Blackjack Strategy

There are numerous tips for Blackjack, which will provide you with the help you need on your way to winning. But which of them are really helpful and what is the best blackjack strategy? These are two very interesting questions that are worth answering. In the usual way, we at Gambletroll.com have collected the necessary information and are presenting it for you in this article.

With the knowledge imparted here, you will be able to go to the blackjack table with a completely different level of security and have an overview at all times.

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What is being conveyed?

• The basic blackjack rules
• The perfect basic strategy
• Blackjack strategy table
• Card counting with the high low system
• The Martingale System
• The Fibonacci system
• Progressive strategy
• The Kelly System
• The D’Alembert system
• The 1-3-2-6 strategy

Basic Blackjack strategy

Before you even think about learning one of the special systems, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the basic rules and then learn the perfect basic blackjack strategy. Only when you have mastered these two components does it make sense to add a more advanced strategy. If you didn’t, it would be like buying decorative items for a house that didn’t even have the foundation walls in place. So always one after the other.

Basic rules for playing with the 21st

Old hands who are sufficiently familiar with the basic rules and technical terms are welcome to skip this section. For everyone else, however, here is an introduction to the most famous card game in the world.

Procedure and aim of the game

BlackJack is played against the bank, so against the dealer. Before you start, place your bet in the so-called “box”. When all players have placed their bets, the cards are dealt. Each player is given 2 playing cards “face up”, which means that the card values ​​are visible to everyone. In “Hole Card Games” the dealer is dealt his second card face down and is allowed to look at it. Mostly, however, the game is played in such a way that the dealer does not receive his second card until the end.

The game is played with the usual sets of 52 playing cards and the number of decks is usually between 1 and 6. If all players now have two cards, they can take their actions clockwise. The aim of the game is to get as close as possible to 21 points without overbidding that number. If you have a higher number of points than the dealer at the end of the round, the hand is considered to have been won.

The card values in blackjack

• The ace is the best card in the game because it is the most likely card to get to 21. It counts 1 or 11 points depending on the needs of the player.
• All face cards, i.e. jack, queen and king, are worth 10 points.
• All cards with numbers count their respective value.

Stand

The first option you have, when it is your turn, is not to ask for another card. This means that you are already satisfied with your current 2 cards. If that is the case, one speaks of stand. In the online casino, click on the corresponding button and you can show it live with a horizontal hand movement. A good example of this would be if you have 20 points and anything but an ace would cause you to lose.

Hit

If you want to apply for another card because you believe that your current score is insufficient to win the hand, it is called a hit. You can find the button you need online here and simply tap the table live to do so.

Split

This action turns the original hand into 2 new hands. This is only possible if both cards have the same value. If you so choose, the dealer will split the two cards and you will have to place another bet. If you split aces, you can only apply for one additional card at a time.

Double down

This is often only allowed if the value of your hand is 9, 10 or 11 points. Under the condition that you only have to apply for one more card, you then double your bet.

Surrender

Neither popular nor useful, but quite possible. If you lose half of your stake, you have the option of simply giving up at any time. They then wait for the round to end and play the next hand again.

The conclusion

When all players have taken their actions, the dealer draws his second card. If he has 17 points or more, he is called. If he has 16 points he must draw another card. The winner has now been determined. If you are one of the lucky ones, you will get double the stake. With a blackjack, i.e. an ace and 10 points, there is even more.

The perfect blackjack strategy

Unlike many other games of chance, blackjack actually has the perfect way to play. The foundation stone was laid for this as early as 1956. At that time, 4 mathematicians published an article entitled: Optimum Strategy in Blackjack. You can imagine that this caused a lot of stir and, above all, for a lot of discussion. The resulting book then became extremely well known.

In Beat the Dealer, Ed Thorpe explained in simple terms how to reduce the house edge in blackjack to a fraction of a percent with the perfect style of play. This tactic has not changed until 2020 and you will now be given a table. With this blackjack table you always know what to do. Stick to it 100% and you will automatically master the perfect strategy.

Blackjack table basic

Blackjack table splitting

Blackjack table soft hand

• H = Hit
• S = Stand
• D = Double Down
• SP = Split

The high low system

First of all, if it is possible to use this system, you actually get a mathematical advantage over the bank. You read that right, it will make you a theoretical winner, provided you master the perfect basic strategy. This technique, also known as card counting, led in the past to the fact that one or the other stole a fortune from the casinos, and is also the basis of the Hollywood film “21”.

Unfortunately, the providers of blackjack have now reacted and are trying by all means to prevent successful counting and the winnings that come with it.

How does the blackjack card counting system work

Before we reveal the specific procedure to you, here is a description of how it works for a better understanding. Since all cards are dealt face-up in blackjack, they are logically visible to all players or to the people standing next to them. So if you pay close attention, you can tell what is left towards the end of the deck of cards. Due to this special feature and the correct betting behavior, the house advantage can be reversed. If you bet low all the time, and only bet high towards the end of the stack, and only when there is a good chance of winning, you have a very good chance of making high profits.

For this reason, casinos often use up to 6 decks of cards and exchange them within the blackjack tables before it expires. If you can count to the end, you have to be careful that you are not immediately exposed as an advantage player due to the characteristic betting behavior. Casinos have house rights and can simply exclude you from the game.

How is it counted?

As the name suggests, the high-low system distinguishes between high and low cards. In total it is divided into 3 groups:

1. The cards 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace are valued at -1.
2. 7, 8 and 9 are assigned the value 0.
3. Low cards, i.e. 2 to 6, are assigned the value +1.

Ideally, you start with the use of a new deck of cards with the value 0 and change it accordingly with each card you see. If you have a positive number towards the end of the stack, the odds are good that you will win. Then you should bet a lot. The higher the value, the more likely it is. However, there is no guarantee.

In order not to attract attention so quickly, the professionals in the live casino work here as part of a team. One player sits at the table and consistently bets the minimum. When the odds are good, he gives a secret signal. Then the second player comes up and makes a high roller bet at the right time “completely randomly”.

Online card counting

Most people think that card counting is fundamentally not possible in online casinos. In fact, you can’t say that across the board. Software manufacturers need to provide insight into how their games work. If, for example, classic blackjack is offered, the algorithm must also simulate the course of this game one-to-one. It can be assumed, however, that after each hand it is simply shuffled or counting is otherwise difficult. After all, it is hardly possible to use the technology successfully in the live area either, since casinos are fighting this with all their means.

The Kelly formula as a blackjack strategy

This mathematical formula, which is also called the Kelly criterion, goes back to the scientist John Larry Kelly Jr. back. It is used to maximize profits in bets with positive profit expectations, without ever losing the entire capital. Even if the house edge is very small in blackjack with perfect strategy, it is still there.

The only moment when you as a player have a positive expected value is when you are successfully counting cards. The Kelly criterion can only be applied in this case. With the formula you calculate the so-called Kelly share and this in turn indicates how much of your total playing capital you should bet on one hand. The higher the probability of winning, the bigger your bet can be.

Kelly proportion = chance / win rate

Your win rate at blackjack is normally 2, since if you win, the stake is doubled. Let’s assume that by successfully counting cards, your chance of winning is 60%, i.e. 0.6 and your total playing capital is € 1000. The Kelly formula says in this case that you should bet 0.6 / 2, i.e. 0.3 of your capital. The correct bet in this case would be € 300.

Your win rate at Blackjack is normally 2, since if you win, the stake is doubled. Let’s assume that by successfully counting cards, your chance of winning is 60%, i.e. 0.6 and your total playing capital is € 1000. The Kelly formula says in this case that you should bet 0.6 / 2, i.e. 0.3 of your capital. The correct bet in this case would be € 300.

1, 3, 2, 6 Blackjack Strategy

This is a very popular system for placing bets where the stake is doubled. For this simple reason it is also often used when playing with the 21st. Here, a series of a maximum of 4 wins is considered. If these are reached, you start all over again. The exact procedure is already hidden in the name of the system. At the beginning you determine the first setting size. This should be based on your total capital for the blackjack session.

Let’s take € 5 as an example. On the first hand you play, you bet £ 5 and if you win you have £ 10. You now add another € 5 to the stake and thus have € 15, so you have 3. If you win this hand, you also have € 30, of which you put € 20 in your pocket, so that with a stake of € 10 you end up with two. If you win, add the € 20 from the 2nd hand to the € 10 and bet € 30 so 6 pieces. In the event of a loss or after a successful 4th bet, the whole thing starts all over again.

Progressive betting systems for blackjack

A whole range of techniques can be summarized under this generic term, which provide for an increase in the bet if the stake is lost. If you take these tips into account, you will often have a winning streak, but you will not be able to outsmart the math of the game. Most progressive blackjack strategies have many moderate wins and one potentially large loss. Nevertheless, there are a large number of players who swear by these systems and make profit with them over a long period of time. In the following we will introduce you to the most famous of them.

Martingale as a Blackjack strategy

This system, which has been known since the 18th century, is better known for its use in roulette. One of the most famous users of this strategy was Giacomo Casanova. In his memoirs he describes his initial successes and his final total loss with the system. Because of this, it is sometimes called the Martingale de Casanova.

The functionality is quickly explained. You start with a stake of, for example, € 10. In the event of a loss, it is doubled until there is a profit. Then start all over again. The system is based on the fact that there is no way you can always lose whatever is true. However, it fails due to one of the following factors:

1. Maximum bet on the side of the online casinos
2. Player’s financial resources

If the player could actually double his bets indefinitely, the system would really work. However, the casino generally sets a maximum bet to prevent this. In any case, many players underestimate how quickly the bet increases by doubling. An example: If you start with a stake of € 10, you will have staked € 40,950 after 12 games. Normally, however, the maximum table is reached long beforehand or you run out of money.

It is true that the probability of winning with Martingale is very high. Here, too, an example: Suppose you could afford to double the stake 12 times and the casino would allow this too. Then you would have a 99.9664% chance of winning. That is, of course, an impressive number. However, the house edge ultimately remains the same.

The Fibonacci Blackjack System

Perhaps one or the other of you has heard of the Fibonacci Blackjack strategy or the Fibonacci sequence. Before we reveal how this highly interesting math concept fits into our series of blackjack tips, here’s a basic explanation.

The Fibonacci sequence describes an infinite sequence of numbers, where each number is the sum of the 2 preceding numbers:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 …

Fascinatingly, many processes in nature follow this mathematical basis. An example of this is the increase in a rabbit population and the growth of many plants. The Fibonacci numbers can be found in:

• Sunflower seed heads
• Fruit clusters of the pineapple
• Artichoke flowers
• Baskets of silver thistle
• In the line of honeybees

This is a mystical mathematical basis which apparently determines biological processes in our world. But the series of numbers is also used outside of biology.

For example, professional traders have been working with it for a long time and thus determine changes in the share price. Some call this humbug, but others swear by it and trust large sums of money on it.

But how exactly can this be included in the Black Jack tips?

Fibonacci blackjack strategy

The specific procedure is very simple. They simply ensure that each bet compensates for the loss of the two previous bets. For this you use the Fibonacci number series. So if you bet € 10 and lose, you bet € 10 again. If lost, then € 20 and if lost again then € 30. If you win, you return to the original bet.

At first, this approach is a bit reminiscent of Martingale, but it differs significantly from it. After all, it does not double stakes. With the Fibonacci method in blackjack you ensure a low variance without driving up the stakes so quickly. However, you do not change the house edge.

Black Jack tricks with d’Alembert

The French mathematician, physicist and philosopher Jean-Baptiste le Rond d’Alembert is known for numerous scientific achievements. Many of his math concepts are highly complicated differential equations. However, when the d’Alembert concept is mentioned in relation to gambling, the process is very simple. Let’s look at the following series of numbers:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 …

As you can see for yourself, this is simply an ongoing sequence. In other words, the increase is linear. If you use the d’Alembert concept in blackjack, here is what you are doing. You start with a bet of 1 piece, if you lose you then bet 2 pieces, if you lose again then 3 pieces and so on. Initially, the procedure is similar to the Fibonacci system, but the progression is much flatter towards later. If you win, simply move one step to the left in the sequence.

With d’Alembert, the stakes do not rise as quickly as with Martingale and Fibonacci, which means that the table limits are not reached as quickly. However, you may already be guessing that the provider’s original house advantage will continue to exist.

Blackjack strategy at a glance

The attentive reader has probably already noticed that the various techniques all have one thing in common. They ultimately fail to change the house edge of blackjack in the player’s favor. The only exception is the high-low technology. If this can be used successfully, the already tiny house advantage shifts significantly to the player’s side. There is never a 100% chance of winning, but the chances are very good to make a hefty profit and thus outsmart the house. If the high-low technology is then combined with the Kelly component, an overall concept is created that shakes every casino to its foundations.

Casinos and online casinos have domiciliary rights

The only problem is that no provider is forced to let you play with them. So if you go to the casino in Bregenz and count cards there successfully, you can assume that sooner or later you will be banned from the house. Since the casinos help each other in this area and exchange data in order to protect themselves from so-called advantage players, it is even possible that you will then be considered an uninvited guest throughout Germany. So the greatest caution and a very considered approach are required here.

The same goes for online Blackjack strategy. It is here that programs save your every action and the pattern of an advantage player is quickly noticed. Here, too, there is a risk of exclusion from the platform in an emergency. So if you intend to cream off with the appropriate techniques, you should be very careful with it. Finally, online there is also the fact that your money is not in your hands in the form of chips, but in digital form with your provider. If he has integrated a corresponding clause in the terms and conditions that prohibits certain techniques, you run the risk of your credit being withheld.

Blackjack strategy – Conclusion

We hope we were able to give you an insightful insight into the world of blackjack strategies and show you which tricks bring a real mathematical advantage. You should also now be able to see that while progressive betting systems often produce a long winning streak, they do not change the house edge in any way. Ultimately, gambling should not be seen as a source of income, but for what it is. Entertainment with a little thrill and the chance to win. Finally, we would like to note that none of the blackjack tips and tricks presented here are illegal, including card counting.