English
The Most Common Blackjack Strategy Mistakes
You probably already know how important it is to master basic blackjack strategy if you want to win at online blackjack. There’s a lot to learn and you must practice until your actions at the blackjack table become intuitive. Even so, there are some common blackjack strategy mistakes that you should become familiar with immediately.
Splitting Tens
If you are fortunate enough to be dealt a pair of tens, stand. Period. You have a 20 which will be a winner in a great majority of circumstances. Splitting tens in an effort to increase your winnings is symbolic of greed and greed is the downfall of many gamblers.
Another reason you should not split tens in a live blackjack game is that you will likely incur the wrath of the other players at the table. In fact, splitting tens is so bad that even if you do it online your cat might disown you. Even cats and dogs know you don’t split tens.
Taking Insurance
As a rule, insurance is a bad bet. It should only be taken by the experienced card counter in certain situations. If you have not yet developed those skills by studying Counting Edge, skip the insurance bet and take your chances when the dealer shows that ace.
It can sometimes help to remember that insurance is really nothing more than a glorified side bet. Side bets are created by the casino to increase the house edge. Insurance is cleverly disguised as something which helps to protect the player. This is not true. Overall the insurance bet helps to increase the house edge, not reduce it.
Playing More Than One Hand
At an online blackjack table you can play multiple hands. The same is true in the live casino. Just because you can do so doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. The beginning blackjack player should focus on playing one hand at a time until they become familiar with basic blackjack strategy.
When you play more than one hand you are dividing your resources. Your bankroll money will be used twice as fast. Your mental resources will be taxed because you are trying to make the right decisions on two hands of online blackjack. This is simply too overwhelming for a beginner.
Here’s a little secret that you may not be aware of. The online casino has no problem letting you play more than one hand of blackjack at a time. Why? Because they know that beginning blackjack players must become susceptible to the house edge. Letting you double up the number of hands you are playing just increases their profit in the long term.
Being Too Creative
Blackjack online is a simple game. You need to make a hand closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. End of story. Every move you make should be to increase your hand. When you get creative and try to evade the rules of basic blackjack strategy, you will lose.
Here’s a good rule of thumb for the beginner. If the dealer has a 7, 8, 9, or 10, you should be hitting everything up to and including 16. The reason for this is simple. When the dealer shows a power card in blackjack you are dead in the water unless you also hold 17, 18, 19, or 20. Over the years the winning blackjack hand has averaged just over 18. If you stand on that 16 when the dealer has a 10 you are trying to be too creative with your hand. Steel your nerves and hit it.
Basic blackjack strategy is called basic for a reason. It’s meant to be simple and effective. As you become more skilled in the game of blackjack you will learn how to be creative in certain situations. Until then, remember the KISS strategy: Keep it Simple Silly.
A Small Bankroll
You are eager to play blackjack. We get that. But maybe you only have $10 you can spare for online play. If that is the case, open an account with an online casino that offers a no deposit bonus or wait until you have more funds to play. We have always recommended a starting bankroll of 50X the table minimum before you play. It would be even better if you could have more.
Most online blackjack tables have a $1 minimum bet. So, $50 to start would give you a better chance of showing a profit and building your bankroll slowly over time. You will probably receive a matching bonus of 100% or more when you register you online casino account, so that can also put free money in your account when you satisfy the play through requirements.
There is an old saying used my many gamblers. Scared money never wins. What is scared money? It is money you are scared to lose. That means the rent money, bill money, grocery money, or any other money you need to live. Your blackjack bankroll should be discretionary funds that you can afford to lose if things go bad.
More topics: