfectly. It can dip even lower if you do not play in the most optimal fashion.

Never Play 6:5 Blackjack

Fortunately, this new version of blackjack still has not caught on with online casinos. However, we see it replaces 3:2 blackjack in more and more brick-and-mortar casinos, which is a cause for concern. That said, we do not think that it will affect the world of Online Casino, Online Gambling & Variations. Not yet, at the very least.

Right now, the competition for new punters is too great for any website to offer a lower quality blackjack table. New operators appear every day, and all of them are fighting for a slice of the casino pie. If you anger your customer, they can very quickly find a new online casino to play in.

That said, 6:5 blackjack is gaining in popularity, specifically because people do not know any better. If you ever see a table offering that kind of payout, avoid playing it. Warn any friends who enjoy playing blackjack against that variant. We, of course, will continue doing our part in informing Indian players on the best gambling games and decisions. Make sure to do your part, and vote with your wallet!