Baccarat Vs. Blackjack: Which has the better house edge?

In a purple and red image, we see the layout of baccarat and blackjack on either side, respectively.

Most players walk in thinking blackjack automatically wins the “best odds” argument, and on paper, that sounds right. Its house edge can drop shockingly low. But what many players forget is that such a low house edge requires skill to unlock it.

Whereas with baccarat, any novice can wander in after a long night of randomly screaming ‘woohoo!!’ on The Strip and still enjoy a satisfying, built-in house edge that’s naturally close to blackjack’s regular results.

That contrast is exactly why the debate is not as simple as it sounds. If you want to know which game treats your wallet better, it helps to look past the headlines and dig into how the house edge in baccarat vs blackjack truly works.

Firstly, what are blackjack and baccarat?

Blackjack and baccarat are two of the most popular table games. They both involve cards, card values, and cool lingo like “ploppy” and “dragon tail,” but their resemblance pretty much ends there.

Blackjack is the game of achieving a higher hand value than the dealer’s without surpassing 21. You make snap decisions each round for the optimal play.

Baccarat keeps life simple. You pick whether the player hand or the banker hand will land closest to 9, or if a tie will occur. The dealer, or the RNG online, handles the rest. Choosing an outcome is your only job in baccarat, aside from deciding whether to grab the pretzels now or hold out for the free bread at dinner. These are important decisions, people!

Blackjack House Edge

A blackjack dealer with a slick mustache and black vest deals cards at a green-felt blackjack table on a red background.

Blackjack earns its reputation for having one of the lowest house edges in the casino, but that number depends heavily on the rules at your table.

The house edge rises or falls based on the number of decks, whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17, and whether you can double after splitting. Rules like re-splitting aces, late surrender, and blackjack paying 3:2 (better) instead of 6:5 (ick) also have an impact. Each one nudges the house edge in a different direction, which means every blackjack table plays slightly differently, even when the layout looks the same.

House Edge With Basic Strategy Applied

Another mega-important factor in blackjack’s house edge is following basic strategy, which sharply reduces the house edge.

On a player-friendly table with the dealer standing on soft 17, doubling after splits allowed (DAS), re-splitting aces permitted, and blackjack paying 3:2, the house edge can float around 0.5%. That’s even lower than your phone battery. You should probably charge that.

If you shift to a six-deck shoe with the dealer hitting soft 17 or if certain doubling options are removed, the house edge can rise to around 0.6% to 0.8%. That’s not quite as good, but certainly nothing to complain about. Single-deck blackjack with strong player-friendly rules can dip to roughly 0.25%. Sooo…yeah. It’s no wonder so many players love blackjack. The house edge is practically comical.

But while all of that sounds terrific, it only applies if the rules line up perfectly and you follow perfect strategy. If not, then that’s a different story.

Without Basic Strategy Applied

Once you step away from basic strategy, blackjack stops being the golden child of low house edge.

Every missed double, every unnecessary hit, and every stand you take out of fear nudges the house edge higher. It can climb past 1.5% and keep going, depending on how often you freestyle your decisions.

At that point, you are basically handing the dealer a gift bag and saying, “Please, take more, Mr. Blackack.” The game only remains generous when you treat it like a skill game.

Baccarat House Edge

At the green-felt baccarat table, a dealer with a slicked-back bun prepares to deal cards.

Baccarat earns its suave reputation for being simple. It’s easy to look cool when all you have to do is say “banker” and win more than half the time.

The only choice you make in baccarat is where to place your bet, and the house edge depends entirely on which option you pick. Unlike blackjack, there is no strategy chart to memorize or decisions to second-guess. The odds stay the odds, whether you’re a seasoned player in cuff links or someone who just wandered over because they got lost on the way to the restroom.

Banker Bet

The banker bet wins the most often and carries the lowest house edge in the game at around 1.06%. A 5% commission is usually taken to balance the scales, but even with the commission, the banker bet still stands comfortably ahead of the other options.

Player Bet House Edge

The player bet comes in slightly higher at about 1.24%. It still beats most casino wagers by a mile, and it requires zero decision-making. You also don’t have to pay a commission.

Tie Bet

The tie bet looks tempting because of the high 8:1 payout (as opposed to 1:1 for the banker and player), but it carries a house edge of about 14.36%. Dastardly. That’s the casino equivalent of choosing the only empty restaurant on a Saturday night. It might work out once in a while, but more often than not, you quickly realize there’s a reason no one else showed up. The same logic applies here. Most players skip the tie bet because the payout looks good, but the odds work against you.

Which one is right for you?

Baccarat is written on a purple background, and on the other side of the image, Blackjack is written on a red background.

Choosing between baccarat and blackjack comes down to how much effort you want to invest in each hand. If you like being in control and enjoy a challenge, blackjack is your game. You can shave the house edge down to a razor-thin sliver.

If you prefer a game that treats you kindly and requires no homework, baccarat steps up. You make one decision per round and still land a house edge that’s close to that of blackjack’s without optimal strategy.

Is it better to play baccarat or blackjack?

While we would usually avoid taking favorites (you’ll never hear us knock the corner brownie), when it comes to the house edge, we have to say blackjack is better.

If you’re willing to prep just a little, you truly can’t beat a house edge of 0.25%. It’s just madness! There are endless free guides, charts, and tips online, and even a few minutes of study can push the house edge down to one of the lowest percentages in the entire casino.

That’s one of the benefits of playing blackjack online. You can take your sweet time reading the chart and choosing your next move, without a guy named Tim breathing down your neck and warning you never to split twos (Newsflash, Tim. You do split twos sometimes. Mind your own beeswax.)

But we’re not all team blackjack all the time. Baccarat deserves love, too. Its house edge is low without asking you to memorize a single thing. It’s a valid choice when you want strong odds without thinking about split pairs, soft totals, or when you are supposed to double.

In the baccarat house edge vs. blackjack debate, baccarat holds up pretty darn well when you consider the amount of effort it takes to achieve it. But if you don’t mind putting in a bit more work, you can enjoy a minuscule house edge when playing blackjack that you can’t find in any other game. If you are ready to put that advantage to work, head to Cafe Casino and deal yourself in.