Best Blackjack Strategies to Win Online in 2025

Blackjack is a card game available in online and land-based casinos. It’s low house edge of about 0.5% makes it an appealing game in casino lobbies. This classic game is a blend of luck and skill. Using the right strategy will help you play a smarter game and ultimately increase your winning potential.

In this article, we will be looking at the best blackjack strategies to improve your chances of winning, and also a few tips from our blackjack experts. Continue reading to find out more.

Basic Blackjack Strategies

The foundational principles for how to play blackjack power the basic blackjack strategies. They’re not as complex as the advanced blackjack strategies, making them appropriate for novice players. Although, seasoned blackjack players know the value of embracing the basics.

Let’s examine the repertoire of basic blackjack strategies below:

Surrender

This allows players to hand their cards back to the dealer. In turn, they receive half of their bet.

When should you surrender?

• When you have a hard 16.
• When you hold a hard 15 against the dealer’s 10.

Split

This means that a player is allowed to split his hand when he holds two cards of equal value.

• Split Aces and 8’s
• Never Split 4’s, 5’s, and 10’s

Double Down

This means that a player can double their bet to receive one more card from the dealer.

When should you double down?

• Hard 9 vs dealer’s 3,4,5 or 6.
• Hard 10 vs dealer’s 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 or 9.
• Hard 11 vs any dealer’s upcard.
• Soft 16,17,18 vs dealer’s bust cards.

Hit

This means that the dealer deals another card to the player.

When should you hit?

• Hit on 9,10,11 vs any dealer’s card.
• Hit on soft 13,14,15,16,17,18 or 19 vs any dealer’s upcard.

Stand

This means that players no longer request cards from the dealer.

When should you stand?

• Stand on hard 12 vs 4,5 or 6.
• Stand on hard, 13,14,15, or 16 vs dealer’s 2,3,4,5 or 6.

✅ Basic Blackjack Strategy Chart

The basic blackjack strategy chart is easy to understand. Here’s an example of a basic blackjack chart.

✅ Blackjack Glossary

There are certain terms in blackjack that players must get familiar with. Take a look at a few of them below.

• Black chip: A $100 chip.
• Brown chip: A $5000 chip.
• Bust card: A card that is a result of a dealer or player’s hand exceeding 21.
• Green chip: A $25 chip.
• Half shoe: Occurs when the dealer cuts the shoe in half.
• Hard hand: A hard hand is without an Ace or with an Ace with a value of 1.
• Purple chip: Also called Barney chip. A $500 chip.
• Red chip: A $5 chip.
• Shoe: A gaming device used to hold multiple-deck cards.
• Soft Hand: Hand with an Ace scoring 11, but you can’t bust if you hit.
• True Card: Count per deck.
• Third Base: The final player at the table.
• Upcard: The dealer’s first card which is always dealt upwards.
• Yellow chip: Also called Pumpkin chip. A $1000 chip.

Abbreviations in Blackjack

Advanced Blackjack Strategies to Win Online

The advanced blackjack strategies are a bit more complex than the basic strategies. These tactics can be employed when playing Blackjack Switch or other versions. But they are easy to understand and implement once you learn the ropes. Below are some of the top advanced blackjack strategies to win online blackjack.

✅ Martingale Strategy

The Martingale strategy is one of the most popular strategies to play most casino games. It is a progressive betting strategy that requires a huge bankroll. This strategy dates back to 18th-century France. The theory is based on the theory that all markets will eventually return to their long-term mean.

Using the Martingale betting strategy, you’re expected to double your bet after every loss until you eventually win. It is believed that your winnings will be enough to cover up your losses.

At the end of the round, you have won enough to cover up for your previous losses.

✅ 1326 Betting Strategy

The 1326 is a progressive betting strategy that is a bit similar to the Fibonacci Sequence. This betting strategy relies on you winning four hands in a row. The 1326 represents the betting units that tell you how much to bet.

The number 1 represents your first bet unit, say $10. If you keep winning, you’re expected to multiply that amount by the following numbers in the sequence, which is 3, 2, 6. Many players believe this to be the best betting strategy. But we can’t say for sure that it is the best betting strategy as that is entirely subjective.

Take a look at the example below;

Note that if you lose a hand at any point in the sequence, you’re expected to restart the sequence to the first unit which is 1.

✅ The 212 Manhattan Strategy

The 212 Manhattan strategy is a progressive betting strategy. It is called the 212 Manhattan strategy because 212 is the area code for Manhattan. It is a blackjack strategy that favors players who go on a winning streak.

The 212 Manhattan strategy is similar to the d’Alembert system. Your bets should follow the 212 sequence. In this strategy, you reduce your bet after the first win and go back to the original unit amount after you lose.

You begin by choosing a betting unit. Let’s say the table’s minimum wager is $5, then your unit amount is $5.

Following the 212 sequence, Take a look at the example below;

What if you encounter more losses? Then, take a look at the second example below also using $5 using a unit amount;

✅ Card Counting

Card counting is a strategy mostly used in land-based casinos. Reputable and standard online casinos will always shuffle the cards after every round. Card counting helps you to keep track of the low and high cards left, providing you with an advantage over the house in the long run.

Card counting helps you to make more informed decisions. Card counters use this strategy to increase or decrease their bets at the right time.

The Hi-Lo System is the most popular method of card counting. In this system, you assign values to each card in the deck.

Take a look at the table below showing the Hi-Lo count value levels.

You can use the table above to count cards. For example,

Although card counting is not illegal, most casinos do not allow it. If the casino suspects that you’re card counting, you’ll be sent out of the table or the casino. Even worse, you can be banned from the casino.

✅ Ace Sequencing

The dual nature of the Ace makes it a high-value blackjack card. An Ace can be a 1 or 11, and this characteristic makes an Ace a desirable card for a flexible blackjack hand. Not surprisingly, a strategy has been developed, referred to as Ace sequencing.

The technique focuses on tracking aces in the shoe. It’s required to memorize when an Ace is dealt, how many are remaining, and how the decks get shuffled. By using this strategy, you can get a good idea about when an Ace will be dealt. According to some estimates, if you know that an Ace will be the first card in a new hand, you will have a 50% advantage over the croupier.

Choose the Right Blackjack Game

There are different variants of blackjack to choose from. You can play RNG and live dealer iterations of the game. The pool of titles is constantly growing, and VIP Blackjack is one game gaining popularity in the industry. Although, blackjack versions use the game’s underlying concept, do not forget they can have different house edges, settings and rules. Most online casinos offer a wide variety of blackjack games.

These variants each have different side bets so we recommend that you go through each of them before you begin. Also, make sure that you read the rules of the different variants of blackjack as well as the rules and regulations of the casino.

Credit: Jackpot City Casino

Know When to Hit and When to Stand

Knowing when to stand and when to hit is very important when playing blackjack both in online and land-based casinos. You can increase your odds of winning when you pay attention to these details.

Earlier in this article, we talked about when to stand and when to hit. We advise that you go over it again to get a better understanding.

Know the Odds

Knowing the odds of the different types of blackjack is important to maximize your winning potential. Each blackjack variant has a different house edge as seen in the table below.

As demonstrated by the table, the house edge of the most popular variants of blackjack varies from 0.17%-1.30%, with Blackjack Switch having the lowest house edge and Super Fun 21 having the highest.

Try Live Dealer Blackjack

Live dealer blackjack is a version of blackjack that is available in most online casinos. In Live dealer blackjack, you can see real-life dealers dealing the cards at a physical table.

All bets are done virtually and the cards are dealt from a shoe until a major part of the deck is played. This is an advantage for you especially if the remaining decks have more high-value cards than low-value cards. At that point, you’re more likely to go on a hot winning streak.

Credit: Spin Casino

Final Thoughts – What is the Best Blackjack Strategy?

There are so many blackjack strategies in the industry with some more complicated than the others and it can be a hassle trying to learn all of them. We highly recommend practicing free online blackjack so that you can try out different strategies and see which one works best for you. To answer the question, the best blackjack strategy depends on whatever you prefer.

You can win at blackjack if you play the right variant of blackjack and practice proper bankroll management. We recommend combining the right blackjack strategy and the right variant of blackjack to maximize your winning potential.

FAQ

Where Can I Play Real Money Online Blackjack?

You can play online blackjack for real money at the best online blackjack sites. Check out these recommendations and begin your journey.

Can I Play Blackjack For Free?

Yes, you can play online blackjack for free at these free blackjack sites. Learn the rules of the game and practice different strategies without risking your money.

Is Card Counting Legal?

The short answer is no. However, if you’re caught, you might be sent out of the casino.

What is the Best Blackjack Strategy?

The best strategy depends on whatever works for you. Find out what works best for you and stick to it.

What Do R, Rs, Rp, and P Mean on a Blackjack Strategy Card?

R means Surrender. Rs means Surrender if allowed, otherwise hit. Rp means Surrender if possible, otherwise split. P means Split the pair.

Is Online Blackjack Rigged?

Online blackjack isn’t rigged at reputable online casinos. Licensed casinos use RNG to ensure that the outcomes of blackjack and other casino games are fair.

What is the House Edge in Blackjack?

Blackjack has a low house edge of about 0.5%, making it one of the casino games with the best odds.