How Many Decks Are Used in Blackjack?
If you are playing blackjack at home, you’re probably playing with just one deck of 52 cards. However, when playing online blackjack, this might not be the case. In fact, it’s a lot more common that a blackjack game is played with between six and eight decks of cards.
Below you can find the answer to how many decks are used in blackjack, the number of cards in a deck, how the decks of cards work and the games with multiple decks.
Single Deck Blackjack
Single-deck games are not very common in casinos and games of online blackjack. When playing for real money, you are more likely to find multiple-deck games consisting of 4-8 decks.
The standard, single deck of blackjack cards consists of:
- Four suits - hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades,
- Each suit contains 13 cards - making a total of 52 cards in the deck.
- These cards are divided into ranks: standard numbered cards (2 -10), face cards (J, Q and K) and the Ace.
Multiple Deck Games in Blackjack
As mentioned, multiple-deck games are the most likely option you will find when playing for real money.
The number of decks used can vary. It could be one-deck, four-deck, six-deck, eight-deck, or even more, depending on the variant you play and the casino you’re playing at. Typically, you are going to find games of blackjack that use 6-8 decks.
Why Multiple Decks are Used
There are several reasons multi-decks are used in casinos and blackjack games:
Longer Playing Time: One of the main reasons for using multiple decks is to make the game last longer. In a single-deck game, the cards can be quickly reshuffled, which can lead to shorter rounds. However, multiple decks tend to slow down the game - making it better for both players and casinos.
Card Counting: Some players attempt card counting techniques to try and gain an advantage in blackjack. Multiple decks make card counting a lot more difficult because trying to track the cards used is a lot harder than keeping track of a single deck of cards - and this usually discourages professional card counters.
How Does the Amount of Decks Used Impact Blackjack?
Based on the number of decks used in your blackjack game, there are certain aspects that can be impacted. This includes:
Higher House Edge: Games that use more decks have a slightly higher house edge. This means that, on average, you may have a slightly lower probability of winning when compared to a game with fewer decks. However, this effect is minor. Here is the house edge depending on the number of decks used:
- Single deck blackjack = 0.014%
- Four-deck blackjack = 0.5%
- Six-deck blackjack = 0.55%
- 8-deck blackjack = 0.57%
More Complex: Playing a multi-deck game can lead to more complex decision-making in some situations. For example, you may need to consider the composition of multiple decks when you’re deciding whether to hit, stand, double down or split.
Fewer Variables in Card Distribution: The distribution of cards tends to become more uniform - for instance, it's less likely that you’ll see long streaks of high or low cards.