How Much Should You Bet In Blackjack

 

One thing blackjack players sometimes forget is to check the table limits sign before they sit down. It doesn’t matter as much when playing online, but the minimum and maximum limits can have interesting twists on your play. First, you need to decide what you are looking for in your blackjack play. Do you want to have fun at a rowdy table and chat with the other players, or do you want to be unnoticed, and just sit at a quiet table and give it a whirl?

Why You Should Always Split Your Eights. Having two 8’s in your hand leaves you with the worst position you could be in blackjack: 16, it never has much of a chance to win. But if you do split, you increase your chances of getting two hands of 18. Many experienced blackjack players are hesitant to split 8s when dealer is showing an 8 or higher.

  1. How much should you bet in blackjack? If a $10 bettor uses a 1-2-3-5 betting progression, his average bet will $20. Over an hour he will average $20 times 80 hands or $1600 worth of bets. The casino’s expected win is 0.5% of $1600 or $8. In other words, a $10 progressive bettor stands to lose twice as much per hour as a $10 flat bettor.
  2. Insurance is a side bet which you can take when the dealer's face up card shows an Ace. The worth of insurance bet should be half your blackjack bet. So if you placed a $100 blackjack bet, your insurance bet should be $50. If the dealer wins, you lose your bet but get paid on the insurance. On a $50-bet, you.
  3. Here are the facts on the flat betting blackjack strategy. If you bet say $5 on every hand in a standard multiple deck game the house will have an edge of 0.5% against the skilled basic strategy player. That means you will lose on average 0.5% of every wager you make.

If you are new to blackjack, you should consider finding the lowest limit game available so you can get your feet wet without drowning. There’s little sense in throwing your money away, and that’s what you’ll feel like you did if you play at $100 per hand and lose your cash. The best advice is to learn how to play blackjack first, but once you know the game pretty well the limit’s still going to be a factor.

How

For some players, that $100 wager is small, and if you have the bucks, go ahead and play, but you might find a game with limits of $5 to $200 more to your liking. Players on low-limit games are likely to be having fun, having some drinks, and bantering with the dealer. You might find a player trying the Martingale betting system, and you might find serious players, but your play probably won’t impact anyone’s feelings.

However, if you join a $25 to $1,000 game and bet the minimum and make questionable plays like splitting a pair of tens, or hitting a hard 17 against a 6, the other players, are going to notice. And, the guy playing the maximum is going to start fuming if he loses because you take the dealer’s bust-card.

Can that really happen? Sure. Of course in the long run it all evens out for the other players no matter how you play, but don’t try to convince the guy who just lost a thousand bucks!

How Much Should You Bet In Blackjack

Low Limit Games

The low-limit games are going to be more fun, so if that’s what you want, join the crowd you are comfortable with. At lower limits there is less pressure, so you are less likely to make mistakes in Basic Strategy, and you are also less likely to stand-out in the crowd. That means if you are learning to play, or learning a card-counting system, it’s a good place to be.

The speed of the play is also likely to be slower at a low-limit game, because the players get distracted, and also because the dealer may be new at their job too, as many casinos separate their games by limits and their dealers’ ability.

Once you feel comfortable at a specific limit, if your bankroll considerations are fine with higher games, move on. If you are playing a count, such as a simple Plus Minus, you’ll definitely want to get proficient at low limits before you move up. However, you will need to move up eventually, because a good player, with large bet variations who doesn’t drink and doesn’t talk much (like most card counters) is going to stand out. Now what do you do?

Card counters expect to make about 1% of their overall wagers per hour, so if you play $10 to $100 and average $35, you’ll make between $25 and $50 per hour in profit. And, you’ll attract attention. When you can play at the $25 tables, you actions won’t be as noticeable, and you’ll be the small fish in the big pond most of the time. That’s good.

High Limit Games

You can’t expect every high-limit game to have high-class people. Blackjack players come in all varieties and a large bet or bankroll can come from a player who looks like they can’t afford bus fare, but on average, the high-limit games are quieter and move more quickly. Players are likely to be more experienced (although not necessarily any better) at blackjack, and they know what they want. Usually, that equates to more hands and a little more privacy.

If you feel comfortable in that crowd, jump right in. A high-limit blackjack game is a bit like a roulette table with a competent dealer, more Pit Bosses watching, and a smooth flow of cards and payoffs that is somehow soothing.

The higher limit won’t make much difference when playing online. If you are playing online video blackjack, the only change in limit is going to be your own bet-size comfort level. If you decide to play online with a Live Dealer, the upper-limit is likely to be $500, which is a moderate limit at a land-based casino.

Bankroll Considerations

How To Bet Blackjack Chart

Obviously the size of your bankroll is always going to have an impact on the game you choose. If you are playing on a short bankroll, the odds are much greater that you’ll burn through your cash. As a general rule you’ll want to have at least 20-units as a buy-in. If you have $100 to work with for the evening, it may be a very quick evening if you sit at the $25-minimum table!

If you are giving card counting a try, you’ll also want to keep a close eye on your expected edge and your element of ruin. One way of protecting your bankroll is to try and keep your element of ruin (the chance that you lose your entire bankroll) at less than 5%. To do that you’ll have to have 400-times your base or flat wager. If you plan to bet $5 on your first bet and raise it as the count increases, you need $2,000 total in your bankroll. That also means you’ll be fine at a low-limit table to start, because your top bet is likely to be just $50.

Blackjack bet spread

Overall, you’ll enjoy your blackjack most when you are comfortable, and while it should go without saying, it’s up to you to decide where to sit. If you are uncomfortable, try another table, or call it a night, the casino will still be in business the next day!

Most people have a general idea of what a bankroll is, but for a post like this, we need to get a lot more specific.

Your bankroll is the amount of money you’ve set aside to gamble with.

You might have specific bankrolls for various games based on various goals. If you play games where you’re satisfied with a negative expectation, the size of your bankroll compared to the averagesize of your bets is what determines how long you’re able to play a specific game.

If you’re a professional gambler, though, you’re probably more interested in avoiding going broke in the short run. Gambling is based on random chance, and even if you have a long-term advantage,you can still go broke in the short run because of variance.

How Much Of Your Bankroll Should You Bet In Blackjack

Here’s a simple example of how that might work.

How Much Should You Bet In Blackjack

Suppose you’re playing a simple gambling game with a buddy where you have a 52% probability of winning, and she has a 48% probability of winning. She’s willing to bet you straight-up, too — ifyou win, you get $100 from her, and if she wins, she gets $100 from you.

Suppose you only have a bankroll for this game of $100.

Can you see how you’d have a good probability of going broke even though you have a distinct mathematical edge?

People lose bets all the time where they have a 52% probability of winning. They even lose several of these bets in a row sometimes.

In the long run, your results should resemble the mathematical, theoretical prediction, but in the short term, anything can happen.

What Is Free Bet Blackjack

The goal of having a large bankroll relative to your bet size is to avoid going broke while you’re waiting for your long-term edge to kick in.

But that only applies to gamblers who have an edge.

Blackjack Bet Online

If you’re playing a negative expectation game, you’ll eventually lose all your money. The trick is getting the most entertainment for your money while you’re doing so.