Table Of Contents

The principle behind card counting, as I stated above, is to take advantage of the deck when it has more high value cards. However, we don’t want to base this off of a single hands count. A typical Blackjack deck will contain 4-8 decks. Knowing only 8 or so will not give us a very accurate read on the deck. Regular, classic blackjack is played with a single deck of cards. A blackjack player needs to know what the card values are. In 21, tens and face cards count as 10 while aces count as either 1 or 11 (the player chooses which value the card will assume in a specific hand). The rest of the cards remain equal to their face value.

Are you looking for the best blackjack strategy to maximise your winning odds when you play online? You'll love these tips.

Finding a way to get higher chances to win at blackjack shouldn't be so hard.

The basic strategy is the best way to play blackjack — and when you combine it with some strategy tips on bankroll management and what to do after you win, you have really reached the maximum you can.

In other words, if you are looking for the best blackjack betting strategy to increase your chances to win, you'll love this guide.

In the parts that follow you will find:

• And lots more

We also put together a collection of the best bonuses to play online. This way, you can use those freebies to test the blackjack basic strategy and all the tips in this article.

Register a FREE account and claim your bonus to play online blackjack!

What this guide is NOT

• A collection of tips to win at blackjack
• A list of systems that promise to make blackjack profitable
• The illusion that you can beat the game

Blackjack is a gambling game where the casino has an advantage. It doesn't matter what approach you take or what blackjack strategy you follow. In the long run, the casino always wins.

Why Follow a Blackjack Betting Strategy?

Let's face it - we have all been there. We have all looked for the best and the most effective strategy to win at blackjack after we lost our first hands online.

With the right blackjack strategy it's possible to increase your winning chances, and that's because blackjack isn't a gambling game like roulette, video poker, or slots.

If you follow the basic betting strategy and you learn how to use the information you have at your disposal, you can reach optimal play giving yourself the best chances to win include in the game.

Professional players have worked hard to 'solve' the game of blackjack and find how to play each hand to get the best winning odds.

They analysed how the number of decks in play affects your chances to win and how you can make the best decision based on the cards you see on the table.

• That's what they call the 'blackjack basic strategy. A list of dos and don'ts where you find exactly how you are supposed to play each and every hand you are dealt.

This is the best strategy for blackjack.

The goal of the blackjack basic strategy isn't to help you win at blackjack every time you play. That's impossible. Instead, it is to help you maximize your winning chances and to minimize your losses.

That's also the goal of this guide. We don't list all the strategies for blackjack out there. Instead, we focus only on the best blackjack strategies that are known to work and should help you get better results when you play.

Starting from the tips and tricks included in our cheat-sheet.

READ ALSO: How to play online blackjack with friends.

What Is the Blackjack Basic Strategy?

Knowing how to manage your money is as important in blackjack as it is in all gambling games. A correct 'bankroll management' is essential when you play — regardless of the blackjack strategies you apply to your games.

Knowing how to bet (and how much) and how to select the right game when you play online blackjack for real money is extremely important.

Once you have those basics covered, you can move into the basic blackjack strategy and learn how you are supposed to invest your money once the dealer gives you the initial two cards.

As soon as the cards reach you and the dealer opens one of their cards, you have to make your first choice. In a game of blackjack, that means you need to pick one of these options:

• Stand
• Hit
• Double
• Split
• Surrender

Do you know why the basic blackjack strategy is also considered to be the best way to discover how to win at blackjack? Because it uses basic logic.

Would you hit if your first two cards gave you 20 points? Of course not.

Would you stand if your starting hand was worth five points? Not a chance.

While these choices are very simple on hands like the ones I use in my example, things get (a lot) more complicated with different cards on the table.

Let me give you a few examples.

• How do you play soft 17 in blackjack?
• When do you hit on a 16?
• What to do with 15 in blackjack?

This is where the basic blackjack strategy comes in to help you get the best chances to win.

This collection of tips shows you the optimal play for every blackjack hands, calculating your winning odds in combination with the dealer's open card.

The basic strategy to win at blackjack has nothing to do with concepts like card counting or any of those tricks some 'clever' players adopt to beat the house.

This is a simple-to-use guideline that shows you exactly how you are supposed to play every possible hand of blackjack. Use it to know when it is recommended to hit, to stand, or to do something else.

Key:
S = Stand
H = Hit
Dh = Double (if not allowed, then hit)
Ds = Double (if not allowed, then stand)
SP = Split
SU = Surrender (if not allowed, then hit)

A Blackjack Cheat Sheet

To make things even easier for you and help you follow the best betting strategy whenever you play blackjack, we created a quick cheat-sheet with the basic strategy explained in full.

Download the blackjack cheat-sheet (it's free) and print it or save it on your mobile phone to keep it always with you when you play.

The blackjack basic strategy cheat-sheet is 100% legal and you can use it both when you play online and at a brick-and-mortar casino.

A Conservative Blackjack Strategy

Don't play high-stakes games unless you feel ready for them and you have enough money to spend on online games.

If you are reading this blackjack strategy guide and you are a beginner, you should be afraid of high-stakes games.

When you spend too much money on your games, you risk getting the opposite of what you want. You play to have fun and to find out how to get more chances to win at blackjack - and you end broke and frustrated.

The best way to play blackjack is to start with what I call a conservative approach. Because finding the right way top handle betting in blackjack is key to long-term fun.

Like many blackjack strategies suggest, you should increase the stakes only when things go well and any potential losses are compensated by the money you have already won, not the one you might win if you get lucky.

In other words, raise your bet every time you win.

Many players believe wins and losses come in streaks. They think you might lose five or six times in a row — but when you win…you are not going to do it just once.

Obviously, that's not true.

Blackjack is a gambling game and there are no patterns for you to exploit or streaks that you can use to win more money every time you play.

There are, however, smart betting strategies like the basic blackjack strategy that can help you increase the chances of a victory.

With that in mind, a conservative blackjack strategy works like this:

• Start from the lowest bet (e.g. $1)
• Increase your bet by 1 unit only after you win
• Go back to the original bet after you lose

When you use this blackjack strategy, you need to go back to the original bet as soon as you lose one hand. This is the best way to be in control of your money and end a gaming session in the black.

All you need to do is to make the right choices (use the basic strategy) and raise your stakes little by little - but only when you win.

READ ALSO: Bets sites to play live dealer blackjack online.

An Aggressive Approach to Blackjack: the Martingale Strategy

The Martingale betting strategy sits at the opposite side of the spectrum. This is the perfect blackjack strategy for those players who:

• Play blackjack to win a lot of money
• Can afford to lose a lot of money
• Don't fear the swing of big losses

In other words, this is the perfect blackjack strategy for big spenders but isn't one that you should try if you are still a beginner who is looking for ways to learn how to play blackjack.

The Martingale blackjack strategy is expensive. This is a blackjack system that will help you win often - but only when I have a lot of money to invest on your games.

If you can't spend at least $500 on your games - the Martingale is not the best blackjack strategy for you.

But if you do — continue reading to discover how to use this betting strategy to increase your chances to win.

In short:

The Martingale strategy is the exact opposite of the conservative approach to betting in blackjack we have just seen.

When you follow this strategy, you need to double your bet every time you lose. Which, in case of a losing streak, can become very expensive very quickly.

How To Get Really Good At Blackjack

The rationale of this audacious blackjack betting strategy is that you will need only one win to go back to square one and recoup all your losses in one hand.

The caveat is: your bankroll needs to be deep enough for you to play and play until that one win comes.

Again, this isn't a betting strategy for beginners. If you decide to try it, make sure your bankroll covers at least 10 consecutive losses from the hand #1.

1-3-2-6 Blackjack Betting System

The 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting strategy is not as exciting as the Martingale strategy, and that's a good thing. This betting strategy doesn't require a huge bankroll and is a lot more suitable for players looking for a way to have better chances to win at blackjack without investing a fortune in the game.

The numbers in the strategy's name indicate the way you should bet after you win a hand of blackjack.

You first winning is the trigger that starts the sequence while your first losing hand is the one that ends everything.

This blackjack betting strategy is built to get the most value out of winning streaks. If you are lucky enough to use it at the beginning of a four-hand winning streak, you are in for a treat.

READ ALSO: How to play blackjack for beginners.

How to Win More Often at Blackjack: A Few Important Tips

We all want to win at blackjack every time we play, but we also know that's impossible.

What is possible, however, is to maximise your chances to win and get better winning odds when you play blackjack online. All it takes a few simple tips.

Follow them carefully, as these blackjack tips are as important as the best blackjack betting strategy.

• Don't spend money on the 'insurance'. The insurance bet is a money-draining option created to confuse beginners. All the best blackjack strategies fail to mention is for one simple reason: no real blackjack player will ever spend their money on it.

• Think about the house edge. Like we said when we went through some of the game's best betting strategies, you can't expect to win at blackjack every time you play.

  Like all other casino games, the house edge is what makes sure that the casino has an advantage over the players in the long run. With that in mind, the next of our blackjack tips is one that can make a great difference for you.

• Set a budget and abide to that. Experienced blackjack players know that you need to set a losing and a winning limit before the first hand is dealt.

  Stop playing as soon as you hit one of them. If you lose and hit your lower limit, take a break and end your session.

  If you win and you hit your highest limit, collects your winnings and leave the table. You can continue to play if you want, but you'll need to set a new bankroll and establish new limits first.

• Don't miss the rules sheet. Trust me, there are more blackjack variations that you will ever play. All of them are based on the same core gameplay — but adopt rules that could break you if you aren't ready for them

  One of the best parts of playing online is that the rules are always available at the table. If you are not sure you know everything about the game you want to play, click on the 'info' icon and read the rules.

• Choose 3:2 over 6:5 payout. Different casinos have different payout policies - and not all of them are great for you.

  Make sure you read the payout table before you begin to play a hand of real money blackjack and always choose the games with the 'regular' 3:2 payout. These are a much smarter choice compared to the 6:5 payout blackjack games you find at some online casino sites.

Use Bonuses to Find Your Favourite Blackjack Strategy

How To Be Really Good At Blackjack Game

Now that you know what are the best blackjack strategies, there is only one thing left: play a few games online to find out which one works best for you.

Here's what you should fo to get the best results:

1. Base all your decisions on the basic blackjack strategy
2. Pick the betting strategy that suits your bankroll
3. Follow all the blackjack strategy tips above to maximise your chances to win

To help you find the right games and the right betting strategy, we created a list of the best blackjack bonuses on the market.

All the sites you find in the list are licensed, pay winnings fast, and offer lots of blackjack games. Pick the ones with the best offers, register an account (it's always free), and sit at the blackjack table to start an epic battle with the dealer!

Knowing where to sit at a blackjack table may be the difference between waiting for a seat at a packed table and getting stuck into a table with only a few players.

How To Become Better At Blackjack

While sitting at a certain seat doesn’t have any mathematical advantage, for new players and card counters, certain seats are crucial for game play.

Blackjack table seating positions

Before we get stuck into where we should sit, we need to know what these positions are called in blackjack lingo. Each are termed according to their position and what advantages players have said they have sitting there. However, statistics prove all seats are equal for the basic strategy player, but they do have certain advantages and disadvantages associated even though they don’t have anything to do with the odds of the game.

While blackjack tables at brick and mortar casinos can feature up to six or seven players, only three positions are prominently named with two of them discussed more so than the other. Additionally, blackjack tables aren’t always full so these seats may not always be taken.

Blackjack first base – The first seat on the far right facing the dealer is known as the first base position. This is because cards are dealt by the dealer to this position first from the dealer’s left player to right player and this first base positioned player will get the cards first, as well as being in the position that enables them to be the first to hit, stand, split, double down, or surrender on their hand.

Blackjack third base – While many blackjack players mistakenly think third base is the third or middle seat, they’ll find they are incorrect. The third-base position is actually the last seat from the right or the first seat on the left. This position is sometimes referred to as the anchor and sees the player receiving the first two cards dealt by the dealer last, as well as being the last player to decide and act on what they want to do with their hand.

Shortstop position – This one isn’t as commonly mentioned as the two above as it doesn’t come with as much responsibility, which we will discuss below. This seat is located in the middle of the table and can actually prevent other players to the left of them from joining the table.

Which is the best seat at a blackjack table?

Statistically, it doesn’t really matter where you sit, unless you plan to count cards. Many state third base is the best seat, while we recommend it as the worst seat for the new blackjack kids on the block. It has been suggested that the third base seat has the advantage of whether or not the table as a whole wins or loses, however this is not mathematically correct.

This theory has come about because the third base player performs their action just before the dealer. If this player who sits at third base hits instead of stays when basic strategy recommends them to do so, this can see players blaming the third base player if the table loses. This is exactly why players who are new and do not know how to play basic strategy should not sit at third base, as it could result them having a negative experience and being mistakenly blamed for the tables loss, despite the theory not being mathematically correct.

Similarly regarded is the first base position which not only offers the entire view of the table, but the discarded pile as well meaning you can keep an eye on what cards have been drawn and what cards haven’t. However, this position is second in line to receiving glares from other players if they lose – so be prepared for the responsibility.

The shortstop position, on the other hand, gives a good view of the table. But it’s not as good as first or third, but is said to stop players from sitting at third base if the seat is open, meaning less players and more chances to put on an extra bet.

Depending on the amount of players, other seat positions aren’t usually mentioned. However if you want to view other players and their moves, fourth position (to the left of the shortstop position) offers a view of the entire table. Although statistically speaking other player’s moves do not affect your gameplay as they can ultimately both hurt and help your hand, it is always a good idea to keep an eye on players who are on a winning streak. You may be able to pick up some handy strategy hints this way.

Additionally, if you do not like the responsibility of being dealt the first and last cards of a hand we recommend to sit in the second or fourth seats depending on how many players there are at the table. If there is only the third or first base position available when you join the table remember that statistically it doesn’t affect the table’s odds at all so try to enjoy the experience.

How to pick a good blackjack table

At land-based casinos you will find there are multiple blackjack tables available to join, some fuller than others. With so many available it can be hard to know what to look for in order to pick a good table. We have made it a lot easier for both new and experienced players when it comes to picking a good blackjack table.

Betting limits – Keep an eye out for the minimum and maximum table limits which are displayed on the signs next to the table. For experienced gamblers, keeping an eye out for land-based casinos which colour code their signs can make it easier and quicker to pick and choose where you sit. For example, red equals a $5 minimum bet, while black equals a $100 minimum bet – corresponding to the colour of chips, making this easier to remember. The best way to figure out your betting limit is to set a bankroll and divide by 20. For example, if you have set yourself a $100 bank roll, then you should play at a table with a minimum betting limit of $5.

Blackjack dealers – Blackjack dealers can effect your overall experience whether you are a new blackjack player or a professional. We recommend standing back and watching the dealers to see how fast they deal, see if they provide help (important if you are a new player) or see if they let you know how much you have in a hand as they are dealt. These features will ultimately come down to what you want in a blackjack dealer as an experience player doesn’t want to be told basic tips, while a new player does.

Seating positions – Although we did say all seats at a blackjack table are considered mathematically equal, in terms of players it can be different. As we recommended standing back from the table with blackjack dealers, we recommend doing this if there are a few players seated so you can monitor their behaviour. If you notice a few players eyeing off the third base player after a loss it might be better to find a new table. If you are an experienced blackjack player however and you plan to count cards, the seating position is said to be incredibly important.

Best seat for blackjack card counters

Card counters actually have an advantage when it comes to the seating position. These players are recommended to sit in the third base position to give them more time to keep an eye on the table, as well as count, and of course bet last.

How To Be Really Good At Blackjack Casino

Card counters also have the same perception for first base. Additionally, these seats are recommended to avoid being detected as you have the vantage point of viewing the whole table without having to movie your head.

Unfortunately for card counters, they can’t do so online and really the entire concept of seating positions in blackjack goes out the window when we play blackjack on the Internet, but there is one exception.

Online blackjack seating positions

This is where new players are best suited. If you are new to the game and seem to always end up sitting at the third base position only to receive horrible stares that make you want to opt out it might be best to go online until you are confident to play at a land-based casino.

How To Be Really Good At Blackjack Games

However, there is an exception when playing online and this involves the live dealer blackjack variants. When you sign up for an online casino, we recommend doing so at our suggested online casinos due to their reputation, and make a deposit you can access the live dealer lobby where you will see blackjack as an available variant.

How To Be Really Good At Blackjack

Here, you are able to pick the seat which you would like to sit at, provided the table isn’t full. This can give you the experience of picking a seat, and if the chat function is available you will be able to read players reactions as to where you are sitting. Any vulgar or inappropriate content is not tolerated at our recommended online casinos so it is the perfect place to practice sitting at third base.