Useful tips

How To Win At Live Blackjack And Roulette

Ever read about when Don Johnson won over $15 million playing blackjack at three Atlantic City casinos? He made the killing playing blackjack in a month-long run which sent shockwaves through the gambling world.

Why? Because he was almost completely unknown. Johnson was no professional gambler, and he didn’t even try to use any of the ridiculously complicated blackjack systems out there.

Nope. When he was asked how he did it, he merely answered: “by using skills and a good plan.”

Its no wonder that Johnson has become something of a celebrity in the gambling community, and he now parties with his new friends like Charlie Sheen, Jon Bon Jovi, and former Baywatch star and Playmate Pamela Anderson – the dream life, right?

So, if Don Johnson, a man with no professional gambling background, can do it, what’s stopping you? The answer is nothing.

All you need to do is forget the majority of rubbish out there, and learn a few simple principles.

Of course, if you don’t know what you’re doing (which is most players), it's easy to burn through money like there’s no tomorrow, but if you follow a few simple strategies, you can significantly increase your chances of winning every single time.

Sound too good to be true? Well, reserve judgement, because we’re going to show you how. Yep, that’s right, and it’s totally free – we’re not trying to sell you some ‘get rich quick’ eBook. All you have to do is keep reading.

First, choose a good casino

Right, first thing is first. You need to find a good casino. By ‘good’, we mean one that not only offers a great range of high-quality live dealer casino games but one that you can also trust to payout.

This means you really want to look for one with a license that actually stands for something (i.e. not one with a Curaçao license – even the drunk guy at the bar could get one of those).

It's even better if you can find one offering a great Welcome Bonus too.

To make things easier and save you some time, we’ll recommend using EnergyCasino. It’s been trading for a while (established back in 2013), has licenses from both Malta and the United Kingdom (probably the jurisdiction with the strictest rules), and offers players a really good selection of live dealer casino games from both Evolution Gaming and Pragmatic Play – two of the most highly regarded operators in the industry.

Oh, and did we mention, it offers players a fantastic Welcome Bonus of 100% up to €200?

At the time of writing, EnergyCasino offered a really interesting selection of live games, including native language roulette tables (English, German, Swedish and Russian), live-streamed tables from some of the world’s most famous land-based casinos (The Hippodrome, Grand Casino, Admiral Casino and the Dragonara), both American and European roulette, plus plenty of blackjack, baccarat and poker.

In addition to the games on offer, EnergyCasino also runs regular promotions and offers, giving you the chance to win even more than usual. You can keep an eye out for the latest offers by checking out there dedicated ‘Promotions’ page, but as a rule, they tend to offer things like cashback days and extra cash for blackjacks.

Plus, importantly, EnergyCasino has a reputation for honesty and paying out quickly. They have a huge €5,000 daily withdrawal limit, so your big wins won’t get held hostage, and they accept a growing range of payment services for deposits and withdrawals, making your life easier.

It's totally FREE and super-easy to open an account at EnergyCasino. It just takes a few minutes, so why not do that now.

Win at roulette, without breaking a sweat

Anyway, you’ve found a great casino, so let’s get back to how you can massively increase your chances of winning every time you play. We’ll start with roulette.

Roulette, it is true, is essentially a game of complete chance. There are no ways to absolutely guarantee winning, and anyone who tells you they have some kind of foolproof guaranteed system is full of, well, you know what.

But, you can follow a strategy that will make winning more likely, and it's actually really simple.

Choosing the right Roulette wheel

First, the simplest thing of all: ALWAYS choose to play at a European Roulette wheel, never an American one! Nope, we’re not being anti-American, it's just that the wheels are actually different.

The very first thing to understand about roulette is the difference between the two most popular types: European and American.

Even if you skip the next few paragraphs, just remember to always play European roulette.

And, I’m saying this not because I have a dislike of our American cousins, but just because European roulette gives you a much better chance of winning.

You see, to begin with, all roulette wheels had two zeros. Now, it was the French who came up with roulette in the first place, and obviously, the Germans wanted to get one up on them. So they removed one of the zeros.

This meant players had a better chance of winning, and so it very quickly became more popular than the original French version. Soon, the German wheel was adopted across Europe.

However, America is all about business, so the casinos there figured they’d add the second zero back to the wheel, giving the house a better edge. For some strange reason, American gamblers tolerated it, and it’s still like it today.

I guess we should all thank Germany then! But the take away from this is that the house edge in modern European roulette is 2.7%, whereas in American roulette it's 5.3%.

So, it’s a no-brainer. Play European roulette every time, and let the fools sit at the American tables.

Don’t focus on one big win

Roulette, like every casino game, is all about the odds. You need to understand this to maximise your chances of winning. Don’t get caught up in focusing on getting that one big win. The aim is to win as many times as possible.

Familiarise yourself with this strategy, keep to it, and watch your bankroll grow. Don’t get greedy or impatient. Online roulette is not easy, and winning big is even harder.

If you find tips and tricks claiming they will turn you into a millionaire overnight, with a single bet in the roulette wheel, they are full of, well you know.

Never lose sight of the fact that roulette is a game, and supposed to be fun. The moment you only care about the win is the moment you should stop playing. But, if you love playing, you might as well maximise your chances of winning! So read on.

Because roulette is a fundamentally a game of pure chance, it is impossible to predict what numbers will come up on each spin. Trying to do so is literally just guessing, and not the smartest move if you want to win.

As some of the best brains of the times have pointed out, its impossible to cheat at roulette. So, instead, learn proven strategies for maximising your chances of winning.

Deciding how much to bet at Roulette

So, you’re at a European roulette table (remember, DON’T play at American wheels – they give a more significant edge to the house). What’s the first thing to remember?

Always bet an amount that you can afford to lose, but is big enough that you’d rather not lose it. Simply put, you need to really be in the game, but without putting too much pressure on yourself.

Avoid betting random, frivolous amounts.

How to combine bets on the roulette wheel

Now you need to understand how to combine bets on the roulette wheel.

Right, you’re looking at the roulette table on your screen, and you see three blocks of twelve numbers each.

  • The top row consists of six red numbers and six black numbers.
  • The middle row has four red and seven black.
  • The bottom row features eight red and nine black.

This means that, if the row bet is a winner, there’ll be a pretty good chance to win the colour row too.

But, even if the row bet doesn’t work out for you, the second bet will still give you a 47% or greater chance of winning or breaking even.

You can now understand how it is relatively easy to win with a small bet, and gradually build a bankroll at an online roulette table!

How to use combination bets

Using combination bets at the roulette table is another way to increase your chances of winning.

Take a quick look at the first twelve, the second twelve and the third twelve blocks and notice they have six red, six black and six odd.

But, the rows of twelve are different. The bottom row is evenly distributed, whereas the middle row has nine black and seven red, and the top row has one red and seven black.

This is important because it allows you to practice a strategy that can help you win.

You want to bet on one-third of the board. Simply choose the top or middle row, and make an equal bet on the colour that appears most frequently (say, over the last eight spins). It means that, if you win the row bet, you’ll also have a great chance of winning the colour bet too.

Save your profits and manage your money

Each time you beat the roulette wheel, save your profits. If you bet €10 and win, save €5.

Avoid the temptation to invest your whole win in the next spin.

Follow this, no matter how much of a winning streak you think you’re on, and you’ll increase the chances of staying in the black after every online roulette session.

Mind you, whether you’re playing at roulette at EnergyCasino, or any other game anywhere else, this is always a sound financial strategy to follow.

Many top players set aside specific, separate funds for their gaming. They only put the money they can afford to lose in those funds, and don’t let themselves reload. This ensures they can focus on the game, enjoy themselves and know they won’t make any stupid mistakes – it’s a good policy to follow.

Your bankroll

Be realistic with your bankroll. Make sure you’re betting in proportion to your bankroll to avoid getting frustrating and tempted to reload.

A good rule of thumb is to divide your bankroll by 20. This should give you a good, realistic sized bet for sustainable wins.

Again remember, that this is a genuine strategy to increase your wins at roulette. As such, it is only going to work at genuine casinos that offer genuine roulette games, like EnergyCasino.

 Want to win at blackjack every time?

You’ve opened an account with EnergyCasino and are eager to start stacking up those winnings at the blackjack tables… but hold your horses!

Would you like to know how you can win at blackjack every time you play? We’re about to give you some excellent betting strategies, helping you to become a true blackjack master.

The game with the best odds

So, you’ve probably already heard that blackjack is the casino game with the best odds to win. This is true, but it can still be frustrating if you don’t know what you’re doing.

blackjack

Even more annoying is that you're more than likely seen loads of people make an absolute killing at blackjack and have read the same advice over and over, namely "Apply the optimal basic strategy and you will win money on blackjack or, worst-case scenario, break even."

But, for some reason you’re not winning that much, right?

No problem, keep on reading, and we’ll change all that for you.

Blackjack is one of the most popular games at online casinos like EnergyCasino, and its no wonder, because your playing against the dealer, not the other players, so there’s a comradery there that other games don’t have.

When a dealer hits a losing streak, and all the players are in the black - the laughing and joking can be contagious, as you watch your stack of chips grow one blackjack hand after the other.

Blackjack is a battle of skill

But, unlike slots or roulette, blackjack is not simply a game of chance. You don’t have to rely on luck alone to land those wins – there’s no completely randomly won multi-million jackpot here – this game requires skill.

In fact, blackjack is all about your skills and keeping the focus to play it right every time the dealer gives you cards.

Blackjack is a battle. It's you versus the dealer. In this article, we’re going to help you win that battle. Heck, we’ll help you win the war!

Of course, we all play for fun, and the money might not matter so much to you, but even so, we’re going to show you exactly how to win at blackjack.

Are you ready? Pay close attention…

Its all about the maths

Arghh! It's true that the word ‘maths’ can strike terror into the heart of many, bringing back memories of high school and that strange teacher with the smelly breath who always seemed to be brushing against you…

Anyway, blackjack proves that maths can be fantastic! Because this game is all about mathematical probability.

As such, if you understand the basic maths, you can use a number of systems to increase your chances of winning at the blackjack table.

True, they aren’t all easy to master. But, as they say, “everything is easy when you know how to do it.”

Heck, riding a bike was difficult at first, but once you get the hang, you never forget how. Same with these blackjack systems.

Importantly, the blackjack strategy should be everyone’s starting point. That is unless you want to throw away money.

Simply rock up at a blackjack table and start playing based on your gut feeling, and you’ll become the casino’s favourite player very quickly.

Blackjack isn’t Russian roulette, so don’t approach it like that.

Even if you do just follow your gut, and randomly hit a lucky streak – its an illusion and won’t last.

In fact, it’s the worst thing that can happen, because it will make you think you are in control, and set you up for a fall. 

As any pro gambler knows, if you don’t know when to stop, you won’t be a winner at blackjack.

The great news is that learning the best blackjack strategy doesn’t actually take a long time, so there’s no reason not to.

Study it, learn it, and play the smart way every single hand.

Remember, until you are 100% sure of how to play each combination according to the optimal blackjack strategy, only play online.

Keep your cheat sheet handy

Most land-based casinos won’t allow you to bring any cheat sheets to a blackjack table, so you’ll need to have everything memorised.

So, by far the easiest way to hone your skills and start winning at blackjack is to open a free account at EnergyCasino, and play at their excellent live tables – with the optimal strategy chart on your second screen of course!

If you don’t have two big screens, just use your smartphone, tablet or even just a window on your screen – make sure you can always see it, right there next to the blackjack table.

The following secrets and advice assume that you already know the game’s basic strategy.

Two ways win every time

Okay, forget all those complex calculations you’ve seen from morons trying to sell you “high-quality blackjack courses” or on self-proclaimed “industry-leading forums communities.”

It's all just a cartload of cr*p.

You see, the truth is that winning at blackjack is actually easier than you think. You simply need to play “cum grano salis” as the Romans would say.

Blackjack secret number one: being a winner has nothing to do with hitting, folding or doubling up.

Rather, its all about you deciding to be a winner or loser before you even take your seat at the blackjack table.

You don’t need to be a genius to know you can’t beat the casino.

It's gambling business 101. The house has an advantage, and the longer you play, the chances of the house winning only increase.

But, only losers say “The house always wins”

Its true, hot and cold streaks exist. And, its also true that you can’t plan them.

But, it’s also true that if you flip a coin one hundred times, it is not going to land in a neat heads-tails-heads-tails-heads-tails pattern all the way to a hundred.

There will be streaks of heads and streaks of tails.

As a gambler, it should not be your goal to rely on faith and guesses to win. It should be your goal to win as much as possible and leave the game before you lose it again.

Everything starts with choosing the right blackjack table.

Fortunately, EnergyCasino has approaching forty great blackjack tables to choose from, ranging from classic to VIP. 

How Many Card Decks Are in Play?

Unfortunately, single-deck games are rare in casinos these days. But, as a general rule, the fewer the decks, the easier it will be to keep track if the face cards.

This is a crucial factor in winning live blackjack, both online and at land-based casinos.

Real-world casinos normally don’t tolerate card counting, (though it isn’t illegal) but there is nothing wrong with keeping a general count of how many face cards have come out.

When you know that a lot of them have yet to appear, you can feel free to get a little adventurous with your play.

If you’re in a game with just one or two decks, this is easily done and quite profitable.

Study the table

Pay attention to the blackjack table, because everything you see tells you a story.

Everything is part of a puzzle, and you need to complete it in your mind before you put your hard earned money on the line.

Examples of things you need to know:

  • A table that pays blackjack at 3-to-2 odds will make you more money than one that pays at 6-to-5.
  • A table where the dealer has to hit on a soft 17 makes the house more money. Guess where that money comes from…

This is why you should never play at a blackjack table you know nothing about.

Take your time to choose the best table. It is an essential part of a winning strategy.

Information is your most powerful weapon.

Select your table based on whether the rules are good for you, not on which table has the hottest looking dealer (the casinos understand what makes people tick!).

Remember, you are there to win money, not pull a dealer! 

So, you’ve found a table and seen a few hands of blackjack. Now ask yourself “did I enjoy the action?”

Blackjack is all about playing with the right people and learning how to read the dealer.

You should avoid tables with players who complain a lot – their toxic attitude could slash your win rate, and make it hard to focus on the winning blackjack strategy.

Needless to say, avoid loud and drunk players for the same reason.

Listen to your gut. It is the best thing for judging people. If it tells you to leave a table, then leave.

Remember, if you hit a hot streak, and you get the feeling the dealer (and pit boss in a land-based casino) have noticed, then that’s the time to cash out.

Using the Oscar system to win more at blackjack

Ever wonder how the self-proclaimed blackjack ‘experts’ make money online?

The truth is they sell fraudulent blackjack winning systems to people willing to spend a fortune to find an easy way to win.

Of course, none of those systems (even the ‘revolutionary’ and ‘proven’ ones) actually work!

Like we said before, blackjack is based on probabilities. It's maths. Those fake systems are just hot air.

The only valid blackjack system deals with money management, not cards.

It’s called Oscar System, and this is how it works:

The key to winning money at blackjack is a winning mindset.

It teaches you to look at an evening of blackjack as a long series of individual sessions, rather than one long game featuring many swings.

Why?

The goal in each session is to win at least one chip.

As soon as you’re a “winner,” and have that one chip, the session is over, and you start fresh.

You can use the Oscar System to win at blackjack by following four simple rules:

  1. Whenever you win, increase your bet by one chip
  2. Whenever you lose, play the same amount you just bet
  3. If you made any money in the session, pocket your winnings and start the progression again
  4. Never try to come out ahead more than one unit – in other words, if you’re down by one chip, your maximum bet would be two chips (which would still make you a winner).

Let’s see this strategy in action.

I will give you an example where we start with a one-chip bet.

In this example, I will use the symbols (-1), (+1) and so on to indicate where you stand in the game.

Example 1:

 Bet         Result   Standing              Comment

1              Lose       (-1)         We lost, so we repeat the same bet

1              Win        (0)          We won, so we 2x the bet

2              Win        (+2)        We made money. The session ends with a two-chip profit.

 Example 2:

 Bet         Result   Standing              Comment

1              Lose       (-1)         We lost, so we repeat the same bet

1              Lose       (-2)         We lost, so we repeat the same bet

1              Lose       (-3)         We lost, so we repeat the same bet

1              Win        (-2)         We won, so we 2x the bet

2              Win        (0)          Since we never try to come out more than one unit ahead, we just bet one chip

1              Win        (+1)        We made money. The session ends with a one-chip profit

 Because the Oscar System allows you to limit your losses and control your bets, you can increase the chance of staying ahead and keeping all the money you win while playing blackjack.

The system in effect protects your winnings, ensuring that you only ever play with your initial capital.

Even when you lose, it will only take a few wins in a row to recover – because of you 2x-ing your bets after the first win.

Obviously, it's not flaw proof. Sometimes you may have to dig deep to get a winning session back on track, but, statistically, experiments have shown this system is your best chance to win money at blackjack.

It really is that simple.

  1. Follow the optimal strategy.
  2. Choose the table that suits you.
  3. Use the Oscar System to break your play into individual sessions.

The result: you’ll win every time you play.

Remember, use EnergyCasino

It is critical that you pick a legitimate, trustworthy casino such as EnergyCasino, because the last thing you want it to be careful putting these strategies into action, with patience, and then watching them fail, or worse, winning and then having to deal with a casino that won’t payout.

Sing Up At EnergyCasino And Get The Best Bonus

Updated:
Shawna Dudley

Shawna is an ambitious and free-spirited digital nomad with expertise in creating high-quality and SEO-friendly guides and reviews in the iGaming and travel industry. Follow her on Twitter or Linkedin or send her an email.