Complete the RDR2 Gambler 8 Challenge without Losing your Mind
If you've stumbled upon Gambler Challenge #8 in Red Dead Redemption 2, congratulations—you're now locked into one of the most rage-inducing minigame objectives in the entire campaign:
“Win 3 hands of Blackjack with 3 hits or more.”
Sounds simple, right? Just hit your hand three times and win. But Blackjack's Basic Strategy isn't always your friend.
I've heard from LOTS of people spending 4 or 5 hours trying to clear this achivement without even making ONE qualifying hand. With my tips, you should be able to complete the challenge in FULL in 3 hours.
This challenge doesn't care if you're good at blackjack—it cares if you're lucky, patient, and willing to embrace a level of self-loathing normally reserved for taming wild horses in thunderstorms.
I spent about two and a half hours grinding this one out, and while I was recording footage for my YouTube channel, a couple of incendiary moments stood out...and I'm not talking about crafted ammo here:
- First fail? Five-card 21...the Dealer PUSHED! I nearly threw my cowboy hat at the screen.
- One time I hit and landed on a three-card soft 21. The game auto-stood for me. I would have gladly hit again and destroyed my perfect hand just to try to still go for a 5-Card Charlie, but Rockstar said “nope.”
But good news: I did it. And I'm here to spare you a lot of heartache. Here's how.
🎯 The Goal Isn't to Beat Blackjack—It's to Win Stupidly
Forget Basic Strategy. Forget maximizing EV. You're not here to play blackjack. You're here to force a win after hitting three times, which pretty much goes against the Basic Strategy rules.
Here's what worked for me:
💰 Come Loaded
Try to bring at least $10. You probably won't lose anything close to that much, but this gives you hundreds of minimum bets to work with. Just don't show up with 10¢ and expect to survive.
🪑 Sit at First Base
Try to find an empty table. If you can't, that's ok. But ALWAYS sit at first base. First base it the seat at the rightmost position at the table when you're facing the dealer.
If this seat is not available, then save your game and reload and check for that seat to be empty again.
You want to sit here because this seat is first to act. This lets you get in and out of hands faster, and lets you reset without waiting for NPCs to finish playing their hands.
🎲 Always Bet the Minimum
This is a volume game, not a value game. Betting the minimum gives you maximum attempts to make a three-hit hand. Bet 2¢.
🛑 Leave Hands You Don't Like
Here's the trick most players miss:
If your first or second card gives you a bad total, stand up, turn around, and immediately sit back down to force a new hand. Yes, you'll lose your bet. Doesn't matter.
You'll want to decide your personal limits, but here's what worked for me:
- 1 card: Quit if your total is 8 or higher.
- 2 cards: Quit if your total is 13 or higher.
- 3 cards: Quit if your total is 17 or higher.
- 4 cards: Hit anything under 21.
- 5 cards: If you SOMEHOW still have 11 or less, then hit. Otherwise, just stand. It doesn't matter what the dealer has showing.
Abandoning a hand, sitting back down, making your next bet, and getting the first card of your next hand can take about 20 seconds, assuming you're quick enough to re-enter the game before the dealer deals the NPCs their next hand. That sounds like a long time, but waiting for the NPCs to continue playing your doomed hand can take several agonizing minutes, depending on how many other seated players there are and how the cards they receive.
If you would rather take your chances with your three-card 19 for the 1/169 chance that you'll get back-to-back Aces, then go ahead and try your luck. You can decide how much you want to leave up to chance and how much you want to just start anew.
🚫 No Doubles, No Splits, No Insurance
Every other option at the table is a distraction. Your only goal is to hit three times and somehow not bust. That's it.
I've heard conflicting stories about whether you can split and then receive 4 cards on a split hand to qualify. I haven't been able to confrirm it either way. To be safe, just don't split. If it's a low total hand, it's best to play anyway. If it's a high total hand, it's best to just leave the table and return. So it's not really in your best interest to split.
✌️ When to Stand
Once you've drawn five cards and haven't busted—stand. That's your shot. Pray the dealer bricks.
You should hit if you have five cards AND your total is 11 or less. But that's incredibly unlikely to happen.
You're not trying to beat the house consistently—you just need to get lucky three times. And the odds are brutal. So reset. Reboot. Laugh. Cry. Repeat.
🎥 Coming Soon to YouTube
In my video (posting soon), I'll break down all this strategy visually—and you'll get to watch my descent into madness in real time.
Make sure to subscribe if you want to hear a grown man yell “Goddammit!” for 180 minutes straight.
🐍 Parting Advice from the Swamp
If you thought hunting Snow Egrets was annoying, just wait until you're praying for three 2s in a row while the dealer flips a perfect 21.
But hey—it's worth it for 100% completion, right?
...Right?
