{"id":5101,"date":"2022-02-01T09:24:46","date_gmt":"2022-02-01T09:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.com\/blog\/\/blog\/?p=5101"},"modified":"2023-10-18T03:10:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T03:10:40","slug":"blackjack-betting-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/01\/blackjack-betting-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackjack Betting Systems And Why They Don\u2019t Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Blackjack, as one of the world\u2019s most popular casino<\/a> games, has been the subject of a great deal of exploratory work over the decades. This means that a) the game is now so well understood that there\u2019s a proper way to play it, known as the basic blackjack strategy<\/a>, and b) that there have been a number of efforts to \u2018game\u2019 or otherwise optimise the way the blackjack experience plays out.<\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s understandable. Everybody would like their favourite table game to serve as a convenient money printer. Inevitably, though, without exception, all of these blackjack betting systems are flawed. They might provide short-term returns or protect bankrolls over longer play sessions but, as blackjack<\/a> has an element of luck and the house always has an edge of around 0.5% to 1.5%, no system is unbreakable.<\/p>\n\n

With help from our online blackjack expert Michael Shackleford<\/a>, we\u2019re going to introduce the most popular blackjack betting systems and explain why they\u2019re not the blessing that many newcomers might think they are.<\/p>\n\n

The Martingale System<\/h2>\n\n

There can be little debate the Martingale<\/a> is one of the most well-known blackjack betting systems out there. The player simply doubles their previous bet on a loss. As Mike Shackleford explains, \u201cThe thinking behind it is \u2018I have to win eventually\u2019 and, when you do win, you recoup all those previous losses since you started with a one-unit bet, plus win one more unit.<\/p>\n\n

The Martingale can be deceptive, because it usually does result in small wins.\u00a0 However, when it goes bad, it goes really bad.\u00a0 No matter how much money you have and how much you play, eventually you\u2019ll have a sitting with a long sequence of consecutive losses and you don\u2019t have the money to double your wager again.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

The 2-1-2 or Manhattan System<\/h2>\n\n

\u201cSo, a player starts with two units\u201d, our expert begins. \u201cAfter a loss, they will go back down to one. After the first win, they go down to one and then, after a second win, the player will go up one unit at a time. So, you need to have four wins in a row to win four units, so most of the time you\u2019re either going to lose or win small. It seems like a non-aggressive progressive strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The benefit of the Manhattan System is that it provides good returns on a run of strong hands, but a streak of good luck is just as likely as a run of bad fortune, which makes the Manhattan System highly situational. It\u2019s also rather confusing for beginners, as there\u2019s a fair amount to remember as the game proceeds. This particular strategy resembles the D\u2019Alembert system, albeit with some rules in reverse.<\/p>\n\n

The 1-3-2-6 System<\/h2>\n\n

Getting a little more complicated now. The 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting system is a progressive system (we\u2019ll elaborate on that term shortly) that has some resemblance to the Paroli method, a highly defensive strategy that only lasts as long as three consecutive wins take. In 1-3-2-6, the whole process begins with an even money bet. So, let’s say we stake \u00a32.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n