Common Sense and Blackjack

It's often said that a "fool and his money are soon parted," and as you might expect, this certainly holds true in the game of blackjack. In fact, casinos will do everything in their power to separate you from your money, all the while letting you have fun doing it. Although this isn't a primer on gambling, there are a few common sense guidelines that you can follow to help maximize your profit.

First off, you need to understand that blackjack is a "negative expectation game". This means, simply put, that in the long run, you will lose money. Even using every strategy and tactic known, you almost certainly face less than a 50% chance of winning. Why? Well, if you didn't, what incentive would the casinos have to offer the game? In fact, they wouldn't! This isn't to say "don't play", but rather, understand what the long term expectation is. You will lose money. Now, in the short term, anything can happen! Fortunes are made and lost. High rollers are born, and former high rollers walk out penniless. Well, maybe it's not quite like that, but there are highs and lows in the game.

Your goal is to find a high point, take advantage of it, and walk away a winner. In fact, one of the best things you can do is to set a certain amount of winnings and losses. Should you hit either of these points, you get up and walk away. If you go to the tables with the expectation of losing, then simply don't go...but do recognize that there are times when the cards will not fall your way, and your bankroll will suffer. By setting a limit on your loses, and sticking to it, the rest of your bankroll will be around for another day. By setting a limit on your winnings, you stop yourself from giving it all back to casino--something that is guaranteed to happen in the long haul. The true test of character is being able to walk away from a "hot streak" when you winning target has been reached.

When you're actually playing the game, there will come times when the cards (and common sense) tell you what to do. Unfortunately, everything in you is screaming out exactly the opposite. In the end, it is your money, and you are always free to do exactly what you want to do (although the other players at the table may disagree with you). But, you can maximize your chances of long-term winnings by following the basic strategy rules. These rules, when consistently followed, offer the best mathematical chance of winning the hand. It doesn't guarantee that you will actually win the hand, but it does offer the best chance. Some of the rules seem like a loser (for example, splitting 8's), and on the surface it doesn't make sense. In these cases, the rules are actually designed to minimize your loses-in other words, it is recognized that you have a losing hand, but attempts to make the best of it anyway. The long and short of it is: memorize and practice basic strategy. It's been developed with mathematics, not emotion, and is the best way to play the hand. Period.

If you don't want to follow basic strategy, that's fine. After all, it is your money. Whatever you don, just don't play really wild. for example, splitting tens certainly seems like a great thing to do, but in the end, you are passing up an almost sure winning hand to take a chance with twice as much money on two uncertain hands. Remember, money is at stake, and playing smart is the best thing you can do.