Photo Credit: Freepik
Are you new to Blackjack? Then, you’ve probably noticed that learning the basic rules of the game isn’t enough to be a good player. If not, you’re about to learn more about it with three mistakes most beginners commit when they first get started.
In my opinion, this holy trinity of cardinal sins highlights the complexity of Blackjack and why you can’t just expect things to work as you go along. There’s a learning curve, and I hope the advice you’ll find here will help you hop it faster than you usually would. Here are the three mistakes you must avoid, to go from a Sunday player to an actually skilled Blackjack player.
The 3 mistakes Blackjack beginners should avoid at all costs
- Going in Without a Proper Strategy
The primary rules of blackjack you’ll find with a simple Google search will only explain what each card is worth and the moves you can perform. It’s clearly not enough to start wagering your hard-earned money, and even a Blackjack basic strategy chart can go a long way if you understand the underlying principles.
Before you rush into it, you should start by getting familiar with the game by playing a few hands in a free game. You can easily find it with a quick search, as most online casinos let you play virtual table games for free in demo mode. In this mode, you don’t need to deposit, and it’s a risk-free (but also reward-free) game. Moreover, it’s essential to start with a basic version of the game without too many additional bets or game mechanics to truly understand what the game is all about.
Once you feel confident with the basic rules, it’s time to try out your newly found strategies… in the demo mode. Sure, it can be frustrating to play for the beauty of it at first, but without the necessary preparation, you’ll be like a small fry in a shark tank. If you’re an anime fan, see it as training in the hyperbolic time chamber; you’ll only come out of it stronger and ready to take on real tables with the required skills.
2. Choosing the wrong games/tables
The second mistake you AB-SO-LU-TELY want to avoid is rushing to any table or playing any game without even thinking about what you’re doing. Like Rick James, you must remain cold-blooded, and this starts even before the first card is dealt.
Your decision process will mainly take the house edge into account. It’s the main reason why the house always wins, and here are your possibilities to help you reduce this advantage:
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- Mind The Decks: Blackjack tables can use several decks, and the more decks, the more cards, which is excellent for the house, not for you. When a blackjack table uses a single deck, you’re guaranteed to get the lowest house edge; it’s simply mathematics.
- Watch Out For The Payout Ratio: The payout ratio is another crucial piece of data you must be aware of before joining a table. It’s recommended to choose tables paying 3:2, rather than 6:5, the latter having an increased house edge.
- Learn Where The Dealer Stands: Will the dealer stand or hit on a soft 17? If he hits, the house edge is 0.2% higher than if he stands, so favour tables where he stands to get an immediate advantage.
- Choose Tables Where You Can Split and Double Down Freely: You can further drop the house edge if you aim for tables letting you double down or split as you see fit. If you can split more than once and double down after that, you’ll get a significant advantage compared to games that only let you do this once per hand.
- The Picking a Surrender Table Glitch: Tables allowing players to surrender have a lower house edge. This means that these are tables you should consider. You don’t even need to use the surrender mechanic to benefit from this lowered house edge, so even if you’re the “never give up” type, it’s the kind of table worthy of your time and money.
- Learn Where The Dealer Stands: Will the dealer stand or hit on a soft 17? If he hits, the house edge is 0.2% higher than if he stands, so favour tables where he stands to get an immediate advantage.
- Watch Out For The Payout Ratio: The payout ratio is another crucial piece of data you must be aware of before joining a table. It’s recommended to choose tables paying 3:2, rather than 6:5, the latter having an increased house edge.
- Mind The Decks: Blackjack tables can use several decks, and the more decks, the more cards, which is excellent for the house, not for you. When a blackjack table uses a single deck, you’re guaranteed to get the lowest house edge; it’s simply mathematics.
3. Getting your budget wrong
From personal experience, forget what you’ve seen on the silver screen; life isn’t a film, and going all in with your money is a risk that almost never pays off. Before playing, you should always set a reasonable budget dedicated to your entertainment and leave your rent money out of it. Once your bankroll is set, it’s time to think about how you’re going to use it.
The hands you’ll play will depend on the amount of your total bankroll, so it’s unthinkable to wager $100 if you have $400, as it represents a quarter of your total budget. In other words, four losses, and it’s back to watching Netflix. However, if you play smart and only wager 1/100 of your bankroll, you basically get 100 hands, which is a significantly longer time to have fun.
Photo Credit: Freepik
Look beyond the game
As you may have guessed by now, blackjack isn’t only about the main rules you can learn anywhere. It’s all these peripheral elements that can seem secondary that make the game so enjoyable. Develop your skills by following these three fundamental rules, and you’ll see that they’ll serve you in other casino games, too!
