How to manage your bankroll when playing blackjack

Money conversations are one of those that many of us are keen to avoid. The truth though is that how money is managed impacts all parts of our lives and there’s no getting away from the fact that it matters when it comes to playing blackjack. It doesn’t matter if you’re a blackjack pro or a recreational player, how you manage your bankroll is important.

It tends to be recreational players that don’t pay too much attention to bankroll management. They may find that it’s a little boring and it takes away from the fun of the game. The reality is that bankroll management adds to the fun. By managing your money, you can play for longer and even increase your chances of hitting a winning streak. Surely they’re things that all blackjack players want? Read on and learn how to keep your bankroll in the black for that much longer.

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The golden rule

Before we get into the detail of managing your blackjack bankroll, it’s important to step back for one moment and to consider this golden rule:

Never gamble with money that you can’t afford to lose

Okay, there’s no doubt that you’ve heard this before, but we’re starting with it because it really is important. There’s a level of money that we all need that can be classed as almost sacred. That’s the money that we have to do things such as pay our rent, keep ourselves fed, and pay our bills. This sacred money needs to be very separate from your blackjack bankroll. Keep your discipline here and blackjack, as well as other casino games, are so much more fun.

With that out of the way, let’s get into the detail of managing your blackjack bankroll.

Considering the session to manage your Blackjack bankroll

When looking at your bankroll, one consideration is ensuring that you have enough bankroll to get through a session. This bankroll needs to be big enough to give you a good chance of winning as well as minimise the risk of going bust. No one wants to go broke and bring and bring their night to a premature end, but it happens all too often.

You just need to look at players that have $100 as their session bankroll. They jump in and start to bet $25 per hand. With a 90% chance of going bust, this is only going to end one way. It will bring a night to an end with a bankroll completely wiped out.

You need to be placing bets within a certain ratio to your bankroll. Betting a quarter of your bankroll is always going to be a bad idea. The best advice here is that, for every three-hour session, your bankroll should be around 50x your minimum bet. So, if your minimum bet is going to be $5, you need a session bankroll of $250.

A look at total bankroll

Rather than just looking at what you need for each session of blackjack, this is the total amount of money that you have to play the game. Whenever you play, the ideal is that you take around one-third of your bankroll with you. Other things to consider with your total bankroll are:

• Your total bankroll should be equal to a minimum of 150x your minimum bet
• Keep your total bankroll in an account that’s separate from your other money 

Looking at these two points, if you’re a player that has a minimum bet of $5, your total bankroll will need to be $750. If your total bankroll is currently below that level, the best advice is to hold tight and wait. Build those funds up before you go out and start playing. This will lead to a much better experience overall.

So, how does it all work?

If you’re taking one-third of your total bankroll with you, you’re going to have $250 as your session bankroll (assuming the $5 minimum bet). Come the end of a three-hour session, there are going to be one of two outcomes: you’re either going to have more than $250 or less. No matter what the outcome, the money that you have left needs to be added back to your total bankroll.

The total bankroll account is there for one thing only: it is to play the game. It’s not there to pay for your fuel to arrive, or to enjoy a meal and drinks. Every cent in your total bankroll is exclusively there to play blackjack.

The reason that you need to keep your total bankroll so high is that the game can have some extreme highs and lows. You never know when your next winning, or losing, streak is on its way. protecting your bankroll during the good times means that you won’t go broke during the bad.

Tips to manage your Blackjack bankroll and make it last

If you want to make your bankroll last as long as possible, there are some steps that you can take:

Use basic strategy to Manage your Blackjack bankroll

It doesn’t matter whether you’re playing blackjack online or at a land-based casino, always use basic blackjack strategy. If you use this well, and dependent upon other rules, you can bring the house down to around 0.5%.

Check the rules

Before you sit down and start to play at a table, you need to be checking out the blackjack rules. You want blackjack games that have the most player-friendly rules going. You need to be looking for things such as doubling down after pair splitting, a natural blackjack that pays 3:2 rather than 6:5, and the dealer standing on soft 17. 

Opt for busy tables

Blackjack is a fast game! The faster that you play, the faster you’re likely to get through your bankroll. Crowded tables often have a slightly slower pace and this can see you playing for longer.

The takeaway 

The reason you need to master managing your blackjack bankroll is so that you can keep playing for longer. It’s all about time at the table and having fun. Managing your funds will ultimately lead to more fun.

	21+ | Terms & Conditions Apply | NJ Residents Only
	$25 FREE on Signup 100% up to $1.000 on First Deposit Hotspot Leaderboard	Visit Casino Review