What Are The Best Blackjack Strategies?

If you’re interested in a guaranteed winning blackjack system, one that is fail proof and sure to win, you’ve come to the right place. This is because no such system exists and we’re one of the few sites honest enough to tell you that. Now with that said on this page we will provide true blackjack strategy and tips which can help you win more money while playing online blackjack. First we’ll take a look at what many other sites are marketing as a winning blackjack system.

When it comes to choosing a game that requires skill at the casino, many players head straight for the blackjack table. The idea of the game is fairly simple and it is easy to play but playing blackjack and consistently winning are two different things. There is an element of luck in the game, but there is also plenty of skill that is required. In order to help a person win, following a strategy is a good idea. The best blackjack strategies are the ones you have mastered and tested and are comfortable with. A math whiz may ace card counting – another player may prefer to just memorize the basic strategies.

You also need to learn the rules of the game and the house rules specific to the casino you’d like to play at. Each casino will have different varieties of the game. They can use different numbers of decks, they can have rules about insurance, minimum or maximum bets, and they can have computer generated games or they can have live dealer games.

Why you need to learn the basic strategy?

A beginner in blackjack must learn the basic strategy and master it if he can. It is important because a player who knows the basic strategy can make the house advantage as low as 0.5%. The basic strategy in blackjack chart is composed of a set of rules and guidelines that tell the player when to hit, stand, split and double down.

The chart or cheat sheet you should follow depends on the number of deck on the table and certain game scenarios. Make sure to memorize all the different charts, so you’ll know what to do in common situations. Learning the basic strategy is not infallible but will, hopefully, make you lose at a slower rate than most players.

Chart for 4-8 decks where the dealer stands on Soft 17

Chart for double deck game where the dealer stands on Soft 17

Chart for single deck game where the dealer hits on Soft 17

Martingale Blackjack System

The most popular blackjack systems on the market are the ones that involve increasing your bet size each time you lose a bet. It doesn’t matter how much the increase is, the end result is all of these systems are designed to take advantage of short term variance while sacrificing long term success. The sacrifice is so great that everyone who uses this system long enough will eventually be massively in the negative for their blackjack career.

The oldest version of this system is called the Martingale Blackjack System. This system is simple: a player bets a small amount on a hand, to keep it simple we’ll say $1. Each time they lose a bet they double their previous bet, when they win a bet they go back to betting a dollar. So bet $1, it loses bet $2, lose again bet $4, then $8, then $16. When you win repeat the process starting at $1. When following this system you’ll earn $1 per for each hand you win, while recovering all loses from that series of bet. This is a guaranteed $1 profit for every hand of blackjack you play!

Of course a little common sense tells us this is not true. Eventually you’re going to either run out of money (rare) or more commonly reach the table’s maximum betting limit. For example at an online casino that offers $1 min / $300 max bets you’ll be able to bet 1, 2, 4, 8, 16¸32, 64, 128, 256. That’s 9 bets you can’t go any further because the table limit is capped. If you add those numbers together you’ll find they equal $511, that’s the amount you’ll lose should a streak of 9 loses in a row happen.

So, what are the odds of losing 9 hands of blackjack in a row?

That’s a great question. First of all we have to say this depends on the house edge per hand. At blackjack different casinos have different rules such dealer hits on soft 17 or stands on soft 17, how many splits, double after splits, double on any cards or double only on 9,10,11 or 8,9,10,11 to name just a few. Also a player’s skill comes into play. Now let’s say all rules were in a players favor and they knew the most detailed intricacies of blackjack strategy under these circumstances the odds of losing 4 in a row through ten in a row are covered below.

Now to go back to our initial example, if nine and a row occur you lose $511 dollars. Using the table above you’ll see that if you’re using the doubling system in blackjack under perfect odds, rules and play that on average every 452 series of bets in this system will result in one time losing $511 and 451 times winning $1. Do the same math for any of the other amounts of max bets you have available and you’ll see this is a losing system in the long run.

Modifications to Blackjack Strategy

Never bust: In this system a player follows basic strategy but never hits on 12 or more. This system gives the house an additional 3.5% edge over whatever their current edge is based on game rules.

Assume a 10 in Hole: In this strategy a player plays the hand as if they know for sure the dealer has a ten in the hole. This means when dealer is showing 9 and they have 18 they must hit. This system gives the house an additional 9.5% edge over whatever their current edge is based on game rules.

Mimic the Dealer: This system replaces basic strategy by doing exactly what the dealer would do each hand. Following this strategy you’ll be giving the house approximately an additional 5% house edge.

As you can see if you are going to use the Martingale Blackjack System your best bet is to stick to optimal strategy. You’ll also want to visit one of the casinos that allow their bonus to be cleared at Blackjack.

Note: We borrowed some information on this page from Wizard of Odds Blackjack, there you can find basic strategy charts.

Online Blackjack with No House Edge

Online Blackjack offers blackjack with rules that when followed properly have no house advantage. This game is called Zero Blackjack and uses the following rules.

8 Decks shuffled each hand
S17 – Dealer must stand on all 17’s soft or hard.
Only one split per hand (Exception: Aces can not be split)
D8 – Double down is allowed only on 8, 9, 10, and 11 (Including soft variations)
DAS – Double after split is allowed
Suited Blackjack pays 2 to 1
5 card 21 pays 2 to 1

Other Popular Blackjack Strategies

• Paroli system – also known as anti-martingale or reverse martingale. This strategy requires you to increase your bet when you are winning and decrease it when you are losing.

• Card counting – this strategy is legal but not all casinos tolerate it for obvious reasons – it is advantageous to the player and further lowers the house edge. It is possible for card counters to get kicked out of casinos, especially if they have long winning streaks. Card counting involves paying attention to all of the cards that have been played and assigning tags for small cards and high cards. By counting the cards, the player can know what the chances of a low card or a high card are going, thus they can decide whether to make a large or small bet and when to draw a card or stick.

To help you with their Zero House Edge Blackjack game here find the following modified basic strategy chart:

H = Hit
S = Stand
D = Double
P = Split
E1 = Exception number 1 states, hit if you have 4 cards and otherwise stand.
E2 = Exception number 2 is more complex and states, If you have four cards you will always hit. If you have just two cards you will always double. In any other set of circumstances you’ll always stand.

Blackjack Card Counting System

As said above Card Counting is another popular strategy for winning at Blackjack. Most believe this system can’t be used online. However live casino offers a live Blackjack game with a human dealer. This game uses an eight deck shoe that is shuffled with four decks remaining. While it’s not as perfect as counting cards live, for counting cards online casinos are the premier place to do so online.

A player can choose any of these strategies, none of these strategies or a combination of them. The key is to use them consistently and not deviate from the system on a hunch. If you find the strategies above daunting, check these blackjack tips from known blackjack connoisseurs that are easier to memorize.

1. Play at the table with least number of decks.
2. Don’t be pressured to tip the dealer.
3. Avoid gimmick blackjack game variations such as Super Fun and Spanish 21.
4. Avoid taking insurance.
5. Don’t make a fuss about the shuffle.
6. When the dealer shows 2-9, double down on 10 or 11.
7. When the dealer shows 2-6, stand on 13 to 16.
8. If the dealer is showing 7 or higher, don’t split 5 or 10 and don’t stand on 12 to 16.