The Top Five Misplayed Hands In Online Blackjack
Being successful at online blackjack requires many things. It takes patience. It takes skill. It also takes discipline and knowledge. These things will help you stay away from bad decisions at the blackjack table. To help you even more Counting Edge has created a list of the top five misplayed hands in online blackjack.
Chances are you have played most of these hands a few times at your favorite online casino. Did you play them right? Read on to discover how we feel these blackjack hands should be played.
1 – 8,8
The dreaded pair of eights is a difficult hand to play at live or online blackjack. Many players believe that the conventional wisdom to always split this hand holds true. They will split 8s against any dealer up card. That can be a costly mistake.
An 88 is a terrible hand to be dealt because it is a total of 16, the worst possible hand that you can hold in any game of blackjack. Splitting the pair seems to make good sense. It is a good idea, but only in certain situations. Splitting those 8s against a dealer’s 10 when the count is -3 is statistically a poor choice. You could end up losing two hands instead of one.
The Solve: You should only split a pair of 8s when the dealer is weak.
2 – 10,10
Are you surprised to see this hand on our list of top five misplayed hands in online blackjack? You shouldn’t be. Believe it or not, players still split tens at the blackjack table. There can only be one real reason for this – insanity. These players think that they are going to reinvent the wheel and come up with a successful way to split the best starting hand in blackjack besides a natural 21.
Oh, you could make an argument that splitting tens in some rare cases is okay when the count is very favorable. Go ahead and do that in a live casino and see where it gets you. Since counting really isn’t possible online, there is never an excuse to split a pair of 10s.
The Solve: Stop splitting tens or choose a new game to play because you are bad at blackjack.
3 – Hard 12
A hard 12 is any total of 12 that can be busted with a single card. 9-3, 8-4, 7-5, and 6-6 are all examples. The most common error when playing this hand in online blackjack is to stand on the hand when a player should hit.
If you are dealt a hard 12 against a dealer 10, you need to hit the hand. Period. The same can be said for a dealer 7, 8, or 9. Always assume in online blackjack that the dealer has a ten in the hole. You are dead in the water anyway. Hit the hand and hope for the best.
Oh, and one other word. In online blackjack forget about doubling down this hand. Just hit it.
The Solve: Hit a hard 12 when the dealer is strong.
4 – A Hard 16
Much of what we said about 12 in the earlier example also goes for a hard 16. You are dead in the water most of the time. What have you got to lose? Hit the hand! In some cases you are going to get lucky and draw out on the dealer.
If you bust just take your medicine and move on to the next hand. Standing on a hard 16 against a dealer 7, 8, 9, or 10 is madness. You are going to lose almost every time that you do this. When you hit you will at least win some of them.
The Solve: Hit the hard 16 when the dealer is strong.
5 – The First Hand You Are Dealt
We close out our list of top five misplayed hands in online blackjack with this one. Yes, many online blackjack players misplay the first hand that they are dealt at the game. The reason for this is overconfidence. Players tell themselves that this is the first hand. Why not gamble a little.
Stick to basic blackjack strategy when you are playing online blackjack in all cases. That includes the first hand and the last hand you play. There is never a right time to let down your discipline to gamble.
The Solve: Always be disciplined at the blackjack table.
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