Betting Strategies for Blackjack Explained
Boasting some of the best odds casino games have to offer, blackjack’s one of the few games where an average player has a great chance of walking away as a winner. Nevertheless, due to poor knowledge of betting systems and strategies, sometimes competent players struggle to make their successes profitable. So, let’s look at three different types of betting strategies and some of the most popular betting systems within each – click to learn more.
Types of Betting Strategies to win at Blackjack
The three most popular types of betting strategies in blackjack are positive progressions, negative progressions and flat betting. With positive progressions, you increase your bets after wins, but with negative progressions, you raise them after each loss. Meanwhile, your betting stake remains the same with flat strategies.
Of course, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using these strategies. For instance, even though positive progressions help limit your losses and capitalise on hot streaks, they make it harder for you to hold onto your winnings and win money back quickly. Conversely, though negative progressions help you recover losses rapidly and hold onto gains, you need a lot of cash to use them and they can cause you to run up big debts. Flat betting systems can make your money last the longest, yet the stats say you’re unlikely to win with them.
There are numerous betting systems within each category, so let’s analyse some of the more famous of these.
The Martingale System
Thought to have originated in 18th century France, the Martingale operates on negative progression and even though it was invented for roulette, it’s also a big hit amongst blackjack players. To implement this system, all you have to do is double your wager after each loss (and when you win, return to your normal betting stake). In theory, this seems like a sound system, but you need to have plenty of cash available (in case you lose several games in a row) and since casinos set betting stake limits, you can’t always recover your losses.
The Reverse Martingale System
The Reverse Martingale is another popular betting system in blackjack. However, unlike its close cousin, this system is based on positive progression. Thus, you need to double your bets after each win (and bet your regular stake after each loss). You’ll never incur great losses with the Reverse Martingale, yet it’s still really risky as you lose all your winnings with each loss.
The Flat Betting System
Based around the notion of flat progression, the Flat Betting system is the easiest system to use. Simply work out how much you wish to bet on each hand (e.g., £2) and then bet this amount every time. Consequently, your stake never changes and you never incur great losses. However, few players ever win big with this system.
Final Thoughts on how to play blackjack
We hope you’ve enjoyed our rundown of betting strategies and systems. And if so, why don’t you start experimenting with some of these in free online games of blackjack right now?
