Moves To Avoid When Playing Blackjack

By Author: Will Win
Total Articles: 160
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So you want to improve your blackjack game? There are lots of guides and articles around saying what you should do to improve. They are full of information and comprehensive but this can also be the problem; some are too technical and others take too long to read and reinforce. So here are a few blackjack moves for you to avoid, which will help get you started immediately.

Standing - Choose a blackjack table where the dealer has to stand on a soft 17 rather than a soft 18. This is because the house edge is lower than when a dealer hits on a soft 17 by 0.02%. OK, it's not much but its better to shave the house edge as much as possible as this can only help your finances in the long run.

Splitting - This is a great move in blackjack but only if used wisely. The main mistake that is made is splitting a decent hand into two separate losing hands, and for an additional cost! A simple to get you started; never split 10's and 5's, including all pairs of picture cards. You will only lose in the long run as you will either have to stand on a low total or are bound to go bust.

Busting - Believe it or not ...
... one of the worst tactics you can use is to never go bust. This is something which has been fooling new and experienced blackjack players alike for an eternity, and will continue to do so despite the obvious lack of logic that it is based on. If you never go bust you will continually stick on low hands which have no chance of beating the dealer. The dealer has to stand on soft 17, and you stand on 15 to prevent going bust. How is that ever going to make the game profitable for you?

Card counting - Basically, unless you are a fantastic mathematician or have a photographic memory, don't even try. It's more complicated than you think, and takes a lot of hard work. And if you thought it would reap immediate rewards; you're wrong. The most important thing to note is that if you were thinking of trying card counting when playing online; think again. The Random Number Generator is exactly as it says; random. It can't be beat in this way.

Doubling down - Do not avoid doubling down as it is very useful and is the best way to make more money more quickly. New players are often afraid of this move due to the additional wager and the uncertainty. Of course, it will only work if understood properly. Watch out for casinos that only let you double down on certain totals as these will be the hands with the better chance of the casino winning. If you know you have a good chance of winning; do not avoid the opportunity.