Here are some beginner blackjack mistakes to avoid while learning the game of blackjack:
If there are fewer than 16, continue playing and stop at 17 to 21. That seems logical as the dealer often seems to win. The main problem is that it ignores an important factor in blackjack: if the player busts and the dealer busts, the player still loses the hand.
Stop when you have a soft 18 while the dealer’s up card is a 9, 10, or an ace. This makes sense for many players, but usually 18 is not enough to beat the dealer if the dealer has a 9, 10 or an ace – the odds are very high that the dealer will land a hand better than 18.
Stand on a pair of 8s if the dealer’s up card is his 10. It is an effort to split the pair and risk more money when the dealer’s up card is a 10 or a face card. However, by splitting you have two starting hands with an 8, which is better than a hand with 16 points. If in this situation there is a big bet on the table and you don’t want to lose another big bet when you double up, you should stop and let it go.
Stop at soft 17. Many new blackjack players stop playing on a soft 17. You should stop when you have a hard 17 – but you should never stop when you are dealt a soft 17, no matter what card the dealer has. You can’t overbought yourself with another card and you never know whether the hand will improve significantly with a low card.
If the total score is 12-16, continue playing if the dealer’s up card is between 2 and 6. This is the basic blackjack strategy , but it is unknown to many beginners. They think they have a weak hand – but since the dealer has a card between 2 and 6, there is a good chance he will bust. This is a hand that can get you into trouble with other players. For example, if you think the hand is weak, you take another card. Now you get a card with the value 10 – which is quite possible – and the dealer’s turn is next. In that case, the player would have been better off not drawing a card as the dealer would now have received the card with the value 10, which would have won everyone at the table.
As a beginner you should never sit at the third box. As described in the example above, the third box plays last. As a beginner you will make mistakes that will help the dealer and harm the other players at the table. As a blackjack beginner you should therefore sit in the first box or to the right of the first box.
Split a pair of 10s or face cards while the dealer’s up card is either a 5 or a 6. Many people split a pair of 10 if the dealer has a 5 or 6. If you look at the odds of winning, you will win more hands by holding two cards with a value of 10 than you will split them. Sometimes you will certainly win double that, but the chances are good that you will lose one of the hands. The player should stop when they have a pair with the value 10.
Take the insurance option when you hit 20 or a blackjack. Many players take insurance regardless of their cards because they don’t want to lose their hand to an automatic blackjack. In the long run it costs money. If you have a good hand, stick with it. You should therefore never buy insurance when you have blackjack as you will get a 3: 2 payout if the hand is won.