Blackjack Betting Amount Strategy

Blackjack betting strategy 1-3-2-6 is a very easy betting strategy. The fact that it has some numbers as part of its name doesn’t mean that you have to be a mathematician. Notwithstanding the simplicity of the strategy, not every player knows how it works.

  1. Blackjack Betting Amount Strategy Tactics
  2. Blackjack Betting Amount Strategy Definition
  3. Blackjack Betting Amount Strategy Games

Most people have a general idea of what a bankroll is, but for a post like this, we need to get a lot more specific.

Your bankroll is the amount of money you’ve set aside to gamble with.

You might have specific bankrolls for various games based on various goals. If you play games where you’re satisfied with a negative expectation, the size of your bankroll compared to the averagesize of your bets is what determines how long you’re able to play a specific game.

If you’re a professional gambler, though, you’re probably more interested in avoiding going broke in the short run. Gambling is based on random chance, and even if you have a long-term advantage,you can still go broke in the short run because of variance.

Here’s a simple example of how that might work.

  • A basic strategy player expects to lose an average of 0.5% of that, which is $25 per hour. The guy who ignores basic strategy, though, expects to lose an average of $125 per hour. If you have a blackjack bankroll of $250, you can probably play for ten hours or so if you use basic strategy.
  • Players must play perfect basic strategy and count cards to take advantage of the times they hold the edge by wagering more. To do this, the Plus Minus count is used to keep a running total of the 'count'. As a player sees cards in action, they assign the following numbers and keep a running count in their head.
  • In fact, betting strategy is critical for anyone who wants to be a profitable blackjack player. For instance, card counting relies heavily on betting strategy, as the player must bet more when he has the advantage, and less (or not at all) when things swing in the dealer’s favor. But betting strategy can be much more complex than that.

Suppose you’re playing a simple gambling game with a buddy where you have a 52% probability of winning, and she has a 48% probability of winning. She’s willing to bet you straight-up, too — ifyou win, you get $100 from her, and if she wins, she gets $100 from you.

Suppose you only have a bankroll for this game of $100.

Can you see how you’d have a good probability of going broke even though you have a distinct mathematical edge?

People lose bets all the time where they have a 52% probability of winning. They even lose several of these bets in a row sometimes.

In the long run, your results should resemble the mathematical, theoretical prediction, but in the short term, anything can happen.

The goal of having a large bankroll relative to your bet size is to avoid going broke while you’re waiting for your long-term edge to kick in.

But that only applies to gamblers who have an edge.

If you’re playing a negative expectation game, you’ll eventually lose all your money. The trick is getting the most entertainment for your money while you’re doing so.

  • There are many betting strategies that players use when playing Blackjack
  • Martingale, 1-3-2-6, and Oscars Blackjack betting strategies are the most popular ones
  • In this article, we look at the most famous one to see if they work or not

Want to play blackjack like a pro? First, you need to know the rules, understand Blackjack odds, and use basic strategy.

Then, knowing how to sound cards own't hurt either.

And that's not always enough.

You wouldn’t want to run out of money before you get even close to a lucky streak, would you?

So, like with any other Casino game, you also need to know how to manage your bankroll.

And that’s where Blackjack betting systems come into play.

Blackjack Betting Amount Strategy
Blackjack betting systems are used to avoid heated betting decisions at the table by following a system that dictates how to bet each time.

Types of Blackjack Betting Strategies

Most Blackjack betting strategies are progressive betting systems.

Progressive systems involve increasing or decreasing the amount of your bet, depending on the outcome of the previous hand.

They fall into two categories:

Amount
  • Positive progression – betting more after you win a bet. Aimed to maximize profits during winning streaks and limit losses when things run cold.
  • Negative progression – increasing the amount you bet after a loss of a bet. Aimed at recouping losses and winning small amounts of profit very often.

You’ve probably heard about Martingale Blackjack betting system. It’s one of the most famous betting systems used not only in Blackjack but also Roulette and Craps.

And is a perfect example of a negative progression betting system.

You can check the detailed analysis of the Martingale system on this page.

Contrary to popular belief, Martingale is not the only betting strategy you can use for Blackjack.

What other Blackjack betting strategies are there? Let’s take a look.

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1-3-2-6 Blackjack Betting Strategy

Although the name of this system makes it seem complicated, it is actually very simple:

Bets are placed in line with the sequence of 1,3,2 & 6 after a winning bet.

You only trigger the sequence after you win a bet. It ends when you lose a bet.

How does it work?

Below are some examples considering a unit bet of $10

  • If you lose 4 bets in a row, all your bets would have been $10. Without a winning bet to trigger the sequence, the bet size stays the same.
  • If you win 4 bets in a row your bet sizes would be $10, $30, $20 & $60. The sequence is triggered by winning a bet and continues because there is no losing bet. The sequence ends after you win 4 bets in a row. If you win 5 bets in a row your 5th bet would go back down to $10.
  • If you win the first 2 bets but lose the 3rd bet, your bet sizes are $10, $30, $20 & $10. The betting system is triggered because you have a winning bet and continues until you have a losing bet. Since the 3rd bet was lost, you would drop back down to the $10 bet and start again.

Mixing up your bet sizes in this way reduces the risk of blowing out and betting everything you have on one hand.

It provides some structure to your play so that you can enjoy the game as much as possible.

The four-step progression adds some excitement to the game. And it reduces the monogamy of betting the same amount every time.

Keep in mind, though:
This Blackjack betting system will not give you an edge over the house. The house edge remains the same regardless of what amount you are betting. No betting strategy can affect it.

Oscars Blackjack Betting Strategy

Oscars Grind betting system is a progressive betting strategy that revolves around the concept of neutralizing losing streaks and always winning one unit of profit per progression.

The system was originally developed around 1965. Back then it aimed to manage small and consistent profits at the game of Craps.

No matter what game you play, the goal of the Oscars betting strategy is to make one unit of profit for each sequence.

Once you win 1 unit, then the whole progression resets and you start again. So, if you win the first bet, the next bet remains the same as the general aim has been achieved.

If you lose your first bet, then the next bet is also 1 unit.

The difference now is that you are down 1 unit. So, the progression system should begin so you can recoup that loss and generate the 1 unit of profit.

If your second bet wins, the next bet is doubled. Each successive winning hand continues to double in stakes until the aim of winning 1 unit is reached.

Once that occurs the progression is reset again, and we begin from scratch.

You need to think of bets in terms of units and not an amount. Select the unit size you want to use and then you can follow the below rules:

  • When you lose a bet, your next bet will be down to 1 unit.
  • When you win a bet, your next bet needs to be 1 unit higher
  • STOP the moment you have a profit of 1 unit on the sequence. The next bet will be 1 unit and you start the process again.

Below are some examples:

Tactics
Bet SizeResultRunning Profit
1 UnitLoss-1
1 UnitLoss-2
1 UnitLoss-3
1 UnitLoss-4
1 UnitWin-3
2 UnitsWin-1
2 UnitsWin1
STOP

How to read the table:

You see, while you’re losing, you keep the bet at the minimum unit size while accumulating losses.

Once you win a bet - the progression begins.

That’s when you embark on a mission to recoup the losses and have a profit of 1 unit.

If you’re still with me, you may wonder -

Why on the last bet the wager is 2 units and not 3?

That’s because your aim is to profit for exactly 1 unit, remember?

At this stage of the sequence, you were losing 1 unit, thus a bet size of 2 units would result in 1 unit of profit.

So, even though you won the previous bet, you don’t need to increase your bet size. You’ve already achieved your goal.

Bet SizeResultRunning Profit
1 UnitWin1
2 UnitsWin3
3 UnitsWin6
4 UnitsWin10
5 UnitsWin15
6 UnitsWin21
7 UnitsLoss14
STOP

This example shows what can happen when you hit a hot streak.

As long as there are no recorded losses in the sequence, you can continue to add a unit to your bet size as you keep winning.

Blackjack Betting Amount Strategy

The idea is to ride the wave until it stops.

It gives you the greatest opportunity to capitalize on a good run. While still locking in some of your profits along the way.

This Blackjack betting system requires a lot of patience.

Image playing Blackjack at brick-and-mortar Casinos. Action can sometimes be already slow at full tables. So, using strategy wouldn't really bring you any significant wins any time soon.

But the point of the Oscars betting system is not to make you rich every time you visit Las Vegas Casinos.

It does help to maximize profits when a good run of hands presents itself.

Stringing together 6 or 7 straight winning hands at the Blackjack table will result in a significant win.

That also makes this betting system popular with Blackjack players who count cards.

When they see that they have a significant advantage in certain situations, betting higher has a positive expected value.

Summary

Blackjack Betting Amount Strategy Tactics

If you want to improve your chances to win at Blackjack, you need to know the rules and the basic strategy. If you can handle counting cards - even better.

Blackjack systems and betting strategies won’t improve your odds at winning real money. But they can help you to manage your bankroll better.

Blackjack Betting Amount Strategy Definition

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Blackjack Betting Amount Strategy Games

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