While slot games remain the most popular among players at online casinos, the tide is beginning to turn in favor of blackjack games. It’s not hard to understand why, in recent years, online blackjack has taken its rightful place as the centerpiece of online casino table games. Whether you’re new to the blackjack experience or have some familiarity with 21, this guide helps you avoid the top blackjack mistakes to avoid to enjoy better wins.
Ignoring the House Edge
Of all the card games available, online blackjack is the closest one that gives players roughly a 50% shot of beating the dealer. For the most part, most online blackjack games have a house edge of 0.50% or even lower. This leads to an average 99.50% return to player, which is the standard of classic blackjack games like American Blackjack. However, some of the newer variants, which come loaded with bonuses, sometimes drop the house edge below 98%.
What to Do Instead
No matter how glamorous the latest blackjack games online are, the first move is to understand the average RTP. For best results, when playing online blackjack, we recommend only playing the games that begin with at least a 99% RTP.
Not Having a Budget
It doesn’t matter how skilled you are playing blackjack. Before sitting down to play any online blackjack game, including for live dealer play, always have a firm budget. This budget, of course, should be 100% disposable. Also, consider setting some hard boundaries for playing time. Win or lose your time is up, which is a great habit that helps prevent problem gaming disorders. Also, reputable online casinos give you a boost with responsible gaming measures to set hard playing, spending, and losing limits.
What to Do Instead
Sit down and calculate how much disposable income you have after taking of life’s obligations like bills and credit cards. Take a percentage of that from each pay period to begin building a steady bankroll. Please note that this process might take some time, but it is a great place to start to prevent overspending or going into debt.
Overlooking the Bonuses
While most online casinos have a boatload of bonuses for slot games, it’s common for today’s real money online casinos to have more promotions available for table games like blackjack. Most welcome bonuses are in tune for today’s blackjack games, so by all means, use the bonus funds to begin adding to your bankroll. You can also repeat the process by joining multiple online casinos to give yourself multiple chances of winning money playing blackjack.
Going for the Insurance Bet
Most online blackjack games support players taking insurance. When the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, the live dealer will ask you whether or not you wish to take out insurance. Taking insurance requires spending extra money with no guarantee that the bet will at least save 50% of your losses. Even though the dealer has an Ace, doesn’t mean an automatic win. Furthermore, if you lose because you took insurance, the losses are more compounded.
What to Do Instead
Even if your hand is weak, resist taking insurance. Losing an additional 50%, even if you win, only takes away from your budget either way.
Doubling Down too Soon
Most online blackjack games support doubling down. To double down means to match your original wager to draw one final card during the playing session. While doubling down doesn’t mean an automatic win, doing so with a low-value playing hand can ultimately cause you to lose the playing hand.
What to Do Instead
If your playing hand is below twelve, don’t double down. What if your final card is a deuce or a three, which puts you below 15? While doubling down always has a risk of busting, doing so with a playing hand between twelve and fifteen might be worth the gamble.
Conclusion
By avoiding these common blackjack mistakes, you stand a great chance of winning. Another tip is always to split Aces. It’s impossible to go bust when splitting aces, so let it fly. With a pair of tens, don’t split. You’re only one point away from 21, so stand down.
