4 common Blackjack Myths
Myth #1: a bad player is a burden.
Have you ever played blackjack? If so, you may have heard some common blackjack myths about the game. Let’s imagine this situation in play: the dealer shows a 5 upcard and all the players, including you, apply some basic blackjack strategy and stand on a hard hand. The last player before the dealer considers whether to hit or stand on his 16. He decides to hit; the dealer gives him a picture card and the player goes bust. The dealer flips over her hole card to reveal a 10, then draws a 6 to give herself a total of 21, beating everyone at the table. You feel that if the last player would have stood on his 16, as blackjack strategy advises, the dealer would have gotten the picture card instead and busted, and everyone would have won, right? Technically, yes, but at the same time no! We’ll explain. It is known that inexperienced or reckless players can have an impact on the outcomes for other players at the table. However, their actions have no mathematical long-term effect on a player's expected outcome. And if the actions of a fellow player at any casino table can knock your concentration, it’s probably best to take a break, change tables or play another day. Always play relaxed and focus on applying a blackjack basic strategy and know when to stop.
Myth #2: believing that you are about to win now.
Our second blackjack myth is about believing that you are about to win now. The dealer has won 6 hands in a row and since blackjack is an even game you must be due a win, right? Wrong! The cards don’t care who you are or how many blackjack hands you got today, the next hand does not depend on whether you won or lost in the past; to be safe, don’t bet believing that you are about to win because that isn’t the case.
Myth #3: insurance
The next myth is about insurance. Some believe that is always better to insure your hand against a dealer’s ace. Casinos usually encourage you to make insurance bets on a good hand against a dealer’s blackjack, but if you already have a good hand the decision on whether to insure it or not is entirely up to you. Let’s imagine you have two face-cards and a total value of 20. Your chances of winning are high, so you must decide if it’s really necessary to protect such a hand?
Myth #4: it's all about luck.
The last myth of this blackjack guide is about luck. Some people say that it is impossible to win a blackjack game because it is a pure game of luck. Many people believe this myth because they do not understand the mathematic principles behind basic strategy and assume the casino has everything on their side, thus requiring you to have massive amounts of luck to win. Clearly, there is luck involved, as at any other casino game. The cards you are dealt come down to luck. But how you deal with those cards comes down to skill. Applying a blackjack strategy, analysing other players moves and betting sensibly, can all help to improve your chances against the house. The possibility of applying certain strategies (as mentioned previously in this blackjack guide) by skilled players is what separates blackjack from other casino games where luck is either the most prominent or only factor to determine the outcome.
To sum up
There’s sure to be many other common blackjack myths and misconceptions you may have heard about the game, but in this blackjack guide, we’ve focussed on the myths we believe are most important to bear in mind when playing blackjack. The message here is to trust in yourself and play responsibly at all times; you are playing to have fun but also trying to win, so find a balance and enjoy a sweet blackjack hand at your favourite table.
Good luck!
