I have enjoyed millions of hands of twenty-one. I started sneaking into the gambling halls when I was 16. I have played online vingt-et-un, I have counted cards, and worked with a team for a short time. With all that said I have still lost an abundance of bankroll at 21. The casinos have made it nearly impossible to defeat the house.
I still like the game and play on a regular basis. Over this time period I have wagered on a variation of chemin de fer called "The Take it Leave it Method". You most certainly will not get flush with this method or defeat the house, still you will experience a lot of fun. This method is based on the idea that blackjack appears to be a match of runs. When you are hot your on fire, and when you are not you are NOT!
I play basic strategy vingt-et-un. When I don’t win I bet the lowest amount allowed on the subsequent hand. If I do not win again I bet the lowest amount allowed on the subsequent hand again etc. Whenever I hit I take the winnings paid to me and I wager the original wager again. If I win this hand I then leave the winnings paid to me and now have double my original bet on the table. If I succeed again I take the payout paid to me, and if I succeed the next hand I leave it for a total of 4 times my original wager. I continue betting this way "Take it Leave it etc". Once I lose I return the wager back down to the original bet.
I am very disciplined and never "chicken out". It gets extremely exciting on occasion. If you win a few hands in a row your bets go up very quickly. Before you realize it you are gambling $100-200per hand. I have had fantastic runs a number of times now. I departed a $5 table at the Flamingo a few years back with $750 after 20 minutes using this tactic! And a few days ago in Sin City I left a game with $1200!
You have to understand that you can lose a lot faster this way too!. But it really makes the game more enjoyable. And you will be amazed at the streaks you witness betting this way. Below is a chart of what you would bet if you kept winning at a $5 game.
Bet $5
Take $5 paid-out to you, leave the original $5 wager
Bet 5 dollar
Leave $5 paid-out to you for a total bet of ten dollar
Wager ten dollar
Take 10 dollar paid to you, leave the original $10 wager
Wager ten dollar
Leave 10 dollar paid-out to you for a total bet of $20
Bet twenty dollar
Take $20 paid-out to you, leave the initial $20 bet
Wager 20 dollar
Leave 20 dollar paid-out to you for a total bet of forty dollar
Wager 40 dollar
Take forty dollar paid-out to you, leave the first forty dollar wager
Bet $40
Leave $40 paid-out to you for a total bet of 80 dollar
Wager 80 dollar
Take 80 dollar paid-out to you, leave the original 80 dollar bet
Wager $80
Leave $80 paid-out to you for a total wager of $160
Bet $160
Take $160 paid to you, leave the initial $160 wager
If you left at this point you would be up 315 dollar !!
It’s herculean to go on a streak this long, but it does happen. And when it does you can’t alter and lower your wager or the end result won’t be the same.