Blackjack is a classic casino table game that remains highly popular. You can play it at land-based casinos, but also online thanks to Evolution. This game provider allows you to enjoy blackjack from home, at tables hosted by live dealers. These tables are very popular and widely appreciated by online casino players. However, just because this card game is popular doesn’t mean players don’t make mistakes while playing.
Today, Madness Bonus presents the 5 most common mistakes players make at the blackjack table. The advice we’ll share applies to both live and online blackjack sessions. Some of these tips may seem obvious, but keep them in mind — they’ll be very useful during your future games.
Which casinos offer online blackjack?
As mentioned earlier, the game provider Evolution offers numerous blackjack tables for online real-money players. This studio is the global leader in live casino games. As a result, its games are available at most online casinos. Here is a selection of trusted casinos where you can play blackjack online. You can also take advantage of welcome offers at these casinos to start playing with a boosted balance.
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What are the most common mistakes in blackjack?
There are several mistakes players regularly make. Since we want to give you the best chance of success, here are the 5 most common blackjack mistakes. Keep these in mind when you play, and you’ll become a better blackjack player—if you’re not already.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, we’re confident these tips will be very helpful.
Ignoring basic blackjack strategy
Did you know there’s a basic strategy for blackjack? Yes, it exists. It’s extremely useful, especially for players who struggle with decision-making at the table. Most often, it comes in the form of a chart that advises you based on your starting hand and the dealer’s card. Following basic blackjack strategy isn’t a way to win every hand, but it helps minimize the dealer’s advantage as much as possible.
Ignoring this strategy can lead to risky decisions or playing too cautiously when you should be taking risks. The chart provides the best moves to avoid mistakes, telling you when to stand, hit, double down, or split your hand. At first, we recommend keeping it open on your screen while you play. After enough hours at the table, you’ll know this basic strategy by heart.
As you can see above, the basic strategy chart provides valuable information to help you make the best decisions at the blackjack table. It tells you to always split aces and eights, that you should almost always double down on a 10 or face card, and that you should always stand on 17 or higher.
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The biggest mistakes: splitting 10s and standing on 12 against a 3
If you read the previous section and apply its principles, you won’t make this mistake. There are two things you must avoid at all costs: splitting 10s and standing on 12 against a 3. Let us explain why these two decisions are considered major errors.
Why should you never split 10s? When you’re dealt a pair of 10s or two cards worth 10 (jacks, queens, kings), your hand totals 20. As you know, your goal in blackjack is to get as close to 21 as possible without busting. With a hand valued at 20, the job is nearly done. You might be tempted to split the 10s in hopes of creating two winning hands, but this is a mistake. Why? Simply because by splitting 10s, you’re more likely to end up with weaker hands than your current one. That’s a risk you don’t want to take. Additionally, by doing so, you’d be taking cards meant for other players or the dealer, which could change the outcome of the round and potentially ruin the entire table.
Why should I hit on 12 against a 3? When your hand totals 12 and the dealer’s face card is a 2 or 3, you must hit. The reason is simple: with a 2 or 3, the dealer has a strong chance of ending with a solid hand. You don’t want to give them that opportunity. This is why you must always hit your 12 in this situation, trying to improve your hand while you still can.
Not betting according to your balance
Have you heard of adjusting or calibrating your bets? If not, this information will be very useful. Although blackjack is 90% luck and 10% skill, there are betting strategies you can use to play smarter. One such strategy is to adapt your bets based on your current balance. What does this involve? Let’s take a look.
This strategy, commonly known as bet sizing, is based on the idea that when you join a blackjack table, you should bring at least 100 betting units. This is ideal if you want your session to last a while. For example, if you start with a balance of CAD 100, your maximum bet should be CAD 1. It would be CAD 2 for CAD 200, CAD 3 for CAD 300, CAD 4 for CAD 400, and so on. However, many players prefer to take risks and tend to place large bets aiming for quick profits. While this might work occasionally, most of the time you’ll simply lose your balance quickly.
Being influenced by other players’ decisions
When playing blackjack, it’s you and the other players against the dealer. It doesn’t matter if there are two, four, or six players at the table, you must focus only on your own hand. Why? Because if you start paying too much attention to other players’ hands and decisions, it can distract you. You might even get frustrated if someone makes a move you consider poor.
If you decide to stick to basic blackjack strategy, continue regardless of what other players do. If you only react to others’ decisions, you’ll end up making illogical choices. Stay focused on your own game. If other players are too much of a distraction, consider moving to a VIP table (if your balance allows it).
Not knowing when to stop playing
This final tip applies to every casino game—blackjack, poker, roulette, and even slots. It’s crucial to know when to stop playing. If you’re losing too many hands in a row, taking a break will help you think about what to do with the rest of your balance. Do you want to keep playing live casino games, or would you rather relax with some slot machines?
It’s not just when you’re losing that you should know when to stop. Have you just won several hands in a row and your balance has increased significantly? Maybe it’s time to cash out your winnings and stop for the day. Remember, the lure of profit is a casino player’s worst enemy.
