Betting Progressions In Blackjack

By Travel Tunica on Friday May 29, 2015

Betting progressions are nothing new at blackjack. Ever since the game was devised, players have been trying to hit on a magic formula for when to increase their bets.

Truth be told, there is no magic formula, but a friend of mine decided to give it a go when he spotted a new one in April. He was at a $10 blackjack table, sitting next to a player with a four-step progression/regression. He’d start with a $10 bet, and if he won he would raise to $30. After a second win, he’d drop to $20, but winning a third in a row brought a $60 bet.

After any loss, he’d drop back to $10, and he’d also drop back to $10 after the $60 bet, won or lose.

My friend decided to give that 1x-3x-2x-6x pattern a go, and won $650.

“I tried it, and it coincided with a ridiculous hot streak on the table,” he wrote. “ I’m normally a tight, tight player, so 6x betting once was a jump for me.”

I him told a progression like that can lead to some spectacular wins, but it also leads to more frequent losing sessions.

Let’s look at the pattern in pieces. If you win $10 and lose $30 on the second hand, that’s a $20 loss, whereas flat-betting $10 breaks even after a win and a loss. With two wins and a loss, the progression has a $20 overall win. That beats the $10 win you’d have after flat-betting two wins and a loss.

With three wins and a loss, you win $10, $30 and $20, but then lose $60 and just break even. Flat betting three $10 wins followed by a loss brings a $20 profit, so you risk less but win more than with the progression.

It’s not till you win four in a row that the progression pays big. Wins of $10, $30, $20 and $60 total $120, three times the $40 you’d win with flat $10 bets. If you’re having one of those all too uncommon nights when the wins are fast and frequent, this 1-3-2-6 progression will fill your wallet. On an ordinary night, well, let the buyer beware