What is house edge and how does it relate to EV?

House edge is the casino's statistical advantage expressed as a percentage of each bet. An EV of −0.5% means you expect to lose 0.5¢ per $1 wagered on average. Fullcount Blackjack Calculator displays EV as a fraction of your bet — a value of −0.005 means −0.5% house edge. Minimizing house edge through optimal decisions is the primary goal of blackjack strategy.

Typical figures anchor the concept. Liberal Vegas Strip rules (S17, double after split, 3:2 blackjack, 8 decks) sit near 0.4% house edge with optimal play. Switch to H17 and the edge rises about 0.2%; switch the blackjack payout from 3:2 to 6:5 and it jumps roughly 1.4% — by far the most expensive rule a casino can impose.

Individual rules move the number in predictable increments: dealer hits soft 17 (+0.2%), no double after split (+0.14%), no re-splitting aces (+0.07%), single deck (about −0.48% relative to 8 decks), surrender available (−0.08%). Stacking these explains why two tables that both call themselves "blackjack" can differ by more than a full percentage point in expected cost.

House edge quoted by casinos assumes a full, average shoe. Composition-dependent play lowers it further, because acting on the live shoe captures edges a static chart leaves on the table. Fullcount reports EV as a fraction of your bet for the exact rules and exact remaining cards, which is the most accurate house-edge figure available for the situation actually in front of you.