Blackjack is undoubtedly among the most popular casino games worldwide. It is a game that requires elements of luck, skill and, of course, blackjack strategy to be successful.
Here, we’ll guide you through the basics of blackjack strategy, to help you equip yourself with as much knowledge as possible before taking to the casino floor and attempting to beat the house.
- Blackjack Strategy: The Basic Approach
- Conservative Blackjack Strategy: Win Little by Little
- Aggressive Blackjack Strategy: The Martingale
- Some Blackjack Betting Tips
Players have developed different strategies over time in an effort to overcome the odds and ensure they can generate some nice winnings.
So, if you are wondering if there are blackjack strategies out there that can genuinely increase your chances of winning, read on.
Blackjack Strategy: The Basic Approach
One of the most crucial aspects when you are playing any gambling games is knowing how to control your money. This is most certainly the case when playing blackjack. Knowing how to manage your bankroll is essential if you are to be successful, whether you are using a particular blackjack strategy or not.
Collecting knowledge of how much to bet when you are playing blackjack is crucial. Once you feel confident enough and you have your timings down, you can progress onto a basic blackjack strategy and learn how to invest your money when the cards are dealt.
When you have your cards in front of you and the dealer turns over one of their cards, you are presented with a choice to make. The choice you have is between these options:
- Hit
- Stand
- Double Down
- Split Pairs
- Surrender
The reason the basic blackjack strategy is encouraged for new players is because it doesn’t over-complicate things and uses simple logic. For example, you wouldn’t hit if you luckily had 20 points to begin with. Likewise, you wouldn’t stand if you had 6 points.
The basic strategy doesn’t ask you to count cards, like you might have seen in the film ‘21’, or some other clever tricks people feel can give you an advantage. Essentially, you play the cards you are dealt, and know when to get out or play.
Conservative Blackjack Strategy: Win Little by Little
Gambling rule 101 is clear; don’t play any games you can’t afford. If you are a beginner to blackjack, you should be wary of high stakes games. If you start out spending too much on games, you will start on a downward spiral and that is not what you want.
A conservative strategy is the best way to go for new players to ease themselves in and grow in confidence. It also means there is more chance of you having fun and continuing to play blackjack in the future.
Once again, there is no absurd logic to this. As with many strategies for all sorts of casino games, a conservative strategy means only increasing your stakes if things are looking positive with any potential losses compensated by the money you have already won and not any you might win. Might being the key word here.
So, you raise your bet each time you win. There are those that feel there are patterns and winning and losing streaks in blackjack.
Of course, streaks are not something upon which to base your approach to betting. Just because you lose five times in a row doesn’t mean you will only win once. There are no apparent patterns to follow. However, there are smart strategies that might give you more of a chance to get one up over the house.
If you decide to use this strategy, you must go back to the original bet as soon as you lose. Once again, this comes back to managing your bankroll.
Aggressive Blackjack Strategy: The Martingale
Completely changing course, we come to the Martingale betting strategy. This suits players who want to try and win a significant amount of money without facing any consequences and are also not afraid of big swings in terms of going from a huge profit to a considerable loss.
If you are a beginner, it is best not to use this strategy as it suits those who are big spenders and very experienced.
There is no doubt that using this strategy could cost you a lot of money. It will help you win more often, but only if you are willing to invest heavily to make it work. As a starting point, if you cannot afford to spend at least $500 on your games, the Martingale strategy is not the one for you. However, if that is not an issue for you, then read on to see how this strategy can increase your winnings.
If you adopt this strategy, you need to double your bet every time you lose. If you happen to be on a losing streak and are not getting much luck, this becomes very expensive, very quickly.
The thought process behind this blackjack betting strategy is that you will only need to go back to scratch and recoup all your losses in one hand. The clear and obvious caveat to that is you need to have enough cash to keep playing until that one big win comes. This is certainly not a strategy for novice players. If you are willing to take a chance on this, it is worth making sure you have enough money to cover at least ten consecutive losses from the first hand.
Some Blackjack Betting Tips
Keeping the three betting strategies listed above in mind, some little tips are worth remembering when playing blackjack.
First, don’t waste money on ‘insurance’. This was seemingly designed to confuse beginners, and those who are experienced blackjack players never use it. It is never mentioned in any strategies.
Next, set a budget and stick to it. Before the first hand is dealt, have a number in mind and keep to it no matter what. If you hit your lower limit, end your session and don’t go chasing it back. The same applies if you hit your ceiling of winnings, collect your money, and go.
Finally, think about the house edge. Like every casino game, the house edge is what makes sure that the casino always has the odds in their favor.
Always remember to play and gamble responsibly.