It’s important to manage your bankroll when playing any casino game, including blackjack. Whether you’re a new or experienced player, knowing exactly how much money you need to survive typical luck swings at a specific minimum bet table will help you to minimise your losses.

In order to divide your casino bankroll so that you don’t run out of cash, you’ll need to calculate how much money you need at a table, based on how long you want to play and how big your average bets are. One way to calculate this is using Betting Units. The general rule of thumb suggests you should have no less than 100 betting units available for a 3 or 4 hour session on blackjack. If your chips and average bets are $5, you’ll need $5 x 100 = $500 to give yourself the best chance to win in that 3-4 hours of play. Another calculation method is to work out the Risk of Ruin – the chance that you could lose your entire bankroll. The higher your bet size, the higher the risk of ruin as you could get less “chances” to win. For new players especially, and all players on vacation who will play casino games for extended periods of time, keep your bets LOW. This will minimise your risk.

I’ve found that moving around tables after a win or two can be a good way to get in and out of new random variances. For example, I buy in for $100, I get up to say $150, then I move to another table or seat. Personal choice – but it works for me. That’s the same in land based and online casinos. I know plenty of casino players who follow this same method with slot machines and other games of chance too.

Don’t ever bring your whole betting bankroll to a casino. Let’s say you have $1000 budget a week for gambling, worst case, and you’re going to come on 2 separate visits. If that’s the case, bring $500 only with you, and leave the other money at home where you can’t reach it.

Bankroll management is one part of winning blackjack strategy, but you should also make sure that you’re in control when playing blackjack (sober) and that you’re using a reliable basic strategy chart. Any deviation from basic strategy over time WILL cost you money. It can be tiring to play blackjack for long periods, and your mind can do crazy things! Never play when you are over tired or drunk – your chances of success are affected!

Continue to read our How to Beat the Casinos Blog to get more tips on how to play your favourite casino games, and aim for profitable outcomes. We are casino game players too, we understand the highs and lows of gambling!