Online Blackjack Strategy

There are 4 elements to our basic blackjack strategy for getting the most out of your play.

  Blackjack Strategy Rule 1 – Get the best odds

The main rules of blackjack are the same & are set out on our Blackjack Rules page.  There are however a few variations that can have a small impact on your overall chances.  In this game you need every edge you can get so they are worth paying attention for.  They’re not necessarily as important as the amount of free cash you get, but they should not be overlooked.

Our casino ratings page shows each casino, the free cash offer, the rule differences & highlights the various other differences you’ll need to be aware of.

We’ve joined all of these casinos & played at each so that we could give you as good information as possible (read about how we did & what we learnt)

  Blackjack Strategy Rule 3 - Use your head

This is the most important & least obvious part of the strategy. 

We call most of these the “Never” rules as there will be great temptation to break them but you are ultimately guaranteed to LOSE money if you break them.  These rules apply to a single gambling session. 

Money Management

Allocate yourself a bank of cash to play with and NEVER go above it

Only bet amounts that you can really afford to lose.  If there is an added stress because you need to win then you are more likely to break the rules.

NEVER stake more than 2% of your initial bank (you’ll get taken out by the +/- swings too early). Don’t get greedy.

Always bet the same initial stake, NEVER increase on a “feel lucky” type of instinct, or because your pot has grown.. If you have a successful session then you can set different rules (e.g. higher bank fund & stakes) for subsequent sessions. 

Set yourself a monetary target to leave with (of no more than 50% profit) and NEVER play on if you reach it.  Leaving with a profit is the hardest thing to do, leaving with nothing is the easiest thing to do.

Gameplay

Set a time when you will stop playing based on your concentration levels (less than 2 hours is recommended) & NEVER go beyond it no matter how good or bad you think your run is or how close you are to recovering your losses etc.

NEVER do anything other than what it says of the card. Following the card doesn’t mean you’ll win every time but gives you the best long-term average change.  Don’t abandon it if you have a bad run – it’s your best chance of getting things back.

NEVER think that if you break one of these rules & it pays off for you that this makes it a good strategy.

If it stops being fun or your concentration levels wander then leave immediately before you break some of the rules.

Don’t play too fast.  You can find yourself getting into a rhythm of clicking away at a rapid rate which can lead you to clicking on the wrong button.  In an online casino it’s very easy to do this.  The odds are tough enough without you clicking “hit” by mistake when you have 20 & blowing a good position.

Myths

For an online casino don’t believe in hot tables, hot dealers, lucky streaks, losing streaks – they have no bearing on future events.  In an online casino, every hand is independent of the previous ones & governed by statistical probabilities. Of course in the course of events statistically you will be able to look back & say that things went well or badly for a prolonged period.  However you never know when this will end.  The next hand is just as likely to be good (or bad) for you as any other.

In the offline world where there can be clusters of tens & non tens in the decks being played it is possible for the chances of success to change & if you are a card counter you can take advantage of this.  There is no such opportunity in online casinos so forget about it.

If you can follow these rules then it may seem like its not going to be much fun.  Don’t panic, winning is fun & knowing you have a good strategy is fun.  Being maverick & winning is most fun at all but its not possible to do this consistently.

  Blackjack Strategy Rule 4

Don’t expect to win.  Even playing with the good strategy you should expect to lose something like $2 for every $100 you place on the table.  

However while the long term trend is slightly down the short-term trend can be significantly up (or down).  

The big thing you have in your favour is that you get some free cash to start you off which gives you a fair chance of coming out on top.

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  Blackjack Strategy Rule 2 – Know the basic strategy

  Some observations & rules

In practice you don’t really need to understand the strategy to follow it but it does help you to remember it & makes the game more fun if you have a basic understanding of it.

Here are some basic observations that are the foundations of much of the strategy. 

1. The dealer will only score 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or bust

This means:

If you stick on 12 its no different from sticking on 16 – you’re still only going to win if the dealer busts. Identifying when the dealer is more likely to bust is a very important part of the strategy

2. The most likely next card is always a “10”

This means:

The dealer has a higher chance of busting if it has a 4,5,6 – so you want to avoid busting yourself  and

the dealer has good chance of winning if it has a 10 – so you probably need to take a card until you score at least 17.

3. When you double or split you are putting more money on the table. 

This means:

You only want to do this when things are in your favour.  If the dealer has a 4,5,6 & hence has a high chance of a bust (roughly 30%) then you will be more likely to want to make the play.  If the dealer has a 10 then in most cases you can’t really expect to win so you normally don’t want to bet any more money.

Take a look at the blackjack strategy card & print off a copy for future reference

Blackjack Strategy Rule 4

Don’t expect to win.  Even playing with the good strategy you should expect to lose something like $2 for every $100 you place on the table.  

However while the long term trend is slightly down the short-term trend can be significantly up (or down).  

The big thing you have in your favour is that you get some free cash to start you off which gives you a fair chance of coming out on top.