Blackjack is mainly a game of luck, but this doesn’t mean you need to rely on lady chance alone.
There are several ways of playing the game and many types of bankroll management systems, such as the Blackjack Fibonacci.
Curious about this one? Keep reading and you’ll understand:
- What the Fibonacci approach in blackjack entails
- How it works through a practical examples
- Pros and cons – followed by alternatives.
Let’s start.
What is the Fibonacci System in Blackjack?
The Fibonacci sequence is found in nature. It explains spiral patterns in nature – hurricanes and nautilus shells – but it also crops up in the way petals and tree branches grow.
Written out, the sequence looks like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144 (etc.). Each new number is the previous two numbers added together. You can ignore the zero play at the start of the sequence. The Fibonacci system can go on for as long as you like.
Fibonacci was an Italian mathematician. He didn’t invent the sequence that received his name (it may have been known as far back as 450 BC), but he was the first to codify it for a Western audience. It straddles the line between a curiosity and a serious field of study.
The Fibonacci system, then, is one of several strategies named after long-deceased mathematicians. The Frenchman Jean le Rond d’Alembert examined the probability of a coin toss and is known today for the d’Alembert system. Similarly, Henry Labouchère, a British journalist, created the roulette system of the same name.
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How Does Fibonacci Apply to Blackjack?
The Fibonacci system is used in casino gaming to preserve bankrolls and minimise (and/or recoup) losses. However, there’s no guarantee that it’ll do either of those things.
Blackjack is a game of luck. While you can optimise your chances of winning with the basic strategy, it’s impossible to defeat the odds that underpin each hand.
Beginners, take note – the Fibonacci system is distinct from the blackjack basic strategy. The latter is a charted guide that tells players what to do in any given circumstance, such as when to hit or stand. We’ll touch on it later in this guide, but you don’t need to know anything about the basic strategy to learn about blackjack systems.
The Fibonacci system is known as a negative progression, as it requires the player to increase their play after a loss. It might sound strange, but increasing the play after a loss could help recover your bankroll quickly. That is, if the next few plays come off. Things only get worse if the next few hands also result in losses.
The good news is that the Fibonacci is one of the gentler strategies to play with, as the plays you’ll need to make are very similar in value. You’ll play a single unit, followed by another single unit, followed by two units … and on and on down the sequence introduced above. Remember, you should only increase your play on a loss, as counterintuitive as it might seem.
On a win, step two numbers back in the sequence. This means a play of three units becomes a play of one, and a play of eight becomes a play of five. This prevents the Fibonacci strategy from exhausting your bankroll quickly. You don’t want to be in a position where a play of 89 units is your only way forward.
A Practical Example
Here’s that sequence again: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987. This assumes a 1.00 play and a loss in every round. We don’t want that to happen. Let’s try it again, but with the occasional win thrown in. We’ll use larger numbers to avoid getting stuck at 1.
| Play | Sequence # | Outcome | Bankroll |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80.00 | 8 | L | -80.00 |
| 130.00 | 13 | L | -210.00 |
| 210.00 | 21 | L | -420.00 |
| 340.00 | 34 | W | -80 |
| 130.00 | 13 | W | +50.00 |
| 50.00 | 5 | W | +100.00 |
| 20.00 | 2 | L | +80 |
The idea behind the Fibonacci system is that a small number of wins can offset a larger number of losses. Proponents of the strategy claim that it can produce consistent, low-level wins for the player. It avoids the added risk of something like the Martingale system, which requires doubling the play after every loss. The Fibonacci is capable of being reckless, too, so be careful.
Pros and Cons
One of the biggest problems with the Fibonacci system may have been obvious at the outset of this blackjack guide. It looks like this:
- 0
- 1
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 5
- 8
- 13
- 21
- 34
- 55
- 89
- 144
This sequence of digits isn’t particularly memorable. It’s neither odd nor even, and the progression isn’t easy to work out. You’d definitely need to memorise it.
The system isn’t as friendly to low-value plays as it might appear. A losing streak beyond the single digits needs plays that fall just short of doubling. Around half a unit extra is added on every loss. The concept of streaks is significant in roulette and blackjack systems, often to their detriment.
- Perhaps the most jarring issue with the Fibonacci system, especially after going through all those losses, is that the profits may not be worth the effort. Two steps back on a win is unusual for a strategy, and it ensures that winnings never climb like losses do.
Finally, at least for the “cons” pile, no system can beat the house’s edge, meaning that the odds on even chips or 50/50 plays are tilted in the casino’s favour. Unfortunately, systems are strongly associated with even plays, especially in roulette, where the Fibonacci is arguably more commonly (red/black is a classic even play).
We’ve mentioned many of the “pros” of the Fibonacci system already, including that it can be a less aggressive system than its counterparts, and can deliver consistent but small wins. The point of a blackjack system is control. The Fibonacci helps players guide their playing, giving them a sense of security regarding what happens with their bankroll at each point in time.
Systems of all descriptions are compatible with the blackjack basic strategy, so you don’t need to make any special considerations when using them. There’s a lot to remember between here and there, though.
Alternatives to Fibonacci as a Blackjack system
If you’re not convinced that something so prevalent in nature could be a blackjack system, let’s introduce some of the other strategies we’ve mentioned today (plus a few extra ones):
Martingale
Martingale blackjack is possibly the most popular bankroll management system in this list. This approach involves doubling your play each time you lose, with the idea of recovering previous losses and some sort of gain on top of the original play. Each time you win, you go back to the initial play. On the down side, this strategy only works with a generous bankroll.
D’Alembert
A negative-progression system, d’Alembert mirrors the Fibonacci in increasing the unit play on a loss and decreasing it on a win. It’s identical to the Martingale system with one exception: Martingale players double on a loss, while d’Alembert users increase their play by one unit.
Labouchere
At a glance, this system appears almost nonsensical – or, at least, completely random. The Labouchere strategy is made of a sequence created by the player. The first play is always the sum of the first and last numbers. For example, a sequence of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 means a play of 6 (1 + 5). If the play wins, the two important numbers are deleted. If it loses, the loss (6) is added to the end. It’s by far one of the most complicated blackjack systems out there.
Paroli
An easy one. The Paroli system for blackjack requires a single unit play. Double it on a win, but keep it the same on a loss. This is our first positive progression system.
1-3-2-6
Quite a few blackjack systems are named for their unit plays, such as 2-1-2. The 1-3-2-6 starts with a single-unit play. The objective is to follow the sequence until you lose, at which point, you start all over again. This system is popular because you’ll either earn a profit of one unit or break even as long as you win at the second hurdle. The 1-3-2-6 is a positive progression system.
Oscar’s Grind
With the Oscar’s Grind blackjack system, it’s not about progressive or non-progressive systems. In this case, you simply keep playing your initial play value on top of the current play when winning. If you lose, you play the same amount as in the previous round.
For example, if you start with 10 and lose, you’ll play 10 next. If you win, you play 20. If you win again you play 30, and so on.
What to Keep in Mind When Using the Fibonacci System
We’ve already listed a few pros and cons of the Fibonacci system, but one aspect stands out.
The Fibonacci system is a negative progression system, and these aren’t known for standing up over time. In fact, negative systems are devised to recover from losses, rather than chase wins.
Conclusion
If you want to impress your friends with the complexity of your blackjack system, the Fibonacci system isn’t a bad place to start. It does have other perks, though.
It’s fairly subtle compared to something like the Martingale. It’s not as complicated as the Labouchere, and it has been known to return profits. Then again, it’s not the easiest thing to work with.
Want to learn more? From blackjack variations to several social casino guides for other games, make sure you check them all before launching into social casino paradise at McLuck.
