Best Progressive Betting For Blackjack

Best Progressive Blackjack Variations. If you want to enjoy a classic game of blackjack and test your chances of winning a huge jackpot, then you can head to several online casinos that will present you some of the best progressive blackjack variations. Here you can learn about the 1-3-2-6 betting system. This is a straightforward system that aims to return decent profits with relatively minimal risk. We show you how to use it, what makes it a good system to use, and whether or not it’ll work for you. Progressive Blackjack Betting Strategy. As a result of the rules modifications that can be found in this variation, there is no single game strategy. Nevertheless, the most commonly played Progressive Blackjack variation is the one with six decks of cards, where the dealer does not peek for a blackjack and the player can double after splitting.

By Henry Tamburin
One of the most often asked questions from players about blackjack strategy, is 'how should I bet?' You've got several options and I'll discuss them in this article and offer my recommendation.

Flat Bet Blackjack Strategy

This means betting the same amount all the time. Most players don't like to bet this way because they figure if the dealer wins more hands then them they'll never win any money. Also players feel it's boring betting this way. They prefer the thrill of sometimes betting more in the hopes that when they do so, they will win the hand and make a nice profit.

Here are the facts on the flat betting blackjack strategy. If you bet say $5 on every hand in a standard multiple deck game the house will have an edge of 0.5% against the skilled basic strategy player. That means you will lose on average 0.5% of every wager you make. So if you bet $10 on every hand and average 80 hands per hour you will have made a total of $800 worth of bets. The casino expects to earn 0.5% of the $800 or $4.00. Of course the more likely result is that you'll win or lose much more than $4 after an hour of play. But on average you can expect over time to lose at the rate of $4 per hour.

Let's take an example of a player flat betting $10 on every hand. It's is a conservative betting strategy that leads to a relatively low theoretical loss rate. The fluctuation in this player's bankroll will also be low which means the likelihood he'll have a big winning or losing session is not great.

Progressive Betting Blackjack Strategy

This is where things get interesting. The Progressive betting blackjack strategy is when players vary their bets in some way from one hand to the next rather than always betting the same amount on every hand. There are all different types of betting progressions but they all have one common denominator. You either decrease or increase your next bet depending upon whether the hand you just played won or lose.

Win progressions encourage you to increase your bet size after a winning hand. For example you make a minimum bet of $10 and if you win, you raise your next stakes on next hand to $20.

There are all different kinds of win progressions. The most common is a 1-2-3-5 progression. This means you increase your bet by the above multiples after each winning hand but as soon as you experience a loss, you start the progression over with a 1 unit bet.

Proponents of win progressions will tell you that you'll win more money if you win 5 consecutive hands compared to the amount you lose if you lose 5 consecutive hands. Of course what they don't tell you is that you never know when that 5 consecutive winning hand streak will occur.

There are also betting progressions in which you increase your bet following a loss. These Martingale type betting progression are dangerous and you should never consider using them.

There is also hybrid betting progressions, which have you increase your bets following a win, but after two or three success wins you lock up some profit and gradually regress your bets. The creativity of progressive bettors is never ending.

First of all, blackjack strategy for betting progressions do not change the 0.5% house edge one iota. There has never been a correlation between the hand just won (or lost) and you chance of winning the next hand. In other words using the criteria of the result of one hand (W/L) to base how you bet on the next hand has no scientific validity. So betting progressions in the long run don't work in the sense that they won't improve your long-term chances of winning.

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But here's what betting progressions will do. First off they increase the fluctuation in your session bankroll compared to flat betting. This means you can win more using a betting progression compared to flat betting but you can also lose more. Secondly, betting progressions will increase the amount of money you wager per hour compared to flat betting. If a $10 bettor uses a 1-2-3-5 betting progression, his average bet will $20. Over an hour he will average $20 times 80 hands or $1600 worth of bets. The casinos expected win is 0.5% of $1600 or $8. In other words a $10 progressive bettor stands to lose twice as much per hour as a $10 flat bettor.

Here's a tip to save you some money in the long run if you insist on using a betting progression. Instead of starting your progression at $10, start at a lower amount (ie. $5). This will reduce your average bet to $10 per hour and cut you hourly theoretical loss rate in half.

But in the long run flat betting and betting progressions don't work in the sense they won't change the house edge against you and you will lose in the long run. So what betting system works? That my friends is card counting.

Betting When You Have The Edge (Card Counting)

With card counting you know when you have the edge based on the change in the composition of the decks and therefore you'll know when it's the right time to bet more. So unlike betting progressions that are based on whether you win or lose the previous hands, card counting is based on the mix of cards that were played on previous hands. If more small value cards were played in previous rounds, there are more big value cards left in the unplayed cards and the edge shifts from dealer to player. This would be the best time to bet more.

But I'm realist. Not a whole lot of average blackjack players have the time or mental concentration during play that is required to master one of the popular point count card counting systems. These are readily available in blackjack books. But even though millions of blackjack books have been sold since Ed Thorp's classic book, Beat The Dealer (circa 1962) first revealed card counting to the masses, the number of players who can successful win money in the long run at blackjack number in the hundreds and thousands.

Progressive Betting System Blackjack

So what's the answer to betting at blackjack for the average player? I asked Don Pronovost that same question about four years ago. Don is a software developer that markets blackjack training software. He spent the better part of two years and a trillion computer simulated hands looking for the solution to this dilemma. What he developed is Speed Count.

Speed Count is unlike any conventional card counting system. It's much simpler to master and requires much less concentration when you play. And unlike progressive betting systems, Speed Count will give you a verifiable advantage over the casino You can read about Speed Count in Frank Scoblete’s book, Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution.

Now that you know the scoop on betting at blackjack, I wish you many aces and faces the next time you play.

Henry Tamburin has been a respected casino gambling writer for the past 50 years. He is the author of the Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide and was editor of the Blackjack Insider newsletter. You can read his latest articles on blackjack, video poker, and his personal playing experiences at https://www.888casino.com/blog/writers/henry-tamburin

With the emergence of online casinos, gambling buffs have the chance to win themselves huge progressive jackpots without stepping out of their homes. Back in the day when the first virtual casinos went online, progressive jackpots were reserved exclusively for slot fans. This is no longer the case thanks to leading casino software studios like Playtech, WGS Technology, and Microgaming that have launched online blackjack variants with progressives pots just waiting to be won.

1. Bonus
   $600
2. Bonus
   $199
3. Bonus
   $350

These enormous prizes give the traditional game of blackjack an exciting twist and are available across many prominent casinos on the internet that use the platforms of the above-mentioned software suppliers. All you have to do is create a real-money account, make a deposit, and take your chances at winning the progressive prize. In this article, we explain how progressive blackjack works and introduce you to three of the most popular variants of 21 where you can win yourself a nice jackpot.

Progressive Blackjack – How Does It Work?

Progressive blackjack games follow the same rules as the standard variations of the classic card game. The players’ objective is again to obtain a hand total higher than the dealer’s. The only difference here is these blackjack games are linked to a progressive jackpot network. All participating players can contribute to the growing pot with optional side bets so the prize keeps increasing until someone is lucky enough to bag it.

Once the progressive jackpot is won, it resets and starts accumulating all over again, usually from a fixed amount called a seed. This seed amount is normally provided by the game’s software supplier and serves as an incentive for players to start betting again after the jackpot is won. Some online progressive blackjack games start seeding at $10,000, others at $50,000. The interface of each progressive game features a jackpot meter where the current amount of the jackpot is displayed.

Progressive Blackjack Additional TipsOther than that, progressive blackjack uses the same interface and gameplay as the standard online variants of 21. You choose your preferred chip denomination and click on your betting box to place a wager. Then you hit the Deal button to have your cards dealt and play out your hand as you normally would, having a choice from the usual playing options of standing, hitting, splitting, buying insurance, and doubling.

If you beat the dealer, the amount you have won is instantly credited to your real-money balance. The games operate on random number generators, which ensures unbiased results and equal chances of winning the pot for everyone.

Main Bets and Side Bets in Progressive Blackjack Games

Depending on the software developer supplying the game, players may be required to post a side bet to qualify for potentially winning the progressive prize. This bet is in no way linked to their main bet and has no effect on the odds of them winning a hand. Each time a player posts the side bet, it is added to the pot so that it keeps on growing until somebody wins.

The side bet is small in size, usually no more than $1 or the equivalent in the currency the player uses. It pays out for certain combinations of cards but the exact combination again depends on the software supplier. In Microgaming’s version of progressive blackjack, the pot hits when you obtain a specific hand of 7s whereas Playtech’s variation awards a portion of the pot or the whole pot for given combinations of suited and unsuited Aces.

Main Bets and Side Bets in Progressive Blackjack Games Additional TipsIt is worth mentioning that making the side bet is not obligatory. You can skip on that and play the game as you would play any standard blackjack variation. However, if you obtain the card combination that triggers the jackpot, the prize will not be awarded to you without the side bet. A winning hand will return the standard low payout instead.

The payouts for the regular winning hands are the same as those in standard blackjack variants. Blackjacks award the usual payout of 3 to 2 while all other non-busted winning hands pay even money. Insurance, which is another side bet, is also offered when the virtual dealer’s exposed card is an Ace. Assuming the dealer’s hole card has a value of ten, the insurance side bet wins at odds of 2 to 1.

One important thing worth bearing in mind is that progressive blackjack games usually have an outrageous house edge which is significantly higher than that in normal variants of 21. The return to player in progressive blackjack changes in parallel with the constantly growing jackpot.

The pot needs to exceed a certain amount in order for the side bet to become a break-even wager. In many cases, the jackpot hits before the said break-even point is reached so you basically end up playing a game with a higher house edge in vain. In some instances, the edge is as high as that of the lottery.

Best Online Blackjack Games with Progressive Pots

Unlike reel spinners, blackjack mavens do not have as many options when it comes to playing progressive variations of their favorite game. There are but a few blackjack games attached to progressive networks at the moment and we have hand-picked the three that offer the best playing experience and decent enough rules.

Progressive Blackjack by Playtech

Playtech’s is easily our favorite progressive blackjack variation particularly in terms of visual presentation and gameplay. Its appeal is further boosted by the fact it yields an average progressive prize of more than $170,000. This is an S17 hole-card game which plays with six standard decks.

Players can double on any two-card total after the initial deal and split any pair of identically ranked cards. Doubling down after you split is possible but re-splitting is not permitted. The virtual dealer peeks and offers insurance against an exposed Ace at the usual odds of 2 to 1.

Real-money players qualify for winning the progressive jackpot after placing the $1 side bet. The side bet is successful when you get dealt one or more Aces. You can see the progressive payouts listed below:

• One Ace pays 5x the initial bet
• Two unsuited Aces pay 50x the initial bet
• Two suited Aces pay 100x the original bet
• Three unsuited Aces pay 250x the initial stake
• Four unsuited Aces pay 2,500 the initial stake
• Three suited Aces pay 5,000x your original bet
• Four suited Aces award the full progressive jackpot amount

Note that these prizes are awarded only of the Aces are dealt consecutively on a given hand. Players who are eyeing the progressive pot should adjust their strategy a little bit and refrain from splitting Aces when they post the side bet. The odds of receiving four suited Aces in a six-deck game are not in your favor, though. The likelihood of this happening stands at 1 in 6.45 million. The side bet offers positive expectation after the pot exceeds the amount of $581,000.

Progressive Triple Sevens Blackjack by Microgaming

Microgaming is one of the oldest developers of quality casino content in this industry, so it makes sense it was also the first studio to introduce a progressive blackjack game to the online gambling community. The game in question is called Triple Sevens Blackjack, uses five decks of cards, and requires the dealer to stand on soft 17. You can split only once and double down on initial totals of 9 through 11 but doubling after a split is not an option.

The progressive jackpot is again triggered with the help of a small ($1) optional side bet. To win the whole prize or a portion of it, the player must receive one of the qualifying combinations of 7s. Here are the progressive payouts for this game:

• Any 7 awards $5
• Two unsuited 7s award $25
• Two suited 7s award $50
• Three consecutive unsuited 7s return a payout of $250
• Three 7s of spades, clubs or hearts award $1,000
• Three 7s of diamonds award the full progressive jackpot

More experienced blackjack players probably know that basic strategy stipulates they must split a pair of 7s against small dealer upcards like 4, 5, or 6. Splitting your 7s, however, is counterproductive in this progressive blackjack variant, particularly when you post the side bet. This pair automatically rewards you either with a $25 payout for off-suit 7s or with a $50 payout for suited 7s. So you will have to deviate from basic strategy if you are shooting for the progressive pot.

This Microgaming creation awards an average win of nearly $74,000 which drops roughly once every fourteen months. The side bet gives you positive expectation once the progressive prize exceeds $109,000.

Progressive Blackjack by WGS Technology

WGS Technology (formerly Vegas Technology) may not be as big as suppliers the likes of Microgaming and Playtech, but it still delivers an incredibly playable progressive blackjack variation where you can win big. This S17 game is available in demo mode in some casinos that use the WGS software so you can easily test it in advance before you try to take the big pot down with real bets.

It uses four decks and features an elegant visual design which further increases the enjoyment of playing it. To stand a chance of winning the progressive prize, you must place a $1 chip as a side bet alongside your main wager. The jackpot is again triggered when the player is dealt several consecutive Aces. Check the payouts below:

Progressive Blackjack Betting Strategy

• Two unsuited Aces pay out $25
• Two suited Aces pay out $50
• Three unsuited Aces award a payout of $250
• Three suited Aces return a payout of $2,500
• Four unsuited Aces award 10% of the progressive prize
• Four suited Aces award the full progressive jackpot amount

Best Progressive Betting For Blackjack Free

Of course, placing the side bet is not obligatory, you can choose to play WGS’ progressive blackjack as a regular game of 21. Underbankrolled players can start experimenting with the side bet when it approaches positive expectation, which happens when the pot reaches $285,000 or so.