Basic Blackjack Errors
by Frank Scoblete
Basic Blackjack Errors has kept most players from enjoying the low
edges against them or gaining the edge against the house utilizing
basic blackjack strategy.
Basic strategy refers to the computer-derived play of every player hand
versus every dealer upcard. If you adhere to this basic strategy for
hitting, standing, doubling down, and splitting pairs, you will be
rewarded with very small house advantages with multiple-deck games in
the range of 0.3 to 0.6 % along with a miniscule house edge for
single-deck games.
Toss in the good rules or conditions for specific single-deck games and
that house edge is trimmed to 0.14 percent.
The reason for the success of blackjack for both the players and the
casinos is that the players’ decisions do have an impact on the
players’ expectation. Therefore, over time, how much a player wins or
loses comes down to the player.
Additionally, with card counting, a skilled player can actually get an
edge over the house. Once players found this out, they flocked to play
the game and lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.
Why did these players lose money and go off track by making basic
blackjack errors?
I asked this of Paul McKenna, a professional blackjack player. His
response was harsh but instructive. “The stupidity, laziness,
bull-headedness, and arrogance of the ill-informed and the ill-educated
thinking they know it all.”
“We know from billions of computer runs and hundreds of studies and
from math just what the right moves are for every hand, yet players
insist on playing in an inferior manner, which just causes them to lose
more than they otherwise would.”
He then went on to list the most common basic blackjack errors that
players make. He called their strategies and logic
bogus and the examples below
reflect the player hand, dealer upcard, correct decision and the bogus
or basic blackjack errors.
Player Hand: 12
Dealer Upcard: 2 or 3
Correct Decision: hit
Bogus BJ: stand
McKenna: “Players think that there are more ten-values in the deck and
that these will bust you. No, no, that is not true. If you have a hand
of 12, about two-thirds of the cards that can come out are not going to
bust you. The computer says the optimum strategy is to hit, so you hit.”
Player Hand: 16
Dealer Upcard: 10
Correct Decision: hit
Bogus BJ: stand
McKenna: “That 16 is a losing hand no matter what you do but on two
cards you will lose slightly less if you hit than if you stand which is
one of the basic blackjack errors.”
Player Hand: A7
Dealer Upcard: 4-5-6
Correct Decision: double Bogus BJ: stand
McKenna: “A hand of 18 is a losing hand in the long run for the player.
When the dealer is in a weak position with those bust cards up, you
want to get more money on the table and take advantage of it.”
Player Hand: A7
Dealer Upcard: 10 or Ace
Correct Decision: hit
Bogus BJ: stand
McKenna: “You have a losing hand with an 18, so you hit. Since you
cannot bust, you have a shot of improving your hand. The computer shows
this clearly.”
Player Hand: 5:5
Dealer Upcard: 2-9
Correct Decision: double Bogus BJ: split on
2-6/ hit on 7-9
McKenna: “Never split fives. Two fives are a ten, period. You go for
the double because you have a very good chance of winning twice your
bet.”
Player Hand: 20 or 21
Dealer Upcard: Ace
Correct Decision: no insurance Bogus BJ: insure your
hands
McKenna: “You are giving the casino a big edge when you insure your
twenties and your blackjacks. Even superficial logic should show you
that when you have two ten-valued cards, the dealer is less likely than
normal to have blackjack. The house edge on insurers is around 5
percent, sometimes more. Never insure your hands!”
These are not the only examples hands that fall prey to basic blackjack
errors, but they reflect how many blackjack players think they are
making a smart choice when just the opposite is true. Mr. McKenna sums
it up: “In blackjack, you either play smart or stupidly. There is no
in-between.”
Basic
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