The Most Popular Blackjack Betting Strategies
While Blackjack betting strategies greatly vary, they all have one thing in common–decrease the house edge. And thanks to iconic movies like Rain Man and Hangover, they have become quite popular in recent years.
Here, we compiled some of the most popular Blackjack betting strategies:
Martingale System
This technique attempts to minimize your losing streaks by doubling the amount of bet until you win. It is viewed as an aggressive play and thus it is ideal for big spenders but not for beginners who are still learning the ropes of the game.
While the technique could help you win more, it remains an expensive approach since players are expected to spend a minimum of $500 on their games.
Its core rule is simple: Double your bet every time you lose. As a result, it can turn into an expensive strategy in case you experience a losing streak.
The “purported” logic behind the Martingale System is that a player only needs one win to recoup his losses in one hand.
Oscar’s Grind
The rule can be applied to any game offering even payouts. Simply put, it requires keeping the bet size the same following a loss but then increasing the wager by one after each win. This system is repeated until you are one unit up, and after this you go back to the original wager size.
To give you an example, imagine that you begin with a $20 wager. If you lose, your next bet remains $20, but if you win, you increase it to $30. You’ll continue this process until you have netted a predetermined amount of profit, which means you start another series with the original wager–$20.
Oscar’s Grind is similar to the Martingale System, meaning it is only reserved for players who can afford long losing streaks.
Positive Progression Strategy
Also called winning streak strategy, positive progress increases the value of a hot streak by incrementing the amount of bet after a winning hand. Hence, its core rule is quite the opposite of the Martinage System’s.
The core principle of positive progression strategy is to stop at some point during a winning streak. To give you an example, imagine that you begin with a $20 bet and win; your following wager will then be $30.
With that $30 hand, you are already up $50 after two hands. And if you increase your wager to $60 and win again, you’re up $110 after three hands.
A good rule of thumb is to stop after three straight wins. After all, winning streaks, like all good things in life, will inevitably come to an end.
The 1-3-2-6 Blackjack Betting Strategy
Unlike the Martingale System and the Oscar’s Grind, the 1-3-2-6 betting strategy doesn’t necessarily need a huge bankroll, making this ideal if you want to increase your chances of winning without investing a fortune.
The way you should wager after winning a hand of Blackjack is indicated in this betting strategy’s name. Simply put, the first winning triggers the sequence, whereas the first losing hand is the one that ends it.
Counting Cards
Players who use this popular Blackjack betting strategy try to diminish the casino house edge by maintaining a running count of high and low valued cards dealt.
Additionally, they wage more when they have an advantage over the dealer and bet less when they think the dealer has the upper hand.
Conclusion
Even with the best strategies, the house always wins in Blackjack–at least in the long run. Hence, even professional players feel that this casino banking game is best played for entertainment rather than to make a living.
