Understanding the ‘Push’ in Blackjack
Basic blackjack strategy includes a list of terminology, including the blackjack ‘push’. In this guide, we’ll explain the significance of a ‘push’ in blackjack, how it occurs, and what happens as a result. We’ll also discuss the blackjack push rules and the odds of it happening in addition to any potential side bets available.
What is a ‘push’ in blackjack?
A blackjack push is a way to describe a tie when both the player's and the dealer's hands are of the same value. Neither hand wins nor loses, and all bets are returned.
When does a ‘push’ occur?
A blackjack push can occur if both the dealer and the player hit blackjack (hand value of 21). The blackjack push meaning can also apply to dealer and player hands that tie on 17 through to 21.
A blackjack push will not apply on any hands lower than 17, as the dealer must hit on any hand with a value of 16 or under.
Here’s a simple gameplay example of a blackjack push:
- The player makes a bet of £10. The cards are dealt, and the dealer’s upturned card shows a jack of hearts (value of 10).
- The player is dealt 6-10 (value of 16) and decides to ‘hit’. They receive a 2 and decide to ‘stand’ on a card hand value of 18.
- The dealer reveals their second card, which is a 4, making a card hand value of 14.
- The dealer must ‘hit’ on 14 and turns over another 4. The dealer ‘stands’ on 18.
- Both the player and dealer have a card hand value of 18, so the result is a ‘push’.
What happens when there is a ‘push’?
The result of the example game round was a blackjack push, meaning both dealer and player hands tied. Although the player experienced a push, others may have beaten the dealer and will receive their payouts accordingly.
In a typical game of blackjack where the outcome is a blackjack push, the player receives their original bet back – so in our example, the player would receive their original stake of £10. However, some blackjack variants have different blackjack push rules whereby the dealer wins on a tie.
The odds of a push occurring
The probability of a blackjack push for any potential hand is 8.5%, with the odds varying slightly depending on the value of the card hand.
With that being the case, it is rare to see a Push scenario, but it is not impossible.
Push side bets
Some blackjack game variants offer a push side bet where players can bet on a blackjack push result, typically giving payout odds of 1:2. With this side bet, players can only ‘hit’ or ‘stand’. They are not allowed to double down, split or re-split. Also, the size of the bet must not be more than 50% of the original stake.