We’re going to show you how to win blackjack more often. Unfortunately, we can’t tell you how to win it every time, because that’s impossible. We’ll explain why by showing you the blackjack house edge and how that gives the casino a slight mathematical advantage, which will eventually beat you.
Before we begin, let us say this – blackjack is the best card game to play in the casino. If you use a good blackjack strategy, the house edge is the smallest of any card game in the casino.
To talk you through how to win at blackjack, we drafted in our in-house blackjack expert. Feel free to skip ahead to any section you’re interested in. They’ve all been written as standalone sections, so you don’t have to read the entire guide on how to play blackjack and win unless you want or need to.
Blackjack House Edge
Most online casinos offer more than one blackjack variant. With the rise of live dealer games, there are some really exciting and interesting blackjack games. However, while these can make gameplay more interesting, they almost all have different blackjack odds that increase the casino’s advantage over you. That’s why we always recommend playing classic blackjack.
If you play classic blackjack with optimal strategy, the house edge falls below 0.5%. If you don’t know how house edge works, this means that for every $10 wagered on blackjack, the casino makes $0.05. This is tiny compared to most other casino games. It’s the main reason why many professional gamblers play blackjack.
However, the house edge changes depending on the variant you’re playing, the number of decks used, the rules of the game, and which blackjack strategy you use. Keep that in mind.
Blackjack Strategies – Do They Work?
There are lots of different blackjack strategies online. Like most casino games, blackjack has its fair share of whackos and scammers coming up with all sorts of fancy systems that don’t work.
Apart from counting cards, there isn’t a single blackjack strategy in existence that can tilt the odds in your favour. If there was, the casinos would immediately figure it out and ban it just like they did with players who count cards.
However, there is one excellent strategy that we recommend. It’s called basic blackjack strategy. If you learn and master it, you will get the house edge down to the bare minimum. This still won’t give you an advantage over the casino, but it will reduce the casino’s advantage over you, giving you more time to go on a lucky streak and win big.
The best way to learn basic blackjack strategy is by printing out the cheat sheet below. Study it, memorize it, and consult it when you’re playing blackjack. Eventually, you won’t need the sheet anymore, and you’ll know how to win in blackjack by memory.
S = Stand
H = Hit
Dh = Double or hit
Ds – Double or stand
Sp = Split
Uh = Surrender or hit
Us = Surrender or stand
Usp = Surrender or split
If you’re not sure what these terms mean, refer to our how to play blackjack page. It has a full glossary of all the important blackjack terms.
How to Win at Blackjack – Tips and Tricks
Assuming you know how to play 21 and now understand the house edge and the best blackjack strategy to use, let us finish by giving you some actionable tips and tricks. If you implement these, you will win more hands or at least lose fewer hands. Remember, it’s all about surviving for long enough to go on a winning streak, exponentially increase your bankroll, and walk away before the casino takes it all back.
Have a Bankroll Management Strategy
Most pro blackjack players recommend betting 1% of your bankroll on a single hand. So, if you start with a $1,000 bankroll, you can wager $10 per hand. This is more than enough to gain you entry into some of the excellent live dealer games.
To win online blackjack, you need to maximize the number of hands you play and take maximum advantage of lucky streaks. To do that, you need to make your bankroll stretch as far as possible. At some point, you’re likely to get lucky and win multiple hands in a row.
If you do win a couple of hands in a row, you could be at the start of a winning streak. This is the time to double up and try your luck. When you win money at blackjack, use the winnings from the previous couple of hands to double your bet size so as to maximize your potential winnings. If you win five or more hands in a row, take your winnings off the table and go back to your original bet size.
You won’t always win blackjack when you do this, but ask any experienced player, and they’ll tell you that multi-hand winning streaks can and do happen.
Understand Blackjack Math
If you’re a new player, it can be tempting to go down rabbit holes and try to find ways to cheat at blackjack. Technically, there is one successful way to do this (card counting), but it doesn’t work online, and if you get caught doing it in a brick and mortar casino, the security team will soon see you out.
Forget about fancy blackjack systems and tricks. We promise you; we have tested and tried every single one of them. They do not work. For example, you can check out our nine-count blackjack strategy review. It’s just one of many systems which claim to help you win blackjack every time, but when analyzed carefully, the math doesn’t add up.
Have you ever been to Vegas or Macau? They’re rich and opulent cities, right? How do you think they got to be that way? Do you really believe for a second that casino owners are stupid enough to run games that can be cheated? The games all give them a mathematical edge that ensures they win in the long game. The only way to consistently win blackjack is to use basic strategy and get lucky.
Play in Blackjack Tournaments
One of the best things about online gambling is that it brings so many players together from around the world. There are some great blackjack tournaments online, and they offer an extra chance to win real money.
In a normal game of blackjack against a dealer, you win even money. You can potentially win 3:2 payouts if you win with natural blackjack or larger payouts if you take the risk of making side bets like perfect pairs.
However, when you win blackjack tournaments, you get these normal payouts as well as a slice of the tournament prize pool. In a recent tournament which one of our team members played in, there was an extra £3,000 up for grabs for the three players who finished in the top five positions on the leaderboard.
Obviously, you don’t want to pay to play in blackjack tournaments until you know what you’re doing. However, if you find tournaments at no extra cost, you might as well try them, apply our blackjack tips, and get the experience. As well as offering the extra prize money, they’re a lot of fun.
Play Free Blackjack
You don’t have to dive in at the deep end and spend real money on blackjack. Most casinos allow new players to try their games for free in what’s called “demo mode.”
Casinos usually offer multiple blackjack variants, and playing them for free is a great way to gain valuable experience. The only way to learn is by practicing and making mistakes. Thankfully, these early mistakes don’t have to cost you money.
Before you try to win real money blackjack, put basic strategy to the test on the free games. When you’re winning more hands than you’re losing and are no longer making amateur mistakes, switch over to play real money games.
How to Win Blackjack – Conclusion
We wish we could tell you how to win at blackjack guaranteed. Unfortunately, that’s just not possible, because there’s always a house edge, and there’s always an element of luck involved.
If you’ve read this entire guide, you’ll be better positioned than most players to win at blackjack. Get started by claiming a casino bonus at one of our top-rated online casinos. A few extra chips to play with is always a good starting advantage!
Greg has been an avid gambler for over 15 years. He loves slot machines and betting on football. He’s been writing on the subject for close to a decade now and knows everything there is to know about video slots, jackpots, and slot sites in general! He has been writing for GamblersPro.com for over five years now.
