4 Common Blackjack Myths Busted
Blackjack is an incredibly popular casino game, one of the most popular, in fact, across the world. One of the main reasons for blackjacks popularity is that it is a game very much based around skill, meaning that the better a person is at blackjack, the more likely they are to win. Skill, however, is synonymous for practice and knowledge, which means that a person aiming to be better at blackjack, should certainly be making an effort to learn as much as possible.
In that light, there are certain essential myths about blackjack that a professional player needs to dispel immediately. Upon dispelling these myths, the player will certainly be on the road to improving their game, and so likewise on the road to winning more frequently. Here is a list of common blackjack myth, busted.
Get As Close To 21 As Possible
If you ask the average person what the aim of blackjack is, they will likely answer that it is to get as close to 21 as possible, without going over 21. And, this is true to a certain extent. But a professional poker player will quickly explain that blackjack is not won by simply aiming to reach 21. The game is won by being closer to 21 than the dealer. If your total happens to be 13, and the dealer goes bust, you are still a winner. In this case it would not have mattered if you had instead achieved a total of 19, or even 20.
So does this mean that you should be settling with lower totals? Not necessarily, but sometimes, yes. One of the key aspects of blackjack is that the dealer has one face up card, and this card is not exposed without good reason. Certain clues can be taken from the card the dealer has exposed. If, for example, the dealer has a 10, or an ace showing, it would be best to try and make the best hand possible before sticking. Otherwise, you might consider sticking on a slightly lower total.
Always Stand On 18
18 is a pretty good hand to achieve, there is no question about that. But is it always the best strategy to stick on 18? No, it turns out that there are situations, sometimes, where hitting on a total of 18 is a wiser decision. If, for example your hand is soft 18, in other words an 18 made from one card being an ace, you should certainly consider hitting if the dealer is showing a 10 or an ace. If you’re paying attention, it should be obvious by now that a dealer with card that can create a blackjack, or card that can easily create a hand with a value, higher than your current hand, is bad news.
Remember that a soft 18, if going bust, will automatically change the ace from an eleven to an ace, so there is plenty of room for error, without getting bust. In almost all cases, however, sticking on 18 is a pretty sound strategy.
Changing Your Strategy Mid-Game
When playing a game like blackjack, you should be following a strategy of some sort. Yes, it can be a great deal of fun to just leap into blackjack and play for fun, but those who are serious about winning should follow a predetermined strategy. If you don’t have one, think about getting one right now. Keep in mind that strategy guides are not only freely available online, but are also not overly complicated and difficult to follow.
The myth is, however, that if a strategy doesn’t seem to be bearing fruit in the first ten minutes of play, that it must be a failure of a strategy. This perception will sometimes result in a player trying to adjust the strategy mid-game, ultimately making the situation a great deal worse. There is going to be a certain amount of loss in any gambling game, and so no strategy guide can make a player win 100% of the time. Once you have started with a specific strategy, stick with it for at least an hour before giving up on it and trying to find something better. Naturally, going to a high stakes table with an untested strategy would be a bad idea.
Other Players Made Me Lose
Some believe that they have a better chance if winning if they are the only player at a table. If a player is present to the left or right of a player, some think that it can affect the outcome of their own hand. This, of course, would only be true if the other players had any idea what cards were present in the deck, and so is entirely untrue. If you are unhappy about other players being at your table, however, you might consider playing online blackjack, in single player mode.
