| Updated: September 25, 2025Money management is just as important to the blackjack player as the right choice of a blackjack variation or the use of a solid strategy. Skills, knowledge and even the ability to count cards would be pointless without a good money management plan – including how large a bankroll to allocate for a blackjack session and what the minimum and maximum bets should be.
Similar to roulette, slots, or any other type of casino game, blackjack is a negative-expectation game, which means that over the long run, players are more likely to lose than to win. This is predetermined by the house edge – the mathematical advantage casinos have over their patrons that is built into every game. It comes as a result of the rules and payouts that are guaranteed to favor the house rather than the players.
In blackjack, the only way to overcome the house edge is to count cards, but even skilled card counters will not win every hand because blackjack remains, after all, a game of chance. Winning and losing depend not only on players’ decisions but also on the probabilities of each hand. With a good money management plan, however, players will be able to make the most of their strategy and good fortune, or limit their losses when luck is not on their side.
How Much Should You Bet?
The size of each subsequent bet is crucial for card counters, whose goal is to profit when the odds are in their favor and to risk as little as possible when the odds are against them. Even players who rely only on basic strategy should understand how to determine the proper size of their bets.
The amount of money a player should wager per hand depends on several factors – most notably the sum they are personally comfortable risking and the size of their overall bankroll. Card counters increase their bet whenever the deck is rich in high cards and reduce it when the deck has “cooled down,” i.e., when more low cards than high ones remain. Most blackjack players, however, do not practice card counting; instead, they use basic strategy to guide their decisions during play. They should also have a solid understanding of betting units and betting spreads.
Betting Units
Betting SpreadBetting Units
It is easier to talk about betting units rather than the monetary value of bets when discussing money management. A betting unit can be defined as the minimum amount of money a player is willing to wager per hand. This might be the table minimum or a higher amount, depending on the player’s bankroll. For example, if the minimum wager a player places is $10, then one betting unit equals $10. Two betting units would equal $20, three units $30, and so on.
As mentioned above, the recommended bankroll for a gaming session is at least 50 times the minimum bet, or 50 betting units. In the example above, that would amount to $500. A much safer approach, however, is to start a game of blackjack with at least 200 betting units, which would be $2,000. Although this may seem excessive to some, such a bankroll is more effective at covering the hands you will inevitably lose.
If you play an average of 60 hands per hour, you would wager roughly $600 per hour at the blackjack table. A bankroll of $200 would therefore be quite inadequate, whereas a bankroll of $2,000 should last for more than three hours, even if you lose every single hand – which is, of course, highly unlikely if you employ basic blackjack strategy. The larger your bankroll, expressed in betting units, the longer you can play and the less likely you are to lose everything.
Betting Spread
Another term used in blackjack literature is the betting spread – it represents the range of different bets you place throughout the game. It is primarily used by card counters, but it is also a helpful money management tool in standard basic strategy play. Typically, the player starts with 1 betting unit and, at some point, decides to place a higher wager.
A good, conservative betting spread might be 1-10, where the minimum bet is 1 unit and the maximum bet is 10 units. Many players prefer even lower spreads, such as 1-5 or 1-8. In card counting, the betting spread is essential for securing better profits – players bet the minimum when the house holds the advantage and the maximum when the advantage shifts in their favor.
For those who are not skilled enough to track the deck and count the cards, the betting spread is of little importance. Still, it can be used to control the money being spent. Instead of wagering your maximum when you feel “lucky,” you might gradually increase your bets as you become more confident in your knowledge of the game and your ability to apply basic strategy perfectly.
- Multi Hand Blackjack
- Atlantic City Blackjack
- European Blackjack
- Blackjack: Introduction to the World’s Most Popular Casino Game
- How to Play Blackjack
- Blackjack Hands
- Blackjack: The Good and the Bad Rules
- Mathematics of Blackjack
- Blackjack Strategy: The Best Way to Win Consistently
- Blackjack Side Bets
- Blackjack Variations
- Blackjack: Tips for Beginners
- Advantage Play in Blackjack
- How to Count Cards at the Blackjack Table
- Edward Thorpe and the Ten Count System
- The Zen Count System
- The Advanced Omega II Card Counting System
- The Uston SS Card Counting System
- The Ace/5 Card Counting System
- The Knock Out Card Counting System
- The Red 7 Card Counting System
- The Wong Halves System for Card Counting
- Choosing the Best Blackjack Game Online
- How to Play Live Dealer Blackjack
- Microgaming Blackjack
- RTG Blackjack
- NetEnt Blackjack
- Mobile Blackjack Apps
Betting Styles and Methods
Now that we have discussed the importance of establishing a bankroll and explored how much we can expect to lose or win over time while playing blackjack, let’s examine several ways to place bets. Some of these betting methods are popular among recreational players, while others are embraced only by blackjack professionals.
Progressive Betting Systems The Up and Pull Method Betting for Card CountersProgressive Betting Systems
Progressive betting systems are extremely popular among gamblers – they can be used in blackjack, roulette, and many other games. They are fundamentally flawed, however, because they rely on winning and losing streaks. Typically, these systems require players to increase or decrease their bets based on previous outcomes. The idea is that a winning streak will generate enough profit to offset previous losses.
Yet, consecutive wins or losses are impossible to predict; they merely appear as “streaks.” This misconception is common in gambling, and blackjack professionals know that relying on streaks is not an effective long-term strategy. Popular betting progressions include the Martingale, Paroli, and D’Alembert. There is even a system based on the Fibonacci sequence, although that sequence has no inherent connection to blackjack or gambling.
The Up and Pull Method
One popular betting style is known as the Up and Pull Method. It is used primarily by recreational and beginner-level players and is based on the idea of winning and losing streaks. With this approach, players start with 2 betting units; if they lose, they reduce the wager to 1 unit. After another loss, they return to 2 units. On every win, the bet increases by 1 unit, and whenever the player loses, the progression resets.
Although some players consider this approach a distinct method, it is actually a betting progression that follows the sequence 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and so on. The goal is to maximize profits during successive wins and recoup previous losses. For this reason, the Up and Pull is simply another progressive betting system, which we have already discussed. Because there is no mathematical evidence of its effectiveness, professional blackjack players tend to avoid it.
Betting for Card Counters
Card counters never use progressive betting systems, but they do follow structured wagering methods designed to maximize profit. An effective betting spread is instrumental to the success of any card-counting system. In most systems, bets stay at the minimum when the running count is +1 or lower. Once the count reaches +2, players increase their bet by 1 unit – at a +2 count they wager 2 units, at +3 they wager 3 units, and so forth.
Some counters prefer doubling their current bet whenever the count rises by 1. For example, a 1-8 betting spread means the player begins with 1 unit, moves to 2 units at a +2 count, 4 units at +3, and 8 units at +4.
Certain card-counting guides recommend large betting spreads such as 1-15, 1-20, or even 1-50 because they can generate higher profits. While that may be true, large spreads are also viewed by casinos as a clear sign of card counting. For this reason, players should stick to more conservative spreads of up to 1-5, 1-8, or 1-10.