Blackjack is a game of math to me and most experienced players. There are correct plays to minimize the house edge for the casino. Wrong plays will increase the house edge and make it more difficult to walk away from the game as a winner. We play blackjack to win the game!
I have a few quirky blackjack preferences. I don’t like dealers that turn the cards over very slowly. Just show me the damn cards! I don’t like it when a dealer delivers the cards to fast to everyone playing. Too many bad experiences with these dealers. I don’t care for a double card being dealt face down. Those are just preferences for me but they’re superstitions to some.
Mid-Shoe Entry
Even though blackjack is a game of math, even experienced players have preferences and superstitions. For example, I don’t enter a blackjack game mid-shoe. This is a superstition for some but it’s just a preference to me.
The thought with many recreational players is that a new player could take the good cards they would have been dealt. Of course, this superstition forgets that there are bad cards too. Over time, this is a meaningless superstition.
Since blackjack is a game of math, entering mid-shoe doesn’t matter to me. Since casinos are full of recreational gamblers and I choose not to get in their way. I’ll wait even if I’m with people that don’t mind entering a game mid-shoe. It just doesn’t matter to me and it makes other players happy.
Not entering mid-shoe isn’t all that strange since there are casinos that don’t allow mid-shoe entry.
Strategy Matters
I’m often confronted by people that aren’t comfortable with all of the basic strategy plays. Certain moves like hitting a soft 18 against a dealer 10 aren’t intuitive and therefore doesn’t matter. Well, every correct basic strategy play matters in blackjack. Each incorrect move increases the house edge for the casino. Here are a few simple bad strategies:
- Assume the dealer has a 10. This has a house edge of over 10%.
- Mimic the dealer. This has a house edge of 5.48%.
- Never bust. The player never hits a hard 12 or higher. This has a house edge of 3.91%.
Learning basic strategy isn’t difficult. In fact, it’s super simple as casinos will allow you to look at a strategy card at the table. We all want to have fun playing blackjack but strategy matters. The more hands played, the better the chance of hitting a hot streak and winning.
We all have preferences, but it’s important that playing with correct basic strategy should allow money and gameplay to last longer which, in turn, should lead to more wins.
First and Third Base Are Important
This is a myth and a superstition for many blackjack players. Mathematically, it doesn’t matter where you sit. Making a bad play when sitting at first base won’t ruin anyone else’s hand. Similarly, the third base position isn’t the guardian for the table. Over time, they can’t save the table from wins and losses.
That said, we all have preferences on where to play blackjack. I like playing 1st or 3rd base at most table games. This is a personal preference. There’s more personal space that won’t bleed into another player to the left or tight. I tend to play blackjack in the middle of the table because I have superstitious friends that prefer the corners.
Blackjack is a funny game. It’s a relatively simple game to play by the math but perception, superstition, and preferences can sometimes get in the way. In a perfect world, none of our personal preferences will get in the way of winning at blackjack.
