Blackjack is a lot of fun, and casino gamblers can’t seem to get enough of this amazing game. Unfortunately, a lot of blackjack gamblers fail to maximize their time at the tables.
Blackjack is a game where skill can increase your odds, but its core remains a game of chance. You aren’t any more likely to hit a blackjack on the next hand as you were the last. Of course, if you’re a world-class card counter, you know that there are times that increasing your bet is the prudent play. The dealer will make a change in chips for your cash buy-in and will help you with minimums and maximums on the bonus bets, but most can be made for $1. Bonus bets stand alone from the regular blackjack bet and are sometimes called side-bets; they are optional wagers with brand names like Royal Match, Progressive Blackjack, and Lucky Ladies. Your best option when you see these tables is to walk on by and find a better table. Paying 6:5 dramatically increases the house’s advantage because you’re getting significantly less payout each time you hit blackjack. Remember, stick to games that pay 3:2, and you’ll increase your winnings.
Realistically, you should only bet more money in blackjack when you are counting cards and you know that the count is in your favor because there are a lot of 10-value cards remaining to be played. Otherwise, you should flat bet, which means that you always bet the same amount.
That’s where we come in. On this page, you’ll learn how to become a more profitable blackjack gambler. Don’t waste another second of your time without implementing these tips.
Take these seven simple steps to increase your blackjack winnings, and you’ll be at the tables longer. More importantly, you’ll be keeping more of your hard-earned cash in your wallet when playing blackjack for real money.
Only Play Blackjack Games With Friendly Rules
Blackjack tables are pretty standardized across the board. Still, some casinos or tables offer much friendlier games for the player than others.
Chief among these are games that pay 3:2 on blackjack. The 3:2 tables are the most common games. Unfortunately, I see tables that only pay 6:5 on blackjacks more and more frequently. Your best option when you see these tables is to walk on by and find a better table.
Paying 6:5 dramatically increases the house’s advantage because you’re getting significantly less payout each time you hit blackjack. Remember, stick to games that pay 3:2, and you’ll increase your winnings.
Finding blackjack variants where the dealer stays on a soft 17 will also improve your odds at the blackjack table. It takes the house’s ability to catch up to better hands. That slight difference will swing the odds in your favor. When it comes to casino gambling, you want every advantage you can find.
Doubling down and splitting can also dramatically increase your blackjack winnings. When you find games that allow you to double down on any hand or double down after a split, you’ve found a friendly game.
Also, games that allow players to split any two cards can greatly improve your take. Keep in mind that it’s not uncommon for casinos to offer games with different rules. So, be sure to take a quick stroll around the casino floor, as opposed to sitting at the first table you see.
Being diligent about finding the game with the best rules every time you step into the casino is a surefire way to increase your blackjack winnings.
Learn and Implement the Basic Gambling Strategy
Stop treating blackjack like a guessing game. Every time I am at the casino, I see the same thing. Players attempt to channel their inner psychic when it comes time to decide on whether to hit or stay.
Without any prior thought or strategy as to how the game has played out, they suddenly believe they can accurately predict the next card to be dealt. This strategy “works” maybe 20% of the time. Overwhelmingly, it blows up in the player’s face, and their chips become the casino’s again.
What if I told you there’s a basic system for blackjack that reduces the house edge to a very manageable 1%? Actually, the basic strategy knocks the house advantage below 1%. That makes blackjack one of the most player-friendly games in the casino.
Some of the greatest mathematicians on the planet spent decades decoding the game and working out the absolute best way to play every single hand based on the dealer’s up card.
That’s right, the casinos are aware of basic strategy. They don’t even mind if you use the chart at the table as long as you aren’t slowing down the game by looking for the perfect play on every single hand.
Learning and implementing basic strategy has been the single most important aspect of increasing my blackjack winnings. It will do the same for you, blackjack is a numbers game, and all of the math has been done for you.
Avoid the Insurance Bet
One of the worst bets in any casino is the insurance bet in blackjack. I had a neighbor that was a casino dealer. He used to say, “There are sucker bets, then there’s the insurance bet.”
The insurance bet is a wager that the dealer has a card with a value of 10 to pair with their ace. The bet pays 2:1, which sounds fair enough at first, but it doesn’t pass closer inspection. If the dealer has a blackjack, that’s great.
You’ll lose your original wager but win the insurance bet. However, when the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack (which is an overwhelming majority of the time), you’ll lose the insurance bet. Then, you’ll still have your original wager to play out, and over 50% of the time, you’re going to lose that bet also. So, now you’re out $40 instead of $20.
I don’t believe the casinos are out to get anyone. They don’t need to be; the odds are stacked immensely in their favor. However, they also aren’t going to start offering wagers where they lose money. It’s counterintuitive to everything that makes the well-oiled machine known as the casino industry tick.
Don’t forget, insurance is a casino sucker bet. Politely decline and move on. Sometimes, the dealer will have a blackjack, and you’ll need to learn to accept that. Avoiding insurance won’t win you money, but it’ll keep the money you’ve won where it belongs.
Don’t Fall Victim to the Gambler’s Fallacy
The gambler’s fallacy is the fallacious logic that because a particular event has occurred a disproportionate amount of times in the past, it’s suddenly more or less likely to happen going forward.
You could just as easily win 10 hands in a row than lose 10 in a row. Stay away from the idea that you’re due for a win. Stay consistent on your bet amount, and hopefully, you’ll stay in the game long enough for those bad runs to even out.
Remember that by playing basic strategy on every hand, and staying away from the insurance bet, the house edge is under 1%. You’ll have your run of wins. But if you double down or go on tilt, you may be out of the game before they come.
Always Play for Casino Rewards
You Raise Your Bet In Blackjack
You should never sit down to a casino game without having your player’s card swiped. The player’s card allows you to earn casino comps based on how much you’re putting into action every hour.
The comps you can earn playing blackjack won’t necessarily put cash back in your pocket, but the comps you earn could save you on meals or rooms, which gives you more cash to use in the casino.
You can even find the occasional cashback perk during certain times. Although the percentages are incredibly small, every dime you get back will help offset losses slightly.
If you’re unfamiliar with the player’s card, ask any casino employee, and they can point you in the right direction. Sometimes, you can even earn some pretty cool gifts or perks for simply signing up.
Learn to Count Cards
Counting cards in blackjack is the most concrete way to increase your winnings. I don’t necessarily advocate card counting and haven’t personally taken any steps to learn the practice. However, by grabbing a book on the subject and doing some intense practice, you can pick it up relatively easily (from what I’ve been told).
That’s Hollywood for you! I’ve personally never had anyone share that as their experience. Maybe in old-school Vegas, but it’s not as common in family-friendly Vegas 2.0. You will certainly be kicked out of the casino and you probably won’t be welcomed back. Your picture could also be shared with other casinos, and it may be hard to find a game.
Still, there isn’t a better way to increase your blackjack winnings than to gain such an advantage over the house.
Hole Carding
Hole carding can be extremely helpful. Your goal here is to spot the dealer’s hole card.
Spotting the hole card lets you know exactly what the dealer has. I’m sure you can understand how this can be tremendously advantageous.
Usually, the dealer needs to be pretty weak with their form. This is the only time it’s ever okay to buy insurance.
Since you’ll already know that the dealer has a blackjack, insurance is a no-brainer.
Conclusion
Take these seven simple steps to increase your blackjack winnings. Above all, remember that gambling is meant to be entertainment.
You probably won’t win every time you sit down, but if you enjoy the game, it’s a win! We hope you’ve enjoyed this tips and will begin to implement them into your gameplay. Good luck!
Card counters operate under the (correct) assumption that even perfect blackjack strategy is a losing proposition. That’s because basic strategy gives no indication of the likelihood of a dealer or player bust. Basic strategy requires you to hedge your bets in certain playing situations, meaning you are just as likely to win as to lose.
Keeping a running count improves on basic blackjack strategy by indicating when you can deviate from that strategy and still have a decent chance of winning. If you know there are more small cards than large ones, you can safely take hits on those pesky 15 and 16 point hands and improve your chances of beating the dealer. You can use a running count to know when to increase your bet size to maximize your profits, and when to decrease your bets to protect yourself from potential losses.
These changes in the bet size are known as a “betting spread,” a tool used by counters to increase profits and decrease losses without drawing the attention of the casino. Ideally, you can make small changes to your bets without the casino figuring out that you’re a card counter and (politely) asking you to leave.
Betting Spreads and Positive Expectation
The name of the game in card counting is turning blackjack into a positive expectation game. Peter Griffin’s book “The Theory of Blackjack” worked out some numbers pertinent to card counters. Using standard Las Vegas rules and a basic High-Low card counting system, a player’s advantage with perfect strategy when the count is zero is -0.56%. According to Griffin, each increase by 1 of the running count improves the player’s advantage by +0.5%. Naturally, every decrease by 1 of the count reduces the player’s advantage by 0.5%.
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Positive Count and Percentages
We know that, statistically, a standard Vegas game of blackjack will only offer certain counts some of the time. Positive expectation only happens with a +2 count, which will only happen about 8% of the time. Truth be told, a positive count can only be expected about 18% of the time you’re playing–that’s why it is important to spread your bets, even if you’re keeping a running count and playing according to basic strategy.
What’s the Best Bet Spread?
People much smarter than you and me have determined that a bet spread between 1 and 5 units is the best way to avoid undue attention from the casino. By this reckoning, you should bet 1 unit for a +1 count, all neutral counts, and all negative counts. A +2 count means 2 units, a +3 count means 3 units, a +4 count means 4 units, and anything over +4 means you bet 5 units. Going over 5 units is likely to attract unwanted casino heat.
Using this system and perfect blackjack strategy, you can expect a positive return of about 0.14%. You’re not going to get rich with small wins under this system, but it will turn a negative expectation game into a positive one.
When Should You Increase Your Bet In Blackjack
Larger Bet Spreads
When Can You Raise Your Bet In Blackjack Winnings
The only way to increase your expectation is to use a 1-10 unit bet spread, which is sure to get you kicked out of any casino eventually. Still, as long as you can get away with a 1-10 unit spread, you can play with an edge of about 0.57%, or about three and a half times greater than with a 1-5 unit spread.
Since casinos have implemented rules and strategies to counteract card counting, the easy to beat blackjack tables have disappeared. Casinos are now instituting a 6:5 blackjack payout rule, for instance, that automatically makes the game not worth the time it takes to count cards and develop a bet spread. Perfect blackjack strategy is often as good as you can get at today’s blackjack tables, since even the most aggressive counting and bet spreading gives you only about a .5% edge.