Unlike most other casino games, blackjack involves active input from the player. In other words, the way you play has a direct impact on your overall success. Naturally, if you make mistakes, this can end up costing you money.
To ensure maximum profits when playing blackjack, you should be aware of the mistakes that can needlessly cost you money. To help you in this, we’ll go over the top three most detrimental blackjack mistakes that can deplete your bankroll.
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Playing Without a Blackjack Strategy
Many blackjack players base their decisions based on gut feelings and intuition. And, while this can get them a few wins, it’s a very poor way of playing, especially long-term. Players who refuse to learn basic blackjack strategy and don’t use a blackjack chart are making a very costly mistake and not giving themselves the best winning chances.
Whether you’re enjoying one of the many sites offering online gambling in Texas or playing in land-based casinos, you can and should use a blackjack strategy chart. Moreover, as the casinos don’t mind players using these helpful tools, there’s no reason to avoid using them.
Experienced blackjack players know that every hand can be played in an optimal way that offers the best return. That said, it’s very challenging to remember the best decision for every possible combination of your cards and the dealer’s face-up card. So, using a blackjack chart is crucial for all players who want to maximize their winnings.
Using a blackjack strategy won’t take away any fun from your gambling experience. In fact, it can only make your wins even more satisfying, as you’ll know that your direct decisions made an impact on the outcome of the round.
Taking Blackjack Insurance
Many novice blackjack players find insurance a good opportunity to cover more options when the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace. If you place this bet and the dealer’s face-down card is a ten or a face card, you will get a 2:1 payout. However, while this does sound enticing there are many reasons why taking insurance in blackjack is a poor decision.
Firstly, the insurance usually costs half of your original wager in most casinos. And, if the dealer’s face-down card is any other card except a ten or face card, you will lose the bet instantly.
Moreover, with some simple blackjack math, you can calculate that this bet wins around 30% of the time and loses around 70% of the time. Needless to say, these aren’t favorable percentages. If it had winning odds of 33.3% or higher, it would be a solid bet. But, with a 2:1 payout and 9:4 odds, the math doesn’t add up in favor of taking insurance.
With that in mind, since the dealer won’t have a blackjack most of the time, it’s best to avoid this bet altogether. Insurance is simply a bad choice that is directly costing you money.
Playing a 6:5 Blackjack Variation
This is one common mistake many players make without even realizing it. Many blackjack players, especially beginners, don’t pay a lot of attention as to whether they’re playing a 6:5 or a 3:2 variation. That said, choosing the former over the latter is arguably one of the biggest mistakes you can make when playing this game.
To better understand just how big the difference is between these variations, let’s put it into numbers. For instance, let’s say that you’re betting $10 per hand. If you’re playing a 3:2 blackjack variation and get a blackjack, you receive a payout of $15.
In comparison, when playing a 6:5 variation, your payout will only be $12. Over hours, weeks, and years, the winnings you’re missing out on can really pile up.
Casinos love players who don’t pay attention to this detail and don’t realize that 6:5 is significantly worse than 3:2. In fact, many casual players take these numbers at their nominal value and often play the 6:5 version, simply because 6 is higher than 3.
But, knowing the considerable difference in payouts you might be leaving on the table, don’t make the costly mistake of playing the 6:5 blackjack version. Always make sure that the game is a 3:2 variation before playing.
