7 beginner mistakes in blackjack that cost you money every session

Although success in gambling depends heavily on luck, blackjack is exactly the kind of game where you can clearly see the player's influence on the outcome too. You won't be able to guarantee steady wins, but you can at least avoid the basic mistakes that are very likely to cost you money.

Three numbers worth remembering

Mistake 1. Taking insurance

The bet that insures you against a dealer blackjack looks like a great move to a beginner, but it isn't: its RTP is only 92.6%. It might pay off once or put you ahead within a single session, but the smarter choice is never to take it — even if you're already holding a blackjack, it's wiser to accept some chance of a push than to risk extra money. Even when the dealer is showing an ace (the condition for offering insurance in the first place), they'll make a natural blackjack just 31% of the time — every other time, you lose the insurance bet for nothing.

Mistake 2. Refusing to split eights and aces

Two eights (16) in one hand is bad by definition: clearly too little to win, with a real risk of busting on a third card. Split them into two hands and you have good odds of making 18–19 on one or even both. With aces it's even clearer: two aces in one hand make 12 with murky prospects, while two in separate hands give you a good shot at one or two naturals. The experts always split eights and aces, whatever the dealer's card (unless a specific rule set forbids it — in Atlantic City Blackjack, for instance, you can't split two aces).

Mistake 3. Not using the double down

In blackjack, you double your bet when you see an especially good chance to win with a single extra card. When you're holding 9–11, the odds of making a blackjack (or at least improving the hand to 18–20) with one card are fairly high. If the dealer is also showing a low card, they'll probably have to draw at least two more (raising their chance of busting) or stop on 17–18 — which makes a win for you very likely.

Mistake 4. Choosing a 6:5 table instead of 3:2

A dead-simple example: on a CA$100 bet with a natural blackjack, you win CA$120 in the first case and CA$150 in the second. Even if your bankroll can absorb the CA$30 shortfall on every natural, there's simply no point: a 6:5 table offers no advantage — with a little effort, you'll always find blackjack with the same rules and a 3:2 payout.

Mistake 5. Chasing losses on emotion

In gambling you'll sometimes hit a bad run — you have to be ready for that ahead of time. Faced with a losing streak and already down too much, don't talk yourself into believing the next hand is bound to win: your odds are always the same and don't go up one bit because of how many losses came before. And if you're also using aggressive progressive systems like the Martingale, chasing an instant recovery can burn through your whole budget in a flash. Set a stop-loss before the session: once you've lost a set amount, stop playing immediately.

If you notice you can't stop, are losing an unacceptable amount, or feel overwhelmingly negative about your losses, be sure to use responsible-gambling tools.

Mistake 6. Playing with money you can't afford to lose, or with your whole bankroll

Gambling becomes a problem when a player starts losing money they need for everyday life. Blackjack offers no guaranteed win, so only stake money you're emotionally ready to part with and whose loss won't affect your finances in any way. Go into each session with a budget set in advance, and ideally keep your bet to no more than 1–2% of your bankroll — that lets you stretch out the fun, partly on your winnings, rather than losing everything on one bad hand.

Mistake 7. Not understanding the difference between soft and hard 17

Holding an ace and a six (soft 17), a beginner stands for fear of busting: they figure 17 is enough. In reality it's a weak hand that often loses, and the ace can also count as 1 — meaning you're really holding just 7, and if you take another card you definitely won't bust. On soft 17, hitting is a must, and if the dealer's card is very low, you can even try doubling your bet.