Blackjack Strategies
When it comes to blackjack there are many strategies out there with most of them dealing with the betting structure. It was mentioned before that blackjack has a low house edge, which will depend on the number of decks are being played with. However, for that house edge, it is following the basic blackjack strategy. The basic blackjack strategy is the most common and is one that tells you when to hit, stand, split, and double down.
You can download a basic blackjack strategy card online, as there are many sites where you can do so for free. One of the cool things about playing blackjack online is that you can play while looking at the blackjack strategy card and follow those rules. The card will have your two-card totals on one side and the dealer’s up card on the other side. Then on the grid inside it will have actions of what to take depending on what total you have and what total the dealer has.
One thing that you need to be aware of when playing using blackjack strategies online is that none are guaranteed to work. Beware of offers for strategies that guarantee will win you money, as they simply do not exist. There may be strategies out there that may work for you but no matter which one you use none will lower the house edge of the game.
Two types of betting strategies that are used often when playing blackjack are negative and positive progressive betting systems. The theory behind the betting strategies is pretty easy to understand, as for negative progressive betting systems you increase your bet after a losing hand, and for positive progressive betting systems, you increase your bet after a winning hand. Two of the most common types of progressive betting strategies are Martingale and Paroli.
The Martingale is a negative progressive betting system that is simple to follow, as you just have to double your bet after a losing hand and go back to your original bet after a winning hand. So, for example, if you bet $10 and you lose the next time you bet $20. If you lose that hand you bet $40 on the next. If you win you go back to betting $10. This is a risky system, but the thought behind it is that when you win after losing a hand or hands you will come out with more money as you are doubling the bet.
Martingale Blackjack
The Martingale strategy is more suited for high rollers and better to be used for short sessions. It is a risky strategy to use, as it can cost you a lot of money if you hit a big losing streak. You can win that money back and more hitting a win after a long losing streak but it will cost you a significant amount of money to get there.
One thing you need to be aware of when using the Martingale strategy when playing blackjack online is the table limit. Table limits can easily stop the progression of the betting strategy. If a table limit is $100 and you are betting $10 per hand if you lose four hands in a row you cannot use the strategy, as it says to bet more after a loss and after the fourth loss, you will have gone over the table limit.
- First hand $10 – loss
- Second Hand – $20 loss
- Third Hand – $40 loss
- Fourth Hand – $80 loss
If you plan on using the Martingale strategy you should find a table with a higher table limit.
Paroli Blackjack stragegy
The Paroli betting strategy is a positive progressive one where you increase your betting amount after wins. In this strategy, you double your bet after a win for three hands in a row and then reset to your original amount no matter what happens after the third hand. Here is an example using a $10 stake:
- Original hand – $10 – win
- First Hand – $20 – win
- Second Hand – $40 – win
- Third Hand – $80
As you can see by using the Paroli betting strategy you can win $160 on a 10$ stake by winning three hands after your first win. The strategy is based on winning three straight hands after your first stake win. You do not need to have a substantial budget to implement this strategy but the downside is that you have to get three-hand winning streaks to make significant money.