Betting Spreads & Strategy Deviations
Counting cards tells you when the advantage is yours. But to make money, you must know how much to bet and how to change your play.
The Bet Spread
You cannot bet the same amount every hand ("flat betting") and expect to win. You must bet minimum table limits when the count is negative or zero, and increase your bets as the True Count (TC) rises.
A common shoe game spread (1-10 or 1-12 spread) might look like this:
- TC ≤ +1: 1 Unit (Min Bet)
- TC +2: 2 Units
- TC +3: 4 Units
- TC +4: 8 Units
- TC +5+: 2 hands of 6 Units or 1 hand of 12 Units (Max Bet)
Warning: Aggressive spreads draw attention. See our guide on getting banned.
Playing Deviations (The Illustrious 18)
Basic Strategy assumes a neutral deck. When the count changes, the "correct" mathematical play sometimes changes. These are called "deviations" or "indices".
The most powerful deviation is Insurance.
Other critical deviations (for S17 games):
- 16 vs 10: Stand if TC ≥ 0. (Normally Hit)
- 15 vs 10: Stand if TC ≥ +4. (Normally Hit)
- 12 vs 3: Stand if TC ≥ +2. (Normally Hit)
- 12 vs 2: Stand if TC ≥ +3. (Normally Hit)
Bankroll Management
Even with a perfect system, you will have losing sessions. Blackjack has high "variance". You need a large bankroll to weather the storms.
A standard rule of thumb is to have at least 1,000 times your minimum bet if you want a low risk of ruin (<1%). If you bet $25 minimum, you need $25,000 set aside purely for blackjack.