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The Best Betting Systems To Play Blackjack

The one game that is almost always omnipresent in a casino —  whether it’s the online or brick-and-mortar variety — is blackjack. Along with poker and baccarat, blackjack is a classic card game that is often heralded as one of the best games to pick up as a beginner due to its easy-to-follow rules, as well as the game having the best odds among other casino games.
 
Blackjack’s immense popularity is also one of the reasons why many casinos have plenty of blackjack tables available — all of which can be seen almost filled with patrons most of the time.
 
However, while the gameplay of blackjack may be straightforward, winning is another thing altogether. Far from it, blackjack, like any other card game in the casino requires luck, strategy, and immense skill (along with some helpful casino tips, of course) in order to succeed.
 
Obviously, you’ll first need a basic grasp of the rules of blackjack. The next step is to then develop a strategy or betting system that works for you. And learning how to count cards (though often frowned upon by most reliable casinos) doesn’t hurt either.
 
If you intend to excel in this game of cards, here are a few betting systems that you may adopt to improve your chances of winning.

The Martingale Blackjack Betting System

Let’s begin with one of the most widely used betting systems (not just in blackjack but in a cacophony of other games as well!) around — The Martingale strategy.
 
The initial idea of this 18th-century-France-originated  strategy is that a theoretical player with an infinite budget could avoid a loss in even money bets by basically doubling their bets after each loss. This, of course, assumes that the casino does not limit the bet amount. As we said, the Martingale is perfectly suited for games that offer even-money bets. Unfortunately, blackjack isn’t one of them.
 
That being said, you’ll still typically see beginner players use the Martingale system in casinos, doubling their wager over and over again in hopes of recouping their losses in one fell swoop. And while the theory stands, you could get into a scenario where your bets could rise to unmanageable levels if you aren’t careful.
 
Here’s a potential scenario that could unfold if you use the Martingale system to play blackjack:
 
Let’s say you start with a bet of MYR 5. If you happen to go on a bad streak of eight losses in a row, you’d have to wager a whopping MYR 1,280 in order to recoup the losses. So, unless you have a bottomless wallet or the casino does not have a maximum bet limit, it’s probably the smarter choice to take the MYR 5 loss at the start.
 
For this reason, the Martingale blackjack betting system is more suited for blackjack players who are playing for shorter periods.

1-3-2-6 Blackjack Betting System

Do not be intimidated by the numbers in this betting system’s name, the 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system is actually fairly straightforward. Essentially, you are placing bet units in accordance to the betting system’s sequence of numbers i.e. one unit, three units, two units, and then six units. 
 
The sequence only moves to the next number if you win a bet and it restarts after you lose.
 
Here are a couple of scenarios with a single bet unit of MYR 10.
 
  • Losing all four bets in a row means your bets would be capped at only one unit (MYR 10). And without a single win to start the sequence, the bet size remains the same throughout.
  • On the contrary, if you win four bets in a row then you stand to earn payouts of MYR 10, MYR 30, MYR 20, and MYR 60. The sequence begins when you win your first bet, and will continue as long as your bets do not lose. And after the fourth bet wins, the sequence will restart with a starting bet of MYR 10.
  • In the case where you win the first two bets but lose the following third bet, the sequence of bets would amount to MYR 10, MYR 30, MYR 20, and MYR 10. Here, the sequence triggers once your first bet wins and continues to progress until the third bet, where the result of the bet is a loss. The sequence would then reset and the following bet will begin at MYR 10 once more.
Unlike the Martingale, the advantage of the 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system is that it reduces the risk of completely blowing out your stack on going all-in on everything you have in a single round. This means that while it’s a fairly tedious process to keep track of your bets, it’s also one of the safer betting systems to use currently.

Oscar’s Blackjack Betting System

This betting system was developed in the 60s by renowned mathematician Allan N. Wilson. The main idea of Oscar’s blackjack betting system is to win exactly a single unit after a series of bets. After a win, the series is reset and a new series of bets may begin.
 
Using one unit as our example once more, you can follow the general flow of the betting system below:
 
  • If you win a bet, set your next bet to one unit higher.
  • If you lose a bet, repeat with your current bet unit. 
  • Once you gain exactly one unit of profit in the sequence, stop immediately and restart the sequence. You’ll begin the new series of bets with the same one-unit bet.
Here’s an example of a series of bets using Oscar’s blackjack betting system:
 
Bet Unit
Result
Profit
Comment
1
Loss
-1
Same bet unit
1
Loss
-2
Same bet unit
1
Loss
-3
Same bet unit
1
Loss
-4
Same bet unit
1
Loss
-5
Same bet unit
1
Win
-4
Increase bet unit by one
2
Loss
-6
Same bet unit
2
Win
-4
Increase bet unit by one
3
Win
-1
Only two units needed to achieve profit
2
Win
1
Series ends
As long as there aren’t any losses in the sequence, you can continue to add or decrease your bet units as long as your win streak allows until you reach the goal of gaining a one-unit profit.
 
The idea of this betting system is to ride the streak of lucky wins until it stops. Oscar’s blackjack betting system is perfect for players who are patient enough to wait for the opportunity to capitalise on a lucky streak.

2-1-2 (Manhattan) Blackjack Betting System

Before we get into our next recommended blackjack betting system, you should note that there is no mathematical proof for hot or cold streaks in the casino. Both mathematicians and statisticians will be quick to debunk and discredit any attempts at proving this phenomenon. 
 
Simply put, each roll of the dice or each draw of the card at the table is independent of one another. However, most blackjack players tend to err on the other side of this argument. Thus, the Manhattan blackjack betting system was born.
 
Also known as the 2-1-2 strategy, this betting system aims to ride on your hot streaks at the table. For this particular betting system, we begin by using two units to bet.
 
  1. If you win, reduce the bet to one unit for the next round.
  2. If you win again, increase the following bet to three units. Winning again will increase the stack once more to four and so on and so forth.
  3. If at any point in the sequence you lose a bet, you’ll go back to your original two-unit bet and start over again.
As you can see, apart from reducing your bet unit after the first win, this betting system calls for the player to increase their bets by one unit after each win until they quit or lose.
 
With this strategy, a blackjack player will be able to capitalise on their win streak while also avoiding burning their entire stack on an eventual bad hand. Also, the profits are protected first by dropping the betting unit by one after the first win and then increasing it. In the event that the dealer wins, the stakes will ultimately revert to their original amount.
Interested in trying out any of these betting systems in blackjack? Sign up for an account at Play88 and you’ll be eligible to earn a special Welcome Bonus to kickstart your blackjack career today!