Try this blackjack money management strategy to achieve small profits in the short run at any online casino.

  • Oscar’s Grind strategy
  • How it works?
  • When to apply it?

Most blackjack professionals agree that there are three fundamental elements to winning at blackjack: basic strategy, card counting, and a betting system. From the three elements, betting systems are the most debated. Some experts say that betting strategies are unnecessary, if somebody is already good at card counting. Others think that a blackjack money management strategy can be really helpful, but only in the short run.

There are two basic types blackjack betting strategies: positive progression and negative progression. The positive progression strategy requires you to increase your bets after each win. Therefore, all your wins serve to supply upcoming bets. When following the negative progression strategy, you’re doubling your bets after each loss. Most players agree that the latter is the riskiest of all blackjack money management strategies.

In 1965, Allan N. Wilson introduced a betting strategy that combined the positive and negative progression systems, namely the Oscar’s Grind. The idea of combining the two systems wasn’t totally new. Gamblers are always on the search for the perfect betting and counting strategies. Ideally, the combination of the two opposing system would provide a blackjack money management strategy that can overcome the house edge. However, not even Oscar’s Grind can achieve that.

Oscar’s blackjack money management strategy in work

“This system is designed so that in each sequence of plays, the player gains a net profit of one unit and then starts over again,” said Wilson about the system, named after a dice player. Oscar’s Grind requires you to start by betting one unit, let’s say $1. If you lose the bet, on the next hand you bet one unit ($1) again. If you win, you bet 2 units ($2) on the next hand. If you have a blackjack and win more than what you bet, in the next round you have to make your bet just enough profit one unit. According to Wilson’s study, if you follow this system you should wrap up every session with a profit of 1 unit.

Betsize Result Profit Next bet
1 L -1 Same (1)
1 L -2 Same (1)
1 L -3 Same (1)
1 W -2 2 units
2 L -4 2 units
2 W -2 3 units
3 W +1 Session ends.

What’s unique about this system, is that you’re not allowed to make a bigger overall profit than 1 unit. In a 1995 article published in the Player Magazine, gambling author Arnold Snyder said that Oscar’s Grind can provide “a whole lot of small wins,” but in the long run it won’t pay off. However, if you’re planning a short gambling trip, or just a few rounds of live blackjack at an online casino, this blackjack betting strategy can help you to win.