Most Successful Blackjack Strategy
The basic strategy of Blackjack is based on mathematics. If you are seeking to become a successful player in the game, then you will need to learn the essential fundamental rule of the game. The overall rule of the game of Blackjack is to get to 21 or beat the casino dealer by having a total greater than theirs.
- Blackjack author Don Schlesinger takes this rule one step further with his Ultimate Blackjack Strategy card, where he states: “Stand if 16 is multi-card, or the result of a pair split.” According to Schlesinger, “When all multi-card 16s are taken into account, and the edges are weighted, it is wiser to stand on all of them rather than hit.
- Learning and using blackjack basic strategy gives you the best chance to win. It reduces the house edge as much as possible and helps you have more winning playing sessions. Most players don’t take the time to learn basic strategy, but if you use the information above you can quickly start using the best play for every situation.
- Basic strategy is the single most powerful tool in the blackjack player’s arsenal. It is basic strategy more than any other technique or trick that will sway the odds away from the casino and into your own pocket, making you a successful blackjack player. Learning black jack betting strategy takes time and effort.
If you ever find yourself in the circle of lovers of this casino game, then you’ll probably learn a thing or two about all the different bets you can place. Also, you’ll most likely be exposed to different blackjack progressive betting strategies, so it won’t hurt if you know what this means. This system teaches you how and when to increase or decrease your wager. In the most general sense, there are two types of progressive betting strategies:
Advanced Blackjack Strategy Chart
- Positive progression — if you were to follow this, then you’d bet more after each win. With this, players want to maximize their profit and minimize their losses.
- Negative progression — this one includes raising your wager after each losing round. It strives to lessen the effects of losses.
Now that you’re acquainted with this, we can delve deeper into the most popular systems you can follow. However, before we start, we should put a disclaimer of some sorts — no matter which strategy you use, it cannot help you determine the outcome. They can only help you plan your bets accordingly before you start playing. In the end, nothing can exert an impact on the results.
The Martingale System
One could trace the roots of the Martingale system back to 18th century France. It has withstood the test of time, as evidenced by the fact that most novice players have heard about it. The overarching strategy is the following: it’s inevitable that you’ll face losses while playing blackjack. However, at some point, you’re bound to win. So why wouldn’t you double your wager until you emerge as a victor? Of course, some experts might suggest that believing in this might be the prime example of the gambler’s fallacy, but to each their own.
What’s more, you’ll notice that some blackjack players opt to adhere to this betting system. They increase their wager by 2, hoping that they’ll recover all the squandered money. In theory, this sounds appealing and seems like a plausible solution. But in practice, it comes with certain risks. Let’s say that you decide to play at a $5 table and abide by this strategy. As you might know, it’s easy to lose 8 hands in a row, so this means that, during the 9th bet, you’d actually be required to bet quite a substantial amount — $1,280.
If you’re not a high roller, then this professional blackjack betting strategy might not be the best solution.
Blackjack Strategy Trainer
The Oscar’s Grind
Moving onto another blackjack betting system — the Oscar’s Grind. It was created back in 1965 and mainly applied to the game of craps. Nevertheless, it started spreading to other games as well, including blackjack. It abides by the following this notion: all of your losing streaks will be countered by one winning hand. If this turns out to be true, then you’ll decrease the amount you’ve lost and get a payout, albeit a small one. However, no one can guarantee that this will happen, as the outcome is unpredictable.
So before you toy with the idea of using this system, you should contemplate your betting range. You’ll need to commence with a minimum bet and gradually increase it throughout the game — if you win, that is. It’s recommended you start with a wager that isn’t too high. Let’s say you decide to place $1. If you lose, then you won’t need to change the bet amount. However, if the third round turns out to be the winning one, then you should bet $2 on the following one. Another win increases the wager to $4.
Also, you should stop the moment you have a profit of 1 unit. As with the Martingale, you should use the Oscar’s blackjack betting strategy at your own risk.
The Manhattan System (2-1-2)
Some players believe in the existence of hot and cold streaks. You might even hear some of them lament that they’ve failed to make use of a hot streak. Of course, experts would assure you that this phenomenon doesn’t exist and that you should just enjoy the game itself. Well, it seems that the proponents of the blackjack betting strategy 2-1-2 side with the players on this issue and want to help them win real money.
So how does it all go down here? Well, as you might have inferred from its name, players begin by wagering two units. For instance, they can place $2. In case of a win, they don’t need to increase their bet — they actually decrease it by one unit. So the next one amounts to $1. And if this streak follows them, then they can wager $3. Each consecutive win after that, the players should increase their bet size by one unit. And if during the game, the dealer wins, then those following this system should return to their initial bet. The theory is that you should capitalize on your fortune until it starts declining.
The 1-2-3-5 Strategy
The progressive betting systems are quite prominent in blackjack. During a game, a bet could vary from one round to another — it never remains the same. There are different types of wagers here, but they all share one similarity. In other words, you’ll either increase or decrease the bet depending on whether you’re experiencing wins or losses. If you’re prevailing, then you’ll raise the amount of your wager after each hand. For instance, if you begin with $10, then you’ll put $20 during the next round.
Of course, there are different patterns that you can follow, and one of them is particularly well known — blackjack betting strategy 1-2-3-5. If you decide to try it out, then you’ll increase your wager following this pattern. However, the moment you lose, you’d go back to your initial 1 unit bet. Those who are in favor of this will try to convince you that you’ll get more money during those 5 consecutive winning rounds then you’ll ever lose in 5 losing ones. However, they fail to tell you that you can’t know when you’ll win.
The 1-3-2-6 System
Following the previous one, we would be remiss not to mention the blackjack betting strategy 1-3-2-6. Like the above-mentioned one, it’s simple to learn, and you won’t face any difficulties in implementing it. In essence, you can use it for other casino games as well, but it’s primarily popular in blackjack.
Basically, if you want to try it out, you need to opt for the initial wager. But bear in mind that this will serve as 1 unit in the sequence, so maybe choosing the lowest amount would be the best option. And once you’ve done this, you can start wagering. Naturally, if you win at blackjack, then this will lead you to increase the bet as per the sequence. And once it ends, you’ll need to go back to your starting stake. Additionally, this blackjack betting strategy differs from, say, the Martingale in the sense that you only need to keep increasing the amount if you’re successful. This way, you might recover all the lost money either in a land-based or an online casino.
Betting Strategy for Hi-Lo and Knockout Card Counting
The hi-lo and knockout card counting players have different approaches to wagering. Some say that you might increase your chances by adjusting your bets. And if you want to be successful, you should determine the true count by dividing your running one by the number of decks that are still remaining in the shoe. Then, you should wager the minimum amount when the true count is at 1, and then increase it when it is at 2. As the true count increases, so does your wager. And once it returns to 1, then you should return to your initial bet.
So before the game starts, you should select the wagering unit that you can use once you employ this blackjack betting system. Your betting unit increases as per the count. Also, always be aware of your bankroll and adjust your wager accordingly. The maximum wager, some say, should be 4 times your initial unit. Just make sure to be present in the game so that you could keep track of the count and your bankroll. Additionally, you can adopt this approach as your knockout blackjack betting strategy as well.
Practice Makes Perfect
Now that you’re familiar with a number of strategies, you can start practicing and opting for the ones you find to work the best for you. However, always bear in mind that there are more blackjack betting systems than actual strategies. After all, they don’t predict the outcome — they just tell you how to bet.
Nevertheless, if you want, you can try out some of the blackjack card counting strategies (which even help you beat the house edge) and see how far you’ll get. Who knows, you might even become a proponent of some of them or end up disappointed. Either way — good luck!
A lot of blackjack tips pages don’t account for the skill level of the reader. You’ll find people suggesting that you learn to count cards or that you practice shuffle tracking.
This post consists of my seven best blackjack tips for beginners. To become a better blackjack player, keep reading below and start applying the following strategies and tips.
1. Master Basic Strategy
Honestly, if you ignored all the other tips on this list and just mastered basic strategy, you’d be way ahead of most other blackjack players.
What’s basic strategy? Well, it’s the mathematically optimal play in every blackjack situation.
You have the following information during each blackjack hand:
- You know what total you have.
- You know one of the dealer’s two cards.
A basic strategy table compares your total with the dealer’s face-up card to give you the mathematically best play.
In some situations, the mathematically correct decision is the one that loses the least amount of money over time. In others, the mathematically correct decision is the one that wins the most money over time.
If you ignore basic strategy, you’re probably dealing with a house edge of 3% to 4%. That’s a lot of money to lose just because you didn’t want to memorize basic strategy.
You can find basic strategy tables on hundreds of sites on the internet, but you can also find text explanations for how to play each hand correctly. You can even buy a plastic laminated basic strategy card in the gift shop at the casino.
2. Never Take Insurance
The only time that taking insurance is mathematically correct is if you’re counting cards. Since this is a list of blackjack tips for the beginner, that doesn’t apply to you.
Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has a 10 in the hole. It pays off at 2:1. The casino calls it “even money,” but the truth is, the house has a high edge on the insurance bet.
Let’s assume you’re playing in a single-deck game, and the dealer has an ace showing. You have two cards, too, and neither of them is a 10. This means you have 49 cards that aren’t accounted for in the deck. Of those, 16 of them are worth 10—all the jacks, queens, kings, and 10s.So, you have 33 ways to lose the insurance bet compared to 16 ways to win. The bet pays off at 2:1, which is the same as 32:16. That’s one extra way that the casino has to win means that the casino has an edge, but how much of an edge?
Let’s say you bet $100 on insurance 49 times. You’d win $200 on 16 of those bets, for total winnings of $3,200. But you’d also lose $100 on 33 of those bets, for total losses of $,3300.
That’s a net loss of $100 on 49 bets, or an average loss of $2.04 per hand. This means the house edge for the insurance bet is at least 2.04%. And that edge goes up if you have a card worth 10 in your hand, because you have more ways to lose.
It’s crazy to make a bet with a house edge of 2% in a game where the house edge is only 0.5%. Insurance is a sucker bet. Just don’t take it.
3. Play in the Good Blackjack Games
The rules from one blackjack game to another vary. You should play in the game with the best rules you can find.
What kinds of rules variations should you look for?
- Probably the best variation is a game played from a single deck. Always find the game being dealt from the fewest number of decks.
- If you can find a single deck game or even a game dealt from two decks, go for that game (everything else being equal).
- Next, look for games where the dealer must stand on ANY total of 17. If the dealer hits a soft 17, the house edge goes up.
It’s beyond the scope of this post to cover all the possible rules variations, but those are two of the biggest to look for: the number of decks and whether the dealer hits a soft 17 or not.
4. Don’t Mess With Counting Cards
It isn’t as hard as you think to learn how to count cards, but if you’re a beginner, you should focus on mastering basic strategy. If you can’t play with perfect basic strategy on every hand, counting cards won’t help you much anyway.
The concept behind counting cards is probably easy to understand. The idea is that the ratio of high cards to low cards changes because of the random nature of the game. Sometimes, the remaining cards in the deck are mostly high cards, and sometimes they’re mostly low cards.
High cards are 10s and aces, and they’re important because they increase your probability of getting a natural.
What should you do if you have a better chance of getting a blackjack? Obviously, you should bet more.
But if you’re a beginner, focus on mastering basic strategy first. You can learn to count cards when you become an intermediate player.
5. Skip 6/5 Blackjack Games
A recent trend in Vegas blackjack is to offer games where the payoff for a natural is 6:5 instead of 3:2. Some casinos even brag about it as if it’s a boon to the player.
The idea is that six is a bigger number than three, so unsophisticated gamblers (beginners) will think 6/5 blackjack is a better deal. But it’s not.
Sure, you’ll only get a blackjack once out of every 20 hands or so, but why would you want to give up $30 per hand? That $30, averaged over 20 hands, is an additional loss of $1.50 per hand.
Let supply and demand send 6/5 blackjack to the graveyard where it belongs.
6. Skip Video Blackjack
Basic Strategy Blackjack
Video blackjack games vary widely. Some of them only offer even-money payouts on a natural. Obviously, you should avoid those games.
Video blackjack games generally deal from eight decks that are shuffled after every hand. The rules are usually worse than the rules at any of the table versions of blackjack.
On top of all that, video blackjack is twice as fast as playing at a table with a dealer, which means you’ll put twice as much money into action per hour.
Suppose you see 100 hands of blackjack per hour at a standard table, and you play for $5 per hand. That’s $500 in action. With a house edge of 0.5%, the house expects to win $2.50 per hour from you.
Double the number of hands per hour on a video blackjack game, and even if you’re facing the same rules, you’ll lose $5 per hand.
Why lose more money per hour playing blackjack than you have to? Just say no to video blackjack.
7. Practice Online
One of the greatest things about the internet is the availability of free games at real money online casinos. Beginners can get a feel for how the actions work in a blackjack game without having to leave their homes or taking as much risk.
Of course, knowing how to double down and split will come in handy when you play for the first time in a live casino, too.
Conclusion
This page on blackjack tips for beginners was meant to offer advice specifically to those who are just getting started. That’s why I didn’t go into detail about how to count cards or about the specifics of basic strategy.
I hope you found it helpful. If you’d like to learn more about blackjack strategies and tips on how to become a better gambler, this site offers plenty of information for you to utilize. Good luck at the tables!