Blackjack Life Lessons

After playing a fair amount of blackjack, I've noticed some interesting patterns in the way people play the game that seem to reflect larger patterns in life. 온라인카지노 

Background story

When I was 21 years old and living in Los Angeles, my friends and I decided to take a weekend trip to Las Vegas, my first trip there as an adult. Before I went, I decided to read up on some of the casino games so I could be prepared. 안전한카지노사이트

I quickly discovered that most casino games were rigged to give the house an edge - how unfair is that? — but blackjack was supposedly beatable if you learned a technique known as card counting. So I bought a blackjack book, learned the rules of the game, memorized the basic strategy, and then studied a simple +/- card counting system. It took a hell of a lot of practice and was tedious to learn, but eventually I got comfortable with it.

Interesting observations

As I was learning to master the game of blackjack, I made a number of observations in the way players approached the game, especially the contrast between beginners and experienced players. Most people who play blackjack are beginners or intermediate players. In all the time I've played blackjack, I feel like I've only identified another chip of cards at the same table with me on two occasions. In both situations we could each tell the other was counting cards and gave each other knowing looks. But card chips are extremely rare as a percentage of the total player count... so far below 1%.

Newbies usually get it right.

About 80-90% of the time, newbies will play their cards the same way as experienced players. However, the house gets a big advantage in the 10-20% of decisions they don't get right. That 10-20% makes all the difference in the world between winning and losing because it's cumulative.

How is it different from other parts of life? An extra 10% makes a big difference. Eat 10% less food and lose weight. Save 10% of your income and walk away a millionaire. Dedicate 10% of your day to a key goal and by the end of the year you've written a book, started a business or found a partner.

2. Newbies miss out on golden opportunities.

Beginning blackjack players will almost always play too conservatively. They will stand too often when they should be hitting and fail to double up and split pairs as often as they should. They hesitate to hit a 16 against the dealer's 7 or split a pair of 2 against the dealer's 4. They give up the house much more by playing defensively and trying not to bust.

But experienced players take every opportunity to maximize their winnings, which means they double down and split much more often when there is a chance to win. Experienced players will fall more often, but they also hit their big cards more often. You see a similar pattern in life. High achievers are more likely to decline, while underachievers play too conservatively and are afraid to take risks for fear of losing what they have.

In blackjack, it's these splits and double down hands where you make your real money. Beginner players think that the best blackjack hand is ten aces - a guaranteed win. Experienced players know that these are the hands where you split pairs 4x and double down on each one and see the dealer bust, winning 8x your original bet (but also risking 8x) instead of just the 1.5x you get from a made blackjack.

Big wins come disguised as flush hands, like a pair of 3s. It's the same in life - real opportunities come disguised as problems.

3. Beginners don't take the time to fully understand the game.

Experienced players understand the game inside and out because they have invested many long hours studying it. Professionals work harder. Beginners understand certain parts well, but in other areas their knowledge is very unclear. They are often confused about how to handle situations that rarely occur. But eventually these situations will happen, and that's where newbies lose out. Newbies can't handle exceptions as well as experts.

But in addition to lack of understanding, novices also have some false understanding. If you could play blackjack and were dealt 18 in each hand, would you do it? The rookie will usually say yes and think 18 is a pretty good hand since the dealer has to hit 19-21 to beat it. But an experienced player knows that 18 loses more often than it wins - if you have 18 every hand, you will lose money in the long run. Experts have a more accurate idea of ​​each hand's strengths and weaknesses than novices. 카지노사이트