Back
Learn How To Win At Blackjack With Our Blackjack Tips | LeoVegas

How to win at blackjack: Best Blackjack Tips

Everyone wants to know how to win blackjack. Well, we’ve got the answers. However, before we give you the best blackjack strategy tips for beginners, it’s important to address a fundamental point about all other casino games too.

Table of Contents:

Despite what some people might tell you, nothing is guaranteed in gambling. The nature of all casino games, including blackjack, is that no single strategy can guarantee you a positive result. Even if we give you some tips on how to win at blackjack, you need to understand that they aren’t foolproof.

The following tips can help reduce the house edge (i.e. the casino’s advantage), but that doesn’t mean you’ll make a profit each time you play. So, while the tips show you how to win at blackjack in most casinos, in a general sense, they aren’t magic bullets. But if you use them wisely, you’ll become a better blackjack player and maximize your potential each time you play.

PLAY BLACKJACK ONLINE

Learn How to Use Basic Blackjack Strategy

The first big step in learning how to win at blackjack is basic strategy. Blackjack is a showdown between you and the dealer. This showdown involves playing cards and two main moves: hit or stand. These variables give you a certain amount of control. That’s important because certain moves are mathematically better than others.

They’re mathematically better because, over thousands of hands, they’ll produce a better result than the counter move. An easy way to demonstrate this is if you have two cards dealt a starting total of 20. In this scenario, standing is better than hitting. Why? Because any card other than an ace will cause you to bust. So, in this example, standing will result in more wins than losses over time.

We can apply this line of thinking to all situations at the blackjack table. That’s where basic blackjack strategy comes in. There are mathematically superior moves in perfect blackjack strategy in certain situations. These situations depend on the value of your hand and the dealer’s up card. There are charts you can use to determine when you should hit, stand, split and double down.

As a general rule, you should stand on any total of 12 or more when the dealer’s up card is weak. Weak cards for the dealer are 4, 5, and 6. They’re weak because the dealer's upcard has to hit on any total of 16 or lower. Those up cards mean the dealer will have to hit at least once. Moreover, because they could produce fairly high scores (such as 16), hitting is risky. Therefore, the blackjack basic strategy suggests that it’s better to stand and put the dealer at risk when their up card is weak.

Don't Play Insurance

Insurance might sound appealing but it’s not a winning blackjack strategy. Insurance side bets pay 2:1 if the dealer is showing an ace and hits blackjack. However, the number of times you pay this extra bet versus the number of times the dealer hits blackjack doesn’t add up. You’ll lose this extra insurance bet more times than you win. This eats into your overall profit/loss.

Check the Dealer's Up Card

Very few novices think about the dealer’s card when they’re learning how to win at blackjack. That’s because they assume only their total matters. It doesn’t. As we’ve explained, the basic blackjack strategy is based on your cards and the dealer’s up card. When they’re strong, it’s probably best to hit. When they’re weak, it’s probably best to stand. You can only know if the dealer is strong or weak by checking their up card.

Learn How to Count Cards in Blackjack

Card counting is an advanced technique in single deck blackjack that’s beyond the scope of this guide on how to win at blackjack. However, if you’re mathematically minded, card counting allows you to determine whether the undealt decks contain more high-value cards or low-value cards. A deck with the same value but more high-value cards is in your favour, so it can be a good idea to increase the size of your bets.

Bet Smart and Manage Your Bankroll

This tip won’t necessarily tell you how to win at blackjack, but it’s the most important one on this list. Bankroll management is a cornerstone of the blackjack game and any betting strategy. It means you shouldn’t risk more than you can afford. For clarity, your bankroll should be money you could afford to lose if everything went wrong.

You should use no more than 5% of half your bet bankroll in betting patterns a single session. The size of your bets should be based on the amount of money you take into a game. As a general rule, each bet should be no more than 5% of the money you’ve got at the table.

Learn About Progressive Betting Strategies for Blackjack Games

Progressive betting systems are used by gamblers and bettors who want to use a straightforward, basic betting strategy that can help increase profits. The concept of these strategies is about adjusting the bet size amount of the wager depending on the previous result. Here are the pros and cons of progressive betting systems:

Pros:

  • Easy to learn
  • Can help with risk management when adequately used
  • Can take advantage of a winning streak

Cons:

  • No betting system guarantees players will make a profit
  • Predominantly suited to high rolling players
  • Potential for significant losses
  • Can lead to chasing losses
  • Can be ineffective and lead to losses

Some examples of progressive blackjack strategies are The Martingale System and Paroli System

Don't Split a Winning Hand

Always take a win. Beating the dealer isn’t easy, or even money, so don’t split a potentially winning hand and risk losing. Specifically, if you have a strong total, such as 20, don’t split it unless the dealer's hand is weak.

Learn When to Double Down

Doubling down can be a great way to press home advantage when you’re strong and the dealer is weak. Knowing when to double down requires an understanding of basic strategy and checking the dealer’s up card. The general rule for doubling down is when you have a starting total of 10 or 11 and the dealer is face down and showing a 4, 5, or 6.

Check the Player’s and Dealer’s Odds

Knowing whether or not the odds are in your favour can be a huge advantage in blackjack. Basic strategy is based on the odds, so following basic strategy chart or a stand/hit chart is the easiest way to know when you’re weak or strong. Alternatively, you can use a blackjack calculator to run hand matchups. This will show you when the odds favour you or the dealer in common situations.

Use Free Blackjack Practice Games

.Play online blackjack for free whenever you can. Blackjack is a fairly easy game to learn but mastering certain strategies can be tricky. Our free blackjack tables offer full functionality without the cost. You can’t win cash prizes, but you can place bets live dealer blackjack, and practice the strategies contained in this guide on how to win at blackjack.

Learn When to Hit or Stand

You can’t learn how to win at blackjack if you don’t know when to hit or stand. Ultimately winning at blackjack, the decision is yours. However, there are situations right blackjack game where one move is mathematically better than another. We’ve explained this in our first tip about basic strategy, but the point here is that you need to know when it’s best to hit and when it’s best to stand.

Some situations will be obvious. For example, if you’ve got 20 and the dealer shows he has a 6, it’s an easy call to stand. If you’ve got a 9 and the dealer is showing a 10, hitting is the best strategy. However, it’s situations where you’ve got a 17 and the dealer is showing a 7 that are tricky. For these situations, you can use a basic blackjack strategy chart.

Check the Winning Hands: Know the Difference Between Soft and Hard Hands

Blackjack hands can be hard or soft. Hands that contain an ace are described as soft. They’re soft totals because an ace can be worth 1 or 11. Therefore, if you’re dealt Ace + 7, it can be worth 8 or 18. You could hit in this situation, get a 9 and the total would be 8 + 9 = 17. A hard total is a hand without an ace, which means its value is fixed.

Don't Stand on Your Soft 17

17 is a strong total in most situations unless it’s soft. As we’ve just explained, it’s impossible to go for dealer busts when you’ve got a soft total. Therefore, it can be a good idea to hit on soft 17 to improve your total.

This could be considered a higher-risk play because you’ve already got a strong total and there aren’t a lot of cards that will improve it with a single hit. However, if you’re willing to make big moves, hitting on soft 17 isn’t a bad idea.

Use Blackjack Betting Strategy

A multitude of betting strategies are used right blackjack strategy, created to increase the chances in the player's favour, much like the "basic blackjack strategy." The majority of these strategies use positive or negative progressive sequencing, which entails increasing or decreasing wagers based on the results of the dealer stands previous hand. The "Martingale" and "Paroli" blackjack techniques both use this methodology.

Don’t Overuse the Surrender

Surrender is available in certain types of blackjack. This option allows you to fold a starting hand and receive 50% of your original bet back. This can be a smart move in certain situations. For example, if your starting total is 13 and the dealer is showing a 10, the odds aren’t in your favour. This can be a good spot to surrender. However, don’t make a habit of surrendering too much because it will cost you money. Why? Because you can still win even if your starting hand is weak.

Check How Many Blackjack Decks Are Used

Tables with fewer decks are generally better for blackjack players than more decks. Single of blackjack strategies and double deck blackjack games have a lower house advantage and make card counting easier. However, most blackjack variations available in online casinos are multiple deck blackjack games.

Use Live Casino Bonuses

The final way to improve your potential when you play blackjack online is to claim as many bonuses as possible. We run new promotions every week, so take advantage of them. Our live casino prize drops and golden chip offers are some of the best promos for playing blackjack. You can get these bonuses and more when you join LeoVegas today.

Have Fun

Learning how to win at blackjack is great, but it all counts for nothing if you don’t enjoy the game. LeoVegas is a fun place to play. Embrace this ethos. Learn how to accept the ups and downs of online blackjack. If you see how to win blackjack now, great. If you lose, don’t stress about it. As long as you’re sticking to the rules of bankroll management, you can have fun whatever the result.

Winning at Blackjack FAQ

Can I win consistently at blackjack?

While it's possible to win consistently at blackjack, the game's inherent house edge means that the casino will always have an advantage in the long run. Skilled players, however, can reduce the casino advantage house edge and achieve consistent wins.

Are there any guaranteed strategies to win?

There are no guaranteed strategies to win at blackjack, as it remains a game of chance. However, employing optimal strategies, managing bet money in your bankroll wisely, and understanding the game's intricacies can significantly increase your chances of winning.

How does the number of decks used affect the game?

The number of decks used in blackjack affects the house edge and the game's overall difficulty. Generally, the fewer decks in play, the lower the house edge, making it more favourable for players. Single-deck games require different strategies compared to games with multiple decks.

Learn more about blackjack and other casino games in our guides: