Blackjack: Where Luck and Good Decision-Making Meet

Blackjack is one of those card games that begins at the place where luck and careful decision-making meet. You have to wait and see what cards fate will hand you (literally), but what makes or breaks you as a blackjack player and your blackjack experience is what you do with those cards when you get them.

The psychology of the game isn’t particularly complex, but the risk and reward ratio can make it important to grasp correctly. Because of the finite number of cards in a deck, there is a finite combination of things that could happen and moves you could make. There is a basic set of objectives and strategic ways to play that can help you make the most of any blackjack game you play— online or in person.

Blackjack Strategy and Psychology

Basic Strategy

Even with a strategy in place, it’s important to remember that it won’t help you win every time. All gambling is largely based on chance: if you get a hand like a foot, there’s not usually too much you can do other than hope that the right combination is put down by the other players in the game or, in the case of blackjack, the dealer. Using a basic strategy, developed with an understanding of good decision-making, will calm your nerves before a game and help you feel a little more relaxed and able to enjoy the experience.

One basic strategy you could try is the following: it is called the Table State. In the game, you’ll subtract one from each card in your hand from 10 to ace and add one for every card from 2 to 6. The psychology behind this effective strategy is this: the higher the number of your cards, the more likely you are to see cards with higher values still. This strategy creates an extra point of data that you can use to decide whether you should stick or hit. Remember to apply your strategy with care, as casinos are not always welcoming to players with obvious strategies!

The Psychology of Blackjack

One of the reasons that blackjack attracts so many gamblers who attend casinos or play online fairly regularly is that it is one of the few casino games that can realistically provide them with a profit in the long run. The odds favour the player in this one rather than the house, which is unusual in terms of casino games.

Those who play blackjack on a regular basis usually fall into one of three categories:

The very conservative approach. Known as “never bust”, these players will stay below 21 at all costs and stick on any hand that may bust with the addition of a single card. This would be anything over a total of 12. The dealer is required to draw until they hit sixteen, so it’s a reasonable way of thinking.

The second kind of player likes to “mimic the dealer”. This player will stick on 17 or more but always draw if the cards are 16 or less. The psychological breakdown here is that if it works for the dealer, it will work for the player too.

The third kind of player adopts basic strategies like the ones we mentioned earlier. Technically, this is known as “card counting”.

Why Blackjack?

Blackjack is easy to understand and fun to play for advanced players who use strategies or for new ones who just want to have a good time.