Odds of Getting Blackjack Blackjack has been sought out by the more strategy-minded casino players in North America since Las Vegas began offering it in the 20th century. In the early days, people played according to their instincts and enjoyed having a chance to beat the dealer and earn a payout. Over time, however, the game was perfected at the player’s end. In the 60’s, the ground-breaking book Beat the Dealer by professor Ed Thorp was published, and it changed the course of blackjack history. Thorp established optimal strategy based on Roger Baldwin’s earlier publication (The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack), and not long after, people were counting cards in live casino settings and gaining an edge on the casino. Casinos countered these exploits with blackjack rule variations. Additional decks were added to the shoe, and house-friendly rules, such as the dealer hitting on soft 17, were rolled out nation-wide. More recent updates, including decreasing the payout for landing blackjack from 3:2 to 6:5, have further disabled the player from gaining an edge on the casino. At Bodog Casino, you can still play blackjack online in Canada the old fashion way. We have games with one or two decks that offer a 3:2 payout for landing a natural. We even have a version of blackjack that has the dealer stand on soft 17 hands (see Double Deck Blackjack). To truly appreciate the impact of these rule variances, it’s best to understand how to calculate the odds of getting blackjack in any