Absurd Blackjack Myths That You Believe

Casinos often try to simplify the rules for the public, and many such people aren't aware of the real objective of blackjack. Most people think the goal is to beat all the players at the table or get 21 points; this isn't entirely true. You only need to beat the dealer.

To win a round of blackjack, it doesn't matter what the players around you have. Whether you have 10 points or 21, you only need a better hand than the dealer to win. Remember that if you reach more than 21 points, it’s called a BUST and you lose the round.

The dealer has a significant advantage in the beginning because the player acts first. Often the player busts before the dealer do anything. Different games and rules sometimes shift the house edge even higher, but you can counteract that by using a good strategy.

Understanding blackjack strategies and the right timing can improve your chances of winning by a lot. With good strategy at a standard table, you can expect a house edge of as low as 0,5%. But, inexperienced players often face a house edge of up to 2% and even more with some non-standard rules.

Blackjack games can have some of the lowest house advantages of any casino games, but to capitalise on the possible edge, you must have the right strategy.

Let's set the scene: the dealer draws a weak four, and all the players at the table make the right play by standing on all their totals. All the players except one. The last one takes their time and ends up deciding to hit. He receives a picture card and is out.

Then the dealer flips a picture card and draws a 7 to complete the 21 and wins the game. It may seem as if the last player was the reason for everyone losing as he didn't follow the standard strategy.

Of course, if this player had stood, the dealer would have busted, and everyone would've won, but it isn't entirely their fault. However, dumb players statistically have the same chance to cause a winning result for the table as a losing one. Inexperienced players making mistakes at the table can get irritating. Still, there is no mathematical proof that they will affect your long term game unless you allow their mistakes to make you emotional.

Often in the media, characters who count cards in casinos are thrown out or beaten up. The truth is far less scary. Counting cards is just using your brain and math skills to track individual cards when they are played. Many casinos do ban card counting, and they would much rather have you believe it's illegal, but they can't do anything to you for doing it.

Card counting is a skill that is not too hard to master, but it doesn't guarantee you a victory. Hollywood films like Rain Man have perpetuated the myth that you need to be a genius with a photographic memory to count cards, but this is not the case. Card counting is nothing but another strategy that's good to have in your back pocket, especially when playing blackjack.

Statistics from hundreds of games over many hours proved that around 50% of blackjack games are favourable to the player. This doesn't mean that if you have lost three games, you will win the next three, though.

Each session is dealt with a new order of cards and often even a new pack at more prestigious casinos. The cards know nothing of the round before, and therefore the 50/50 chance 'resets' for every round rather than applying for a full session of a few deals.

Even professionals have losing streaks, the whole point of almost all gambling games is that they involve chance and can often not be predicted to any degree of accuracy that will guarantee a win.

Any game that is played as widely as blackjack is bound to have a few 'tails' added to the rules through the years. This article has aimed to debunk some of the most misunderstood facts and myths of the game. Now you can go into your next blackjack game with all the information you need to increase your chances of a win.