Lesson 2
The Push 22 cost
Where the casino takes back what it gave
The free splits and free doubles look like pure player upside. They aren't — the casino balances them with one rule: dealer 22 pushes every still-active bet instead of busting.
In standard blackjack, the dealer reaches 22 about 7% of all hands. Every one of those is a dealer bust that pays every player still in the hand. In Free Bet, those wins become pushes. You don't lose — but you don't win the bets you should have.
The math:
- Free splits + free doubles together add about 5.9% of player EV.
- Push 22 costs about 6.9% of player EV.
- Net: the house keeps the 1.0% difference, which is the game's edge.
Push 22 also changes which hands you should stand on. Hands you'd hit in regular blackjack (12 vs dealer 3 or 4 for example) become stand-on in Free Bet, because hitting risks busting yourself while standing only wins if the dealer doesn't reach 17-21 OR 22 — a meaningfully smaller window.
Key points
- ✓Push 22 is the only difference that gives the game its house edge
- ✓Free bets add ~5.9% to player EV; Push 22 takes back ~6.9%
- ✓Net house edge: ~0.97% — comparable to standard 6-deck blackjack
- ✓Hands you hit in regular blackjack often become stand in Free Bet
- ✓Insurance, surrender, and split-aces work as in standard blackjack