Reasons Why You Always Lose at Blackjack, And How To Fix Them

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Are you losing big money at blackjack and want to reverse your fortunes? We have some helpful blackjack tips that can help put more money in your casino bankroll.

While there is an element of luck to blackjack, good blackjack players are not always losing money. If you are always losing money at online gambling sites playing blackjack, or more often than you’d like to, there is likely an underlying reason.

Before playing another hand of blackjack, step back and reassess your approach and strategy. Blackjack is one of the few games in the casino where players have control over how they play their cards.

Despite not being able to guarantee what the next card will be, there are things you can do to get the best possible odds of winning. Before blaming it on being the unluckiest gambler, look at your decision-making process when sitting at the blackjack table.

Keep reading below as we identify possible reasons for your losing at blackjack and what you can do to turn things around at the casino or playing blackjack online.

Below, you will find steps that you can implement right away to become a better blackjack player.

They don’t require any special talent or blackjack expertise to follow:

• Splitting When You Shouldn’t
• Doubling Down When You Shouldn’t
• Taking Insurance
• You Are Wagering On Side Bets
• You Aren’t Playing 3:2 Blackjack
• Shoddy Bankroll Management Skills/Emotional Betting
• You Aren’t Following Basic Blackjack Strategy

Are you splitting your cards every chance that you get? Most blackjack games will allow players to split their first two cards of equal value. However, blindly splitting your cards is not the best course of action.

In fact, over the long term, your blackjack bankroll will bleed money if you don’t know when to split your cards. It is imperative to be aware of the right situations for splitting cards and when not to. When you split, there are two hands and two bets in play.

In other words, it’s a quick way to double your losses in one round of cards. Therefore, splitting cards is only advised for when the odds are in your favor. Conversely, you can double your winnings by playing the hand right.

Stop burning a hole in your bankroll and donating chips to the casino by only splitting in these situations:

• Pair of Aces
• The dealer has a bust card (4 to 6)
• Pair of 8s
• Pair of 2s, 3s, 7s versus dealer’s 7 or lower
• Pair of 6s versus dealer’s 2 to 6 and 8, 9

This is a brief overview of how to play your starting hand with a pair. We have a complete rundown on splitting cards in blackjack, so be sure to check it out.

Similar to knowing when to split your cards, you must know when to double down. Doubling down is an important tool, but it can be a money burner when not applied properly. Reckless blackjack players will double down at every opportunity.

However, to play blackjack online and at your local casino correctly, being patient and waiting for the right cards to double down on is key. Bankroll management has to be considered while playing blackjack.

Instead of doubling down randomly without any blackjack strategy, consider following a basic doubling down guide. Casinos do not frown on looking at a cheat sheet, and if you are playing blackjack online, no one can see what you are referencing.

And, also consider reading our full assessment for doubling down in blackjack:

• Your Cards Equal 11
• Hard 9 or 10 versus dealer’s 2 to 6
• Soft 12, 13, 14 versus dealer’s 5 or 6
• Soft 15 or 16 versus dealer’s 4 to 6
• Soft 17 or Soft 18 versus dealer’s 2 to 6

Otherwise, you should hit or stand, depending on the situation. Keep reading below to learn how to always make sure you’re playing your cards correctly.

There is never a good time to take insurance. There is one exception that impacts a very small percentage of the public: card counting. Unless you are an experienced blackjack card counter and can keep a running count, always pass on insurance.

The vast majority of gamblers are not card counters, though. And if you’ve been losing at blackjack, we assume you can’t card count. With that in mind, always pass on insurance when the dealer asks.

Insurance will be offered when the dealer’s first card is an Ace. Before checking the peeker to see if they have a blackjack, players at the table can take insurance. However, our best advice is to always decline it.

If you take insurance, which is often half of your original wager, you’ll win 2:1 odds on the dealer’s blackjack. However, there is a chance of losing both the original wager and an extra 50% from the insurance.

The house benefits greatly from players who take insurance. The casino has roughly a six percent advantage on insurance bets. This equates to an awful bet that must be avoided.

Some blackjack games offer unique side bets. You will often come across side bets while playing live dealer blackjack online.

For what is typically only a dollar, side bets give gamblers a chance to win big with a small bet. Side bets are in addition to your original standard wager. Insurance is a type of side bet in blackjack.

There are progressive side bets that can be found at some tables. The pool of the jackpot keeps accumulating until someone wins the grand prize, which can get into the millions of dollars.

The most common side bets that you will encounter in blackjack are 21+3 and Perfect Pairs. Let’s take a quick look at both and how they’re taking money from your bankroll.

The 21+3 side bet is placed alongside your standard wager before the cards are dealt. In short, a 21+3 bet takes into account the dealer’s face-up card and the player’s two starting cards.

There are three ways to win on 21+3: suited triple (100:1), straight flush (40:1), three of a kind (30:1), straight (10:1), flush (5:1).

The odds look tempting, but we suggest staying away from the 21:3 wager. The house edge is lower for games with fewer decks. For instance, an eight-deck blackjack game has around a 2.75 percent house edge for the 21+3 side bet.

Conversely, the house has more than a 13 percent house edge in a game featuring a single-deck. That is much worse than eight decks, though it is a lousy bet regardless of how many decks there are.

Betting on Perfect Pairs is a simple side bet on your first two cards. Players will receive a bonus payout for being dealt two pairs. There are three methods of winning a Perfect Pairs side bet:

• Mixed pair (5:1) – same value, different suit and color
• Colored pair (10:1) – same value, same color, different suit
• Perfect pair (30:1) – same value, same color, same suit

That sounds great, but the odds suggest that betting on the Perfect Pairs is a drain on your bankroll. The house edge ranges from roughly two percent to 11 percent. Again, more decks in the game provide a lower house edge.

In any event, you should focus solely on winning your standard bet. With a house edge of less than two percent, and in some cases, one percent on the standard bet, wagering on side bets isn’t worth your time or money.

For the best possible return in blackjack, we strongly recommend avoiding 6:5 blackjack. Casinos are making the 3:2 blackjack variant tougher to find, but it is well worth searching for at the top online casinos.

The 3:2 and 6:5 refers to the payout for a blackjack, or 21 on your first two cards. On a 3:2 blackjack table, you will earn more for every blackjack that you win.

3:2 translates to +150 in American odds, while 6:5 translates to +120. For a $100 wager, you will win $120 on the 6:5 table.

Whereas, a profit of $150 will be pocketed for a blackjack at a 3:2 table. Over the course of a session, this can make the difference between booking a profit or a loss.

In addition to playing 3:2 blackjack, fewer decks are more advantageous for players. A single-deck, 3:2 game is the holy grail of blackjack.

If you have the option, always play single or double-deck 3:2 blackjack. The house edge for these tables can fall under 0.30 percent. This is considerably better than the 1.50 or 2 percent house edge of 6:5 blackjack.

The best chance of having success and profiting is to use blackjack strategies. Specifically, a basic blackjack strategy is enough to play the game well.

Basic blackjack strategy is focused exclusively on the best possible mathematical decision. Nothing is dictated by guessing or hunches. Blackjack probability and math is the only determining factor.

Blackjack strategy charts are available to help act as a cheat sheet of sorts. Every possible situation is covered on the strategy chart. Find your two-card value on the Y axis, and then look for the dealer’s up-card value on the X axis.

Where the intersection of the Y and X axis meet, is where the correct move that should be made. This includes hit, stand, double down, and split recommendations. If you are always losing at blackjack, then you should seriously consider playing with a blackjack strategy chart.

It is clear that your decision-making is based on hunches and feelings, not statistical probability. Permitted to be used in casinos at blackjack tables, a blackjack strategy chart will instantly provide a better edge.

Lastly, it is important that you are only betting a small percentage of your bankroll per bet. Going on tilt, or getting frustrated over a bad beat, is not how you’ll have success at blackjack or gambling in general.

Being too emotional and making hasty bets after a bad beat or tough stretch is not how to win. In fact, it’s the quickest way to lose and destroy your bankroll. If you are tempted to go big following a bad beat, take a break and then play later.

This is the downfall of many gamblers. It’s not because they can’t make the right bets, but end up getting too greedy or unable to control their emotions. That’s how to lose it all in a hurry.

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