Black Jack Mistakes
Every day, I sit at the blackjack tables and watch players gamble money away by making stupid black jack mistakes. Many of these people seem to be quite experienced at the black jack game and are playing for serious money. When they come out of nothing with some of these beauties I have to wonder “What were they thinking?”
I want to point out the flaws in so many players’ logic - maybe yours. Here are some actual examples that I observed again and again. Try to figure out why these players did what they did.
The dude next to me had 9 against the dealer’s 4 up for $25. He paused and considered doubling down, but appeared to be afraid to put out the extra money on such an insecure gamble. Finally, he just motioned for a hit and caught a coveted 10. Winning with 19, he now put up $50 on the next hand.
“How interesting” I thought. He didn’t want to risk the extra $25 when he was a 3 - to - 2 favorite, but he’s willing to put up that money now on a totally blind hand. The next time you have what appears like a risky but great double, think about it - because you’ll win the extra bet on the double more often than you’ll win the next random hand. That’s part of why it’s a correct double down.
Here’s another interesting behavior that I see often. Most players will simply take a hit when they have 8 against a 5 or a 6, such as with 5/3 or 6/2 - and that’s the correct basic play. But when they have 8 in the form of 4/4, they somehow seem to have this urge for doubling down. Somebody please explain to me how 4/4 can possibly be a better double than 5/3 or 6/2? Fact is, when you have 4/4 against a 5 or 6, the right play is to split. That’s because you will now have eight shots at an advantageous double down (by catching a 5, 6, 7 or Ace on either 4).
Next comes what should be a classic example of what never to do. The player on my left had $100 bet and was dealt 11 against the dealer’s 8 up. Being too conservative to double down all the way like he was supposed to, he slid a measly ten extra bucks out next to his hundred and doubled for less. Have you ever done anything like this?
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