4/10/2022»»Sunday

How Much Should You Bet In Blackjack

4/10/2022

One thing blackjack players sometimes forget is to check the table limits sign before they sit down. It doesn’t matter as much when playing online, but the minimum and maximum limits can have interesting twists on your play. First, you need to decide what you are looking for in your blackjack play. Do you want to have fun at a rowdy table and chat with the other players, or do you want to be unnoticed, and just sit at a quiet table and give it a whirl?

If you are new to blackjack, you should consider finding the lowest limit game available so you can get your feet wet without drowning. There’s little sense in throwing your money away, and that’s what you’ll feel like you did if you play at $100 per hand and lose your cash. The best advice is to learn how to play blackjack first, but once you know the game pretty well the limit’s still going to be a factor.

For some players, that $100 wager is small, and if you have the bucks, go ahead and play, but you might find a game with limits of $5 to $200 more to your liking. Players on low-limit games are likely to be having fun, having some drinks, and bantering with the dealer. You might find a player trying the Martingale betting system, and you might find serious players, but your play probably won’t impact anyone’s feelings.

However, if you join a $25 to $1,000 game and bet the minimum and make questionable plays like splitting a pair of tens, or hitting a hard 17 against a 6, the other players, are going to notice. And, the guy playing the maximum is going to start fuming if he loses because you take the dealer’s bust-card.

How much should you bet in blackjack? If a $10 bettor uses a 1-2-3-5 betting progression, his average bet will $20. Over an hour he will average $20 times 80 hands or $1600 worth of bets. The casino’s expected win is 0.5% of $1600 or $8. In other words, a $10 progressive bettor stands to lose twice as much per hour as a $10 flat bettor. $10,000 Bankroll – You could stay there and keep risk low at $16/hr. But if you’re still comfortable with 10% Risk of Ruin, you can get your EV into the $33/hr range with a 1-12 bet spread. That means you’re expected to double your bankroll again in about 300 hours of play. That also means you’ll be fine at a low-limit table to start, because your top bet is likely to be just $50. Overall, you’ll enjoy your blackjack most when you are comfortable, and while it should go without saying, it’s up to you to decide where to sit. Blackjack is famous for the low house edge, which can go below 0.50% when the game is played according to the optimal strategy. If you place a side bet, you can put your balance at danger since the house edge is much higher. For instance, the 21+3 side comes with a 3.2386% house margin.

Can that really happen? Sure. Of course in the long run it all evens out for the other players no matter how you play, but don’t try to convince the guy who just lost a thousand bucks!

How Much Should You Bet In Blackjack

Low Limit Games

The low-limit games are going to be more fun, so if that’s what you want, join the crowd you are comfortable with. At lower limits there is less pressure, so you are less likely to make mistakes in Basic Strategy, and you are also less likely to stand-out in the crowd. That means if you are learning to play, or learning a card-counting system, it’s a good place to be.

The speed of the play is also likely to be slower at a low-limit game, because the players get distracted, and also because the dealer may be new at their job too, as many casinos separate their games by limits and their dealers’ ability.

Once you feel comfortable at a specific limit, if your bankroll considerations are fine with higher games, move on. If you are playing a count, such as a simple Plus Minus, you’ll definitely want to get proficient at low limits before you move up. However, you will need to move up eventually, because a good player, with large bet variations who doesn’t drink and doesn’t talk much (like most card counters) is going to stand out. Now what do you do?

Card counters expect to make about 1% of their overall wagers per hour, so if you play $10 to $100 and average $35, you’ll make between $25 and $50 per hour in profit. And, you’ll attract attention. When you can play at the $25 tables, you actions won’t be as noticeable, and you’ll be the small fish in the big pond most of the time. That’s good.

High Limit Games

You can’t expect every high-limit game to have high-class people. Blackjack players come in all varieties and a large bet or bankroll can come from a player who looks like they can’t afford bus fare, but on average, the high-limit games are quieter and move more quickly. Players are likely to be more experienced (although not necessarily any better) at blackjack, and they know what they want. Usually, that equates to more hands and a little more privacy.

If you feel comfortable in that crowd, jump right in. A high-limit blackjack game is a bit like a roulette table with a competent dealer, more Pit Bosses watching, and a smooth flow of cards and payoffs that is somehow soothing.

The higher limit won’t make much difference when playing online. If you are playing online video blackjack, the only change in limit is going to be your own bet-size comfort level. If you decide to play online with a Live Dealer, the upper-limit is likely to be $500, which is a moderate limit at a land-based casino.

How should you bet in blackjack

Bankroll Considerations

Obviously the size of your bankroll is always going to have an impact on the game you choose. If you are playing on a short bankroll, the odds are much greater that you’ll burn through your cash. As a general rule you’ll want to have at least 20-units as a buy-in. If you have $100 to work with for the evening, it may be a very quick evening if you sit at the $25-minimum table!

How Much Should You Bet In Blackjack Poker

If you are giving card counting a try, you’ll also want to keep a close eye on your expected edge and your element of ruin. One way of protecting your bankroll is to try and keep your element of ruin (the chance that you lose your entire bankroll) at less than 5%. To do that you’ll have to have 400-times your base or flat wager. If you plan to bet $5 on your first bet and raise it as the count increases, you need $2,000 total in your bankroll. That also means you’ll be fine at a low-limit table to start, because your top bet is likely to be just $50.

Overall, you’ll enjoy your blackjack most when you are comfortable, and while it should go without saying, it’s up to you to decide where to sit. If you are uncomfortable, try another table, or call it a night, the casino will still be in business the next day!

One of the most often asked questions from players about blackjack strategy, is 'how should I bet?' You've got severaloptions and I'll discuss them in this article and offer my recommendation.

Flat Bet Blackjack Strategy

This means betting the same amount all the time. Most players don't like to bet this way because they figure if the dealer wins more hands then them they'll never win any money. Also, playersfeel it's boring betting this way. They prefer the thrill of sometimes betting more in the hopes that when they do so, they will win the hand and make a nice profit.

Here are the facts on the flat betting blackjack strategy. If you bet say $5 on every hand in a standard multiple deck game the house will have an edge of 0.5% against theskilled basic strategy player. That means you will lose on average 0.5% of every wager you make. So if you bet $10 on every hand and average 80 hands per hour you will have made a total of $800worth of bets. The casino expects to earn 0.5% of the $800 or $4.00. Of course, the more likely result is that you'll win or lose much more than $4 after an hour of play. But on average you canexpect over time to lose at the rate of $4 per hour.

Let's take an example of a player flat betting $10 on every hand. It's is a conservative betting strategy that leads to a relatively low theoretical loss rate. The fluctuation in this player'sbankroll will also be low which means the likelihood he'll have a big winning or losing session is not great.

Watch 'Why You Should Never Make the Blackjack Insurance Bet with Blackjack Expert Henry Tamburin' (March 2016)

In this video blackjack expert Henry Tamburin explains why a basic strategy player should never make an insurance bet. He gives details on three different situations that a player may encounterand why he considers blackjack insurance to always be a sucker bet.

Blackjack top 3 side bet

Progressive Betting Blackjack Strategy

This is where things get interesting. The Progressive betting blackjack strategy is when players vary their bets in some way from one hand to the next rather than alwaysbetting the same amount on every hand. There are all different types of betting progressions but they all have one common denominator. You either decrease or increase your next bet dependingupon whether the hand you just played won or lose.

Win progressions encourage you to increase your bet size after a winning hand. For example, you make a minimum bet of $10 and if you win, you raise your next stakes on the hand to $20.

There are all different kinds of win progressions. The most common is a 1-2-3-5 progression. This means you increase your bet by the above multiples after each winning hand butas soon as you experience a loss, you start the progression over with a 1 unit bet.

Proponents of win progressions will tell you that you'll win more money if you win 5 consecutive hands compared to the amount you lose if you lose 5 consecutive hands. Of course, what theydon't tell you is that you never know when that 5 consecutive winning hand streak will occur.

There are also betting progressions in which you increase your bet following a loss. These Martingale type betting progressions are dangerous and you should never consider using them.

Blackjack Top 3 Side Bet

There are also hybrid betting progressions, which have you increase your bets following a win, but after two or three success wins you lock up some profit and gradually regress your bets. Thecreativity of progressive bettors is never-ending.

Can

First of all, the blackjack strategy for betting progressions does not change the 0.5% house edge one iota. There has never been a correlation between the hand just won (orlost) and your chance of winning the next hand. In other words, using the criteria of the result of one hand (W/L) to base how you bet on the next hand has no scientific validity. So bettingprogressions, in the long run, don't work in the sense that they won't improve your long-term chances of winning.

But here's what betting progressions will do. First off they increase the fluctuation in your session bankroll compared to flat betting. This means you can win more using abetting progression compared to flat betting but you can also lose more. Secondly, betting progressions will increase the amount of money you wager per hour compared to flat betting. If a $10bettor uses a 1-2-3-5 betting progression, his average bet will $20. Over an hour he will average $20 times 80 hands or $1600 worth of bets. The casino's expected win is 0.5% of $1600 or $8. Inother words, a $10 progressive bettor stands to lose twice as much per hour as a $10 flat bettor.

Here's a tip to save you some money in the long run if you insist on using a betting progression. Instead of starting your progression at $10, start at a lower amount (ie. $5). This will reduceyour average bet to $10 per hour and cut your hourly theoretical loss rate in half.

But in the long run flat betting and betting progressions don't work in the sense they won't change the house edge against you and you will lose in the long run. So what betting system works?That, my friends, is card counting.

Betting When You Have The Edge (Card Counting)

With card counting, you know when you have the edge based on the change in the composition of the decks and therefore you'll know when it's the right time to bet more. Sounlike betting progressions that are based on whether you win or lose the previous hands, card counting is based on the mix of cards that were played on previous hands. If more small valuecards were played in previous rounds, there are more big value cards left in the unplayed cards, and the edge shifts from dealer to the player. This would be the best time to bet more.

But I'm a realist. Not a whole lot of average blackjack players have the time or mental concentration during play that is required to master one of the popular point count cardcounting systems. These are readily available in blackjack books. But even though millions of blackjack books have been sold since Ed Thorp's classic book, Beat The Dealer (circa 1962) firstrevealed card counting to the masses, the number of players who can successfully win money in the long run at blackjack number in the hundreds and thousands.

Blackjack With Side Bet Games

So what's the answer to betting at blackjack for the average player? I asked Don Pronovost that same question about four years ago. Don is a software developer that markets blackjack trainingsoftware. He spent the better part of two years and a trillion computer simulated hands looking for the solution to this dilemma. What he developed is Speed Count.

Speed Count is unlike any conventional card counting system. It's much simpler to master and requires much less concentration when you play. And unlike progressive betting systems, Speed Countwill give you a verifiable advantage over the casino You can read about Speed Count in Frank Scoblete’s book, Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution.

How Do You Gamble In Blackjack

Now that you know the scoop on betting at blackjack, I wish you many aces and faces the next time you play.

Henry Tamburin has been a respected casino gambling writer for the past 50 years. He is the author of theUltimate Blackjack Strategy Guide and was editor of theBlackjack Insider newsletter. You can read his latest articles on blackjack, video poker, and his personal playing experiences at https://www.888casino.com/blog/writers/henry-tamburin

Try an online casino for FREE. We have over 15 No Deposit Bonus Codes. No credit card needed, just sign up andstart playing!