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6:5 vs 3:2: the easiest way to lose your money fast at blackjack
Players learn basic strategy and card counting, yet they're often undone by not grasping the difference in payouts on a natural blackjack. That line is usually stated plainly in the table rules — and ignoring it is not an option.
Chasing success at blackjack, players will happily learn basic strategy, get to grips with card counting, and test various bankroll-management systems for themselves. But more often than not, what trips them up is failing to grasp the practical difference in payouts on a natural blackjack. That information is usually stated plainly in the table description, and ignoring it is not an option.
How the natural-blackjack payout works
A natural blackjack is 21 on two cards; in most variants this is the most valuable hand of all and means an all-but-guaranteed win. The standard payout is 3:2, but many online casinos offer 6:5. Without the math it might look like roughly the same thing, yet on a $100 bet the first case pays out $150 and the second just $120 — while $30 is effectively lost.
What a natural blackjack pays: 3:2 vs 6:5
How much a winning natural pays at different bet sizes.
| Your bet | Pays at 3:2 | Pays at 6:5 | You lose |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50 | $75 | $60 | $15 |
| $100 | $150 | $120 | $30 |
| $200 | $300 | $240 | $60 |
| $500 | $750 | $600 | $150 |
6:5 vs 3:2 over a single session
Statistically, the average frequency of hitting a natural blackjack is about once every 20-21 hands. Over a 200-hand session a player could pick up roughly 9-10 naturals — and if the bet was that same $100, they'd come up $30 short on each one, or $300 in total. Not even basic strategy, designed to minimize losses, can head off those losses.
By every other measure the game may look identical to the one you play every day, but ignoring one line in the rules means the bankroll drains surprisingly easily. It's one of the most painful rule quirks for a player: you'd lose less even sitting down at a supposedly worse version of blackjack — as long as it pays 3:2 on a natural.
The price of one line in the rules
How to check the table in advance
Payout information isn't hidden from players, so checking it takes a few seconds.
- 1
Open the table rules
Before your first bet, read the game's full description.
- 2
Find the natural-blackjack payout line
Pay special attention to the value — 3:2 or 6:5. This line usually reads simply as blackjack, for example 'blackjack pays 3:2'.
- 3
Re-check even a familiar table
Don't skip a second look at the rules even if you've played this table at this casino before: you may have picked the wrong table, or the rules may have changed.
There are plenty of criteria for choosing a blackjack table, but for your own sake always treat the natural-blackjack payout as the key factor and pick 3:2. Otherwise you'll steadily bleed up to 1.5% of RTP.