The Best Blackjack Strategies 2022

To be successful at playing blackjack, you need to pick a strategy, just like with most of the online casino games you can think of. The variety of strategies available is both a blessing and a curse because you might find it hard to choose the right one. This guide will suggest some of the best options that are proven to be effective and have stood the test of time. To make sure you win big next time you play any blackjack version, we’ll add additional tips that you’ll find valuable for sure.

Using this resource, you can up your game one step at a time by testing different strategies and seeing what works best. You can always refer to this guide and gradually become better at multiple blackjack versions.

The Importance of Using Blackjack Strategies

While blackjack is a game of luck, the house always has a slight edge that’s statistically proven. This is why you need a trick up your sleeve to reverse the odds and have a bigger chance to win. If you’re looking for a strategy that will cement your success, then you’ll be disappointed, as there’s no such thing. Nevertheless, utilizing the right strategy can not only increase your chances, but it can also make the game a lot more exciting.

Using a specific strategy while playing blackjack online has all the perks of using strategies for every other online casino game. Still, the advantage with blackjack strategies is the range: there’s one for most types of players, regardless of their experience. If you’re a newbie, you can start with the simplest tips. In case you’re an advanced player, you can resort to compound statistical and mathematical models.

When you invest time and money into an online game of blackjack, picking the right strategy will add meaning to your effort and allow you to have some leverage when you try to win. All the blackjack strategies you use will eventually change the outcome of your gaming experiences.

Basic Blackjack Strategies

Blackjack is a challenge to play, as there are no two identical rounds. This is part of the advantages the house always has; hence, the hefty profit casinos make. It is also what makes the game exciting.

You must remember that, even after a winning spree, you can never figure out blackjack completely. Overall, your success depends on how prepared you are to win or lose. When you’re determined to win, you need a strict budget and a plan. Once you reach your preliminary set goal, you should probably quit. Again, no two blackjack rounds are the same, and the next one might result in the loss you wanted to avoid. This is as simple as a blackjack strategy can get. Let’s continue with other, similarly simple strategies you can start using immediately.

Surrender

Don’t be confused: surrender is not equal to defeat, at least not when it comes to online blackjack strategies. You can surrender early as soon as you see that your first two cards are no good. This way, you save half of your bet and hope for a better hand.

Surrender can be late, too. You’re allowed to do it as soon as you see the dealer’s card. In case the dealer hits the Blackjack, late surrender will not be possible. Surrendering at the right time can give you a small, almost insignificant edge over the house, but it could be enough to make a difference. Keep in mind that not all casinos allow for early or late surrender.

Stand

If you’re near the ultimate goal of reaching 21, you can stand and avoid the risk of going bust. In case you think that there’s a good chance of your cards beating the dealer’s, then you could go for it, otherwise, it would be best to stand and not take chances. Sometimes, choosing to stand instead of deciding to hit can slightly increase your winning probability.

Hit

Suppose you have a hand that’s less than 17. If the dealer pulls up 8 or more, then you should hit. This increases the chances for the dealer to bust. If your soft hand is somewhere between 13 and 17, it’s a good idea to hit, but make sure the dealer pulls at least 7.

Deciding to hit is also the way to go if you have a hard 12 opposite to the 2 or 3 the dealer is likely to show. This is how you can lower your projected loss. If you don’t do it, then you’re looking at a bigger loss, statistically speaking. Sometimes, it would be difficult for you to choose whether to hit or stand, but such dilemmas become easy to solve with experience.

Double Down

If you have a hard 11, then the right thing to do would be to double down. It doesn’t matter what the dealer brings out (as long as we’re not talking about multi-deck blackjack). One proven way to enjoy hefty winnings is to double down when your hand is between 13 and 18 (soft), opposite to the 5 or 6 the dealer holds. Again, this does not apply when you’re involved in a double-deck or a multi-deck game.

When you double down on a hard hand, your edge over the house is a few times bigger compared to when you surrender, for example (1,3% on average). Say you have a hard 8 and you decide to double down against the dealer’s 5: this would be a nice move.

2-1-2 (Manhattan)

2-1-2 is a simple strategy: what you need to do is know how to place a bet or stop wagering at all. When you learn to increase or decrease your stake, you will optimize your profits based on the particular gaming sequence. However, if you want to have a good return, then you should probably steer away from this one because the strategy does not involve higher bets through a losing strike.

1-3-2-6

Here’s one more blackjack strategy that’s among the simplest positive progressions you can use as a winning online blackjack strategy. The progression sets your bets based on the hand you have. The core of the method is the probability that a gambler is likely to win a couple of hands and lose the following one, hence the need to increase the wager or decreasing it, depending on which hand comes next.

As the name of this strategy suggests, there are only four steps to make, so mastering it is fairly easy. All you need to do is wager a unit for the initial bet and increase it to three units for you following one. If you win both times, you continue by wagering a couple of units on the third hand and six units on the last of the cycle)

The best thing about using this blackjack strategy is that casinos always allow it, not to mention that there is little risk involved. Still, increasing your stake and deciding to double down or split may be the better route to follow in some situations. Making the right choice eventually becomes intuitive.

Blackjack Strategies for Advanced Players

Every player starts with some of the basic strategies, but they are mostly mechanisms created to limit your loss. One way to step up your game and prevent losing money is to raise your stake while you’re on a winning spree. Streaks come with both losses and wins, meaning that losing several consecutive hands might be followed by a few winning hands.

Let’s look at some of the essential, but more advanced online blackjack strategies.

Oscar’s Grind Strategy

Oscar’s Grind is one of the slightly complicated progressive strategies to use when playing blackjack. This betting system is the best pick if you want to avoid losses and enjoy longer blackjack sessions.

The strategy is about winning on a single unit and starting the progression at that same point. When you win, you double the wager, and you do it again during your next win. The sequence continues to the point where you reach your initially set goal.

Martingale Strategy

Martingale is a blackjack strategy that’s used in other casino games as well, such as roulette. If you are all about excitement and adrenaline, then this is the blackjack betting system to choose.

The strategy requires you to double the wager every time you lose, which sounds controversial to common sense at first, but it’s not. It all comes down to the winning streak probability mentioned above. It’s important to remember that you should stop raising the wager at some point. The perfect time for that would be when you reach the projected profit.

Unlike Oscar’s Grind, the Martingale strategy is not suitable for extended blackjack sessions.

Multi-Hand Blackjack Strategy

Multi-hand blackjack is a popular strategy because of a simple reason: you have a higher chance of winning when playing this version. When you check out the rules at the casino you choose (rules may vary in different casinos), you should pick the ultimate strategy if you want to enjoy the highest return to player (RTP) percentage. Multi-hand blackjack is usually a good choice.

The best blackjack strategy in multi-deck versions of the game is to play it safe with all your hands but one, which should be the exact opposite. A ludicrous hand among cautiously planned ones will allow you to keep a hard one but split the rest, giving you the chance to win several hands.

Are Single-Deck and Multi-Deck Blackjack Strategies the Same?

Depending on the online casino you choose, you can play either single-deck or multi-deck blackjack (the double-deck version seems to be popular these days). Having this in mind, you need strategies for both versions, as there isn’t a universal one.

Additional Blackjack Strategy Tips

You can never learn enough tips and tricks to become the blackjack player you’ve always wanted to be. To help you with that, we’ll throw in some additional tips.

Always check the rules

We already mentioned that there are differences and restrictions in various casinos when it comes to online blackjack versions. Sometimes, these specifics could seem neglectable, but they can be the tipping point for your success.

Choose the best payout

When it comes to payouts, you are better off choosing a 3:2 scheme over a 6:5 one, for example. The reason is simple: 3:2 is the more typical one. Choosing casinos with 6:5 payouts will likely decrease your projected win.

Don’t underestimate the house edge

Winning at blackjack all the time is impossible. One of the reasons is the house edge. It’s part of the game’s design, and there’s hardly any wonder why the casino has an advantage.

Know when to stop

As mentioned above, one of the easiest ways to lower the house edge is to stop when you win as much as you wanted initially. The desire for more can (and probably will) result in a loss.

The Best Blackjack Strategies: Wrapping It Up

In conclusion, we need to repeat one more time that no strategy can guarantee a hefty win. Still, all the blackjack strategies that players around the world resort to every day can slightly leverage the game in your favor.

Casinos are well aware of the betting techniques and mechanisms you can use to reduce the house edge. This is one reason why a strategy with a 100% success rate will never exist. Meanwhile, using the tips and suggestions in this guide and practicing them will allow you to become better at this exciting game and reach the desired profit faster.