In 2011, Don Johnson — a blackjack expert — won over $15 million in a course of six months. As awesome as that sounds, people get blackjack confused and misinterpreted that such money can never be won with blackjack. From betting systems, CSM and basic strategy to the goal of blackjack, luck and insurance bet, here are the common misconceptions people have towards blackjack.
7. Betting Systems Are The Best
No, they are not. You might win a few hands with negative progression systems as well as positive progression systems but betting systems are deemed to fail at the end. From Oscar's grind, Parlay, Paroli and Martingale systems to Labouchère, D'Alembert and Fibonacci systems (and their reverses). At the start, betting systems will make you winnings if followed thoroughly. As stated earlier, they fail terribly at the end.
6. You Cannot Beat A CSM
Continuous Shuffling Machine is the hardest obstacle for a player to crush in blackjack. Some casinos do not use it while some do. Card counting seems useless with CSM as the cards are continuously being shuffled. The last event has absolutely zero influence on the upcoming event. To beat a CSM, a player must know a proven strategy like the back of his/her hand. As a result, CSM can be beaten but only intelligently.
5. You Do Not Need Basic Strategy
Yes, you do and online casino pundits agree. The basic strategy is not just basic, it is the basis of a blackjack strategy. The basic strategy is the most important strategy to learn in blackjack or any casino game such as slots. The strategy uses mathematics to show the probability of beating the dealer. It tells exactly what to do in any given situation. The basic strategy also has a respect for playing conditions. This means single and multiple deck games are treated entirely different. Nonetheless, basic strategy does not work with card counting.
4. Get Close to 21
21 (Twenty-One) is another name for blackjack. Due to this, casino marketers try to simplify the goal of the game. Players new to blackjack are always under the impression that getting close to 21 is the goal of winning at blackjack. The true goal is to beat the dealer by having a higher number.
3. Insurance Bet Is An Assurance
An insurance bet might sound like an assurance…but it is not. It is only a side bet that tricks you into believing you have an edge over the house. While, in reality, the house's odds rise by a significant percentage. The insurance bet is similar to even money and is even as bad. Inexperienced players mostly fall for this trap while the experienced ones stay clear off its track. This standard option is given to you only when the dealer has an Ace. The inexperienced players always opt in for this option and end up losing all their money. If you are very experienced, however, opting in for insurance bet may not be a bad idea — it only needs to be taken meticulously.
2. It's All About The Luck
Blackjack cares more about logic and skill than chance and luck. Keep in mind that luck and chance do take their bit but the biggest blackjack players across the world are skilled and intelligent enough to understand how to beat blackjack. Most pros swear by card counting while some praise basic strategy. This boils down to an aforementioned point — winning at blackjack needs a strategy.
1. Winning Big Is Impossible
This is the most discouraging statement anyone can make to a blackjack player. In reality, people do make big wins from blackjack. As stated earlier, Don Johnson is one. There was a group of MIT students — called The MIT Blackjack Team — in 1979 through 1999 that won a good number of huge bets with blackjack. Mike Caro, the founder of Caro's Roulette System #1, considers blackjack as a can beat game. This means you can beat blackjack if you truly understand how the game works and how to manipulate the game.