The foundations of mastering blackjack are memorizing the rules and knowing when to hit or stand. Beyond that, each hand of blackjack can feel random and arbitrary. That’s where betting systems come in. These wagering strategies provide guidance on how to place bets in hopes of averaging out wins and losses over the course of an extended play session.
Betting systems are useful both for in-person blackjack tables and for online blackjack in Canada. Next play session, give one of these top betting systems a try to hopefully improve your blackjack payout.
Betting in Blackjack
To start, it’s important to review the betting side of how to play blackjack. There are only a few kinds of payouts under traditional blackjack rules:
| Outcome | Explanation | Payout |
| Win | The player has a winning hand | Pays 1:1 |
| Lose | Dealer has a winning hand | The bet is lost |
| Tie (Push) | Players and the dealer have equal-value hands | Bet is returned |
| Natural Blackjack | Player is dealt an Ace and a 10 | Pays 3:2 |
At most, basic gameplay can pay 2x the initial bet, before accounting for any blackjack side bets. Betting systems are designed around these basic bets. While a betting system cannot increase the maximum payout of a given hand or avoid losing the bet with a poor hand, they help account for the randomness of blackjack.
How Betting Systems Work in Blackjack
Any betting system offers a set of guidelines for how much to bet. To start, pick a default bet and wager that much on the first hand. Depending on whether the hand is a win or a loss, the betting system will recommend either increasing the next bet (as a multiple of the default bet) or returning to the default bet.
There are two kinds of betting systems: negative progression and positive progression. The first dictates larger bets after losses, and the latter dictates larger bets after wins. Negative progression systems try to claw back to net neutral after losses put players in the red. Positive progression systems want to build on success by primarily betting money won with past wins.
Do Blackjack Betting Systems Work?
Betting systems can seem too good to be true, and oftentimes, they are. Using math to average out wins and losses only works with deep pockets to continue placing large bets, with the possibility of losing that bet always on the table.
A betting system can’t prevent irresponsible gambling decisions. The best online blackjack tip is always not to overspend and be careful to only bet money that is safe to lose.
But in cases where a winning or losing streak hasn’t hit, a betting system is a great blackjack strategy that can help achieve consistent results. Just be prepared to walk away from the table with a negative balance if the losses stack up too quickly.
Most Popular Blackjack Betting Systems
Here are some of the most commonly used online casino betting systems. Plenty of pro blackjack players have tried their hand at these systems.
With each of these systems, choose a default bet to start out with.
Martingale System
Probably the best-known online blackjack betting strategy, the Martingale system is a negative progression system. After a win, the next bet is equal to the default bet. But after a loss, the next bet is double the previous bet.
Each bet with the Martingale system is meant to recoup all previous losses with a single lucky hand. It’s not hard to imagine how this could go poorly, with exponential losses as each bet doubles. The trick is to set a budget and a win limit, to determine when to step away from the blackjack table, win or lose.
Paroli System
The Paroli betting system looks similar to the Martingale strategy on paper, but Paroli is a positive progression system. After a loss, the next bet is equal to the default bet. On the flipside, each win doubles the next bet.
With some luck, after the first winning hand, players will only be betting their winnings plus the initial default bet. Riskier bets only put net earnings on the line, and once luck runs out, the system resets back to the safe default bet.
1-3-2-6 System
This is another positive progression system. Instead of multiplying the default bet as long as a winning streak continues, the system prescribes a very specific sequence of bets. The first hand should be equal to the default bet, then after a win, 3x the default, then 2x the default, then 6x the default, then back to the beginning at 1x. Any loss also resets back to the default bet.
Fans of this system appreciate that no matter how far along in the sequence, any loss results in an overall net gain. Of course, multiple losses can still drain the budget. But the 1-3-2-6 system nicely minimizes risk.
