Couple of Common Mistakes in Blackjack
Mistake: The most common mistake beginners make is to stand too often on their present hands which contain 12,13,14,15, and 16. Players are often afraid to hit these hands because every one of them could make a total of 22 or more and make them lose. But when the dealer has a high card showing, your best odds of winning come from hitting and giving yourself a chance of making a better total.
Tip: Here’s how many players think: If I hit this 14, I risk busting my hand right here and now. But maybe the dealer has a 6 in the hole. If I don’t take a hit, my hand still has a chance. Maybe the dealer’s hand will bust. This is rather weak phylosophy.
Some beginners think the best way to play is to play the same way the dealer plays: Hit all sixteens and stand on all seventeens. This is not true. The object of the game is not to make a hand as close to 21 as possible, but to beat the dealer. Often the best way to do this is to stand with a low total, sometimes as low as 12. But that 14 you are holding is already in dire jeopardy when the dealer shows a 10 up. You must fight for the hand’s survival by taking the hit, giving it a chance of becoming a stronger hand against that 10. With a 14 against a 10, you must fight to the death.
Mistake: Some beginners think the best way to play is to play exactly the same way the dealer plays: Hit all sixteens and stand on all seventeens. This is not true. The object of the game is not to make a hand as close to 21 as possible, but to beat the dealer. Often the best way to do this is to stand with a low total, sometimes as low as 12.
Tip: This is the basic logic of casino blackjack. But if you just consider this logic when studying the basic strategy charts, the pattern will become clear to you and it should not be too difficult to memorize.