A bankroll is the money set aside for blackjack. The chips in the circle are one bet out of that money. Managing it means deciding what you can lose on a trip, what you can lose in one sitting, and keeping enough behind the bet to play the hand the chart asks for.
The figures on this page use a flat bet in this currency, on six decks, blackjack paying 3 to 2, dealer standing on 17. The session calculator runs the same math for any stake.
One pile is not enough. The money set aside, the money for this trip, and the money for this sitting do different jobs.
A unit is one starting bet. €200 at €10 a hand is 20 units: that many opening bets, before a double or a split. A double spends a second unit on the same hand. A split can spend more.
If the only chips you have are the ones in the circle, you cannot take the play the chart wants. Keep about six bets in hand for the one on the table. When that reserve is not there, the bet is too big for what you brought.
Basic strategy cuts the edge. It does not hand it to you. On six decks, blackjack paying 3 to 2, dealer standing on 17, the house edge is about 0.46%. A flat bet makes that cost predictable. Raising the bet after a loss does not change the edge. It changes how fast a losing run spends the session.
At this bet, about 50 hours of average loss equals €200. The session calculator runs the same figures for any stake.
Martingale, 1-3-2-6, and the rest rearrange when you win and lose. They do not change the edge. Start at €10 and double after every loss. A table maximum of €1.000 refuses the €1.280 bet. The bets already lost add up to €1.270. Each of those hands had the same house edge as a flat bet.
A count can put the edge on your side for some shoes. The bet then changes with the count, and the bankroll has to survive those larger bets. A ruin percentage for that spread comes from a simulation of the exact rules and the exact spread. This page does not invent one. The counting guide is the place to start.
The session amount, not the whole bankroll. A common cushion is about 50 starting bets, with about six more bets available behind the one in the circle so you can double and split. A long trip can be several sessions. The rest of the bankroll stays out of reach until you plan the next one.
No. More units mean a cold run is less likely to end the sitting. The edge is unchanged. Over a long run, a house edge spends whatever you keep betting.
No. The chart still wants the same plays. A bigger bet after a loss spends the session faster, and it can leave you unable to double or split.
Then the bet changes with the count, and the bankroll has to be sized for that spread. The counting guide explains the count. A ruin figure for a spread belongs to a simulation of that spread.
The example on this page is one flat bet. Change the stake, the payout, or whether the dealer hits soft 17, and the session calculator shows the average loss and the swing.
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