The starting point for long-term success is keeping the house edge as low as possible. In the single-deck version, the payout rate is already an excellent 99.83%. With six decks in play, the payout rate is still 99.37%.
However, if you act carelessly, take unnecessary risks, or make hasty, wrong decisions, even extremely advantageous values like these won’t help you. Therefore, the motto is: Don’t let your own mistakes increase the house edge unnecessarily. To make the most of your experience, it’s worth checking out the best non-UK casino sites 2025, where favorable conditions can truly work in your favor. To prevent this from happening to you, we’ve identified the four most common mistakes made by players and summarized them below with a brief explanation:
Those Who Know the Rules & Procedures Make Significantly Fewer Beginner Mistakes
Especially when playing online blackjack with real money, typical beginner mistakes can quickly cost you money. The most important thing here is to have a basic understanding of the rules and procedures. You should therefore know, for example, what doubling down means, the advantages and disadvantages of the insurance option, and when you can or should split a pair.
Another common beginner’s mistake is playing unfamiliar versions of Blackjack with real money. We therefore recommend experimenting with the demo version first. Depending on the Blackjack variant, specific rules may apply. Live dealer versions are an exception, as there are no free versions of these games.
Concentration Is Key
As we’ve already established, using mathematical calculations can maximize your chances of winning blackjack games in the long run. Relying on the numbers, therefore, is significantly better in the long run. However, this also requires a high level of concentration.
For this reason, anything that could be distracting in any way should be kept out of the game. This is especially true for alcohol or stress. If you’ve just finished a nerve-wracking discussion or spent an hour in traffic, you shouldn’t risk not being 100% focused on the task at hand, i.e., the blackjack table.
Recognize the Signs & Always Stop in Time
All gamblers have probably heard the old adage that you should quit while things are going. However, this is by no means a myth. Rather, this advice is based on real experience. Those who ride a wave of luck quickly develop the false belief that it will last forever. Consequently, the winnings will continue to increase.
In reality, however, the exact opposite is true. Every lucky streak eventually comes to an end. Unfortunately, this often results in the player losing all the winnings they’ve earned up to that point. This is exactly what you should avoid at all costs. Instead, enjoy your winnings and end the round.
Emotions Are False Friends Who Give Bad Advice
Emotions can also be distracting and should therefore be avoided at all costs at the blackjack table. This is such an important point that it has even been included in the list of basic rules of responsible gaming. A good example of this is poker players who cannot contain their joy at a high-value hand and are therefore read by their fellow players, causing them to fold one after the other.
Recall, for example, that particularly successful card counters claim to have never participated in gambling. They made all their gambling decisions completely emotionlessly and based solely on their mathematical calculations.
Right or wrong? Blackjack and its legends
Blackjack is one of the oldest games of chance in the world. It was played in Spain under the name Veintiuno in the 17th century. In France, it was known as Vingt et Un, in England as Twenty One, and in Germany as Seventeen and Four. Accordingly, numerous legends have developed over the years surrounding this undoubtedly very special card game.
Especially in recent decades, some of these myths have managed to linger in players’ minds. But are they still relevant today? Finally, we’d like to dispel three of the most frequently cited rumors and legends surrounding blackjack. Unfortunately, these three have little or no impact on your long-term chances of success.
The Legend of Long-term Winning Thanks to Card Counting
Card counting was invented in the early 1960s by American mathematics professor Edward O. Thorp. It’s a system based on simple mathematics that allowed Thorp to calculate the number of cards still in play by the process of elimination, thus gaining a significant advantage, as described in his book “Beat the Dealer.”
He was then able to estimate his chances of winning with extreme precision. Thorp divided the card values into three categories and used a simple scoring system:
| Card Value Category | Point Value |
|---|---|
| Low-value cards (2-6) | +1 point |
| High-value cards (10-A) | -1 point |
| Remaining cards (7-9) | 0 points |
Throp and numerous other card counters were extremely successful with this method for years. The blackjack team at the American university MIT was so successful that their triumphant run through Hollywood casinos was immortalized in the movie 21. However, the casinos reacted fairly quickly and implemented countermeasures. These make card counting so difficult that it can no longer be considered a surefire way to win long-term. These include the following:
- Today it is played with several (at least 4, usually even 6) decks of cards in a sled.
- The deck of cards is not played out completely, but is reshuffled after about two-thirds.
- New card chutes have been installed that automatically reshuffle the cards.
Above all, the use of the new shuffling machines mentioned in point 3 makes card counting impossible today.
The legend of long-term winning thanks to the use of betting strategies
Time and again, you’ll come across suggestions that certain betting strategies can increase your long-term chances of winning at blackjack. The most well-known betting strategies include the following:
- The Martingale Strategy
- The d’Alembert Strategy
- The Labouchére Strategy
- The Fibonacci Strategy
- The Paroli Strategy
These blackjack strategies are based on adjusting your bet in the next round, i.e., increasing or decreasing it. The decisive factor for this is the win or loss from the previous round. However, these strategies can quickly lead to significant losses. Sometimes, in the event of a loss, you have to double your bets to recoup the losses incurred up to that point.
The legend of long-term winning thanks to the right game strategy
It’s not without reason that every gambling strategy emphasizes the goal of minimizing the house edge. It can’t be completely eliminated. A tactic like the basic strategy is therefore designed to maximize your chances of winning—both in the short and long term.
However, winnings are by no means guaranteed, regardless of whether and, if so, which strategy is used. Therefore, you should not make the mistake of confusing the use of a strategy with a guaranteed win. Therefore, you should never trust a strategy that promises a 100% win guarantee.