You start with a base bet of $20 and increase your next bet by half your win after each win and drop back to your base bet after any loss. So if you win your first hand you bet $30 on the next hand. If you win the second hand you bet $45 on the next hand. In this simple version, if your beginning bet is one unit of $5, when the true count reaches plus-2, bet $10; at plus-4, bet $15, and at plus-6, bet $20. A few words of warning: Because you are increasing your bet whenever the deck is favorable, playing with a counting system requires a much larger bankroll than betting the same amount every. Adjust your betting. When you put your calculations to practice, raise the amount you bet when the count is high in the positives. Remember to remain inconspicuous. Remain natural, talking to other players and the dealer rather than muttering to yourself. Raise your bet by small amounts when you can and lower your bets when you lose. You either decrease or increase your next bet depending upon whether the hand you just played won or lose. Win progressions encourage you to increase your bet size after a winning hand. For example, you make a minimum bet of $10 and if you win, you raise your next stakes on the hand to $20. There are all different kinds of win progressions. Nov 29, 2010 There are different systems but they all basically come down to this: If you’re winning, keep increasing your bet; if you’re losing, don’t increase your bet. This certainly helps avoid the break-even rut that blackjack can fall into — where you sit there for hours and never swing more than 25 percent or so from your buy-in.
By Jacek Michałski
Blackjack is one of the most popular games available in online casinos in the modern world. The game has a rich history, but gone are the days when it was mostly available in American casinos as it is now available worldwide. It is also one of the best online strategy games.
Some of the questions that run through the minds of newbies are: Can one make money playing online blackjack? Are there strategies for blackjack online that will increase the chances of winning? The answer to both questions is yes.
When Casino Games expert, Jacek Michałski, is not playing blackjack online, then you will find him gathering information on how to win in an online casino. Let’s have a look at this handy guide the author has compiled for players in search of the various blackjack strategies.
The different variants on online blackjack
Someone who has never played in a casino online PL might tend to think that all blackjack games are the same, which is not true. There are different variants that you have to familiarize yourself with and increase your chances of winning.
We recommend you get acquainted with the rules before you start gambling. Learning mobile play strategies and understanding the variants of online blackjack also makes it easy to understand what to expect when you land in a casino.
Classic Live Blackjack
It can be described as the basis of this popular game. Classic live blackjack is played on a classic table and comes with a deck of 52 cards. A player will win when he or she has more points than the dealer at the end of the round of play. However, the points should not exceed 21 points and if the player goes over 21 he or she will automatically lose. If the dealer goes over 21 and the player remains with a non-busted hand, then the player will automatically win.
Pre-Decision Blackjack
This online version can be described as a game of speed. It follows similar rules to other versions but players do not have to wait until their turn to make a move.
Atlantic City Live Blackjack
The player can exit the round (surrender) directly after receiving two cards from the live dealer. This option is the main difference between the Atlantic City version of the game and classic blackjack. Surrender is a desirable player rule.
Party Blackjack
This version can have two or three live dealers. However, the player will only deal with one dealer.
Blackjack Side Bets
These blackjack games have additional options to make side wagers. Of course, most blackjack games offer insurance, which is also a side bet. But we are referring to side bets such as Royal Match, Super Sevens, Bonus Blackjack, Perfect Pairs, etc. Be careful though: Most side bets have a high percentage edge against you but a larger payoff if you win.
Spanish 21 and Other Variants
These blackjack games vary and have unique rules and conditions. For example, in Spanish 21, all of the tens have been removed but some of the rules will have been improved to make the game playable.
Understand it is a simple game but strategy wins
Most people who visit an online casino rely on luck when they are playing blackjack. The fact that the casino’s advantage over the player is lower than in other online games seems attractive to players. However, you need more than luck to increase your chances of winning. Keep on reading to learn the basics of winning blackjack play!
Online blackjack basics
- A player competes against the house and the aim here is to beat the dealer by scoring closer to 21 points (without busting) than the dealer or allowing the dealer to bust.
- The game is played between one and eight decks of 52 cards.
- Kings, Queens, and Jacks are worth 10 points.
- Cards from 2 to 10 are played at their face value.
- Aces are worth 1 or 11 (depending on how you want to play your hand)
- A blackjack (an Ace + Ten valued card) can pay either 3 to 2 or 6 to 5. Obviously, it is better to play in games where blackjacks pay 3 to 2.
Player options
- Ask for one or more cards if you think it is appropriate and will improve your hand.
- You can stand with any 2 cards, however, it is often advisable to stand when the dealer has a small card (2-6) and you have a 12-16, thus hoping the dealer will bust (go over 21).
- When you have a soft hand (Ace + any other card), it is often advisable to double when the dealer has a small card.
- You can split any two identical cards and then play with two hands, at the same time, in the normal way.
- Splitting can be very advantageous in the right circumstances, especially if the dealer has a small card showing.
- You can double your bet when you have advantageous hands like 9, 10 and 11 and especially so if the dealer is showing a small card.
- Always stand on your hand once you have a hard total of 17.
Conclusion
For better information on specific player strategies, refer to the blackjack basic strategies in the Encyclopedia of Blackjack on this web site. Also, a more detailed description of blackjack rules and options is available. Following these strategies for online blackjack or even counting cards is not a win guarantee. However, if you use the strategies listed here you may increase your odds of winning and enjoy the game more. Also, don’t forget to take advantage of any online casino promotions and/or bonuses that may be offered when you first sign up!
BETTING AT BLACKJACK
By Henry Tamburin
One of the most often asked question from blackjack players is 'how should I bet?' You've got several options and I'll discuss them in this article and offer my recommendation.
Flat bet
This means betting the same amount all the time. Most players don't like to bet this way because they figure if the dealer wins more hands then them they'll never win any money. Also players feel it's boring betting this way. They prefer the thrill of sometimes betting more in the hopes that when they do so, they will win the hand and make a nice profit.
Here are the facts on flat betting. If you bet say $5 on every hand in a standard multiple deck game the house will have an edge of 0.5% against the skilled basic strategy player. That means you will lose on average 0.5% of every wager you make. So if you bet $10 on every hand and average 80 hands per hour you will have made a total of $800 worth of bets. The casino expects to earn 0.5% of the $800 or $4.00. Of course the more likely result is that you'll win or lose much more than $4 after an hour of play. But on average you can expect over time to lose at the rate of $4 per hour.
Let's take an example of a player flat betting $10 on every hand. It's is a conservative betting strategy that leads to a relatively low theoretical loss rate. The fluctuation in this player's bankroll will also be low which means the likelihood he'll have a big winning or losing session is not great.
Progressive betting
This is where things get interesting. Progressive betting means varying your bets in some way from one hand to the next rather than always betting the same amount on every hand. There are all different types of betting progressions but they all have one common denominator. You either decrease or increase your next bet depending upon whether the hand you just played won or lose.
Win progressions encourage you to increase your bet size after a winning hand. For example you make a minimum bet of $10 and if you win, you raise your next stakes on next hand to $20.
There are all different kinds of win progressions. The most common is a 1-2-3-5 progression. This means you increase your bet by the above multiples after each winning hand but as soon as you experience a loss, you start the progression over with a 1 unit bet.
Proponents of win progressions will tell you that you'll win more money if you win 5 consecutive hands compared to the amount you lose if you lose 5 consecutive hands. Of course what they don't tell you is that you never know when that 5 consecutive winning hand streak will occur.
There are also betting progressions in which you increase your bet following a loss. These Martingale type betting progression are dangerous and you never consider using them
There is also hybrid betting progressions, which have you increase your bets following a win, but after two or three success wins you lock up some profit and gradually regress your bets. The creativity of progressive bettors is never ending.
When Should You Increase Your Bet In Blackjack
First of all, betting progressions do not change the 0.5% house edge one iota. There has never been a correlation between the hand just won (or lost) and you chance of winning the next hand. In other words using the criteria of the result of one hand (W/L) to base how you bet on the next hand has no scientific validity. So betting progressions in the long run don't work in the sense that won't improve your long-term chances of winning.
But here's what betting progressions will do. First off they increase the fluctuation in your session bankroll compared to flat betting. This means you can win more using a betting progression compared to flat betting but you can also lose more. Secondly, betting progressions will increase the amount of money you wager per hour compared to flat betting. If a $10 bettor uses a 1-2-3-5 betting progression, his average bet will $20. Over an hour he will average $20 times 80 hands or $1600 worth of bets. The casinos expected win is 0.5% of $1600 or $8. In other words a $10 progressive bettor stands to lose twice as much per hour as a $10 flat bettor.
Here's a tip to save you some money in the long run if you insist on using a betting progression. Instead of starting your progression at $10, start at a lower amount (ie. $5). This will reduce your average bet to $10 per hour and cut you hourly theoretical loss rate in half.
But in the long run flat betting and betting progressions don't work in the sense they won't change the house edge against you and you will lose in the long run. So what betting system works? That my friends is as card counting.
When Can You Increase Your Bet In Blackjack Vegas World
When Do You Increase Your Bet In Blackjack
With card counting you know when you have the edge based on the change in the composition of the decks and therefore you'll know when it's the right time to bet more. So unlike betting progressions that are based on whether you win or lose the previous hands, card counting is based on the mix of cards that were played on previous hands. If more small value cards were played in previous rounds, there are more big value cards left in the unplayed cards and the edge shifts from dealer to player. This would be the best time to bet more.
But I'm realist. Not a whole lot of average blackjack players have the time or mental concentration during play that is required to master one of the popular point count card counting systems. These are readily available in blackjack books. But even though millions of blackjack books have been sold since Ed Thorp's classic book, Beat The Dealer (circa 1962) first revealed card counting to the masses, the number of players who can successful win money in the long run at blackjack number in the hundreds and thousands.
So what's the answer to betting at blackjack for the average player? I asked Don Pronovost that same question about 2 years ago. Don is a software developer that markets blackjack training software (www.HandheldBlackjack.com). He spent the better part of 2 years and 36+ billion computer simulated hands looking for the solution to this dilemma. What he developed is nothing short of revolutionary - Speed Count.
Speed Count is unlike any conventional card counting system. It's much simpler to master and requires much less concentration when you play. And unlike progressive betting systems, Speed Count will give you a verifiable advantage over the casino. Frank SCoblete and I teach Speed Count in a weekend course. For more information visit www.goldentouchblackjack.com or call 1-866-WIN-BJ21.
So now that you know the scoop on betting at blackjack, I wish you many aces and faces the next time you play.