H17 means the dealer must take another card on a soft 17 (an ace and cards totalling six, such as ace-six). S17 means the dealer stands instead.

H17 is worse for you: it gives the dealer more chances to improve a weak hand, and it changes a handful of your own basic strategy decisions.

This page covers the dealer's rule only, not the player's hand; see how to play soft 17 for that.

How Much Does H17 Cost You?

Switching from S17 to H17 raises the house edge by about 0.22% on a standard six-deck game. In stake terms, on $10 flat bets at 50 hands an hour, that's roughly an extra $1.10 an hour going to the house.

It's one of several table rules that move the edge: deck count and doubling restrictions do too, and you can see how table rules change the edge in more detail elsewhere.

The cards you're dealt don't change. Only what the dealer does with a hand that would otherwise stand changes, and that shift moves a few of your own decisions with it.

The Basic Strategy Changes Under H17

A handful of your plays change once the dealer starts hitting soft 17. Adjust these:

• Double 11 against a dealer ace (hit instead if the dealer stands on soft 17).
• Double soft 19 (ace-eight) against a dealer 6.
• Double soft 18 (ace-seven) against a dealer 2.
• Surrender 15 and hard 17 against a dealer ace, and surrender a pair of 8s against an ace too, where surrender is offered.

None of these turns a losing hand into a winning one. They cut your cost per hand against a dealer who now has an extra shot at improving a weak 17. Check if the blackjack charts you're using are built for H17 before relying on them at the table.

How to Tell Which Rule You're Playing

There's no visual difference between an H17 and S17 table, so check the rules panel or the felt itself. Land-based tables usually print it directly: look for "dealer must hit soft 17" or "dealer stands on all 17s" near the betting spots.

Online and live-dealer tables list it in the game rules or information panel before you sit down. If you can't find it stated anywhere, ask the dealer or check the game info modal, since live-dealer soft 17 rules follow whatever the studio sets and vary by table.

Blackjack Dealer Hits Soft 17 – FAQ

Is H17 or S17 better for the player?

S17 is better for you. When the dealer stands on soft 17, they can't improve a hand that's already a weak 17, which keeps the house edge lower and lets you stick to standard basic strategy.

Do live dealer tables hit soft 17?

It depends on the studio and the table. Some live blackjack tables hit soft 17 and some stand, exactly like land-based and RNG tables, so check the rules panel before you sit down rather than assume either way.

Check the rules panel, then take a seat at the 888casino blackjack tables.

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The third card rule in baccarat is automatic: neither you nor the dealer chooses whether a third card comes out.

The player draws on a first-hand total of 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7, and the banker's move then depends on its own total and, in most cases, what the player just drew.

Naturals in Baccarat

An eight or nine on the first two cards is a natural. Whichever hand shows it, the round ends there and neither side draws again, even if the other hand's total is lower. Two naturals of equal value make the round a tie.

This applies to standard Punto Banco baccarat variants; some variants let players act as banker, but the drawing rule itself doesn't change. Naturals are common enough that it's worth checking both hands before assuming a third card is coming.

The Player's Third Card Rule

The player's side is the simpler of the two, and it's fixed regardless of what the banker holds. A total of 0 to 5 draws a third card automatically. A total of 6 or 7 stands.

There's no judgement call involved, the same as with every other step in how to play baccarat. Naturals aside, every player’s hand reaches this decision before the banker's turn does, which is why the banker's rule below often refers back to what the player drew.

The Banker's Third Card Rule

The banker's third card rule earns its own section because it isn't as simple as the player's. Betting the banker bet usually carries a small commission, and this rule helps explain why: the drawing table tilts slightly in the banker's favour.

The banker's total decides what happens, and if it falls between 3 and 6, the player's third card decides the rest.

• Banker total 0 to 2: draws a third card, regardless of the player's hand.
• Banker total 3: draws unless the player's third card was an 8.
• Banker total 4: draws if the player's third card was 2 to 7.
• Banker total 5: draws if the player's third card was 4 to 7.
• Banker total 6: draws if the player's third card was 6 or 7.
• Banker total 7: stands.

If the player stood on a total of 6 or 7 rather than drawing, the banker draws on 0 to 5 and stands on 6 or 7, the same rule as the player's.

Baccarat Third Card Rule – FAQ

Do I have to memorise the third card rule?

No. Online baccarat software applies it automatically for every hand, so you only need to place your bet.

Why does the banker bet carry a commission?

Because the drawing rules give the banker hand a small edge over the course of a shoe. The commission, usually 5%, brings the two main bets back closer together.

Now the drawing rules make sense, try a few hands of baccarat at 888casino.

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A put bet is a pass line bet placed after the comeout roll, once a point is already established.

Casinos accept it, but you buy in after the eight ways to win on the comeout have gone, while every way to lose stays in play. The house edge runs from 9.1 to 33.3% depending on the point.

On its own, that makes the put bet one of the weakest wagers on the table. With enough free odds, it becomes a legitimate way to pick your own number and play it. The difference comes down to how much the table lets you put behind the bet.

What Is a Put Bet in Craps?

When you learn how to play craps, online or offline, you're taught that the pass line bet belongs on the comeout roll. If the comeout has passed, you bet come instead, with the same basic odds and the same gameplay.

A put bet ignores that rule. It's a pass bet made on a roll other than the comeout, and the casino will take it. You jump into the action after a point has been established: you win if the shooter rolls your number again, and you lose if a 7 shows first.

What you give up is the comeout itself. On a regular pass bet, the comeout gives you six ways to roll a 7 and two ways to roll an 11 in your favour, against one way to roll a 2, one way to roll a 12 and two ways to roll a 3. That's eight ways to win and four ways to lose, before a point even exists. A put bet skips all of it.

Craps Put Bets House Edge

The house has an edge on every point number. There are six ways to roll a 7 and only five ways to roll a 6, so if the point is 6 and you make a put bet, you're a 6-5 underdog. The same applies on 8. You're a 3-2 underdog if the point is 5 or 9, and a 2-1 underdog if it's 4 or 10.

Like pass bets, put bets pay even money. You're being paid less than the true odds of winning, so the house edge on an unbacked put bet works out at:

• 9.1% on 6 or 8
• 20% on 5 or 9
• 33.3% on 4 or 10

The lack of a comeout roll makes an enormous difference. Bet pass before the comeout, and the house edge is 1.41%. Come bets are also 1.41%, and place bets on 6 or 8 are 1.52%. Against options like those, an unbacked put bet is a wager to avoid, and four of the numbers sit worse than the 16.67% edge on any 7.

How Free Odds Change a Put Bet

You can back a put bet with free odds exactly as you can take free odds on a pass bet, and that single option is what separates a bad put bet from a playable one.

What Do Free Odds Pay?

Free odds are secondary wagers made after a point has been established, and they pay at true odds. Instead of even money, winning free odds bets pay 6-5 if the point is 6 or 8, 3-2 if it's 5 or 9, and 2-1 if it's 4 or 10.

Put $5 in free odds on 6 a total of 11 times, with the dice coming up in the normal proportions of six 7s and five 6s. Your total risk is $55.

On each of your five wins, you keep your $5 bet and collect $6 in winnings, which is $11 on your side of the table five times. At the end of the trial, you still have $55. The house has no edge on that portion of the wager at all.

How Much Can You Put in Odds?

The size of the free odds wager permitted varies from casino to casino and from table to table. A dwindling few allow a free odds bet equal to your pass, come or put bet.

Others allow twice your original bet, some allow three times, and five times, 10 times and occasionally 100 times all exist. Online craps tables set the maximum multiple in the game rules, so check it before you build a strategy around it.

For a put bettor, that flexibility is the whole point. You choose your number, play 6s and 8s while skipping the higher house edge numbers, and you push as much of your total wager as the table allows into the free odds portion.

When Is a Put Bet Worth Making?

A put bet backed by odds becomes worth making when the odds multiple is high enough to bring the combined house edge down to what a place bet on the same number already offers. Below that multiple, the place bet is the better wager.

Put Bets on 6 or 8

At low odds multiples, you'd be better off making a place bet. Winners on 6 or 8 pay at 7-6 and carry a house edge of 1.52%.

The break-even point arrives at 5x odds. Take the same 11 rolls, six 7s and five 6s, with $5 on put and $25 in odds. You risk $30 per roll, so $330 in total.

On each of the five winning rolls, you keep your $30 in wagers, collect $5 in winnings on the put bet and $30 on the odds, which is $65 on your side of the table. Five wins leaves you with $325 of your original $330.

Divide the $5 kept by the house by the $330 wagered, then multiply by 100, and you get 1.52%: the exact house edge on a place bet on 6 or 8. Above 5x, the balance shifts in favour of put plus odds. At 10x odds, the combined house edge on a put-plus-odds play drops to 0.83%.

Put Bets on 5, 9, 4 and 10

On the other place numbers the tipping point comes earlier, at 4x odds. With your odds bet at four times your put bet, the house edge works out at 4% on 5 or 9 and 6.67% on 4 or 10. Those match the place bet edges on the same numbers, though neither route is as good a deal as the same play on 6 or 8.

What Bankroll Do Put Bets Require?

Even on 6 and 8, getting the house edge down to place bet level takes wagers well above the table minimum. A $10 put bet at 5x odds puts $60 on the table every roll. Don't overbet your bankroll or risk money you can't afford to lose. If you wouldn't normally bet enough to back a put bet with 5x odds or more, stay with smaller bets on pass, come or place.

Key Takeaways

• A put bet is a pass line bet made after the comeout, on a point that's already established.
• It skips the comeout roll, where a pass bet has eight ways to win and only four ways to lose.
• Unbacked, the house edge is 9.1% on 6 or 8, 20% on 5 or 9 and 33.3% on 4 or 10.
• Free odds are paid at true odds and carry no house edge, so they pull the combined edge down.
• On 6 or 8, 5x odds brings a put bet level with a place bet at 1.52%, and 10x takes it to 0.83%.
• On 5, 9, 4 and 10, the same break-even point arrives at 4x odds.
• Reaching those multiples takes a bankroll well above table minimums.

A soft 17 in blackjack is a hand worth 17 that contains an ace currently valued as 11.

Ace-6 is the simplest example. Because the ace can switch from 11 to 1 when another card is drawn, you cannot bust by taking one card on a soft 17.

That flexibility makes soft 17 very different from a hard 17. It also explains why the dealer's rule for soft 17 — usually described as S17 or H17 — matters when comparing blackjack games and choosing the appropriate basic strategy.

What is a soft 17 in blackjack?

A soft 17 is any blackjack hand totalling 17 in which an ace can still count as 11 without taking the total above 21.

Examples include:

• Ace + 6 = soft 17
• Ace + 2 + 4 = soft 17
• Ace + Ace + 5 = soft 17, with one ace valued at 11 and the other at 1

The word "soft" refers to the flexibility provided by the ace. Drawing another card cannot immediately bust the hand because the ace can change from a value of 11 to 1 when necessary.

If you are new to how aces and other cards are scored, our guide to blackjack card values explains the basics in more detail.

Soft 17 vs hard 17

A hard 17 does not have the same flexibility. For example, 10-7 is a hard 17. So is Ace-6-10: although that hand contains an ace, the ace must now count as 1, giving a total of 17.

The distinction is important because hitting a hard 17 can cause an immediate bust, while taking one additional card on a soft 17 cannot.

For example, suppose you have Ace-6 and draw a 9. Instead of 11 + 6 + 9 = 26, the ace changes to a value of 1.

Your new total is 16.

Should you hit or stand on soft 17?

When you are the player, you generally should not treat soft 17 like a hard 17. Under standard multi-deck basic strategy, soft 17 is normally a hit or double-down hand depending on the dealer's upcard and the exact rules of the game.

That does not mean doubling or hitting guarantees a better result. Basic strategy identifies the decision with the best mathematical expectation over repeated hands under a particular set of rules; it cannot predict the result of an individual hand.

For this reason, a generic instruction such as "always hit soft 17" is incomplete. Your correct action can depend on:

• the dealer's upcard;
• whether doubling is permitted;
• the number of decks;
• whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17; and
• other table rules.

Players who want a broader overview can refer to our guide to blackjack strategies. A strategy chart should always match the rules of the game you are actually playing.

What does "dealer hits soft 17" mean?

The dealer does not choose freely whether to hit or stand. Blackjack rules prescribe what the dealer must do. Two common rule abbreviations are:

• S17 — dealer stands on soft 17. Once the dealer reaches any 17, including Ace-6, they stop drawing cards.
• H17 — dealer hits soft 17. The dealer must draw another card when holding a soft 17. They still stand on a hard 17 unless the particular blackjack variant specifies otherwise.

You may see wording such as "Dealer stands on all 17s" or "Dealer must draw to 16 and hit soft 17" in the game's rules.

This distinction concerns the dealer's mandatory procedure, not an instruction telling the player what to do with their own soft 17.

S17 vs H17: which rule is better for the player?

All else being equal, S17 is more favourable to the player than H17.

When the dealer hits soft 17, there is a chance the extra card will make the dealer bust. But there are also opportunities for the dealer to improve to 18, 19, 20 or 21. Taken together, the rule works in the house's favour.

According to Wizard of Odds' blackjack rule-variation calculations, changing an otherwise comparable game from dealer-stands-on-soft-17 to dealer-hits-soft-17 increases the house advantage by approximately 0.22 percentage points. The precise overall house edge still depends on the full ruleset.

That last point matters. Soft 17 is only one component of a blackjack game. Other rules can also affect its mathematical return, including:

• the blackjack payout;
• number of decks;
• whether doubling after splitting is permitted;
• restrictions on doubling;
• surrender rules; and
• how split aces are handled.

So S17 should not be used as the sole measure of whether one blackjack game has more favourable rules than another.

Does the soft 17 rule change basic strategy?

Yes. The correct basic blackjack strategy is calculated for a particular combination of rules, and whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17 can change some decisions.

For example, published multi-deck strategy charts may provide separate tables for S17 and H17 games. Depending on the rules, some doubling and surrender decisions can differ.

This is why memorising a strategy chart without checking which rules it assumes can lead to mistakes. Before using a chart, check at least:

1. whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17;
2. the number of decks;
3. whether doubling after splitting is allowed; and
4. whether surrender is available.

The differences may involve only a relatively small number of decisions, but they are still part of mathematically accurate basic strategy.

Why can you safely take one card on a soft 17?

The ace is what provides the protection against an immediate bust. Imagine your starting hand is Ace-6:

Ace (11) + 6 = 17

If you receive a 10, counting the ace as 11 would produce 27. Blackjack instead counts the ace as 1:

Ace (1) + 6 + 10 = 17

The hand has changed from a soft 17 into a hard 17.

Draw an 8 instead and the same mechanism gives you:

Ace (1) + 6 + 8 = 15

The hand has become a hard 15.

A low card can leave the hand soft. For example:

Ace + 6 + 2 = soft 19

Understanding that adjustment is fundamental to how blackjack is played, because the same principle applies to other soft totals.

Common soft 17 mistakes

Treating soft 17 like hard 17

The number displayed is the same, but the hands behave differently. A hard 17 can bust on the next card; a soft 17 cannot bust from taking one additional card.

Confusing S17 with a player's hand

"S17" commonly describes the dealer standing on soft 17. It does not mean that the player should automatically stand whenever they hold soft 17.

Assuming H17 is better because the dealer can bust

The extra card does increase the possibility of the dealer busting from that sequence, but it also gives the dealer opportunities to improve the hand. Mathematically, H17 is less favourable to the player when other rules remain equal.

Using the wrong strategy chart

An S17 strategy chart and an H17 strategy chart are not necessarily interchangeable. Check the assumptions printed with a strategy table before following it.

Focusing on one rule and ignoring the rest

A game's blackjack payout and doubling, splitting and surrender conditions can also influence its overall house advantage. Compare the complete rules rather than selecting a table solely because it uses S17.

How to check the soft 17 rule before playing

For online blackjack, open the game's information or rules screen before staking money. Look specifically for language explaining what happens when the dealer reaches 17.

In a physical casino, the rule may be displayed on the table or available from the dealer or casino staff.

Do not assume that two games use identical rules simply because both are called blackjack. Variants can use different procedures, and online games from different suppliers may not share the same rules.

As of August 2026, adults gambling at casinos or online in Great Britain must generally be 18 or over, according to the Gambling Commission. Always use a properly licensed operator when gambling in Great Britain.

Soft 17 blackjack FAQs

Is Ace-6 always a soft 17?

Yes, if Ace-6 is the complete hand. The ace counts as 11, producing 17, but can change to 1 if another card makes that necessary.

Can you bust when hitting soft 17?

You cannot bust by taking one additional card from a soft 17. The ace can fall from 11 to 1. After the draw, however, your hand may become hard, so subsequent cards can cause a bust.

Does a dealer always stand on 17?

Dealers normally stand on hard 17, but rules differ for soft 17. In an S17 game, the dealer stands; in an H17 game, the dealer must hit. Always check the individual game's rules.

Is S17 or H17 better for blackjack players?

With all other rules held constant, S17 is better for the player. Published blackjack rule calculations put the difference at roughly 0.22 percentage points in house advantage, although the overall edge depends on the rest of the game's rules.

Is soft 17 the same as 7?

No. A soft 17 has an ace counted as 11. If necessary, that ace can instead count as 1, which is why Ace-6 can effectively fall back to a total of 7 before the value of an additional card is included.

Play blackjack with limits in mind

Understanding soft 17 can help you make decisions that match blackjack basic strategy, but strategy does not remove the house advantage or make winning predictable. Gambling should be treated as paid entertainment, and losing money is always possible.

Decide how much money and time you are prepared to spend before playing, and avoid increasing stakes to try to recover previous losses. UK-licensed online operators provide gambling-management tools such as financial limits and reality checks.

If gambling is causing concern, stop playing and seek support. GamCare's National Gambling Helpline is available free, 24 hours a day, on 0808 8020 133.

Irish bingo is a variation of bingo in which the familiar objective can be turned on its head. In the traditional stand-up version, players begin on their feet and sit down when one of their numbers is called.

Instead of trying to complete a line first, the aim is to be the last eligible player standing.

However, “Irish bingo” is not always used to describe exactly the same game. It can also refer more broadly to bingo played in Ireland, particularly 90-ball bingo, or to Irish-themed online bingo. This guide explains the differences and how each version works.

What is Irish bingo?

The most distinctive meaning of Irish bingo is the last-player-standing game. Players receive a bingo ticket or set of numbers and start the round standing up. Numbers are then called at random. If a called number appears on your ticket, you sit down.

Eventually, only one player remains standing. Subject to the particular organiser's rules, that player wins.

This reverses the usual bingo objective. In a conventional game, you generally want your numbers to appear quickly enough to complete the required line or pattern. In stand-up Irish bingo, an early match takes you out of contention instead.

There is some inconsistency in how the term is used. Several guides describe Irish bingo specifically as this reverse, stand-up format, while others use “Irish bingo” for the 90-ball format commonly associated with bingo in Ireland.

For that reason, it is worth checking the rules rather than assuming that every game carrying the name works identically.

If you are new to the underlying game, our guide to what bingo is and how it works covers the fundamentals.

How do you play traditional Irish bingo?

The stand-up version has relatively few rules, which makes it easy to understand at social events. A typical round works like this:

1. Each player receives a ticket or numbers. The precise ticket format can depend on the organiser.
2. Players begin standing. Anyone unable or unwilling to stand can, of course, use another agreed way to show that they are still in the game.
3. Numbers are drawn at random. A caller announces them individually.
4. Check each number against your ticket. If the announced number appears on your ticket, you are eliminated from that round and sit down.
5. Calling continues. More players leave the game as their numbers appear.
6. The last eligible player remaining wins. The organiser should make the exact winning condition clear before play begins.

The important point is that there is no decision or strategy that can make your numbers more or less likely to be called. The result is determined by chance.

A simple example:

Imagine four people are still standing late in a round. The caller announces 42. Two players have 42 on their tickets, so they sit down.

Two players remain. The next number is 17, which appears on one player's ticket but not the other's. The player with 17 sits down and the remaining participant wins, assuming those are the rules set for the game.

This is what gives traditional Irish bingo its unusual rhythm: matching a number is normally good news in bingo, but here it moves you out of the round.

Irish bingo vs standard 90-ball bingo

The differences are easiest to see side by side.

Standard 90-ball bingo is familiar to many UK players. A conventional 90-ball ticket has three rows and nine columns, containing 15 numbers in total. Common prize stages are one line, two lines and a full house, although the precise rules and prize structure should always be checked for the individual game.

Traditional Irish bingo instead works as an elimination game. This distinction matters more than the Irish theme or terminology: it changes what players are waiting for after every number is called.

Does Irish bingo mean 90-ball bingo?

Sometimes.

The phrase “Irish bingo” does not have one universally applied commercial definition. Some sources use it for the stand-up elimination game described above. Others use it for bingo as conventionally played in Ireland, where 90-ball bingo is a familiar format.

That can create confusing search results in which two apparently contradictory sets of rules are both labelled Irish bingo.

A useful way to distinguish them is:

• Traditional or stand-up Irish bingo: sit down when one of your numbers is called; the aim is to remain standing.
• Irish 90-ball bingo: essentially the familiar 90-ball format, where players mark numbers to work towards a line or full house.
• Irish-themed bingo: an online or physical bingo game whose presentation has an Irish theme but whose mechanics may be a standard bingo format.

The name alone therefore does not tell you how a particular game works. Check its rules, ticket layout and winning conditions before paying to enter.

Can you play Irish bingo online in the UK?

Online bingo is widely available to adults in Great Britain through appropriately licensed operators, but that does not mean every bingo website offers the traditional last-person-standing Irish format.

Most online rooms are built around formats such as 90-ball, 75-ball or other operator-specific bingo games. The software draws the numbers and can automatically mark matching numbers on purchased tickets.

Players interested in the broader online format can explore online bingo at 888casino. Availability, ticket prices, rooms, prizes and individual game rules can change, so check the operator's current information before playing.

For players in Great Britain, an online operator offering gambling must hold the appropriate Gambling Commission licence. As of August 2026, the Gambling Commission's public register is the appropriate place to verify an operator's current licensing status.

What about Irish bingo calls?

Irish bingo is sometimes associated with colourful bingo calls, but it is useful not to confuse traditional calls with the actual rules of the game.

Familiar calls such as “Kelly's Eye” for 1, “Two Little Ducks” for 22 and “Top of the Shop” for 90 are examples associated with British and Irish bingo culture. They are memory aids and entertainment rather than a feature that changes the mathematical outcome.

Calls can also differ between venues and callers. There is no need to memorise a supposed definitive list before playing: the number itself is what matters.

Online bingo may display or announce numbers without using traditional rhyming calls at all.

Is Irish bingo a game of skill?

No. The outcome of bingo depends on randomly selected numbers and the ticket or numbers allocated to a player.

In the stand-up version, you cannot influence whether one of your numbers is called next. In conventional bingo, choosing when to mark a number does not alter which number will be drawn.

That makes Irish bingo fundamentally different from games in which player decisions can affect the outcome.

Knowing the rules can help you follow the game correctly, but it does not provide a system for predicting future numbers or improving the underlying random result.

Can you organise Irish bingo yourself?

A casual Irish bingo game can work well as a simple party activity, particularly if there is no gambling involved. If money, paid entry or prizes are introduced, however, UK gambling rules can become relevant.

The Gambling Commission distinguishes between different settings, including domestic gaming, pubs, clubs, non-commercial events and licensed bingo premises. The applicable conditions can differ substantially.

For example, the Commission states that domestic gaming must take place on a domestic occasion in a home or associated living accommodation. It must not involve an entry fee or be run for profit. Separate rules apply to bingo in pubs, clubs and fundraising settings.

Anyone organising paid bingo should therefore check the Gambling Commission's current guidance for their particular setting rather than assuming that a small or charitable game is automatically exempt from gambling requirements.

Why is the stand-up version different?

The biggest difference is psychological rather than complicated rules.

In conventional bingo, every matching number moves a ticket closer to its target. In stand-up Irish bingo, hearing one of your numbers means your round may be over. The suspense therefore comes from not matching the numbers being called.

The physical stand-up format also makes progress easy for a room to see. As the draw continues, the number of people on their feet steadily falls until the final participant remains.

Despite the reversed objective, the result is still based on chance. Lasting longer in one round does not make a player more or less likely to succeed in a later one.

Irish bingo and other bingo variations

Irish bingo is just one example of how the basic number-draw concept can be adapted.

90-ball bingo is a familiar UK format, usually using tickets containing 15 numbers across three rows. Games commonly award prizes for completing specified lines and a full house.

75-ball bingo commonly uses a 5x5 card and can use predetermined patterns as its winning condition.

80-ball bingo typically uses a 4x4 ticket, with the exact winning patterns depending on the game.

30-ball or speed bingo uses fewer numbers and a smaller card, creating shorter rounds.

There are also hybrid casino games that borrow bingo mechanics while adding other gameplay elements. The important thing is to read the rules for the specific game rather than treating all products carrying the word “bingo” as interchangeable.

Playing bingo responsibly

Irish bingo and other paid bingo games should be treated as entertainment, not as a way to make money. There is always a possibility of losing the money spent on tickets, and no sequence of previous calls can guarantee what will happen next.

If playing for money, decide what you are comfortable spending before starting and avoid increasing that amount in an attempt to recover losses. Buying more tickets also costs more; it should not be treated as a route to guaranteed returns.

In Great Britain, under-18s must not participate in commercial bingo gambling. The Gambling Commission also requires operators offering remote gambling to British consumers to hold the relevant licence.

If gambling is becoming difficult to control or affecting your finances or wellbeing, stop playing and seek support. GambleAware provides free, confidential information and support, and the National Gambling Helpline is available 24/7 on 0808 8020 133.

Irish bingo FAQs

What is the main rule of Irish bingo?

In the traditional stand-up version, players begin standing and sit down when one of their numbers is called. The last eligible player remaining is the winner under the usual format.

Is Irish bingo the same as 90-ball bingo?

Not necessarily. “Irish bingo” can refer to the stand-up elimination game, but the term is also sometimes used for 90-ball bingo played in Ireland. Always check the individual game's rules.

Do you want your numbers to be called in Irish bingo?

Not in the traditional stand-up version. A matching number usually means you sit down and leave contention, so the objective is effectively the reverse of conventional bingo.

Can you play Irish bingo online?

You can find Irish-themed and conventional bingo games online, although a site described as offering Irish bingo may not recreate the traditional stand-up format. Check the game's rules and winning conditions before buying tickets.

Is there a strategy for winning Irish bingo?

No strategy can control which random number is called next. Understanding the rules prevents mistakes, but it does not allow you to predict the draw.

Do you have to stand up to play?

Standing is the traditional way to show who remains in the game, but it is not essential to the underlying number-draw mechanic. For an informal game, organisers can use an accessible alternative for anyone who cannot comfortably stand.

Card counting in blackjack means tracking the balance of high and low cards that have already been dealt to estimate the composition of the cards still to come.

You do not need to memorise every card. With the popular Hi-Lo system, you assign cards a value of +1, 0 or -1, maintain a running count, then adjust it for the estimated number of decks remaining.

It sounds simple on paper, but reliably counting while also following blackjack strategy and keeping up with a live game takes considerable practice. It does not guarantee a profit, and gambling always involves the risk of losing money.

What is card counting in blackjack?

Card counting is a way of using information from cards that have already been dealt in blackjack. The principle works because removing different cards from the shoe affects the remaining composition differently.

In general, a greater concentration of tens and aces among the undealt cards can be more favourable to the player, while a greater concentration of low cards tends to favour the dealer.

Counters therefore do not normally try to remember that, for example, the seven of clubs and queen of hearts have appeared. Instead, a counting system reduces the cards to simple numerical values.

Before learning a counting system, it helps to understand how to play blackjack, including hitting, standing, doubling and splitting. Card counting does not replace the underlying rules or basic strategy.

How to count cards in blackjack with Hi-Lo

Hi-Lo is one of the best-known card-counting systems and is a useful example because its arithmetic is straightforward. Each card receives one of three values:

• Cards 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 have a Hi-Lo value of +1.
• Cards 7, 8 and 9 have a Hi-Lo value of 0.
• Cards 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace have a Hi-Lo value of -1.

Because a complete deck contains the same number of +1 and -1 tags, Hi-Lo is described as a balanced counting system. If you correctly count through an entire standard deck, your final count should return to zero.

Learning the system can be broken into four basic stages.

Assign a value to every card

Start by learning the three groups until recognising them requires little conscious calculation. For example:

• a 4 adds one to the count;
• an 8 makes no change;
• a king subtracts one.

The suit is irrelevant. A four of hearts and four of clubs both count as +1. This is also why card counting is different from memorising every card that has appeared.

Keep a running count

At the start of a newly shuffled shoe, a Hi-Lo running count begins at zero. Update that total for every exposed card, including cards dealt to other players and the dealer.

• Imagine the following cards appear: 5, King, 2, 8, Ace, 6
• Their Hi-Lo values are: +1, -1, +1, 0, -1, +1
• Starting from zero, the running count changes like this: +1 → 0 → +1 → +1 → 0 → +1
• The final running count is therefore +1.

A positive running count indicates that, relative to low cards, more high cards remain than would otherwise be expected. A negative count indicates the opposite. That does not tell you which card will be dealt next, and it certainly does not guarantee the outcome of the next hand.

Convert the running count into a true count

The running count becomes less informative when several decks are being used.

A running count of +6 with one deck left is very different from +6 with six decks left. In the second situation, the imbalance is spread across many more unseen cards.

Balanced systems such as Hi-Lo therefore use a true count:

True count = running count ÷ estimated decks remaining

Suppose your running count is +8 and you estimate four decks remain:

+8 ÷ 4 = +2 true count

If the running count were +8 with two decks remaining:

+8 ÷ 2 = +4 true count

The difficult part in a real game is not the division itself. You also need to estimate how much of the shoe remains while following the action accurately.

Understand what the count means

A higher positive true count indicates a greater concentration of high cards relative to low cards in the remaining shoe. This matters because high cards can benefit the player in several ways, including increasing the frequency of blackjacks and affecting some doubling and dealer-bust situations.

A negative count indicates a less favourable remaining composition.

However, knowing the count is only one component of advantage play. Rules, the number of decks, how deeply cards are dealt before a shuffle and accurate playing decisions can all affect the mathematics.

Card counting should therefore not be treated as a formula for guaranteed winnings.

Running count vs true count

These two terms are easy to confuse.

The running count tells you the raw imbalance you have observed.

The true count puts that number into the context of how many cards remain. This is particularly important in multi-deck blackjack.

For example, a +4 running count with half a deck left represents a much greater concentration of extra high cards than the same +4 with several decks still in the shoe.

How to practise card counting

A sensible way to learn the mechanics is away from gambling altogether, using an ordinary deck of cards. There is no need to risk money while learning.

Start with a shuffled 52-card deck and turn over one card at a time. Add +1 for cards from 2 to 6, ignore 7 to 9, and subtract one for tens through aces.

Your final count should be zero.

Once you can do that accurately, try recognising pairs of cards. A low and high card cancel each other out, so combinations such as a 5 and queen equal zero.

Only after the running count becomes comfortable does it make sense to practise estimating decks and calculating a true count.

Accuracy matters more than speed. A counting error can carry through the remainder of the shoe and make subsequent calculations unreliable.

A blackjack trainer can also help with the separate task of learning basic playing decisions. Counting accurately is of limited value if you are simultaneously making avoidable strategy errors.

Does card counting guarantee you will win?

No.

Even when the remaining shoe is favourable, an individual hand is still uncertain. You can receive a poor hand during a positive count or win during a negative one.

Card counting concerns changing probabilities over a sequence of hands, not predicting the next card with certainty.

That distinction is important. Short-term results can vary substantially, and a player can lose money even when making mathematically informed decisions.

Claims that a counting system guarantees winnings or removes the risk from blackjack should therefore be treated sceptically. Blackjack remains gambling, and money put at risk can be lost.

Is card counting illegal in the UK?

There is an important distinction between mentally keeping track of exposed cards and cheating or interfering with a game.

As of August 2026, section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005 creates an offence of cheating at gambling, including conduct intended to enable or assist another person to cheat. The legislation also refers to actual or attempted deception or interference with the gambling process as possible forms of cheating.

The Act does not simply state that mentally maintaining a Hi-Lo count is itself a criminal offence. However, that should not be interpreted as permission to use prohibited equipment, interfere with a game, deceive casino staff or breach other applicable rules.

A casino can also have its own conditions and policies. If venue staff tell you to stop playing or leave, comply with their instructions.

For anyone interested in the distinction between legitimate strategy and prohibited behaviour, it is worth understanding that attempts to cheat at blackjack are a different subject from mentally tracking cards that have been openly dealt.

Can you count cards in online blackjack?

It depends on how the game operates, but card counting often has little or no practical application to online blackjack.

Many digital blackjack games use software-generated outcomes and may effectively reshuffle between hands or use game mechanics that prevent a useful count from carrying forward.

If previous cards have no meaningful effect on the composition available for the next round, maintaining a running count provides no useful information.

Live-dealer blackjack can involve physical cards, but the usefulness of counting still depends on factors such as the number of decks and when the shoe is shuffled. Rules and procedures vary between games.

Check the specific game's rules rather than assuming a method developed for a traditional shoe game will transfer directly to an online version.

Card counting and basic blackjack strategy are not the same

Card counting and basic strategy solve different problems.

Basic blackjack strategy considers your hand, the dealer's visible card and the game's rules to determine a mathematically informed playing decision.

Card counting tracks the changing composition of undealt cards.

Someone learning blackjack should generally understand basic strategy before attempting to maintain a count.

Our guide to blackjack strategies provides more context on the different approaches players use.

More advanced counters may study "strategy deviations", where particular decisions can change according to the true count. These require considerably more study than the basic Hi-Lo running count and should not be confused with a guaranteed way to win.

Common card-counting mistakes

The arithmetic involved in Hi-Lo is basic, but applying it consistently is harder. Common problems include:

• Missing cards: every exposed relevant card needs to be incorporated into the running count.
• Forgetting the count: distractions can cause the current total to be lost.
• Confusing running and true counts: a positive running count is not equivalent to the same true count.
• Estimating decks badly: an inaccurate estimate affects the true-count calculation.
• Ignoring basic strategy: counting does not substitute for knowing how the underlying game works.
• Assuming a positive count guarantees a win: it changes the composition and associated probabilities; it does not determine the next hand.
• Trying to count unsuitable games: frequent shuffling can remove the information a counter is trying to use.

These are among the reasons that understanding Hi-Lo takes far less time than applying it reliably.

Other blackjack counting systems

Hi-Lo is not the only method. Other systems include KO (Knock-Out), Hi-Opt and more complicated multi-level counts.

Some systems assign different values to additional cards, while unbalanced systems such as KO are constructed so that a complete deck does not necessarily finish at zero.

Greater complexity is not automatically better for an individual player. A theoretically more precise system offers little benefit if the extra mental workload causes counting errors.

For somebody simply trying to understand how to count cards in blackjack, Hi-Lo provides the clearest introduction to the underlying principle.

Play with limits, not expectations of profit

Learning the mathematics behind blackjack can be interesting, but gambling should be treated as paid entertainment rather than an income source.

Decide beforehand how much money and time you are prepared to spend, and never chase losses or increase stakes because you feel you need to recover money. A counting system does not eliminate financial risk.

If gambling is becoming difficult to control, free confidential support is available. As of August 2026, GamCare states that the National Gambling Helpline is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, on 0808 8020 133, with online support also available.

FAQs

Is it hard to learn how to count cards in blackjack?

The basic Hi-Lo arithmetic is straightforward: add one, subtract one or make no change. The difficult part is keeping an accurate running count, estimating the decks remaining, calculating the true count and following the game simultaneously.

Do you have to memorise every card?

No. Hi-Lo groups cards into three categories and maintains a numerical total. You do not need to remember every individual card and suit.

What does a positive count mean?

In Hi-Lo, a positive count means proportionally more high cards remain than low cards compared with the starting composition. In a multi-deck game, the running count needs to be considered alongside the estimated decks remaining.

What is the easiest way to practise counting cards?

Practise with a normal deck without gambling. Turn over cards one by one, assign their Hi-Lo values and keep a running total. Because Hi-Lo is balanced, a correctly counted complete deck finishes at zero.

Can card counting predict the next blackjack card?

No. Counting provides information about the composition of the remaining cards; it does not tell you exactly which card will appear next.

Does card counting always work?

No. Its usefulness depends on the game structure, rules and shuffle procedure, and accurate counting still cannot guarantee winning hands or a profit.

Scratch cards are designed to be simple: buy a card, scratch away the covering and find out immediately whether you've won. But with different games sitting side by side at the till, how much are scratch cards in the UK?

The short answer is that the price depends on the individual game. National Lottery scratchcards commonly come at several price points, with £2 and £5 games among the options available.

Each game has its own prize structure and odds, so paying more for a card doesn't automatically mean you're getting better chances of winning.

Here's what to know about scratchcard prices, odds and the real cost of playing.

How Much Do Scratch Cards Cost in the UK?

There isn't one standard price for every scratchcard.

Different games are sold at different stakes, and the price should be clearly displayed on the card. Current National Lottery game documentation, for example, includes scratchcards costing £2 and £5.

That makes the purchase price easy to understand, but price alone doesn't tell you whether one scratchcard represents "better value" than another.

Before buying, there are three separate numbers worth distinguishing:

• Card price: what you pay to play.
• Overall odds: the probability of winning any available prize.
• Prize structure: the amounts that can potentially be won and how many prizes were included when the game launched.

A £5 scratchcard therefore costs more to play than a £2 scratchcard, but that doesn't by itself prove that the £5 card has proportionally better odds.

Why Do Scratch Cards Have Different Prices?

Different prices allow scratchcards to offer different game formats and prize structures.

A more expensive card may have more play areas, additional ways to win or a different range of prizes. Higher-priced games can also advertise substantial top prizes.

However, the headline jackpot shouldn't be confused with the amount a player is likely to win.

Large prizes are deliberately rare. Most players should expect to lose their stake rather than assume that buying a more expensive card provides a realistic route to a major payout.

That's an important distinction because scratchcards are games of chance, not a way of making money.

Are £5 Scratch Cards Better Than £1 or £2 Cards?

Not necessarily. It's tempting to assume that spending more means receiving better odds, but scratchcards don't work quite like buying a higher-quality version of an ordinary product.

Each game has its own mathematical structure.

For example, official National Lottery game procedures for one £5 scratchcard list the overall chance of winning a prize as approximately 1 in 3.46. Other games can have different odds.

And "winning a prize" doesn't necessarily mean making a profit. If you spend £5 and win £5, you've technically won a prize, but you're only getting your original stake back. Similarly, small prizes account for many of the winning tickets in a typical scratchcard prize structure.

So rather than asking whether expensive scratchcards are inherently better, a more useful question is: What are the odds and prize breakdown for this particular game?

Does Buying a More Expensive Scratch Card Increase Your Chance of Winning?

The price alone doesn't provide enough information to answer that question.

Two differently priced scratchcards can have different overall odds, prize distributions and top prizes. You need to compare the published information for the individual games rather than assuming the most expensive card offers the best probability.

It's also worth remembering what overall odds actually mean.

Odds of 1 in 3.5, for example, do not mean that buying four cards guarantees a winner. Each physical card is part of a much larger printed game, and there's no guarantee that a particular group of cards you buy will contain a prize.

Buying more cards simply means spending more money.

How Quickly Can Scratch Card Spending Add Up?

The relatively small individual price of a scratchcard can make the total cost easy to underestimate.

Imagine buying two £3 cards every week:

• £3 × 2 × 52 = £312 per year

Four £5 cards per month would cost:

• £5 × 4 × 12 = £240 per year

And spending £10 each week becomes:

• £10 × 52 = £520 per year

These figures don't account for occasional winnings, but they're useful for understanding the amount being staked.

The frequency of buying scratchcards can therefore matter just as much as the price printed on each card.

How Much Can You Win on a Scratch Card?

Potential prizes vary considerably from game to game.

Scratchcards can contain prizes ranging from relatively small amounts to substantial headline jackpots. The precise prize table is established for each game, and official game information can show how many prizes of each value existed when the game began.

The biggest number printed on the front of a card deserves some perspective, though.

Top prizes are generally extremely difficult to win. Official prize tables demonstrate just how much more common small prizes can be than the largest awards.

That's why the jackpot should be viewed as a possibility rather than an expectation.

Anecdotal experiences tell a similar story. UK discussions about scratchcards include occasional reports of substantial wins alongside many more stories of small prizes or long-term losses.

Those anecdotes aren't reliable evidence for calculating your chances, but they illustrate why individual experiences shouldn't be mistaken for mathematical probability.

Where Can You Check Scratch Card Odds?

For National Lottery scratchcards, check the official information associated with the individual game. Game procedures can provide details including:

• Retail sales price
• Overall odds of winning a prize
• Available prize amounts
• Number of prizes at the start of the game
• How the game works

These figures are much more useful than choosing a card because of its colour, design or the size of the jackpot printed across the front.

Remember that overall odds aren't the same as the odds of winning the top prize. The chance of winning any prize will usually be considerably better than the chance of landing the headline jackpot.

How Much Should You Spend on Scratch Cards?

There's no amount that makes scratchcard play profitable or guarantees a return.

If you choose to play, decide what you're comfortable spending on entertainment before you buy anything. That amount should come from disposable money rather than funds needed for bills, food, rent, savings or debt repayments.

A few practical boundaries can help:

• Set a fixed spending limit in advance.
• Keep track of repeated small purchases.
• Don't increase your spending after losing.
• Don't buy additional cards simply to try to recover previous losses.
• Treat any winnings as chance outcomes rather than evidence that another win is due.

If scratchcards stop feeling like entertainment or you're spending more than intended, stopping play is the sensible choice.

How Much Are Scratch Cards? The Bottom Line

Scratchcard prices vary by game, with different stakes giving players access to different prize structures and game formats. Current UK National Lottery games include examples priced at £2 and £5.

The most important thing is not to confuse a higher ticket price with a better chance of coming out ahead. Every scratchcard is gambling, the outcome is based on chance and the advertised top prizes are rare.

If you do buy scratchcards, consider the full cost over time rather than only the price of a single card. Set a budget, stick to it and treat the money spent as the cost of entertainment rather than money you expect to recover.

Scratchcards and other National Lottery products are restricted to people aged 18 and over in the UK. If gambling is becoming difficult to control, support and safer-gambling information are available through organisations such as GambleAware.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a scratch card in the UK?

The price varies according to the game. National Lottery scratchcards are offered at different price points, and current game documentation includes £2 and £5 examples.

Are expensive scratch cards more likely to win?

Not automatically. Every game has its own overall odds and prize distribution, so price shouldn't be used by itself to judge the chance of winning.

Are £5 scratch cards worth buying?

A £5 card offers a game with a particular prize structure, but there's no guarantee you'll win or recover the £5 stake. Whether to spend that amount is a personal entertainment-budget decision rather than an investment decision.

Does buying multiple scratch cards improve your chances?

Buying more cards gives you more individual opportunities to encounter a winning card, but it also increases the amount you spend and never guarantees a win. Previous losses don't make the next card more likely to produce a prize.

Can you make money from scratch cards?

Scratchcards shouldn't be treated as a way to make money. They are gambling products based on chance, and players should expect that losing is possible. Never use gambling as a solution to financial difficulties.

What age do you need to be to buy scratch cards?

You must be 18 or over to buy National Lottery scratchcards in the UK.

The best blackjack strategy is basic strategy, a fixed set of correct plays covering every hand you can be dealt against every dealer upcard.

When applied consistently, it keeps the house edge under 1% across most rule sets. No betting system, hunch or table superstition moves that number anywhere near as far.

If you’re looking for how to win at blackjack, the advantage comes from applying basic strategy on every hand, and not from luck or a betting pattern.

The 15 decisions below are the ones that come up most often and cost the most when you get them wrong. You’ll also find the full chart set out so you can read it at a glance, the mistakes that quietly drain recreational bankrolls, and four ways to commit the lot to memory.

Key Takeaways for Blackjack Strategy

• Follow a basic strategy chart on every hand. Correct play keeps the house edge under 1% in many rule sets.
• Check the payout before you sit down. A 6:5 table adds around 1.4 to 1.5 percentage points to the edge.
• Always split 8s and Aces, never split 5s or 10s, and never take insurance.
• Match your chart to the table rules: number of decks, S17 or H17, DAS or NDAS, and surrender.
• Apply the chart consistently. The benefit accumulates across thousands of hands, and none of them proves anything.

Note: Unless stated otherwise, these blackjack tips apply to most games and assume recreational play (not card counting). Always check the table rules first.

If this article interests you, keep reading. Alternatively, explore other topics like blackjack side bets and roulette strategy.

Blackjack Rules to Check Before You Play (S17, H17, DAS, NDAS)

• S17: the dealer stands on soft 17
• H17: the dealer hits soft 17
• DAS: doubling down after splitting pairs is allowed
• NDAS: doubling down after splitting pairs is not allowed

Check these before your first hand. A chart built for S17 will quietly cost you money on an H17 game, and the same goes for a DAS chart used at an NDAS table. Note that S17 and H17 describe the dealer’s hand. Playing a soft 17 of your own is a separate decision, and it comes up more often than most players expect.

Unless stated otherwise, everything below applies to most games and assumes recreational play without card counting.

The 15 Best Blackjack Strategies

Always Double Down on Hard 11

Hard 11 is the strongest doubling hand in the game. Against almost every dealer upcard, doubling collects more than hitting does. The one exception is multi-deck S17 against a dealer Ace, where hitting is marginally better.

Always Split 8s and Aces

Split 8s and Aces against any upcard the dealer shows. Splitting 8s breaks up a hard 16, the worst total in blackjack. Splitting Aces gives you two hands starting on the best card in the deck. One adjustment: on H17 multi-deck or H17 double-deck NDAS games, surrender 8-8 against an Ace if surrender is offered.

Never Split 5s or 10s

Treat 5-5 as a hard 10, which is a prime doubling hand, and keep 10-10 together. A 20 wins more often on its own than two hands each started from a single 10.

Hit Hard 12 Against a Dealer 2 or 3

Hard 12 against a 2 or a 3 loses money whichever way you play it. Hitting loses less, so hitting is correct.

Hit Soft 18 Against a Dealer 9, 10 or Ace

Soft 18 (A-7) isn’t strong enough to stand on against a 9, a 10 or an Ace. Hitting opens a route to 19, 20 or 21 with no bust risk on the next card. The exception is single-deck S17 against a dealer Ace, where standing is marginally better.

Double 10 Against a Dealer 9 or Lower

With a two-card 10, double when the dealer shows 2 through 9. You’re the favorite in the hand, and doubling wins more over the long run than hitting does.

Adjust Your Doubling on H17 Tables

On H17 tables, three extra doubles become correct: hard 11 against an Ace, soft 19 (A-8) against a 6, and soft 18 (A-7) against a 2. Small changes on their own, but they add up over thousands of hands.

Double Soft 13 to 18 Against a Dealer 5 or 6

Double A-2 through A-7 when the dealer shows a 5 or a 6. Those are the dealer’s two weakest upcards, and a soft hand can’t bust on the extra card, so putting more money out carries little downside.

Stand on 9-9 Against a Dealer 7

With 9-9 against a 7, stand. The dealer’s most likely total is 17, and your 18 already beats it. Splitting gives away a made winner.

Surrender the Worst Hands When It’s Offered

Where surrender is available, use it on hard 16 against a 9, 10 or Ace, and on hard 15 against a 10. That saves half your bet in the worst spots on the chart and reduces long-term losses.

Double 8 Against a Dealer 5 or 6 in Single-Deck

In single-deck blackjack, double a hard 8 against a 5 or a 6. The card mix in a single deck shifts the math far enough that doubling overtakes hitting here. It’s the wrong play on any multi-deck game.

Split 2s and 3s Against a Dealer 2 or 3 When DAS Is Allowed

With 2-2 or 3-3 against a 2 or a 3, split when DAS is allowed and hit when it isn’t. In single-deck games, split 2-2 against a dealer 3 even without DAS.

Never Take Insurance or Even Money

Insurance pays 2 to 1, and the true odds of the dealer holding blackjack are longer than that, so the bet loses money across any meaningful run of hands. Even money is the same wager under a friendlier name, offered when you hold blackjack against a dealer Ace.

Consider Standing on a Multi-Card 16 Against a Dealer 10

Basic strategy hits hard 16 against a 10 when surrender isn’t available. There’s a refinement worth knowing: if your 16 is made up of three or more cards, such as 7-5-4, standing performs marginally better, because those small cards are no longer in the deck to help you.

Avoid 6:5 Blackjack Tables

A 6:5 payout instead of the standard 3:2 adds roughly 1.4 to 1.5 percentage points to the house edge, and in many multi-deck games that pushes the total edge past 2%. Check the payout before you sit down.

What Are the Most Common Blackjack Mistakes?

• Playing 6:5 tables. The payout cut costs far more than the rule change would suggest.
• Taking insurance or even money against a dealer Ace. Like most blackjack side bets, it pays back less than it costs.
• Standing on soft 18 (A-7) against a dealer 9, 10 or Ace.
• Ignoring the table rules. S17 against H17 and DAS against NDAS both change the correct play.
• Chasing losses with a betting system instead of sticking to correct decisions and a set budget.
• Trusting instinct on a hand the chart has already answered.

How Does a Blackjack Strategy Chart Work?

A blackjack strategy chart gives the correct play for every combination of your hand and the dealer’s upcard. Reading one takes three steps:

1. Find your hand down the left-hand side (hard total, soft total or pair).
2. Find the dealer’s upcard along the top.
3. Play the letter where the two meet: H for hit, S for stand, D for double, P for split, R for surrender.

That’s the whole method. The value is in following it on every hand, including the ones where the correct play feels wrong.

Example Plays From the Chart

• 6-6 against a dealer 4: split. Two hands starting on 6 both do better against a weak upcard than one hard 12 does.
• 15 (10-5) against a dealer 6: stand. The 6 is one of the dealer’s two worst cards, and hitting risks breaking a hand that’s already ahead.
• A-7 (soft 18) against a dealer 9: hit. Standing leaves you short of the dealer’s likely total.
• 10 against a dealer 9: double. You’re favored to draw a strong card against an upcard that’s vulnerable.
• 16 against a dealer Ace: surrender, where it’s offered. Half a bet back is the best available outcome.

Multi-Deck Blackjack Strategy Chart (4+ Decks, S17, NDAS)

The same chart in words, for the rules above.

Hard totals:

• 8 or less: hit.
• 9: double against 3 to 6, otherwise hit.
• 10: double against 2 to 9, otherwise hit.
• 11: double against 2 to 10, hit against an Ace.
• 12: hit against 2 and 3, stand against 4 to 6, hit against 7 to Ace.
• 13 to 16: stand against 2 to 6, hit against 7 to Ace.
• 17 or more: stand.

Soft totals:

• A-2 and A-3: double against 5 and 6, otherwise hit.
• A-4 and A-5: double against 4 to 6, otherwise hit.
• A-6: double against 3 to 6, otherwise hit.
• A-7: double against 3 to 6, stand against 2, 7 and 8, hit against 9, 10 and Ace.
• A-8 or higher: stand.

Pairs (NDAS, with the DAS variation in brackets):

• A-A and 8-8: always split.
• 10-10 and 5-5: never split.
• 9-9: split against 2 to 6 and 8 to 9, stand against 7, 10 and Ace.
• 7-7: split against 2 to 7, otherwise hit.
• 6-6: split against 3 to 6 (2 to 6 with DAS), otherwise hit.
• 4-4: hit (split against 5 and 6 with DAS).
• 3-3 and 2-2: split against 4 to 7 (2 to 7 with DAS), otherwise hit.

Surrender, where offered: hard 16 against 9, 10 and Ace, and hard 15 against a 10.

Use a Blackjack Strategy Chart Matched to Your Rules

A chart is only correct for the game it was built for. Check four things before you use one:

• Number of decks. Fewer decks change several plays, including the single-deck exceptions in tips 5, 11 and 12.
• Dealer on soft 17. S17 and H17 charts differ on doubling and standing decisions.
• Doubling after split. DAS and NDAS charts differ across most of the pairs section.
• Surrender. Its availability changes how you handle hard 15 and 16 against high upcards.

Using a chart built for other rules produces the same mistake every time that hand comes up, which does more damage than the occasional lapse in concentration.

How Much Does Basic Strategy Save You?

The house edge is the share of every bet the casino keeps on average over a long run of hands, and correct play is the only lever a recreational player has on it. Four scenarios, and what each does to the number:

• Following a chart correctly. The edge sits under 1% in many common rule sets, and even lower when the rules are favorable.
• Playing by feel, with frequent basic mistakes. The edge climbs above 2% over time.
• Playing 6:5 instead of 3:2. Roughly 1.4 to 1.5 percentage points on top of whatever the game’s edge already is.
• Taking insurance regularly. A further steady drain, since the bet has negative expected value every time it’s made.

How Do You Learn Basic Blackjack Strategy Faster?

None of this works without the underlying rules, so if the flow of a table is still new, start with how to play blackjack and come back once the sequence of a hand is second nature. From there, four methods do the job, and they work best in combination:

• Flashcards. Drill the hands that come up most, soft totals, 12 to 16 against strong upcards, and the pair rules, until the answer arrives without thought.
• A blank chart. Draw the grid and fill it in from memory. Where a whole row plays the same way, such as hard 17 and above, write the play once and rule a line across.
• Card practice. Deal yourself two cards and a dealer upcard, decide how you’d play it, then check yourself against the chart.
• Software and trainers. Apps and browser trainers flag mistakes as you make them, which is the fastest correction loop of the four.

Blackjack Strategy FAQ

What is the best blackjack strategy for beginners?

Basic strategy, worked from a chart that matches your table rules. It takes the guesswork out of every hand, and it’s the fastest improvement available to a new player.

Should you split 8s and aces every time?

Yes, in standard basic strategy. Those two plays together are among the largest single gains available to a recreational player.

Can you use a blackjack strategy chart at the table?

At an online blackjack table, yes, with nothing stopping you. In land-based casinos, a discreet pocket chart is usually permitted, though house rules vary, so it's worth checking first.

Should you ever take insurance?

Almost never. It carries negative expectation unless you’re counting cards and know the shoe is rich in tens.

How long does it take to learn basic strategy?

With daily practice, most players have the core decisions down inside a couple of weeks, and the exceptions settle in from there.

Does basic strategy guarantee you’ll win?

No. Blackjack carries short-term variance in both directions and no strategy removes it. What basic strategy does is make sure each individual decision is the mathematically correct one.

Video poker won't be eliminated, but the version most players remember is already gone.

Casino operators are cutting machine counts and tightening pay tables, and the games that remain return less than they used to. The format survives as long as enough players keep sitting down at it, even at worse odds.

Readers here know I'm a long-standing fan of the game. I've put years into learning how to extract everything a pay table will give up. In the glory days, most video poker games approached a 100 percent return, and a few crossed it with correct play. Those days are over. The question now is how much further the decline runs, and whether it ends with the machines gone altogether.

Where Does Video Poker Stand Today?

Video poker is still popular, and even in its diminished state it generally carries a lower house edge than the other machine games sitting on either side of it. That's most of the appeal, though not all of it.

Players who stay with the format tend to give the same reasons:

• A lower house edge than slots and most other machine-based games.
• A say in the outcome, because the hold decision belongs to the player and not the machine.
• Something to think about on every hand, instead of the bet-and-spin, bet-and-spin routine of trying to win at slots.
• A calculable return. The pay table on the screen tells you the house edge of that exact game, which is never true of a slot machine.

None of that guarantees that a machine will keep its place on the floor.

Why Are Casinos Downgrading Pay Tables?

The floor mix is decided by profit contribution, not by popularity.

Casinos today are run by publicly traded corporations, and public ownership brings shareholders who want better numbers every quarter. The operators of an earlier era understood what brought gamblers back.

They welcomed the occasional big winner and treated the payout as publicity, knowing the winner would return to chase the next one and bring family and friends along, most of whom played games with a far bigger edge.

Video poker was a loss leader, though in nearly every case the house still held an edge. The real money came from the people who arrived with the skilled players.

Intangibles like that don't fit neatly into a quarterly report. What matters is the contribution each machine makes to the bottom line, so pay tables get tightened on underperforming games. If play then falls away on the downgraded machines, those machines become candidates for removal in favor of slots that earn more per square foot.

Video poker isn't the only part of the floor under review. Table games get the same audit. A blackjack table paying 6:5 on a natural instead of 3:2 does to blackjack strategy exactly what a downgraded pay table does to video poker: the game looks identical and returns less. Some table games have been changed. Others have been removed outright.

The Las Vegas Strip is the clearest example. Strip casinos have cut both the number of video poker machines and the quality of the pay tables on the ones that remain. The space has gone to very large, visually loud slot cabinets, and in some rooms to "skill-based" machines aimed at younger players and their discretionary funds.

What Could Happen to Video Poker Next?

Three outcomes are already visible in different casinos, sometimes in the same city.

The first is what almost every operator has done to some degree. Downgrade the pay tables, then hope play holds up at the higher margin. Where play drops instead, some casinos ease the tables back up to see whether the lost players return. A few restore them to their old levels.

The second is status quo by design. Some management teams know video poker players rarely arrive alone, and that the people who come with them head straight for the slots. Those casinos leave the floor as is, and video poker with a decent return remains available.

The third is elimination. A casino that judges a bank of machines to be underperforming, whether because the pay tables are too generous for its taste or because a downgrade drove the players off, pulls them. The space then goes to slots, to another higher-edge game, or to skill-based cabinets. In a handful of rooms, it has simply been left empty.

Does the Same Pressure Apply Online?

Not in the same form. The squeeze on a land-based floor is fundamentally a space problem. Every cabinet occupies square footage that must justify its presence against whatever could stand there instead.

Online, that constraint doesn't exist. A video poker title in a lobby takes up no floor space and displaces nothing, so there's no equivalent reason to retire it for underperforming.

What carries over is the pay table. Online video poker runs on published pay tables in the same way, and the return varies between variants and between different versions of the same variant. The paytable screen still tells you the house edge of the game in front of you before you commit a coin.

Checking it is the habit that separates players who know what they're playing from players who don't, and it matters as much in a lobby as it does on a casino floor.

What Is the Most Likely Outcome?

Video poker survives, in smaller numbers and at lower returns than it once offered.

Most operators do understand that video poker players contribute more than the machine's own hold figure shows. Others frequently come with them and play games that earn the casino far more.

Both groups eat at the restaurants, buy from the gift shops, and sometimes book rooms. That revenue doesn't appear in the machine's report, but it exists.

Expect pay tables on gaming machines to keep moving, and the rules and payoffs on some table games to keep moving with them, always in the direction of a better bottom line.

Demand for video poker remains healthy. There's a standing crowd of committed players who will sit down at unfavorable pay tables, and a large share of them have no idea what the game they're playing actually returns. What they know is that choosing which cards to hold is more interesting than pressing a button and hoping.

That's the part that keeps the format alive. Enough players will play whatever video poker is put in front of them, so video poker stays. Serious players may want no part of what's left.

Key Takeaways

• Video poker generally carries a lower house edge than other machine games, which is why it holds its following.
• Corporate casino ownership judges the floor by profit contribution, so pay tables get tightened on underperforming games.
• Machines that lose play after a downgrade become candidates for removal, usually in favor of slots or skill-based cabinets.
• Online, floor space isn't a constraint, so the pressure to pull titles doesn't apply in the same way. The pay table still does.
• Complete elimination is unlikely. As long as players keep playing whatever is available, video poker survives in some form.

No roulette strategy beats the house edge, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.

What the best roulette strategies do is shape how you bet: how quickly you risk your bankroll, how long a session lasts, and how your wins and losses arrive.

That is worth understanding properly, because the difference between these systems is the difference between losing slowly and losing in twenty minutes. Below is every system worth knowing, what each one asks of you, and what it costs.

Do Roulette Strategies Actually Work?

Not in the sense most players mean. A betting system decides how much you stake and when. It doesn't affect where the ball lands.

Every spin is independent. The wheel has no memory of the last spin, the last hundred spins, or the size of your bet. That leaves the house edge exactly where it started: 2.70% on European single-zero wheels, and 5.26% on American double-zero wheels.

No arrangement of bet sizes moves those numbers, because the house edge is built into the payouts, not into the pattern of your wagers.

What a system does give you is structure. You always know what to bet next, you decide your stake sizes before emotion gets involved, and you can set an exit point in advance.

For a lot of players, that is the whole value, and it's real. If you're new to the layout, start with how to play roulette and come back here once the bet types are familiar.

Systems fall into two families:

• Negative progressions raise your bet after a loss, aiming to win back what you're down.
• Positive progressions raise your bet after a win, aiming to press a hot streak.

Everything below is one or the other, or a coverage bet that spreads chips across the layout.

What Is the Most Successful Roulette Strategy in History?

There isn't one, and there's no honest way to name a winner. Casinos don't publish player results, and gamblers who kept records mostly kept the flattering half.

What we do know is that the surviving systems are old. The Martingale was in use by the 1700s, and nobody agrees where the name came from: some trace it to Henry Martindale, a London casino owner; others to the martingale strap used on a horse.

The Labouchere is named after Henry Labouchere, who popularized a cancellation method that the French mathematician the Marquis de Condorcet had already worked out. The d'Alembert carries the name of Jean le Rond d'Alembert, an excellent mathematician who was wrong about this particular thing.

These systems survived because they're easy to follow and satisfying to play, which has nothing to do with whether they win.

Negative Progression Systems

You raise your stake after a loss. The logic is that a win must come eventually, and when it does, it clears the deficit. The flaw in every one of them is the same: table limits and finite bankrolls arrive before the guaranteed win does.

The Martingale

Double your bet after every loss on an even-money wager (red or black, odd or even, high or low). One win returns you to level and puts you ahead by your original stake.

Starting at $10, the ladder runs $10, $20, $40, $80, $160, $320, $640, $1,280.

Note what you're playing for. At the $640 rung, you’re risking $640 to win $10. At $1,280, if the table even allows it, you're risking $1,280 to win $10. The payoff never grows, only the exposure.

Players tell themselves that eight losses in a row won't happen. On even-money bets, they happen more often than the phrase suggests:

• Four losses in a row: about 1 sequence in 13 on an American wheel, 1 in 14 on a European wheel
• Five in a row: about 1 in 25, or 1 in 28
• Six in a row: about 1 in 47, or 1 in 55
• Seven in a row: about 1 in 89, or 1 in 106

Anyone who has sat at a roulette table for an evening has watched red or black run six or seven deep. Casinos set maximum bets precisely so that a streak of that length ends the sequence with the money on their side.

The Martingale wins small amounts most sessions and gives it all back, plus more, on the session it fails. I played it in my first week of gambling and did fine for two days. Then it found me.

The Grand Martingale

The Martingale with the brakes removed. Instead of doubling after a loss, you double and add an extra unit: $10, $30, $70, $150, $310.

Players choose it because the recovery win is bigger. What they get is the table maximum arriving two or three rungs sooner, which means the sequence fails more often. It's the worst version of an already poor idea.

The Labouchere

Also called the cancellation system, and the most frequently sold system of the last hundred years, which should tell you something about the people selling it.

Write down a line of numbers, say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Each number is a betting unit, and the total, 15 units, is what the sequence is trying to win.

• Bet the first number plus the last number: 1 + 5 = 6 units.
• Win, and you cross off both ends. The line becomes 2, 3, 4.
• Lose, and you add the amount you just bet to the end of the line: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
• The sequence is complete when you cross off every number.

It's absorbing to play, and it gives losses a shape, which is why it holds on. It also builds a longer and longer line during a bad run, and each new bet is larger than the last. A losing streak leaves you staking heavily to recover a target you set when things were going well.

The Fibonacci

The sequence is 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, with each number being the sum of the two before it.

Move one step up the sequence after a loss, and two steps back after a win. Playing $10 units, that means $10, $10, $20, $30, $50, $80, $130, $210, $340.

It climbs more gently than the Martingale, so the bankroll lasts longer. It also doesn't recover the full deficit on a single win the way the Martingale does, so a bad run leaves you working your way back down for a while. Gentler, slower, and every bit as subject to the house edge.

The D'Alembert

The mildest of the negative progressions, and the one most often described incorrectly.

The method is simple: on even-money bets, increase your stake by one unit after a loss and decrease it by one unit after a win. Starting at $10 with $10 units, a run of lose, lose, win, lose would go $10, $20, $30, $20.

The belief underneath it is the problem. D'Alembert thought outcomes tend toward equilibrium, so a color that has been running behind is due to catch up. Gamblers call this the maturity of chances. Statisticians call it the gambler's fallacy.

Here's why it fails. Flip a coin a hundred times and you might get 60 heads to 40 tails, a 20-point gap. Flip it a million times and you might land on 50.5% heads to 49.5% tails, which looks like the gap closing.

In absolute terms, heads has now hit 505,000 times against 495,000, and the gap has grown to 10,000. Percentages converge. The raw difference doesn’t have to.

As a bet-sizing method, the d'Alembert is harmless enough, because the stakes climb slowly. As a theory of how wheels behave, it's wrong.

Positive Progression Systems

Here you raise your bet after a win and drop back after a loss. The money you're increasing with is money you just took off the table, which is why these systems feel more comfortable to play. They still lose at the same rate over time.

The Paroli

Known to plenty of players as the parlay. You double your bet after each win, usually for three steps, then reset.

• Bet $10 and win.
• Bet $20 and win.
• Bet $40 and win, then take the lot and start again at $10.

Three even-money wins in a row come in at about 10.6% on an American wheel and 11.5% on a European wheel, so roughly one attempt in nine. When it lands, the three-step Paroli returns 70 units on a 10-unit starting stake.

The discipline is in the reset. Players who keep pressing for a fourth, fifth and sixth step will eventually hand back everything, because the last bet in any winning streak is always the losing one.

Oscar's Grind

A four-part rule set designed to grind out a single unit of profit per sequence.

• Start at one unit on an even-money bet.
• After a loss, bet the same amount again. Never increase after a loss.
• After a win, increase your bet by one unit.
• Cap any bet so that winning it would leave the sequence exactly one unit ahead. When you hit that, the sequence ends and you start again at one unit.

Oscar's Grind is the most patient system on this page. Sequences can run a long time, and the stake creeps rather than jumps. What it can't do is protect you from a long stretch where wins never string together, which is where the bankroll goes.

Coverage Systems

These don't build a progression at all. They spread chips across the layout to cover more numbers on a single spin.

The 3:2 Strategy

Invented specifically for roulette, and the most interesting bet on this page because of what happens when you check it.

You place two bets on the same spin, in a 3:2 ratio:

• Three units on red, plus two units on the second column, which holds eight black numbers and four red ones.
• Or three units on black, plus two units on the third column, which holds eight red numbers and four black ones.

Either combination covers 26 of the 37 numbers on a European wheel: 18 from the color, plus the 8 opposite-colored numbers in the column. That's a 70.27% chance of a win.

The payouts, on a five-unit total stake:

• Color wins only: 6 units returned, for a profit of 1 unit
• Column wins only: 6 units returned, for a profit of 1 unit
• Both win, which needs one of the 4 numbers that are both red and in the second column: 12 units returned, for a profit of 7 units
• Neither wins, including the zero: 5 units lost

A 70% win rate looks like a loophole. It isn't, and the arithmetic shows exactly why. Across all 37 numbers, both bets land 4 times, the color alone lands 14 times, the column alone lands 8 times, and 11 numbers lose the lot.

Run that out, and the expected result is a loss of 5 units per 37 spins, on 185 units staked. That is 2.70%, the European house edge, to the decimal.

The 3:2 strategy trades a higher win rate for a smaller win size, which is a real trade-off. It doesn't beat the wheel, because nothing arranged on the layout can.

The Kavouras Bet

Sometimes called the chaos bet. You cover roughly half the layout with unequal stakes placed without any system, on the theory that chaotic betting counters a chaotic game.

It doesn't, and the reasoning has never held up. Two random things don't cancel out. What the method does reliably is put a lot of money on the felt every spin, and the house edge applies to all of it.

Covering half the numbers with an expensive scattered bet costs you more per spin than covering half the numbers with an even-money wager or a couple of dozens.

If you want broad coverage, the outside bets do the same job for less.

The Gun & Run Variants

The Gun & Run variants are capped versions of the Martingale and the Paroli. Both cut the sequence short before it reaches the stakes that do the damage: three steps at most, then straight back to the base bet, so a bad run has a known ceiling.

They're mine, and I made them because I got tired of watching the standard versions take good sessions apart.

The Gun & Run Martingale

The standard Martingale's problem is that it keeps going. This one doesn't.

• Bet $10 on an even-money wager. If it loses, bet $20.
• If that loses, sit out the next two spins. No bet at all.
• Then bet $40. If that loses, stop and go back to your base bet.

The worst a sequence can cost you is $70. On a $500 session bankroll, that leaves $430 and a decision about whether to carry on, move to another wheel, or take a break.

The two sit-out spins will sometimes be winners you missed, and more often they won't. What they always do is take you off the ladder before it reaches the rungs that hurt.

The Gun & Run Paroli

The three-win Paroli, held back until the session bankroll is already up.

• Bet $10 and win. Don't increase yet.
• Bet $10 again. Win that, and your bankroll is $20 ahead.
• Now go the full Paroli on the third bet, at $20.
• Any loss at any point sends you back to $10.

Losing that third bet of $20 leaves you level for the sequence, because the first two wins paid for it. It's a modest system, and it behaves like one. Of the two variants, this is the one I'd play.

The Only Rule That Cuts the House Edge

Everything above changes how you bet. One thing changes what you're up against, and it isn't a system at all. It's the table you sit at.

Some single-zero wheels return half your even-money stake when the ball lands on zero. The rule goes by la partage, and its close relative, en prison, holds the bet for the next spin instead. Either way, zero stops costing you the full wager.

The effect is exactly what it sounds like. On even-money bets, the 2.70% house edge falls to 1.35%. That is a bigger improvement than any progression on this page delivers, and it costs nothing to take.

So before you choose a system, choose a wheel. Single zero over double zero, every time, and half-back on zero if the table offers it.

What Is the Best Roulette Strategy?

The best roulette strategy is the one whose risk profile matches your bankroll and the length of session you want. That's the honest answer. Here's a comparison to help you choose.

• Martingale: negative progression, very high risk, $500+
• Grand Martingale: negative progression, extreme risk, $1,000+
• Labouchere: negative progression, high risk, $500+
• Fibonacci: negative progression, medium to high risk, $300 to $600
• D'Alembert: negative progression, low to medium risk, $200 to $400
• Paroli: positive progression, medium risk, $100 to $300
• Oscar's Grind: positive progression, low to medium risk, $200 to $400
• 3:2 Strategy: coverage bet, medium risk, $300 to $700
• Kavouras Bet: coverage bet, high risk, $500+
• Gun & Run Martingale: capped negative progression, medium risk, $500
• Gun & Run Paroli: positive progression, low risk, $200

My own verdict, for what it's worth, after a few decades of this. The negative progressions all end the same way, and the Grand Martingale gets there fastest.

The positive progressions cost you less to be wrong, because you're pressing with money the table just handed you. Of everything here, I prefer the Gun & Run Paroli, and I'd take a half-back single-zero table over any of it.

Roulette Strategy – FAQ

What Is the Most Successful Roulette Strategy?

Nobody can name one with evidence behind it. Casinos don't publish player results and gamblers rarely keep honest records, so claims about a system's lifetime performance are unverifiable. What can be said is that no betting pattern alters the house edge, so no system holds a long-term advantage.

How Do You Play a Roulette Strategy?

Every strategy should come with a rule set covering three things: which bets to make, how much to stake, and when to change the stake. Decide your unit size and your session bankroll before the first spin, follow the rules without improvising, and set the point at which you stop. A system you adjust halfway through isn't a system.

What Is the Best Roulette Strategy?

The one that limits losses while leaving room to profit if your bets land. All of them face the same house edge, so the choice comes down to risk. Low-risk players tend to prefer the d'Alembert, Oscar's Grind or a three-step Paroli. Whichever you pick, play a European single-zero wheel at 2.70% instead of an American double-zero wheel at 5.26%.

How Do You Win at Roulette?

In the short term, by being lucky when your stakes are highest. Over a long run of spins, the house edge decides the outcome. In practice, winning means choosing the best table rules available, keeping your bets small relative to your bankroll, and deciding in advance what a finished session looks like. Our roulette odds guide covers what every bet on the layout pays.

Key Takeaways

• No betting system changes the house edge: 2.70% on European wheels, 5.26% on American wheels.
• Negative progressions raise stakes after a loss and are undone by table limits and losing streaks.
• Positive progressions raise stakes after a win and cost less when you're wrong.
• A four to seven spin losing run on even-money bets is common, not rare, and it's what ends Martingale sequences.
• Coverage bets like the 3:2 buy a high win rate with a small win size, and still return the house edge exactly.
• Play single-zero wheels, and look for tables that return half your even-money stake on zero. That halves the edge to 1.35%, which no system can match.

The systems on this page are worth trying at a table that gives you the better odds to start with. European roulette at 888casino runs on a single-zero wheel, at 2.70% instead of 5.26%. Decide your unit size and your session limit before the first spin.