How to Win at Blackjack: The Ultimate Guide

Many new players wonder how to win at blackjack. While there are no surefire ways, there are certain tips and strategies that can maximize your chances.

In this article I’m going to give you some pointers that will show you how to be good at blackjack.  I’ll include the blackjack tips and tricks I’ve learned in 35 years both as a player and in my position as a casino dealer up to vice president of table games.

Here’s what you’ll discover:

• The Importance of Strategy in Blackjack
• Essential Rules and Game Mechanics
• Building Your Basic Strategy
• Key Basic Strategies
• Getting More from Your Casino Experience
• Handling the Social Aspects: Ignoring Fellow Players and Avoiding Booze
• Do's and Don'ts for First-Time Blackjack Players
• Advanced Betting and Gameplay Strategies
• Why You Should Avoid Insurance Wagers
• Why You Should Ignore the Concept of "Due to Win
• The Impact of Continuous Shufflers and Why to Avoid Tables That Use Them
• How to Win Online Blackjack
• Expert Advice: How to Win at Blackjack Every Time

Let’s deal!

The Importance of Strategy in Blackjack

It seems like blackjack is a very simple game, and at the beginner level, it is. Once you start digging in a little bit, you will see that it gets more and more complex the deeper you go.

As you learn more about how to win at blackjack, you will start to realize that there can be a lot of strategy involved.

And that’s what this article is going to cover – blackjack secrets that will show you how to win at casino blackjack. 

Essential Rules and Game Mechanics

The object of blackjack is to get a higher total than the dealer, without going over 21.  

Casinos can choose their own rules for blackjack, and some are more liberal than others.

The casino makes their rules so that they are the most attractive to players while still keeping the game profitable for the casino. 

Here are the main rules that can affect the players opportunity to win (OTW). 

As you can see, for a game that typically has a House Advantage of about 0.75%, these rules can have a significant impact on your opportunity to win (OTW).  

Liberal Rules	Not Liberal Rules	Effect on Player OTW
Double Deck Game	No Double Deck, Only 6-deck Shoe	-0.21%
3 to 2 Blackjack Payout	No Double Deck, only 6-deck Shoe	-1.39%
Dealer Stands on Soft 17	Dealer Hits on Soft 17	-0.22%
Double Down on Any Two Cards	Double Down on 9, 10, 11 Only	-0.09%
Allowed to Double After a Split	Not Allowed to Double After a Split	-0.14%
Late Surrender	No Late Surrender	-0.07%

Obviously, you want to play a game with the most liberal rules.

Building Your Basic Strategy

In 1962, Ed Thorp, a math professor, published a book called ‘Beat The Dealer’.  It revolutionized the game of casino blackjack by introducing card counting to the world.  

One of the side effects was that we all became aware that there is a ‘correct’ way to play blackjack and it’s called ‘Basic Strategy’.  

In the 60 years since, Basic Strategy has been proven over and over again with billions of computer-simulated hands being played.

The Importance of Using a Strategy Card

You can download and learn more about the Basic Strategy card from our dedicated guide. This will give you the right play for any situation you may run into at the blackjack table.  

Key Basic Strategies 

The most important blackjack strategies are:

• Have the right strategy card for the number of decks and if the dealer hits a Soft 17
• Always stand with a hard 13 – 16 against a dealer’s 2 through 6
• Always split a pair of Aces and a pair of 8s
• Never split 5s or 10s
• Surrender is a viable strategy, don’t overlook it

Getting More from Your Casino Experience 

Now, aside from following the rules, there are other key recommendations that you can follow to maximize your winning odds:

Sign up for Casino Rewards Programs

So, what is a Rewards Program?  

The casino wants to keep its good players happy, and just like the airlines and major hotels, they offer a Rewards Program similar to a frequent flyer or hotel program. 

Rewards include:

• complementary food
• drinks
• hotel rooms (RF&B in the business) 

Some big players qualify for free or discounted airfare, golf, concert tickets (even at a different hotel), deep sea fishing trips, the Kentucky Derby and so on.

It’s really easy to sign up.  

Get Rated when You Play

Go to the Players Club desk, sign up (with a real ID – not your Costco card) and you will be issued with a Players Club card like this one from Caesar’s Entertainment, the company that owns Caesar’s Palace (and approximately fifty other casinos across the USA).

Use it every time you go to the casino.  Give it to the Dealer or Floorperson where you’re playing, and they will track your play.

Give it to the waitress in the restaurant where you eat or the front desk clerk at a Caesar’s property you stay at.

Best Loyalty Programs to Look For

The two best loyalty programs are generally regarded as being Caesar’s Rewards and the MGM Rewards program, which is called M-Life.

You can earn points at any of their properties and redeem them for rewards at any of their other properties.

How a Rewards Program Works

Casinos don’t publish the details of how their individual casino programs work, but based on the casinos I worked for at a management level, including having some say in the design of a couple of programs, here’s how the numbers work:

The program is based on theoretical win.  

What is ‘Theoretical Win’

Theo, as it’s called in the casino business, is calculated by multiplying the time you play, the amount you bet, and the House Advantage of the game you’re playing. 

It represents how much the casino would have won if the game won and lost at an even rate in the short term.  (But no game does that).

Let’s say you like to play blackjack with a 6-deck shoe. 

According to Peter Griffin’s excellent book, ‘The Theory of Blackjack’, the House Advantage against the average player on blackjack is 1.42%.

For easy math, we’re going to use 1% and an average bet of $200 a hand for 6 hours.  

The casino will have its own ‘hands per hour’ number, and 60 is a pretty standard number.  

60 x $200 x 1.0% x 6 = $720.

That represents the amount of Theoretical Win you have generated in your six hours of play.

Then the casino has its percentage returned to player – which can be anywhere from 10% to 60% or more. (This is based on the overall play and/or the game being played).

Let’s say the casino where you are playing returns 40% to players playing $200 a hand – because the more you play, the more they give you back.

That means that you’ve earned 40% of $720 as a comp value = $288

The casino will have reserved a large block of rooms at the hotel, and you qualify for one of them, plus a dinner for two at a mid-level restaurant.  It may be that you are on your own, so you probably qualify for a free round of gold, too.

That’s how it works.

Why do Casinos use Theo?

Casinos use Theo rather than actual because what if the player broke even?  What if they won a few thousand?  Would you deny them a comp, even though they put thousands into action? No, you certainly wouldn’t.

And sometimes they might lose a couple of thousand in a few minutes.  What then?  

Their play didn’t generate enough Theo using the standard formula to qualify for the comp they’ve asked for.  Now what? 

These days, most casinos have developed a guideline for just this scenario, and that is an award called ‘10% of actual loss’.  

Handling the Social Aspects: Ignoring Fellow Players and Avoiding Booze

There are lots of different personalities at a blackjack table. Many players think they know what they’re doing but in fact they really don’t. 

So just play your game.  

Have your strategy card with you and play perfect Basic Strategy, and you will always know you’re doing the right thing. 

And limit how much alcohol you drink. Most people think that their alcohol consumption doesn’t affect them very much.  Based on decades of experience, I can tell you that that is not true!

Do's and Don'ts for First-Time Blackjack Players

• Don’t take your credit and debit cards to the casino
• Decide how much you’re willing to lose, and how much you’re willing to win
• Stick to your budget
• If you’re losing, ignore the voice in your head that says, ‘It has to change’.  No it doesn’t!

What to Do and What Not to Do on Your First Games

• Practice online for free to get a feel for the game 
• Don’t be afraid to ask the dealer ‘what am I supposed to do with this’
• Get the correct strategy card and use it at the table
• Other players may say ‘you took the dealer’s card’.  No you didn’t, the game doesn’t work like that

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Don’t split 10s
• Don’t take Insurance
• Don’t adopt the ‘mimic the dealer strategy’
• Don’t chase your money if you’re losing
• Don’t ignore the Surrender option.  It can be your friend.

Advanced Betting and Gameplay Strategies 

There is no doubt that the best way to win at blackjack is to count cards.  

While it is difficult to be successful and most people who try don’t do very well, if you’re willing to put in the time and the work necessary, you can be successful. 

Using Betting Patterns to Your Advantage

There are some systems that seem to be effective, but there is only one that I believe can help you win.  

All the others seem to be a way to lose more slowly and some, like the Martingale, can get you in very deep very quickly.

The one I like is called the Paroli System.  It’s a positive progressive system. 

You may want to try to win three or five hands in a row.

This is not impossible and happens quite frequently.

The Martingale is a negative progression.  

When you lose, you double your bet so in theory, you have to win at some point, right?

Let’s say you lose five in a row. 

Your bets would be:

$25, $50, $100, $200, $400

Which is a total of $775.  And if you lose that last bet, now you must bet $800.

And you’re betting $800 to win $25.

And getting close to the table maximum of $1,000.

Too risky for my blood!

Why You Should Avoid Insurance Wagers

Insurance is a bet that you can make that the dealer will have a blackjack.  

You’re betting that the dealer’s hole card when he has an Ace up is going to be a 10-value card.

And it pays 2 to 1 if you’re right.

So why is it a bad bet?

There are 13 possible cards that might be the dealer’s hole card.

4 of them win for you, and 9 lose for you.

Which means your Insurance bet has a House Advantage tied to it of almost 6%.

Worse than the 5.26% HA on double zero roulette, one of the worst games in the casino.

That’s why you should never take the Insurance bet.

Having said that, there is one time when you might.  

If you’re close to your ‘I’m winning this much and then leaving’ amount, you may want to take the Insurance bet, take your winnings and leave.

Insurance is still not a good bet, but it might make sense to you in this type of situation. 

Why You Should Ignore the Concept of "Due to Win"

Ah yes, the ‘Gambler’s Fallacy’.  

This is a famous one, and it goes something like this:

‘I’ve lost 5 hands in a row, I have to win the next one’, or ‘Red has hit 6 times in a row, the next number has to be Black’.  

NO IT DOESN’T!

The fact is that the cards remaining in the shoe and the wheel and ball on Roulette have no clue whether you won your last hand (or five hands), or what number or color just hit.  And nor do they care.  The odds of you winning the next hand, or hitting Black are exactly the same for every hand or spin. 

The Impact of Continuous Shufflers and Why to Avoid Tables That Use Them

What is a Continuous Shuffle Machine (CSM)?  It’s a specific type of shuffler that allows the dealer to add the cards back into the decks being shuffled after each hand.  

They usually have five decks being continually shuffled, so the game runs much faster and doesn’t stop for the dealer to either shuffle by hand or change out the cards from the shuffle machine.

Every hand is like the first hand of a newly shuffled shoe, so there is no realistic opportunity to count the cards.

From a casino’s ‘how do I stop card counters?’ point of view, it truly is the greatest thing since Spotify, and it increases their ‘hands per hour’ count, which increases their win as well.

For the casino, what’s not to like? 

But how is it for the players?

Of course, the card counters don’t like the machines because they can’t count against them.

Many players don’t like CSMs because they feel that there is something intrinsically wrong with a shuffle machine that never stops shuffling.

Lots of players simply don’t care what shuffler is being used; many don’t even realize it’s a continuous shuffler.

How to Win Online Blackjack 

First, let’s explore the differences between online and live blackjack:

Online Blackjack	Live Casino Blackjack
So convenient, you don’t have to leave home	Must get dressed and travel to the casino
Don’t have to interact with anyone	There are other players you have to deal with
Don’t need cash, can load funds directly from your bank account	Generally have to have cash to buy in
Can play for short time if you feel like it	Need to allocate more time to include travel
Usually offer bonuses for signing up and buying in, sometimes VIP points, too	No signup or buy in bonuses, and nothing extra until you get to a higher minimum bet
Can’t count cards because every hand is like the first hand of a new shoe	Can count the shoe down
Offer lower minimums with more liberal rules	Have to search for a game with liberal rules at a minimum you like
Live dealer games online offer a more realistic casino-type immersive experience	Live dealer online games generally have higher minimums and less liberal rules
Game is dealt at your pace, faster or slower	Game may be slowed down by inexperienced dealer or other players
Can play for free to practice	Can’t play for free except as a bonus

Strategies for Winning at Online Blackjack

Because it’s impossible to count cards playing online blackjack, the strategy for winning falls back on playing perfect Basic Strategy and employing a progressive system such as the Paroli or Martingale system.  

Check out my dedicated blackjack strategy article to discover the most popular systems that may help you improve your chances of winning.  

Of all the systems, I like the Paroli system the best.  

With a live dealer online, the game is usually played from a 6-deck shoe, so it is possible to count the cards. 

Expert Advice: How to Win at Blackjack Every Time

The short answer is there is no way to win at blackjack every time.  The best way to swing the odds in your favor is to learn how to count cards.  

And even if you count cards, you’re still not going to win every time.  

But what you are going to do is to change the advantage in your favor.  

So over the long term, if you count well, you should be winning.

Failing that, here are some pointers for how to play a strong game:

• Play Basic Strategy.  It’s okay to have a Basic Strategy card on the table to refer to
• Make sure you’re playing a game that pays 3 to 2 for blackjack, and the dealer stands on Soft 17
• Always split Aces and 8s
• Join the Rewards Club and use your card every time you play
• Don’t ever take Insurance, and avoid the side bets

Sticking to Betting Limits and Managing your Bankroll

As I said earlier, you must have an amount that you’re willing to lose before you start to play.  

Perhaps more importantly, you need to have an amount that you’re willing to win, too.

And stick to both.  

Give yourself a realistic number.  You’re not going to win $5,000 from a $100 buy-in.  

Doubling your money is doable – perhaps that’s a good place to aim for. 

Once you get to your ‘I’m going to quit when I’m winning $X’ number, you must quit. 

How many times have you or your friends said ‘Oh man, I was winning a lot and gave it all back’?  

Conclusion: From Beginner to Blackjack Pro

There you have it, the way to be a successful blackjack player.

1. Learn to count cards
2. Learn Basic Strategy, and make sure you use it
3. If you’re going to use a system, I recommend the Paroli.  It won’t guarantee a winning session, but it will certainly help
4. Try to find a double deck table, with a game that pays 3 to 2 for a blackjack, where the dealer stands on a Soft 17, and the game offers Late Surrender.

We have many articles that can help you improve your game, written by experts. 

You can discover the Academy to read the complete set of articles that will help you learn how to play, and how to play like an expert.

And hopefully, Lady Luck will have her head on your shoulder next time you go to play.