Ken's answer is of course, dead on.
But flat betting is Boring....
Let me enter the fray about flat bets. Let me start by saying, I have only been on this site for a few months. It seems to me that most of US( myself included) are not big $ players. I haven't read may posts, where guys are playing with$25,000. We enjoy the game and are trying to make a few bucks, so we can keep playing. If I can break even, then I can play again tomorrow. Having played the game for over 40 years, I have made a few observations. Let me know, where I'm going wrong.
1. Two of us are playing against the dealer, using only single deck. We are making flat bets of $50. Eight cards are left. Seven 10's and a 7. I bet $250 and have a 12.5% chance of winning a 75% chance for a push and a 12.5% chance of losing. For me, two much risk.
2. Same scenearo. I make my flat BET OF $ 50, see that the dealer has a 7 up and split my 10's.
I have found over the years that although FLAT BETS may be boring, they will keep you in the game longer and allow you to play through a losing streak. Most of the time during a shoe, you are the underdog. Why double or triple your bet when your the underdog. Wait until you become the favorite (11 vs 10 9/9 vs 6) to raise the stakes. How many times have you increased your bet only to see the dealer, deal an Ace, check the hole card and turn up a BJ.
My contention is: if you feel like raising you bet up to $200, only put out $100 and wait until the cards are delt. See who has the advantage. Maybe if the count is very, very positive, you might decide to double your 7 vs the dealers 6. Although, I'm not recommending you do it, your no worse off than you would have been putting out the whole $200 befor the hand was delt.