Blackjack is the most popular table game at casinos in Oklahoma – no contest.
Because of its popularity, tips, and tricks (good and ill-advised) are everywhere. Movie portrayals often gloss over a lot of the ins and outs of blackjack, leading to myths and misconceptions (a few of those movies are probably coming to mind right now).
Whether it’s a tip you’ve read online, advice you’ve gotten from fellow gamblers, or a “how-to” guide in a casino pamphlet, there’s a lot of misinformation out there about how to successfully play blackjack.
Get to know the common myths and misconceptions about blackjack before you dive in.
Other players can ruin your chances
If you lose money in a hand of blackjack (or several hands), it’s easy to point fingers and blame others for your loss. It’s especially easy when playing blackjack at a casino or live table to let other players upset you, anger you, or get in your head. We get it – things can get heated. It’s true that another player’s reckless move or poor playing skills could cost you a hand, but that same reckless move or poor skill level could also end up winning you a hand.
Look at it this way, placing blame on how others are playing is pretty pointless, and it’ll distract you from your focus. The nature of the game is that everyone’s moves – including your own – shape the way that the game pans out. There is no magical, expected outcome with every game, so don’t let the way others play rattle you. Keep calm and carry on.
If you’re winning, always press your luck
It’s pretty common when sitting at a blackjack table to witness another player (or yourself) hit a “lucky” streak and win multiple hands in a row. When this happens, you’re often told to “press your luck”, and start betting higher to take advantage of your winning streak. Those lucky streaks can be great (and a rush), but don’t fool yourself. A lucky streak doesn’t necessarily mean you should start placing massive bets. Mathematically speaking, the fact that you just won a hand has absolutely no bearing on whether or not you will win the next one. Your odds of winning a hand are about 42% regardless of what has happened previously, so pressing your luck isn’t always a guaranteed smart move.
Always assume the dealer has a 10 in the hole
When you look at the mathematical probability of the dealer having a 10 in the hole, it doesn’t really mean you should automatically assume so. It’s true that there is more chance of having a 10 in the pack than any other value. This is because kings, queens, and jacks are all worth 10 points, so there are technically 16 cards out of a deck of 52 that have a value of 10. This means the probability that the dealer has a 10 in the hole is 30.77%. That’s a decent chance (one in three, to put it a bit more simply). But a one in three chance doesn’t mean that you should automatically assume there’s a 10 in the hole.
You’ll win eventually
It’s an easy myth to fall for. There’s comfort in believing that if you sit down and play blackjack long enough, you’ll eventually hit the right cards and win. In reality – it often gets people into tricky situations. When you stay and play for way longer than you should, you can end up losing massive amounts of money.
The gambler’s fallacy assumes that, over the course of time, the mathematical probability of you winning will change to catch up to predicted results. The bad news is that math doesn’t work that way. The probability of you winning resets each time a new hand is played, so the chances of you winning each hand are technically exactly the same – no matter how long you play for.
Blackjack is fun, technical, and delivers big on the thrill. So it’s no surprise it has grown in popularity at Kiowa Casino & Hotel. Before you dive in, remember that the best way to play blackjack is to follow the basic mathematical rules of the game. Don’t fall for false tricks and tips, and keep your cool. And naturally, have some fun. That’s why you’re at Kiowa Casino & Hotel in the first place.
