Oscar’s Grind Strategy Blackjack: Best Tips & Tricks for This System

Oscar’s Grind is a very interesting Blackjack strategy that was originally designed for Craps applications. The system is essentially a positive progression system and is less complicated than many of the other Blackjack betting systems that we have looked at. The story behind Oscar’s Grind, according to popular legend, is that it was designed and developed by a Craps grinder mysteriously just named Oscar. Another story is that the system was designed by a group of gamblers in the mid-sixties who used the name as a front to stay anonymous. Incidentally, a ‘grinder’ is a popular name for gamblers who make a living from gambling by winning small amounts of money at a time on a regular basis. They do not win big jackpots or large amounts of money, they make a living from being patient and playing with consistency for many hours, hence the term ‘grind’ they grind away until they have something to show for it. The Oscars Grind system can work very well in Blackjack, provided the player is patient and is willing to play for a few hours at a time.

Important facts about Oscars Grind strategy

The basic positive progression system
Adapted from Craps and easy to learn and implement for Blackjack
Preserves player’s bankroll over a long period of playing
Works on a single unit betting principle
Best suited for conservative Blackjack players
Requires discipline and patience

Oscar’s Grind The Basics

The Oscar’s Grind strategy is very simple to understand and implement and it works on unit betting. Quite simply, a player makes a bet of one unit which is equal to the table minimum. The whole idea behind Oscar’s Grind system is to make a profit on just one unit. Once this goal has been achieved the progression starts from the beginning again.

Other strategies you might want to check out:

Trend Strategy
Trend Betting Strategy
Paroli Strategy
Parlay Strategy
Martingale Strategy
Labouchere Strategy
Follow the Leader Strategy
Dozen Grid Strategy
D’Alembert Strategy

The system is very simple to understand and implement and the main thing that is important to understand with Oscar’s Grind strategy is that it is not a quick-win type system and you won’t get rich quickly off it. This system is designed for more conservative Blackjack players who are interested in playing the long game which is more of a sure thing than the short game might be. If you are not the patient type then this system is probably not for you.

Oscar Grind basics for Blackjack

Oscar’s Grind System In Practice

In the case of the players, first-hand producing a win, the player’s next bet will remain at just one unit. On the other hand, if the player’s first hand loses then the subsequent bet will be one unit as well. If the secondhand wins then the next hand will be doubled. Subsequent winning hands will be increased until the goal of achieving a one unit profit has been achieved. Once this happens the system reverts back to the first bet cycle again. This short video tutorial demonstrates the basic principle behind Oscar’s Grind strategy:

Summary

Oscar’s Grind strategies use single units as a betting basis. The betting standard unit is the table minimum bet allowed.
If the first-hand wins then the next hand will remain at just one unit. If the first hand loses then the next hand bet will still remain at just one unit
If the second hand is a winning hand then the next bet will be doubled. Subsequent winning hands will have an increased bet size until the goal of a single unit profit has been met

https://youtu.be/melYwOu0b4U

Advantages and disadvantages of the Oscar’s Grind system

The Oscar’s Grind system has some clear advantages at first glance and many of these will most certainly appeal to a certain type of Blackjack player. However, there are also a few disadvantages that should also be taken into consideration before deciding to go ahead and implement the system. One of the main advantages of Oscar’s Grind Blackjack strategy is that it runs a lower risk of eating up your bankroll over the long game. This is because you are only aiming to achieve a profit of one unit at a time. You are also betting conservatively which presents a lower overall risk. The disadvantage to this particular Blackjack strategy is that it requires a great deal of patience and only yields a comparatively small profit margin. This may not be for everyone, especially those Blackjack players who are looking for big paydays in a very short space of time. Adding to this, players who choose to ‘grind away’ at the Blackjack table will have to come to terms with the possibility that they could be sitting at the table for hours before they can realize even a small profit.

Chances and risks

With Oscar’s Grind for Blackjack

Now that you understand how Oscar’s Grind system works both in theory and in a real-world situation, you’ve weighed up the pros and cons, it’s time to see how this all ties in with potential chances and risks. Let’s break it down into three parts:

Oscar’s Grind for Blackjack

Who is this strategy suitable for?

The Oscar’s Grind Strategy is suited for all levels of experience including beginners, and advanced and pro players. The system is simple and may not be very attractive to advanced players who are more into making bigger profits with more advanced systems. Experience level aside, the strategy is probably more suited to casual players or conservative players who are not looking for big hits but are happy to sit at a table for a few hours grinding away at the game. The system requires a great deal of patience and discipline to stick to the single unit betting practice required.

How high is the risk?

The risk factor with using Oscar’s Grind Strategy is very low and in fact is probably one of the lowest of all blackjack strategies. The reason for this is that the system is designed to be a low betting system where only a single unit is initially bet. This means that losing only entails losing a single unit initially and if you happened to lose the next hand it would also only be a single unit. A single unit is whatever the lowest possible stake is at the Blackjack table happens to be. Raising bets is also a very small increment and while the profits from this system may be low, so is any negative impact on your bankroll.

Are winnings guaranteed?

It is safe to say that, unlike a number of other systems, winnings are guaranteed with this system simply because the overall expectations are quite low. In other words, since this Blackjack system isn’t designed to make huge profits in the quickest time frame, one can expect to win over the long game with guaranteed, albeit small, profits. This system is used by many professional online Blackjack players who make a living off of grind blackjack.

Conclusion

Is Oscar’s Grind Strategy Blackjack Worth It?

The answer to this question is definitely yes if you are the sort of player looking for a low risk but high time investment sort of Blackjack strategy. Oscar’s Grind is by no means an easy system that will do all of the work for you, nor is it a system that will make you rich within a few rounds of Blackjack! The system was designed by working gamblers who needed a slow and steady system that would basically make them a daily living. That is what professional gambling is all about, working a system and making small and predictable profits. There are many different options at the Blackjack table including a number of tips and tricks that can still be incorporated with this conservative system as well as other Blackjack systems such as Hi-Lo card counting that can make the grind far more effective in the long run. This could see bigger profits than just using the Oscar’s Grind system alone. Ultimately, however, it comes down to patience and discipline in order to make this system work really well.