Blackjack Strategies – Win More Often
Blackjack is a game of both chance and skill. Get an Ace and a face card, and the ultimate prize – a 3 to 2 payout – is yours. Ask anybody who has visited the Las Vegas strip often enough, and they will tell you that if you trust your luck and reasoning, you may end up having a few winning hands and even increasing your bankroll for the night. However, if you want to make sure you win more often than you lose, you need to employ one of the statistically-grounded blackjack strategies.
How to Play Blackjack to Win
Once you've learned the rules of the game in theory and practice, you're ready to play but before you do that leave your emotions at the door. You either play for fun, which implies accepting a good percentage of losses, or you play with a strategy, which means playing to win. Never let the high of winning or the despair of losing dictate your decisions. Follow the strategy to a T. Otherwise, the excitement will take over, and you will become reckless. Although blackjack strategies are game-specific, here are some useful pointers:
- If you are dealt two Aces, always split
- Don’t take insurance – it increases the house edge
- Stand on a soft 18 if the dealer has a 3,4,5 or 6
- Surrender on a 15 if the dealer has a 10
- Surrender on a 16 if the dealer has a 9,10 or an Ace
- Remember that side bets increase the house edge
Types of Progressive Betting Systems
There are two main types of blackjack betting systems – positive and negative. With either, the outcome of a hand determines how much you'll wager next. Use a positive progressive system, and you will increase your wager after a winning hand and decrease it or go back to your original one after losing. Follow a negative progressive system, and you'll have to do the opposite – increase your wager after losing and go back to your initial stake after winning. Many people follow these systems intuitively without even knowing about them and the research behind them. But let’s have a look at some examples.
Martingale – the Most Popular Betting System
Martingale is a negative progressive betting system. The basic idea is that a player should double the wager after a loss. So, let’s say you wager $50, and you lose as part of a bad streak. Then, you should wager $100 on your next hand, $200 on the third and continue doubling until you win. Once you win, your winnings will cover all your losses, and you'll even make a profit. What you should do next is go back to the original $50 wager and start over.
The Martingale makes a lot of sense, and that's why people love it. However, there are two main problems with it. First, you'll need a substantial bankroll to follow it. Imagine you've lost a few hands, with the last wager being $1000. You now have to put down $2000 on your next hand. Second, even if you have a huge sum of money to play with, games have certain limits, and you may end up not being able to double because you have reached it. In either of these cases, the system becomes useless.
The Paroli System and Its Advantages
The Paroli is a positive progressive betting system that suggests increasing your wager after a positive outcome. The main theory behind it is that every player should take advantage of winning streaks. Let’s say you place a $50 wager and you win. You should double your wager and place $100 on your second hand and $200 on the third one, provided you're still winning. After three consecutive wins, you should go back to your basic stake of $50.
This system is based on risking only your winnings, and that makes it extremely popular. Also, you don’t need a huge bankroll to back it up. Another reason for its popularity is the fact that it's relatively simple. Players don't have to stick to the three-hand rule; they could decide to go back to their initial wager after any number of hands. Bear in mind, though, that you could easily end up in a win-lose-win-lose situation, and that would make the system pointless.
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The Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart Explained
Strategy charts tell you exactly what to do, depending on your cards and the upcard of the dealer. Many people use them, but only some have success with them. That's because you can't pick just any strategy chart. It has to be the right one for that particular game you're playing because the chart takes into consideration the specific rules and the number of decks. Even a slight change of rules may have an enormous effect on the strategy.
The great thing about playing blackjack online for real money is that nobody can stop you from getting a printable blackjack basic strategy card and consulting it while playing. Don’t be confused, though. Even the right chart does not guarantee you a win. However, playing according to a blackjack strategy chart will decrease the house edge and thus give you a better chance of winning. You'll improve your chances further if you use the best blackjack betting system and bankroll management.
Card Counting at Online Blackjack Casinos
Card counting is a well-known blackjack strategy, mainly because it has got good coverage in popular culture. As a result, even people who don't know how to play blackjack are familiar with the term. Card counting means adding and subtracting points for each drawn card and, by doing this, keeping a probability count of the remaining cards in the deck. When the deck becomes favorable to the player, he should increase his wagers and vice versa.
In theory, card counting turns the odds in favor of the players and, if they play long enough, they could make a fortune. Many people have done so in brick-and-mortar casinos, but is this money-making strategy applicable online? At RNG blackjack, cards are shuffled after each game. Live tables don't make it easy for card counters, either. Live dealer games are played with a greater number of decks and the shoe is changed halfway. So, unfortunately, the answer is negative for card counting at online casinos.
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Enjoy the Game with the Best Blackjack Betting System & Strategy
Unlike other casino games, where the outcome is determined by pure luck, blackjack encourages players to come up with ways of beating the dealer. If you want to play real-money blackjack, the basic strategy is an absolute must-learn. Then come the betting systems we've described. Grab a bonus and practice bankroll management to win more time for playing. And if you get the chance, try your skills at card counting. When you sit at the blackjack table, you're right where you want to be, because this game gives you the best odds.