ONLINE GAMBLING PORTAL & DIRECTORY

A TV reporter once asked me what where the most common mistakes made by online gambling blackjack players. I had to think about it for a few seconds, and then I came up with the list below. To be sure there are more but in my close to 30 years of playing blackjack career, I would rank these as the most common mistakes that I've observed. Check them out and don't be too surprised if you find a play or two that you might be doing incorrectly.

1. Follow the dealer's strategy and hit on 16 or less and stand on 17 through 21.

Seems like a smart thing to do since the dealer always seems to win. The problem with this strategy is that it doesn't consider one very important point about the rules of the game, namely if you go over 21 (bust) and the dealer subsequently busts you still lose. This basic rule creates the casino's natural advantage over players in blackjack. Therefore following the dealer's playing strategy will not work.

2. Standing on soft 18 when the dealer shows a 9, 10, or ace.

This makes sense to a lot of players. An 18 is a pretty good hand so why risk hitting and ending up with a worst total or even busting. The problem is that 18 isn't quite good enough when the dealer shows a 9, 10, or ace. In fact, whether you stand or hit, overall you are going to lose more times than win when you have a soft 18 and are facing the dealer's 9, 10, or ace. However, you will win slightly more hands when you take the hit therefore it is the better strategy.

3. Standing with a pair of 8's when the dealer shows a 10.

No question that a 16 is a bad hand to have especially when the dealer shows a 10 upcard. Most players know they are doomed to lose and are reluctant to put out more money and split with the possibility of losing two hands. However, by splitting you will have two hands starting with a total of 8 which is a hell of a lot better than one hand starting with 16. In fact in the long run you will lose more than twice as much money with 16 vs 10 as opposed to 8 vs 10. You've got a way to cut your losses and that's to split the 8's.

4. Standing with soft 17.

Most casual players mistakenly believe you should always stand on 17. That's true if you have a hard 17 but not true if it's a soft 17 (a soft 17 is a hand that contains an ace counted as 11). If you are dealt an ace, 6 (or ace, 2, 4) you should never stand. In fact, you should never stand on any soft hand that totals 13 through 17 no matter what the dealer shows. With a soft hand you can hit and never bust with one draw card because you can always count the ace as 1.

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