I used to play each day and quit as soon as I got $1000 ahead. I made about $4000 a week losses included on a 6-deck game.

A quick rundown;

1. Forget about doubles. Stick to basic strategy, but when you lose a double, don’t up your next bet.

2. Lose the $100? Bet $150 next. You’ll win $50 over the course of two bets if you win.

3. Lose your $150 bet? Bet $250 in the next run. You’ll break even over the 3 bets if you win and will be down $500 if you lose.

4. Once you lose a $250, go back down to $100. I know this means you’ll encounter some downswings, but believe me — all you need is a $2500 bankroll to be almost safe to not go broke.

Won $1200 yesterday in about two hours. Never was down a single second.

There are some hard and fast rules about when to Double Down. They are as follows.

If you have 11 you can double. There is a 30% chance of making 21 and no way to bust out. If you do make 21 the dealer can only beat you with a Blackjack and even then you’ll have your money returned.

If you have a hand of 10 you can double. The odds of winning are similar to that of if you have 11 and you have no chance of going bust.

If you have 7/8/9 don’t double. As tempting as it is that you might make 17, 18, 19 or even 20 it is unlikely. Any card other than a 10 will leave you with a vulnerable hand. The only exception to this is if you have a nine and the dealer had a low (2-6) up card and thus has a good chance of going bust.

If you have 12 or more DON’T DOUBLE. As tempting as it may be when you see the dealer has a card that means he is likely to go bust. You also have a high chance of busting and losing out.

What you must remember with Doubling Down is that you can only have one further card.

I would stress that doubling up can also affect the effectiveness of your betting strategy. Especially if you are using the Paroli or Martingale system. You should make the decisions about when you are going to Double Down and stick to them so you don’t click the double button on a whim.

Lets start with the most well known; the Double-Up. It is actually known as the Martingale system. You start with a one unit bet ($1 if you are me or $1000000 if you are the Sultan of Brunei – you base your unit amount on your bankroll). If you win you make the same bet. If you lose you double the previous bet continuing to double until you win. When you win you start again with one unit. This betting system is madness and you have to have a huge bankroll to make it work. It is not uncommon to lose 8 hands in a row, by which time you will be betting with 128 units! In the long run you will not make money this way. Your bankroll will be broken in no time at all –unless of course you are the Sultan of Brunei.

The Paroli betting system is the opposite of the Martingale system. This time you double up when you win. To use this system you need to decide how many you times you double up before you start again. This system can be effective as it is simple to use and easy to remember. You also don’t need a large bankroll to play in this way and it can make a lot without risking too much.

The Parlay betting system is comparable to the Paroli system. It is simple and easy to remember. You base your bets on your profit, so you make a bet where your original bet plus your original winnings are used for your next bets. To use this system, you simply start by making a bet of any size. If you win with this initial bet, you use the original bet and part of the profit to place your next bet with. For example you bet £10 and win, for your next bet you use the original bet, $10 and part of the profit say $5 to make the next bet (Total $15). This way you are not always risking your profit. As with Paroli you need to decide how many times you will do this before you start again. Although you won’t make as much profit as with Paroli you will be risking less of your profit.

The Parlay betting system takes a little thought before you hit the tables but in the long run it can be a good option for beginners and seasoned players alike.

Well actually it is not. Do not take them up on this kind offer. Like your mother told you; never take sweets from strangers. Casinos only offer things that will in the long run make them money. They are not a charity. The house edge on insurance in single deck blackjack is more than 5% and only rises with multiple decks.

Insurance can be extremely hard to pass up when you have a blackjack. There are two scenarios, if the dealer has a blackjack, you will only win 2:1 on the insurance bet. However, if the dealer doesn’t get a blackjack you will win the main bet, but lose the insurance bet. Since the odds of the dealer getting blackjack are fairly low, over the long term you’re better off not taking the insurance. Once in a while the dealer may get a blackjack and you’ll push, but more often you’ll win and get a 3:2 payout.

The only player who would gain by placing a blackjack insurance bet is someone that is using a card counting strategy in a casino where the cards are not replaced and reshuffled. So for you online players: stay away.

It is basic because it is basic. You just follow the chart. No really it is that simple.

The Basic Strategy chart for a single deck game is slightly different than the Basic Strategy chart for a multi-deck game. A good blackjack player knows the Basic Strategy charts inside and out. If you are playing on line have them handy to refer to at all times. Below is a basic guide suitable for a beginner. As you get more accomplished you should read more about card counting and what to do in more complicated situations; like pairs and playing with different numbers of decks.

Please remember that the Basic Strategy is a guide. It is the mathematical solution to what to do in each situation but it is not going to make you win all the time. (If you find something that does let me know!) A basic strategy just reduces the house edge to give you a fighting chance.

Hard Totals

	Dealer’s Up Card
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T	A
Hard Totals
8	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
9	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H
12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
13	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
17-20	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Soft Totals (Ace is either 1 or 11)

	Dealer’s Up Card
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T	A
Soft Totals
A 2	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A 3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A 4	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A 5	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A 6	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A 7	S	D	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	H
A 8	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A 9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Action: H = Hit S = Stand D = Double