Win At Blackjack Many will tell you the best way to play and win blackjack is to follow basic strategy. If you are new to the game of blackjack and haven’t yet mastered basic blackjack strategy, you should keep reading. We’ve compiled a list of the ten most common blackjack mistakes, that new players make. Play blackjack using basic strategy and remember these common mistakes. 1. Doing what the dealer does by hitting on 16 or less and standing on 17 or higher. Many believe that if the dealer always wins, why not follow his strategy? The problem with this is that it doesn’t take into account the fact that if you bust and the dealer busts, the dealer still wins. This is the casino’s basic advantage over the players. Following the dealer strategy is not a good idea. 2. The dealer shows a 9, 10 or ace and you stand on a soft 18. Many players do this because they see 18 as a good hand and why risk hitting and getting a worse total or busting? When the dealer shows 9, 10 or ace, 18 is not a good enough hand. The dealer will likely have a ten hole card. No matter what you do you will lose more times than win in this situation. However, players will win a bit more often if you take the hit, so this is the better strategy. 3. The dealer is showing a ten and you stand with a pair of eights. 16 is always a bad hand to have, especially if the dealer has a 10 showing. Most players will lost this hand, because they don’t want to bet more money and possibly lose two hands. Players should split this pair, as starting with two eights is a lot better than a hand starting with 16. In the long run, you lose twice as much with a 16 against a 10 rather than an 8 against a 10. Always split the eights. 4. Stand with a soft 17. Many players think you should stand on a soft 17. You should stand on a hard 17 but not a soft 17. Never stand if you get an ace. Don’t stand on any soft hand from 13 to 17 regardless of what the dealer has. With soft hands, you can always hit and never bust, because the ace can be counted as one. 5. The dealer has a 2 through 6 and you hit on a 12 through 16. This shows a lack of understanding of the basic way to play blackjack. Many players think they have a weak hand and take a hit without thinking about what the dealer has. If the dealer shows a weak card of 2 through 6 you shouldn’t risk busting, since it’s likely the dealer will bust. If the dealer shows a seven or up you should hit on this hand. An exception to this is that if the dealer has 2 or 3 and you have twelve, you should hit. 6. The dealer has a 5 or 6 and you split two 10’s. Many players believe that if you split the ten’s against a weak dealer card, you’ll win two hands, not just one. Mathematically, you will win more standing on 20 than a ten against a 5 or 6. Never break up a good hand of 20 - stand. 7. Take insurance when you have 20 or blackjack. The insurance bet is never a good idea. Many players don’t want to lose to a dealer blackjack so they take the insurance bet to prevent the lose. It’s proven you’ll lose more in the long run if you take the insurance bet than if you don’t. Pass on the insurance or even money bet. 8. Dealer has a 10 and you don’t double on an 11. Players are worried that the dealer has twenty and don’t double. You will win more if you hit the 11 rather than double. If you double you will win less. However, you will win $12 per hundred dollars bet. If you double you gain twice as much or $16 per hundred dollar bet. Therefore you win $4 more when you double and not hit. 9. Not doubling down on soft hands. Many new players don’t realize that they can double down on any two card hand, including ones with an ace. If the dealer shows a 5 or 6 you should double on soft hands 13 through 18. You’ll gain more in the long run than if you hit. 10. You are due for a win, so you double your bets. This is the biggest, most common mistake any gambler can make. Your chances of winning has nothing to do with the previous hands played. Never double bets thinking you are due to win or in attempt to recover losses.

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