This very old betting system, which originated in France as early as the 18th century, states that a player who has a relatively high balance can prevent a loss by doubling his bet whenever he loses. It was originally developed for roulette, but has since been applied to many other areas, including the stock market.
You will always see players at the blackjack table using the Martingale system and doubling their bets after losses. This betting strategy is considered sound and can recoup all your losses with a single win. However, you can lose a lot of money if you have a bad streak and get a lot of bad cards. So if you are not a high roller, it might pay to take smaller losses.
However, this betting system comes with its own set of risks. If you play online blackjack and the table has a betting limit, you can’t recoup your losses on a losing streak. Another obstacle is if you have a small and limited balance.
Oscars Grind Blackjack Betting System
The inventor of Oscar’s Grind System was, unsurprisingly, a craps player named Oscar. The application of this strategy is simple. The player must first bet the table minimum. The goal is to make a profit with this bet, then the ball starts rolling. If you win your first hand, your next bet should be of the same value.
However, if you lose your first hand, you should place the minimum bet again. If you win on the second hand, you should double your next bet and on each subsequent winning hand. Repeat this until you have a total win equal to the minimum bet. Then the whole thing starts all over again.
The advantage of this system is that it helps you to keep your balance stable even during longer sessions. If you stay patient and stick to the system, it is very difficult to lose a lot of money with this betting system.
Some players swear that playing multiple hands increases the chances of winning. Playing more at once may increase the excitement, but it hardly increases your winning frequency.
Many of these betting systems fall under the term “progressive betting”. Although these are preferred betting systems for many players, it is of course fine to bet the same amount on each hand. This may sound boring to some, but success will prove you right when you see that it works. It’s also always perfectly fine to develop your own strategy.
In online blackjack, when it comes to meeting the wagering requirements of a casino bonus, the blackjack strategy changes somewhat. If you don’t know any strategies yet or don’t have much experience with them, you can take a look at our Basic Strategy here. It will guarantee you the best start in the game.
If you have already acquired a Blackjack strategy, you will be amazed at how it can change.
The best Blackjack strategy for turnover conditions
We want to show you how even a simple decision to double down can change in this case. If you want to know whether you should double down with a nine against the dealer’s two, you need to consider how much money you can win with this relatively high card value. You also need to be aware that if you are dealt a two or three next, you are giving up the opportunity to hit.
If you double up with a nine against a two and then get a two, it looks bad for you. This is a situation where such bold decisions can change depending on the number of decks in play. If you are playing with a single or double deck, it makes sense to double the nine against the deuce, as one of the deuces is already out of the deck. So there is much less chance of getting another deuce and doubling makes sense.
If you are playing with three decks, it is also a good idea to double with a Nine against a Deuce. If you hold a Seven and a Deuce, two Deuces are already gone from the deck and the game. However, if you are playing with four decks or more, it would be better to hit instead of double in the same situation.
Using the percentage probabilities, it becomes clearer. If you get a nine against the dealer’s two, you have a 7.85% advantage over the house when hitting. In monetary terms, this means that if you bet $100, you will make an average profit of $7.85.
When doubling down with four decks, your expected profit is around $7.45. What you have to remember is that if you expect to win $7.85, you will have to play an additional $100 hand. The cost of this hand has a house edge of 0.50%. This additional hand brings a negative return of $0.50 with regard to the turnover requirements. For both hands, the profit is therefore $7.35.
- If you use casino bonuses with turnover requirements, you have to act as follows:
- If you have nine points against a two: Double down on four decks or less.
- If you hold an ace and a seven against a two: double up
- If you hold an ace against a six and a deuce: double
- If you hold eight points against a six: Double in a two-deck game with a five and a three. Do not double if you have a six and a two.
- If you hold eleven points against an ace: Double in a two-deck game
- It is always useful to use a Basic Strategy for turnover conditions, which is different from a normal strategy without turnover conditions.