Dispelling 5 greatest Blackjack myths
Of all the casino decision-making games, Blackjack offers the greatest returns to the player. The difference is even more pronounced in comparison to games based on chance, which typically give low returns.
However, even though the house has the advantage of less than 1%, casinos typically rake in 4% to 5% of the bets over time, thanks to poor decision-making on the side of the players.
To great extent, this is due to the myths about Blackjack, which I’d like to dispel:
Blackjack Myth #1: Successful Blackjack players have a great intuition on how to play
Actually, when they play online blackjack, successful Blackjack players rely on playing every hand perfectly based on card-counting and calculating their chances. This has nothing to do whatsoever with intuition or a gut-feeling.
Blackjack Myth #2: Paying the insurance on dealer’s upcard ace against the possible blackjack is a good idea
Paying the insurance is a bad idea and siphons the money away from the player. The insurance pays 2:1 but the probability of the second card being of value 10 is only 30%, which clearly works in favor of the casino, except when you are counting cards.
Blackjack myth #3: The object of the game is to reach 21 or come close to it without going bust
It is precisely trying to get as close to 21 as possible that causes players to go bust, instead of standing on a solid hand. The object of the game is to have a higher score than the dealer.
Blackjack myth #4: You need to be a mathematical genius or be autistic to be able to memorize all the cards
The truth is that anyone can master and apply the simple card-counting systems that keep track of low and high cards.
Blackjack myth #5: It doesn’t matter where you play, all casinos have the same house advantage
In fact, where you play makes a HUGE difference. For example, the Soft 17 rule (instead of Hard 17) adds 0.2% to the house advantage. Some casinos pay 6:5 for a blackjack instead of 3:2. Some even give a win to the dealer in case of a tie, which spells disaster for the player.
Unless you want to throw your money away, avoiding places with unfair house advantage is a must.
