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Online Casinos Blackjack - 10 Common Player Mistakes
A TV reporter once asked me what where the most common mistakes made by 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.
5. Hitting 12 though 16 when the dealer shows a 2 through 6.
This is a case of a player not understanding the basics of how to win at blackjack. The player believes he has a weak hand and so he takes a hit. No consideration is given to what is the dealer's upcard. Although it's correct to hit a 12 through 16 when the dealer shows a strong upcard of 7 through ace, it's not correct to hit when the dealer shows a weak upcard of 2 through 6. The reason you should stand in the latter case is that when the dealer has a weak upcard his probability of busting goes up. As a player you do not want to risk busting when the dealer's chances of busting is high therefore you should stand on 12 through 16 hands when the dealer shows a 2 through 6 (with one exception - if you hold a 12 you should hit when the dealer shows a 2 or 3 upcard).
6. Splitting 10's when the dealer shows a 5 or 6.
Many players mistakenly believe you should split 10's when the dealer has a weak 5 or 6 upcard because if he busts you'll win on two hands rather than one. The facts are you will win much more by standing on 20 against a dealer 5 or 6 then you will with a 10 against a 5 or 6. Don't consider breaking up a sure winner of 20 - always stand.
7. Always taking the insurance bet when holding a good hand (20 or a blackjack)
Players with a 20 are afraid of losing to a dealer's blackjack so they opt for the insurance bet as a way to prevent a loss. Likewise, they usually opt for the sure even money when they hold a blackjack. The problem is that these plays will cost you more money in the long run when you take the insurance or even money compared when you don't. Your best play is to pass up taking insurance or even money.
8. Not doubling on 11 against dealer 10 upcard.
The fear is that the dealer is holding a 20 so most players will chicken out on doubling. If you hit the 11 instead of doubling you will win 56 percent of the time and lose 44. If you double down you actually will win less (54 percent) and lose slightly more (46%). So how can doubling be better than hitting when you win less times? When you hit you will win $12 (56-44) per hundred dollars bet. When you double down you double your bet so your gain is 2 times (54-46) or $16 per hundred dollars bet. You'll gain $4 more ($16 - $12) when you double rather than hit.
9. Never doubling down on soft hands.
Many novice players do not understand that they can double down on any two-card hand including those that contain the ace. In many situations it is to your advantage to double down on soft hands rather than hit. For example when the dealer shows a 5 or 6 upcard you are better off doubling down on all soft hands from 13 through 18 rather than hit. It's a play that will gain you more money in the long run compared to hitting.
10. Doubling your bets because you are due to win.
Many players mistakenly believe that since blackjack is almost a 50-50 proposition if they lose several hands in a row they are due to win the next hand. Unfortunately the chances of you winning the next hand has nothing to do with the win/lose history of previous hands. There has never been any long term study that shows a players chances of winning the next hand is related to the number of consecutive times he lost on previous hands. Don't double up your bet thinking you are due to win and certainly don't do it to recoup your losses.
The only way to not make these common playing mistakes is to learn the basic playing strategy, which you can find in most blackjack books (including my Blackjack: Take The Money & Run). You should also understand the principles of how to win at blackjack to avoid falling in to the trap of "doubling your bets thinking you are due to win". No other casino game has been analyzed in depth like blackjack so take advantage of this information and learn how to win.
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.
5. Hitting 12 though 16 when the dealer shows a 2 through 6.
This is a case of a player not understanding the basics of how to win at blackjack. The player believes he has a weak hand and so he takes a hit. No consideration is given to what is the dealer's upcard. Although it's correct to hit a 12 through 16 when the dealer shows a strong upcard of 7 through ace, it's not correct to hit when the dealer shows a weak upcard of 2 through 6. The reason you should stand in the latter case is that when the dealer has a weak upcard his probability of busting goes up. As a player you do not want to risk busting when the dealer's chances of busting is high therefore you should stand on 12 through 16 hands when the dealer shows a 2 through 6 (with one exception - if you hold a 12 you should hit when the dealer shows a 2 or 3 upcard).
6. Splitting 10's when the dealer shows a 5 or 6.
Many players mistakenly believe you should split 10's when the dealer has a weak 5 or 6 upcard because if he busts you'll win on two hands rather than one. The facts are you will win much more by standing on 20 against a dealer 5 or 6 then you will with a 10 against a 5 or 6. Don't consider breaking up a sure winner of 20 - always stand.
7. Always taking the insurance bet when holding a good hand (20 or a blackjack)
Players with a 20 are afraid of losing to a dealer's blackjack so they opt for the insurance bet as a way to prevent a loss. Likewise, they usually opt for the sure even money when they hold a blackjack. The problem is that these plays will cost you more money in the long run when you take the insurance or even money compared when you don't. Your best play is to pass up taking insurance or even money.
8. Not doubling on 11 against dealer 10 upcard.
The fear is that the dealer is holding a 20 so most players will chicken out on doubling. If you hit the 11 instead of doubling you will win 56 percent of the time and lose 44. If you double down you actually will win less (54 percent) and lose slightly more (46%). So how can doubling be better than hitting when you win less times? When you hit you will win $12 (56-44) per hundred dollars bet. When you double down you double your bet so your gain is 2 times (54-46) or $16 per hundred dollars bet. You'll gain $4 more ($16 - $12) when you double rather than hit.
9. Never doubling down on soft hands.
Many novice players do not understand that they can double down on any two-card hand including those that contain the ace. In many situations it is to your advantage to double down on soft hands rather than hit. For example when the dealer shows a 5 or 6 upcard you are better off doubling down on all soft hands from 13 through 18 rather than hit. It's a play that will gain you more money in the long run compared to hitting.
10. Doubling your bets because you are due to win.
Many players mistakenly believe that since blackjack is almost a 50-50 proposition if they lose several hands in a row they are due to win the next hand. Unfortunately the chances of you winning the next hand has nothing to do with the win/lose history of previous hands. There has never been any long term study that shows a players chances of winning the next hand is related to the number of consecutive times he lost on previous hands. Don't double up your bet thinking you are due to win and certainly don't do it to recoup your losses.
The only way to not make these common playing mistakes is to learn the basic playing strategy, which you can find in most blackjack books (including my Blackjack: Take The Money & Run). You should also understand the principles of how to win at blackjack to avoid falling in to the trap of "doubling your bets thinking you are due to win". No other casino game has been analyzed in depth like blackjack so take advantage of this information and learn how to win.