Actually, if you are a Basic Strategy player, in the long run the very long run it doesn’t matter what betting system you use. You will always lose the equivalent of the house edge (about .5% if you play perfect Basic Strategy). There are dozens of computer simulations that prove this. Whether you bet the same amount each hand (flat bets) or use a progressive system, in the long run your results will be the same.
So why do we recommend using some sort of a progressive betting system? Why not just keep things simple and bet a flat amount on each hand, so you don’t have to worry about keeping track of one more thing? Two reasons:
- Betting the same amount every hand, every time is .well, boring. Blackjack should be challenging and fun.
- If you bet the same amount each hand, you will never be able to capitalize on winning streaks. And in the short run, winning streaks can and do happen, just as losing streaks do.
All Blackjack experts say that the outcome of your last hand has nothing to do with the next – and they are right. However, the experts will also have to agree that streaks do occur often in the short run. If you don’t use at least a mild progression, you will never walk away from a winning session with anything but a very modest amount.
In fact, streaks happen often, and progressive betting capitalizes on that. At the same time, it can kill you on choppy stretches where wins and losses alternate, if your progression is too aggressive. Progressive betting can magnify both your wins and your losses. When players opt for winning at the games, then the gathering of the information from reliable site is necessary. The management of the funds is done with the information available at https://mahir123.com site. The behavior of the player at the site is the pleasant one instead of aggression. It is necessary for the players to understand the concept and gain the advantages.
But this is, after all, gambling. With progressive betting, you’re assuming more risk on a losing streak for the chance to win more on a winning streak. It’s simply up to you as to how much risk you want to take on. If you want the least amount of risk, then always make flat bets. Personally, we find the additional fun and chance to win more with progressive betting to be worth the downside risk.
It doesn’t always work, but card counting doesn’t always work either. Sometimes the dealer wins when the shoe is rich in high cards, and sometimes the player wins when it’s lean. Even so, over the long haul the only true way to get the upper hand is to count cards. But that takes hundreds of hours of practice and a huge bankroll. This simply isn’t practical for the 98% of Blackjack players that play recreationally and for fun.
For more information about good betting strategies and other advice for the non-card counter, check out one of our recommended Blackjack books – Powerful Profits From Blackjack by Victor H. Royer. It’s especially accurate at describing Blackjack playing conditions today and is an excellent addition to your Blackjack library.
If you want a Blackjack software that will help you sharpen both your playing and your betting skills, try the award winning Blackjack Mentor by DeepNet Technologies. It’s not a game, but a powerful blackjack training tool for the Basic Strategy player.
Each number represents a betting unit whatever you want it to be. For example, if you’re playing at a $5 minimum bet table, your bets would be: $5-$5-$5-$15-$25-$25-$50. Whenever you lose, go back to the beginning of the progression.
This is a fairly slow progression, as you don’t start increasing your bets until after you’ve won three consecutive bets. But then, even if you lose the fourth bet, you still break even and start over again. And after four wins, you’ll always come out ahead, no matter when you lose. Of course, the longer your winning streak, the more ahead you’ll end up.
If you willing to assume a bit more risk for the change to make more on a winning streak, here’s a slight modification to the above sequence:
With this progression, you start increasing you bets after two wins and after three wins you’ll always come out ahead. But be aware that a choppy shoe can hurt you more with this progression. If you win two and lose the third, you end up one unit behind. So, you could get on a streak of winning two, losing one; winning two, losing one; etc. You could thus win two thirds of the hands and still end up a loser! However, if you get on a winning streak several times of three wins or more, you will have a much bigger win.
As we said, it just depends on how much short term risk you’re willing to assume.
If you DO get a hot streak and aren’t using some sort of winning progression system, then you will win much less. There is a documented case of a player winning 23 Blackjack hands in a row, who won several thousand dollars because he kept increasing his bet. With flat betting, he would have won only $22.
The trade-off is that a progression system will magnify both your wins AND your losses. You have to decide if it’s worth it. Also, while critics of progression system say they don’t work because past events have not affect on future events, it is true that in a game like blackjack there can be legitimate reasons for “streaks” of bad or good cards. For example a clump of face cards may form and not be entirely eliminated by the shuffle. Thus, when this clump is reached in the deal, the high cards help the players and may create a “run” of good hands for the players. When this happens, a positive progression betting system will help you capitalize on it.
Progressive systems are fun and can make it more likely that you’ll win in the short term. Just remember that over the very long term you’ll come out the same.
But the main goal for the recreational player should be to have fun, without losing your shirt. Progressive betting can let you experience the thrill of beating the casino in any given session, so long as you practice discipline and good money management.
If you want to practice your betting strategy in an online casino, one that we recommend is Sands of the Caribbean. It made our list of best online casinos and you can feel safe and comfortable playing Blackjack there.
