Blackjack

The Eight Blackjack Myths that Lose You Money

If you believe any of the following blackjack myths, you will lose money. Don't make that error!

Myth 1: The aim of blackjack is to get as close to 21 as possible

This is NOT the object of the game. The object is to beat the dealer's hand.

Often, the best strategy is to stand depending on your hand and the dealer's up card. Many people lose a hand because they hit their hands, when according to basic strategy they should stand.

Myth 2: bad players cause you to lose

Other players have no effect on your winning or losing long term.

It is true that stupid plays made by stupid players can affect the outcome of a hand for everyone else, but it can be proved mathematically that it is just as likely that this could result in the entire table winning.

Myth 3: Always take insurance if you have a blackjack

Insurance is the stupidest bet in blackjack. If a person were to take insurance every time that they had a blackjack, then they would be giving up 13 percent of the profit that a blackjack pays.

In order for a player simply to break even with insurance, you would have to guess correctly 1 in 3 times, and there not good odds!

Only if you are card counting should you ever even consider taking insurance.

Myth 4: The dealer is HOT

Mathematically speaking, when you are winning, the deck composition is in your favor, and when you are losing, it is not in your favor.

The dealer has no choices to make; they simply follow the house rules. You as a player do have choices, and it is your choices that determine how successful you will be.

Myth 5: People entering the game in the middle of a shoe can cause you to lose

This is actually the same as a player taking an extra card, or a player leaving in the middle of the game. Neither of which causes you to lose.

Myth 6: You are due a win soon

The dealer has won ten hands consecutively - you will win soon.

The chance of the player winning the next hand is independent of what happened before.

Eventually of course, the number of hands you will win will be around 48%, but this can be over a very long period! In the short term, i.e a single playing session, the previous hands are irrelevant.

Myth 7: The deuce (2) is the most favorable card for the dealer

Not true. We notice the deuce because it makes the dealers hand frequently, because there is only one card that can "bust" the hand, (10), if the total is 12.

Mathematically, players lose more when the "up card" the dealer has is an Ace or a 10.

Myth 8: Don't split 9, 9 against the dealer's 9, you're making two bad hands

When the player has 9 & 9 against the dealer's 9, the player has 18. This doesn't beat 19 as of course we assume that the dealer has a 10 in the hole.

It is proven mathematically a player will lose less money by splitting the 9's than by standing.