Double Deck Blackjack Counting Strategy
- Double Deck Blackjack Counting Strategy For Beginners
- Double Deck Blackjack Counting Strategy Strategies
- Double Deck Blackjack Counting Strategy Rules
- Double Deck Blackjack Counting Strategy Games
If you haven’t tried Double Deck Blackjack at the Casinos of Winnipeg, here are 5 things you need to know! Blackjack Strategy. THE EASIEST WAY TO LEARN HOW TO COUNT CARDS FOR BEGINNER.
5 Double Deck Memo. The Effect of Card Removal is far more dramatic in Double Deck Blackjack games versus Six Deck Games. Study the chart below. You’ll notice every card value is approximately three times stronger in Double Deck than with Six Decks. What that means is, if you begin at zero and count down the entire deck using the Knockout Card Counting Strategy, you are not going to finish on zero. In the Hi-Lo method, the seven is neutral, however, it is a plus one in the Knock Out blackjack counting method, and therefore adds four more points to the deck.
The Easy Red 7 Count: The First Unbalanced Point Count System
By Arnold Snyder© 1983, 2005 Arnold Snyder
Blackjack Basic Strategy
Before you learn about counting cards, learn blackjack basic strategy. Even professional blackjack players use basic strategy to play most of their hands.
The Red Seven Count: Easy and Powerful
If you already know blackjack basic strategy, it’s time to learn an easy and powerful card counting system.
The easy Red Seven Count gets 80% of the potential gain available from the Hi-Lo Count and other counts that are significantly more difficult to learn and use. It is the strongest professional-level card counting system ever devised for its level of simplicity and ease of use.
The Red Seven Count
Blackjack players count cards to keep track of the proportions of high cards (Tens and Aces, the cards that are good for the player) and low cards (the cards that are good for the house) remaining in the decks to be dealt.
We don’t need to maintain separate counts of the Tens, fives, Aces, deuces, or any individual cards. We just need to know if the remaining deck has more high cards than normal or more low cards than normal.
In the Red 7 count, the high cards (Aces and Tens) are assigned the value -1, because each time one is dealt the remaining decks are a little poorer in the cards that are good for us.
Low cards (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) are assigned the value +1, because each time one of these is dealt the remaining decks are a little better for us.
As for 8s and 9s, they are neutral cards, assigned a value of 0. This means that when we see them we ignore them, and don’t count them at all.
We count red 7s as +1, treating them like another low card. But we count black 7s as 0—that is, we ignore them as a neutral card. This is the device that creates the exact imbalance necessary for this count to work as an easy running count system, with no math at the tables. (Technically, it does not make any difference whether the red sevens or the black sevens are counted, so long as this precise imbalance is attained.)
Start learning to count cards by memorizing these values for each card denomination. Then practice keeping a running count by adding and subtracting these values from a starting count of 0 as you deal cards onto a table, one at a time from a deck. If the first card you turn over is a Jack, add -1 to your starting count so that your running count is -1. If the next card is a 6, add +1 to your count so that your running count is 0. If the next card is a 4, add +1 again so that your running count is +1.
Example:
Cards seen: 2, 6, A, 8, 9, X, X, 5
Point values: +1, +1, -1, 0, 0, -1, -1, +1
Running Count: +1, +2, +1, +1, +1, 0, -1, 0
By the time you get to the end of a single full deck of cards, your running count should be +2. If you have miscounted, try again. Then shuffle and go through the deck once more. Build up speed and accuracy, but do it at your own pace. Note that the deck ends at a running count of +2 because of those two extra red sevens we count as +1. They give the full deck 22 plus counts, against only 20 minus counts.
How to Practice Counting Cards
Practice, practice, practice.
Then learn to count as card counters actually do at the table—counting cards in groups.
When you are proficient at counting down a deck of cards one card at a time, practice turning the cards over two at a time, and count the cards in pairs. This is how you will do it at the casino tables, because it’s faster and easier for most people to count cards in pairs. This is because the cards in many pairs cancel each other out, so you don’t have to count them at all.
For example, every time you see a ten or an ace (both -1) paired with a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or red 7 (all +1), the pair counts as zero. You will quickly learn to ignore self-canceled pairs, as well as 8s, 9s and black 7s, since all of these are valued at 0.
Double Deck Blackjack Counting Strategy For Beginners
When you are good at counting cards in pairs, practice turning them over 3 and 4 at a time. Counting in larger groups really speeds you up, and is a technique professional players use. If you turn over a Ten, 8 with a 2 and black 7, the change in your running count is 0, because the 8 and black 7 aren’t counted at all and the Ten and 2 cancel each other out.
Always strive first to be accurate in your count. Speed without accuracy is worthless. You will do much better in your gambling career if you get in the habit right now of taking the time to learn to do things right.
After you are good at counting cards in pairs and groups of three or four, run through the cards by fanning them from one hand to the other as you count. This technique builds your skill for actual casino play. Allow your eyes to quickly scan the exposed cards for self-canceling pairs, even when these cards are not adjacent to each other.
You should be able to count down a deck in this fashion in 40 seconds or less before you ever attempt counting cards in a casino. Most pros can easily count down a deck in less than 30 seconds. Most professional teams require players to demonstrate that they can count down a deck in 25 seconds or less, with perfect accuracy every time. The legendary card counter Darryl Purpose used to win card-counting contests with his teammates by counting down a deck in 8 seconds flat.
I've found that if you can count down a deck in 15-20 seconds or less, you'll be fine in even the fastest-dealt real-life blackjack games.
No matter how fast you get at counting at home, you will probably find it difficult the first time you actually try to count cards at a casino blackjack table. You may find you forget your running count when you’re playing your hand or talking to the pit boss. In face-down games, you may miss counting some cards as players throw in their hands and dealers scoop them up quickly. You may forget which cards you have already counted and which cards you have not.
Don’t worry about it—every successful card counter has gone through this initial awkward period. You will get better with practice. Before you try counting cards in a casino while actually playing blackjack yourself, spend some time counting while watching others play. Do not sit down to play until you feel comfortable counting while watching the game.
If you expect to play in multiple-deck games, practice counting down multiple decks of cards at home. But be aware that your final running count should go up as you add decks. In a single deck, your final running count should be +2 because of the two red 7s in the decks. But if you are counting down 6 decks, there will be twelve red 7s in the decks, so your final running count should be +12. Multiply the number of decks you are counting by +2 to get the correct final running count for your practice.
Setting Your Starting Count for Casino Play
To use your running count to make betting and playing decisions at the table, you need to know about the 'pivot.'
What is a pivot? For the Red 7 count, it’s the running count at which you will know your advantage has risen by about 1% over the game’s starting (dis)advantage. The pivot will be an important indicator in making betting and playing decisions.
If you start with a running count of 0, your pivot will change with the number of decks you are counting, just as your final running count changes with the number of decks.
To keep things simple at the tables, and make your pivot and other indicators the same for all numbers of decks, the easiest thing to do is adjust your starting count.
To make your pivot equal 0 for all numbers of decks, simply multiply the exact number of decks to be dealt by -2 to get your starting running count. (With six decks, you should start your running count at -12. With two decks, you start your running count at -4.)
If you always start your running count in this way, your final count (if you count every card in the deck(s)) should always be 0.
Here’s a simple chart that shows what your running count should start at with various numbers of decks. And yes, there are a few casinos in this world that deal 3, 5, and even 7-deck games. They’re not common, but they exist.
| Starting Count | |
|---|---|
| 1 | -2 |
| 2 | -4 |
| 3 | -6 |
| 4 | -8 |
| 5 | -10 |
| 6 | -12 |
| 7 | -14 |
| 8 | -16 |
The Red Seven Blackjack Betting Strategy
Once you are proficient at counting, you can begin to apply the Red Seven betting guidelines at the tables. The idea is to raise your bet when you have an advantage over the house, raise it even more when you have more of an advantage, and keep your bet small when the house has the advantage over you.
Remember, when counting cards in a casino, if you always begin your count at the appropriate starting count for the number of decks in play, your pivot is 0. This means, again, that any time your running count is 0, your advantage will have risen about 1 percent over your starting advantage.
This zero 'pivot' is a good indicator of when to first raise your bet for nearly all the traditional blackjack games available in this country. About 80 percent of the traditional games have a starting advantage between -0.4 percent and -0.6 percent. So, your zero pivot usually indicates an advantage for you of approximately ½ percent.
This is not a huge advantage. It does not guarantee that you will win the hand—far from it. With a ½% advantage, for every $100 you bet, you will end up in the long run with $100.50, or an extra fifty cents per hundred bucks bet. The important thing is that your count tells you when the edge has shifted from the house to you.
How much should you raise your bet when your running count hits the pivot—or beyond? This depends on many factors, including the rules of the game, the number of decks in play, the penetration (shuffle point), the size of your bankroll, what you can actually get away with in that particular casino, etc. (Casino personnel often view a large betting spread as a sign that a player may be a card counter.)
The chart below will provide a guide for the most common games.
Units to Bet
| 1 Deck | 2 Decks | Shoe | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negative | 1 | 1 | 1 (or 0) |
| 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| +2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| +4 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| +6 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| +8 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| +12 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| +16 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
The general idea is to bet enough when you have the advantage to cover the cost of all the smaller bets you placed when the house had the advantage. Card counters call these small bets 'waiting bets.'
Think of the cost of these waiting bets as overhead expenses, or 'seat rental,' and you'll understand why you want to keep these bets small. When the edge shifts to your favor, you want to bet a sufficient amount to cover all these costs, plus make a nice profit.
Card counters call the difference between your waiting bet and your largest bets (placed when you have your strongest advantage) your 'betting spread.' For example, if you bet $5 at the top of the shoe, but raise your bet to $10 when the advantage shifts to your favor, and bet up to $40 when your count is highest, indicating your strongest advantage, this would be a 5-to-40 betting spread. You may also express this betting spread as 1-to-8, with a betting 'unit' of $5.
The guidelines above are not to be taken as strict betting advice. In many one-deck games, for example, a 1-to-4 spread according to the count will get you booted out in short order, especially if your unit size is $25 or more.
In many shoe games, a 1-to-8 spread would barely get you over the breakeven point. This is why the 0-unit bet is suggested in shoe games at negative counts. It is often impossible to play only at positive counts in shoe games, but it is often wise to leave the table at a negative count.
Many professional gamblers get away with a spread of 1 to 20. They size their top bets according to their bankroll, and get their waiting bets down to the absolute minimum, to maximize their earnings. I myself play with a bet spread even bigger than that.
Note that the suggested bets are in units, not dollars. Your unit size is dependent on the size of your playing bankroll. I’m going to provide some very simple bet-sizing guidelines here that should prove sufficient for most players.
If you intend to take your game further, I recommend my book, Blackbelt in Blackjack : Playing 21 as a Martial Art, which provides very detailed betting advice for those whose careers depend on casino blackjack winnings as a sole or major source of income.
Bet-sizing and bankroll considerations for professional players require a study of standard deviation, normal fluctuations, risk, and the relationship of your advantage to these factors. For now, let’s stick with practical advice that will apply to most recreational players.
The 'Trip' Bankroll
It is very important, first of all, for you to define exactly how much money you have available for gambling. Let’s say you go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City a few times per year and you always bring somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,500 to gamble with. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but if you lose it all, no big deal. You’ll be back again in a few months with another fifteen hundred to take another shot at the casinos.
When you go to the casinos, you are always playing with a 'trip bankroll.' This is not your life savings, nor are you depending on this money to make your next mortgage payment. This is expendable income to you, earmarked for entertainment.
As a card counter with a 'trip bankroll,' you can play very aggressively. Divide your total trip bankroll by 150, and use this as your betting unit. With a $1500 bankroll, you divide:
$1500 / 150 = $10 unit
So, with the betting guidelines above, in the single-deck game you will spread your bets from $10 to $40. In the double-deck games, you’ll spread from $10 to $60. And in the shoe games, you’ll spread from $10 to $80. Whatever the actual size of your trip bankroll, use this method to obtain your betting unit.
If you think these betting guidelines are not aggressive enough for you, please follow my advice and use them anyway, at least until you learn more and get some experience with normal winning and losing streaks.
You will soon discover that even when you play blackjack with an edge over the house, the short-term money fluctuations are huge on your way to the long run, and more aggressive betting than this will often get you into trouble. Even with these guidelines, you will sometimes lose your entire trip bankroll before your trip is over!
In shoe games, with that high bet of $80, you are starting with fewer than 20 high bets with your initial $1500 trip bankroll. That doesn’t give you a lot of wiggle room for bad luck.
The 'Total' Bankroll
If the money you intend to go to casinos with represents any significant amount of your total savings, and it is not an easily replenishable amount, then you must size your bets less aggressively. This also means that you must start with a larger bankroll, or play in smaller games, if you want to survive. There are many professional players today who started out with total bankrolls of $5,000 or less, but this is a very tough grind, and often requires a player to (God forbid!) get a job during the toughest times.
Double Deck Blackjack Counting Strategy Strategies
As a general rule, if your card-counting bankroll is not replenishable, obtain your unit size by dividing your total bankroll by 400. Then use the same betting chart above to size your bets. Serious players will need to use much more precise betting strategies, according to their advantage, table conditions, the necessity for camouflage, etc. Again, those with professional aspirations should see Blackbelt in Blackjack for an in-depth treatment of this subject.
The Red Seven Blackjack Playing Strategy
Using the Red Seven Count, you can also increase your advantage over the house by deviating from basic strategy according to your running count. First of all, insurance is the most important strategy decision. In single-deck games, assuming you are using a moderate betting spread, insurance is almost as important for a card counter as all other strategy decisions combined.
Double Deck Blackjack Counting Strategy Rules
Conveniently, you have a very nice insurance indicator with the Red Seven Count. In 1- and 2-deck games, you simply take insurance any time your running count is 0 or higher. In all shoe games, take insurance at +2 or higher.
As for other playing decisions, there are only a few to remember. Any time you are at 0 or higher (any number of decks), stand on 16 vs. 10 and on 12 vs. 3. (According to basic strategy, you would hit both of these.)
In single-deck games, the 16 vs. 10 decision is the second most important strategy decision for a card counter—insurance being first. After you find these strategy changes easy, there are a couple of others you can add that will increase your advantage a bit more. At running counts of +2 or higher, with any number of decks, stand on 12 vs. 2 and on 15 vs. 10; and double down on 10 vs. X.
In multi-deck games, by using this simple running count strategy, you will be taking advantage of about 80% of all possible gains from card counting. Using the simple Red Seven Count, you have no strategy tables to memorize. You simply have basic strategy, which you play on more than 90% of your hands, and a few changes that you will make according to your running count.
In my opinion, most card counters would be wise to ignore more difficult strategies because of the cost of mistakes if you are not perfect in deploying them. Any system that slows you down, or causes mental fatigue or errors, will put more money into the casinos’ coffers than your pockets. Don’t be tempted by a system just because it works better on paper. The simple Red Seven Count works at the casino tables, and it gets the money. That’s the goal.
However, if you find yourself interested in using a more advanced card counting system to take advantage of every possible gain available from counting, I recommend that you look at the Hi-Lo Lite Count or the Zen Count, both included in Blackbelt in Blackjack. There is also an advanced version of the Red Seven Count in that book that is stronger and more versatile than the simple version presented here.
Blackjack Table Conditions
The actual overall advantage that a card counter can get over the house depends primarily on how deeply into the deck the dealer is dealing between shuffles. Card counters call the depth of the deal 'penetration.' The deeper the penetration, the more often you’ll see counts that indicate you have an advantage and the stronger the advantage will be.
Without deep enough penetration, you will find that you simply count down shoe after shoe without seeing any high counts. The worse the penetration, the bigger your betting spread has to be to overcome all those extra waiting bets. If the penetration is 50% or less, you’re wasting your time counting cards in that game.
Card counting is also unlikely to be profitable in any game where blackjacks pay less than the traditional 3:2 payout. That’s because you must overcome a higher starting disadvantage on these games. In a game with a 6:5 payout on blackjacks, for example, you must overcome an additional 1.4% house edge. To overcome this, you must use an enormous betting spread.
For more information on table conditions and your overall edge from counting cards, see Blackbelt in Blackjack.
History of the Red Seven Count
I first published the Red Seven Count in 1983. It was very controversial when published, as many experts believed it impossible to whittle a system down to the bare basics, require no math whatsoever at the tables aside from the counting itself, and still get any significant edge over the house. Since that time, however, many independent computer simulation studies have shown the Red Seven Count to be exactly as I first described it, a professional-level system that is both easy and powerful.
Numerous system developers since have used the same approach I pioneered, but none have matched both the simplicity and power of the Red Seven. Some authors, like Ken Uston and George C., developed slightly more powerful systems using my unbalanced point count theory, but their systems are also quite a bit more difficult to use than the Red Seven. Others, like rocket scientist Olaf Vancura and Ken Fuchs, developed systems very similar to the Red Seven Count, but that perform weaker in most game conditions. ♠
For more information on card counting on other methods professional gamblers use to win at blackjack, see Arnold Snyder's Blackbelt in Blackjack. For complete information on the game of blackjack, including its history, variations, and stories of its great players, see The Big Book of Blackjackby Arnold Snyder.
Return to Intro to Winning Blackjack
For professional card counting systems and analysis, and other information on how professional gamblers beat the casinos, see the Blackjack Forum Professional Gambling Library.
For centuries, the strategic potential of blackjack has defied the chances and reduced the house edge to the point of complete elimination. The advanced card counting strategies were fought off by the casino operators through a gradual increase of the card decks inside the shoe.
Nowadays, it is next to impossible to find a live blackjack variant played with 1, 2, or even 4 decks; instead, 6 and 8-deck blackjack games are dominating the market, thwarting the beginner-level card counters. This, along with the RNG (Random Number Generator) blackjack, has created the need for alternative solutions, and a number of players resorted to blackjack betting strategies that exploit the winning and losing streaks, focusing on money management rather than trying to predict the next card. At the same time, these are much easier to master than some of the advanced blackjack techniques, such as Shuffle Tracking, Zen, or Omega 2.
Double Deck Blackjack Counting Strategy Games
Where to Start – The Most Popular Blackjack Betting Strategies
The complexity and dedication are not the only reasons people shy away from card counting techniques. Casino operators frown upon any skill that will give you an unfair advantage over other players (and the house), which is why advanced budget management methods are your safest resorts. They can also be arranged according to the difficulty level, starting with the simplest form of betting (flat) and gradually advancing to the complex patterns used by experienced players (Labouchere):
- Flat Betting
- Martingale
- 1-3-2-6 System
- Paroli
- D’ Alembert
- Oscar’s Grind
- Labouchere
Apart from the complexity level, each of the systems can also be classified according to the risk degree and the type of progression it entails – negative or positive.
Flat betting
Flat betting is somewhat of an exception, and many do not even consider it a strategy at all. The only requirement of this “system” is to remain in the game by constantly submitting the same size bet. Ideally, the player needs to establish a budget and divide it into equal portions of up to 5% of the total balance. Clearly, flat betting will not make you rich, but the strategy is deemed successful if you manage to generate around 10-20% profit.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Flat Betting
Apart from the extreme simplicity, the strongest suit of flat betting is the damage control it delivers. The fixed stakes will prevent you from suffering a sudden, substantial loss that some of the other methods are prone to.
On the other hand, the results that flat betting can produce are modest and rest on the assumption that you will win more than 50% of the time. This is why most players outgrow this strategy fairly quickly. The monotony makes it quite easy to abandon this process and move onto potentially more profitable (and riskier) blackjack betting strategies described below.
Risk Rate: Low
Positive Progressive Betting Systems – Definition and Popular Variants
Positive progressive betting systems are designed to get the most of the players’ winning streak, commanding a bet increase every time you score a winning blackjack hand. The stakes are raised systematically and lowered after the first losing hand. The most popular representatives of positive progressive strategies are Paroli and Oscar’s Grind.
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Play NowParoli
Paroli is often defined as a reversed Martingale system, prompting the players to top the stake after every winning hand. Every next bet should be doubled and re-set after three consecutive winning rounds. For example, if we are to start our betting session with a $1 stake, the next two stakes should be increased by 2:
$1 > $2 > $4
For the sake of illustration, let us assume that you have placed a $10 bet and your hand trumped the dealer’s, resulting in an even money payout. Your next bet should, therefore, be $20, which is your base bet + $10 that you have won in the previous round. If you manage to win that hand as well, the follow-up stake should amount to $40 – again, the $10 base stake, plus the winnings from the previous rounds. The third win will result in an $80 bet, after which you will need to go back to the initial $10 bet, regardless of the outcome. Looking at the starting point, we can easily deduce that a $10 starting bet generated a total of $160.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Introducing Paroli Betting System to Your Gameplay
As you can see, the Reversed Martingale is very easy to use, as it requires the player to press the bet only 3 times and revert to the original wager in two cases – after a loss or when a series of three winning hands in a row is completed.
An added value of Paroli is that you do not need to have a substantial budget to implement this strategy, which is the main drawback of some other progressive betting patterns.
On the downside, three linked winning hands are not that easy to land, and the players may find themselves operating at a loss before long.
Risk Rate: Medium
Oscars Grind
A medium complexity system with a low-risk rate, Oscars Grind (aka Hoyle’s Press) starts off with a single unit bet and aims at generating an equivalent profit amount. The losing hands will follow the flat betting pattern whereas the winning hands will be followed by the bet increase – but only if it will result in the desired profit of one unit. Otherwise, the bet size is decreased to assure that the accurate amount is acquired, as shown in the table below:
| Bet | Outcome | Return | Your next move |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1 | Loss | -1 | No change in bet |
| $1 | Loss | -2 | No change in bet |
| $1 | Loss | -3 | No change in bet |
| $1 | Loss | -4 | No change in bet |
| $1 | Loss | -5 | No change in bet |
| $1 | Win | -4 | Next bet increases by 1 unit |
| $2 | Loss | -6 | Bet remains the same (2 units) |
| $2 | Win | -4 | Next bet increased to 3 units |
| $3 | Win | -1 | Next bet adjusted to 2 units needed for a single unit profit |
| $2 | Win | 1 | Round completed |
The desired result is a single unit win on every session as well as the increased damage control during the losing streaks.
Pros and Cons of Oscars Grind
The method is not aggressive which means that you will be able to sustain longer losing streaks without suffering irreparable damage to your finances. The proceeds, although modest, will gradually accumulate, recuperating the losses incurred across ten rounds in no more than 4 wins.
At the same time, you may find the system frustrating as it requires a lot of self-discipline and restraint.
Risk Rate: Low
What Are Negative Progressive Betting Systems?
As opposed to the progressive betting methods, the negative strategies demand that the bets are increased during the losing streaks; the idea is to recover all that you have previously lost and to gain a profit. By default, negative progressions are more aggressive than their counterparts and they carry a somewhat higher risk rate. The representatives of this methodology are Martingale, D’Alembert, and Laboucher systems.
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When you first come across to Martingale, it may seem like a heaven-sent system that simply cannot fail. You will soon discover that not all share your initial enthusiasm; there will be those who might urge you to avoid this strategy, especially if your gambling budget is limited.
As a negative progression system, Martingale mandates that you double the stake after every losing hand and go back to flat betting after a win. In the perfect world, this should generate a series of cumulative winnings and recuperate the losses in a course of a single losing streak.
But what happens if the streak prolongs and you budget dries out? Even if you start wagering with the betting minimum, you are running a risk of leaving the table empty-handed. To illustrate, let us assume that you begin the session with a $5 wager and start losing. To get back on the track, you will now need to double every next wager, which means that it will take no more than 8 consecutive losses to find yourself short of $1,275:
| Bet | Outcome | Total in Losses |
|---|---|---|
| $5 | Loss | $5 |
| $10 | Loss | $10 |
| $20 | Loss | $35 |
| $40 | Loss | $75 |
| $80 | Loss | $155 |
| $160 | Loss | $315 |
| $320 | Loss | $635 |
| $640 | Loss | $1,275 |
If the trend keeps up, you can soon end up with a considerable debt, which is probably not what you have signed up for when joining the blackjack table and introducing a betting structure to your game. High rollers will, of course, be able to disregard the elevated risk rate of the Martingale system, but average online or land-based casino visitors will probably need to adjust their strategy to the amount of money they can afford to lose. For most of them, this means that Martingale is off the limits.
The benefit of using Martingale is that it can produce excellent results in a relatively short time span.
Pros:
- Can be effective in short-term sessions
- Simple to use
Cons:
- Uncomfortably risky
- More suitable for high rollers
- Possibility of the stake amount exceeding the payout rate
- Table limits can easily stop the progression
As you can see, the cons, in this case, outweigh the pros, which means that you may want to leave the strategy to those with more money to waste.
Risk Rate: Extremely High
D’Alembert
D’Alembert is a great alternative to Martingale, since it offers a reduced risk rate but has the same complexity level, which makes it suitable for beginners. The system has an alternating pattern, urging the players to increase the stakes by a single unit after a loss or deduct one unit from the follow-up wager after a win. So, if you should happen to lose $5 bet, the next amount that you need to wager is $10 and the one after that $15 (as $5 is considered a single unit). Should the $15 result in a win, the subsequent bet should be re-set to $10. Example:
| Bet | Outcome | The follow-up bet | Total Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1 | Loss | $2 | $99 |
| $2 | Loss | $3 | $97 |
| $3 | Win | $2 | $100 |
| $2 | Loss | $3 | $98 |
| $3 | Loss | $4 | $95 |
| $4 | Win | $3 | $99 |
| $3 | Win | $2 | $102 |
Pros of D’Alembert Betting System
The entire scheme is very easy to follow through – all you need to do is remember your previous bet and act accordingly. Also, since the increase is moderate, you will not risk losing a large portion of your budget. Last but not least, thanks to the controlled variations in bet size, you are less likely to hit the table limits.
Cons of D’Alembert
The main defect of this system is that it’ll take forever to recover the lost bets, not to mention the perils of the long losing streaks that are likely to severely affect your balance.
Risk Rate: Medium High
Labouchere Betting System
In Laboucher, the players start with any sequence of numbers, where the first and the last number in the chain determine the bet total. Let’s say that you select the following string:
2 – 3 – 4 – 6 – 9
When you add up the first and the last number, you will get a total of 11, which should be the initial bet. If you happen to win, the relevant numbers should be eliminated from the sequence, leaving you with 3 – 4 – 6.
Assuming that you win again, the remaining number (4) should be doubled.
If, on the other hand, you lose the initial bet, the total must be added to the chain:
2 – 3 – 4 – 6 – 9 – 11
The bet will now amount to $13 (2 + 11), adding the number $13 to the string if the player loses again, or removing both 2 and 11 if the outcome is favorable.
The sequence total will depend on the target amount, which means that the players whose objective is to make a profit of $20 will create any sequence that can add up to that sum.
Pros of Laboucher
The increased control of both the budget and the progression of your bets is the main perk of Laboucher, but the players should make sure to use it at high limit tables.
Cons of Laboucher
Just like Martingale, this system threatens to hit the table limits, although, not as fast.
Risk Rate: Medium
The “In-Between” Split System: 1-3-2-6 Blackjack Betting System
Seemingly complicated, the 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting strategy is actually much simpler than it looks at first glance. After deciding on the betting unit, the players will just need to make sure that the system is executed correctly, in accordance with the 1-3-2-6 sequence. On a $5 unit bet, the process would look like this:
- Step 1: bet the single $5 unit. If you lose, repeat. If you win, proceed to Step 2.
- Step 2: bet 3 units ($15). If you lose, start over. If you win, proceed to Step 3
- Step 3: bet 2 units ($10). If you lose, start over. If you win, proceed to Step 4
- Step 4: bet 6 units ($30)
Pros of 1-3-2-6 System
The upside of this betting pattern is that you will have no difficulties mastering it – the formula is in the name itself, so it does not get any easier than that. The losses will not be severe, and you will be quite happy with the results this system provides in the short-run.
Cons of 1-3-2-6 System
You might not need a huge bankroll to execute the 1-3-2-6 betting scheme but bear in mind that the system’s “expiration date” is just around the corner. While the maneuver is efficient enough to be included in the list of the best blackjack betting strategies, it will not eliminate the house edge and provide lasting results.
Risk Rate: Low to Medium
Conclusion on the most successful Blackjack betting strategies
Adding some structure and limitation to your gambling routine might be just what you need to handle your money more efficiently. Still, you will need to remember that these systems are flawed, especially in the long run. As they have zero effect on the house edge, the end results they produce will be modest, but some of the low-risk systems mentioned above will prove quite handy in cutting down the unwanted losses.
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