Blackjack Strategy - Basic & Advanced

Although there is no foolproof way to ensure yourself a win, using a well-practiced strategy can massively increase your chances of winning in a game. This can be done first by knowing the value of the cards, then by mastering card counting in order to know when is better to stand or hit.

The use of strategies has seen many players go from the odd win to becoming highly successful.

1. The aim of the game is to beat the dealer by getting as close to 21 as you can, without going over it. If your card total is higher than 21 you’re out and you’ll lose your bet.

2. Players will get two cards to begin with. You'll only see one of the dealer’s cards, but players' cards are both face up.

3. Different variants of the game will have slightly different rules, affecting for example when a player is allowed to surrender or when the dealer must hit/stand, so be sure to check this out.

4. If you get a score of 21 you will likely get 1.5x your total bet, however this depends on the rules of the individual casino.

If you're after some more advanced rules of the game, why not check out our how to play page? After all, developing a good strategy always starts with a comprehensive understanding of how the game works. Less time? Then check out our quick blackjack tips guide.

Most of the card values in blackjack are self-explanatory, with only the number, rather than the suit or color, being of any importance. However, there are a few cards which can trip up newbies when it comes to their value. In blackjack, 10, J, Q and K all have exactly the same value of 10 points. The pictures on the face cards don’t have any impact on their worth.

Aces are the cards which have a special status in blackjack, as they can be worth either one or 11 depending on which is liable to benefit you in a given situation. A starting hand of A5 will have a value of six or 16. If the next card drawn is a nine then the Ace becomes a one for a total value of 15. If you draw a three instead, then the Ace will be used as an 11 to make a strong hand of 19. A starting hand featuring an Ace is usually known as ‘soft’ to indicate that it features the Ace.

With practice, knowing your odds will become second nature to you. Why not take a look at the following possible scenarios to see what the best moves would be in a given situation:

Card counting is a technique which is most often used in blackjack. The idea is to use mathematics to work out whether or not a hand is likely to be advantageous to the player or to the dealer, and whether to bet lower or higher. This is calculated by tracking how many small and large cards have been used and how many remain in the deck. Successful application of card counting in a strategy can decrease the house edge by as much as 1%.

Hi-lo Card Counting Strategy

This blackjack card counting technique works by assigning a value of either -1, 0 or 1 to each card dealt face up. You'll often hear the word 'tag' being used in card counting circles. This is just players' slang for any value assigned to cards in this technique.

It's a common alternative to detailed counting of each card – that would require an incredible command of memory and arithmetic skills! Rather than being a foolproof way of knowing the deck, Hi-Lo is based more on approximations.

• Small cards (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) receive a tag of plus one. This means that their removal from the deck puts the player at an advantage.
•  Other cards (7, 8, 9) have a tag of 0, as their removal from the deck does not have a significant impact and therefore they do not need to be counted.
•  Large cards (10s, Aces) receive a tag of minus one. Their removal from the deck gives the advantage back to the house.

Using these tags, card counters work out the “running count” of the deck, adding or subtracting whenever a small or large card is removed. They therefore know whether or not the deck leans in their favor, or towards the house, at any given time, and can manage their bets accordingly.

How Card Counting Works in Multiple Deck Games

It’s not impossible to use a card counting strategy in multiple-deck games, but it does make it a little more complicated. Begin by calculating your running count just as you would do in a single-deck game. You then need to ‘normalize’ the running count to take into account multiple decks of cards by dividing the running count by the total number of unplayed decks of cards. This sum gives you something called your “true count”, which can be used in the same way as a running count, by giving you an insight into whether you are at an advantage or not.

1. 1

   Martingale

   Players double their bets when they are losing. This strategy can get you back on even ground, wiping out your losses with one big winning bet. But it is risky!
2. 2

   d'Alembert

   When using d'Alembert, players raise their bets by one unit every time they lose. When they win, they lower their bets by one unit. It's known as one of the safer betting systems.
3. 3

   Fibonacci

   This system is based on a famous mathematical sequence called the Fibonacci sequence. In this, each number is the sum of the two previous numbers. The sequence goes like so: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so on. As a betting system, players’ bets progress along the Fibonacci sequence each time they lose. If they win, they stick with the number they were on when they won. The strategy is similar to Martingale but is somewhat less aggressive.
4. 4

   1-3-2-6

   Known as a split strategy, 1-3-2-6 sees players bet 1, 3, 2 and 6 units consecutively. Unit bets only go up if the player wins. If the player loses, they remain on 1 unit until they win again.
5. 5

   Parlay

   This is what’s known as a positive progression betting system. In Parlay, the idea is to create a pyramid of winnings. If the player wins, he/she will bet the winnings and the original bet. If the player loses, he will bet his/her original amount.
6. 6

   Oscar's Grind

   Originally designed for the game of craps, Oscar’s Grind has been successfully applied to Blackjack. The system is a progressive one, which sees bets increase by one unit if the player wins. Every time the player wins, the bet is doubled again.

So, you’ve heard all about blackjack strategy and download our strategy charts. You’ve read up on card counting and you’ve found out all about the best-known blackjack betting systems which you might want to try out. Now, it must be time to try your luck at the game! Check out our top rated real money online casinos to get started.