Blackjack Betting Systems: What They Change and What They Don't

A blackjack betting strategy, also called a betting system, is a rule for how much you bet on each hand. Systems like Martingale change your bet after a win or a loss, but they do not change the house edge – with basic strategy and standard rules, the house keeps about 0.62% of every bet, whatever its size.

• What a Betting System Is
• Martingale Step by Step
• Why Martingale Does Not Work
• Other Betting Systems Compared
• Flat Betting and Session Limits
• What Does Lower the House Edge

01What a Betting System Is

A betting system tells you how much to bet on the next hand. It does not tell you whether to hit, stand, double or split.

Systems count bets in units. A unit is your base bet, for example the table minimum.

• Basic strategy – decides how you play each hand. See the blackjack strategy chart.
• Betting system – decides the size of each bet.
• Progressive betting – any system that changes the bet after a win or a loss.
• Flat betting – the same bet on every hand.

Each hand is paid the same way, no matter how much you bet. A bigger bet gets a bigger payout, in the same ratio.

02Martingale Step by Step

Martingale is the best-known blackjack betting system. You double your bet after every loss and go back to 1 unit after a win.

1. Bet 1 unit.
2. If the hand loses, bet 2 units on the next hand.
3. If it loses again, bet 4 units.
4. If it loses again, bet 8 units.
5. If it loses again, bet 16 units.
6. When a hand wins, you get back all the lost units plus 1 unit. Then you start again at 1 unit.

Here is a losing streak of four hands, followed by a win.

After five hands, the whole series ends only 1 unit ahead. A push – a tie with the dealer – returns your bet, and the series continues.

03Why Martingale Does Not Work

Martingale gives you many small wins of 1 unit. Now and then, a long losing streak takes back all of them and more.

• Table limits. Every table has a maximum bet. If the maximum is 20 times the minimum, you cannot place the next doubled bet after 16 units.
• Your money runs out. Each new step doubles the bet. A few more losses need more money than most players bring.
• Doubles and splits. When basic strategy tells you to double or split, more money goes on the table. A lost double on a big Martingale bet loses twice that bet.
• The edge stays the same. Every hand still carries the house edge of about 0.62%. A bigger bet loses more on average, not less.

Here is one common hand: hard 16 against a dealer 10.

Hitting this hand returns about −0.535 per bet on average. On a 16-unit Martingale bet, that average loss is 16 times larger than on a 1-unit bet.

Victoria's tip

The cards do not remember the last hand. A losing streak does not make the next hand any more likely to be a win.

04Other Betting Systems Compared

Other systems change the bet in different ways. None of them change how often a hand wins.

Card counting is different. It tracks which cards have left the shoe – the box the cards are dealt from.

Most digital online games reshuffle every round, so there is usually nothing to track. Read more on the card counting page.

05Flat Betting and Session Limits

Flat betting keeps every bet the same. Your results go up and down in small steps, and no single hand can take a large part of your money.

Limits you set before you play matter more than any betting system.

• Pick a fixed amount for the session and do not add more.
• Choose a unit size that lets you play many hands with that amount.
• Set a time limit and stop when it ends.
• Stop when the session money is gone. Do not raise bets to win it back.

Victoria's tip

Run a betting system in the blackjack simulator first. You will see how fast a losing streak grows the bet, without spending real money.

Rules for real-money play depend on where you live. For help and limits, see responsible gambling.

06What Does Lower the House Edge

Bet size does not move the house edge. How you play and which table you choose do.

• Follow basic strategy on every hand.
• Choose tables where blackjack pays 3:2.
• Choose tables with late surrender if you can find them – the edge drops to about 0.53%.

The blackjack payout changes the edge more than any other rule.

See how other rules add up on the blackjack house edge page.

Questions people ask