Worst Hand In Blackjack
Most casino gamblers have played blackjack at least a few times. It’s a popular casino game because it’s easy to play, and even if you don’t use perfect strategy you can win sometimes because of the low house edge.
The best way to play blackjack is to use a strategy card, but if you don’t have one with you, here’s a list of 8 blackjack bets that are losers.
1 – Accepting 6 to 5 Blackjack Pay Outs
We’ll start with a hard 16 hand. That is a hand without an Ace or with the Ace counted as one, for example, 7-9 or 4-6-6 or 8-7-Ace. According to the basic blackjack strategy, the player has to stand if the dealer’s face up card has a point value of between 2 and 6. The absolute best place you can be at the blackjack table is in the third base seat. That is the seat to the immediate right of the dealer and the last one to act before the dealer acts on his/her hand. Get as close to that seat as you can and stay behind the bad player. You want to act on your hand after they do.
Good blackjack tables pay 3 to 2 for blackjacks, and bad tables pay 6 to 5. You can run the numbers many different ways, including how this changes the house edge, but there’s really only one example required to show just how bad the difference is to your bankroll.
If you bet $80 on a hand and get a blackjack, here is the return at 6 to 5 and 3 to 2.
The return on a 6 to 5 table is $96.
The return on a 3 to 2 table is $120.
If everything else is the same except the blackjack pay out, you miss out on $24 every time you hit a blackjack. No matter what happens, this is $24 that you can’t get back. And this happens over and over.
Using the example above, this means you’re losing $48 to $96 an hour more on a 6 to 5 table than on a 3 to 2 table. Every bet you make on a 6 to 5 table is a bad bet.
2 – Taking Insurance
It’s easy to see why making bets at a 6 to 5 blackjack table is bad, but it’s not as easy to see why taking insurance is a bad bet. When you take insurance and the dealer has a blackjack you break even on the hand, so it appears at first like this is a good bet.
But once you dig into the numbers deeper, you can see that it’s not really a good bet. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The dealer provides the opportunity to take insurance when showing an ace. If you take insurance, it costs half your starting bet. So if you bet $80 on the hand, the insurance costs $40. When the dealer has a blackjack, you lose the $80 bet and get paid $80 on the insurance, breaking even on the hand.
But what happens when the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack?
You lose the $40 insurance bet and play the $80 bet as you normally would. Even though the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack, the ace they have is still the worst card you can face.
The truth is that the odds the insurance wager offer are worse than the odds the base blackjack game offers, so every time you take insurance it makes the house edge go up.
3 – Playing Side Bets
You just learned why insurance is a bad bet, but do you realize that insurance is simply a side bet disguised as a normal part of blackjack?
Insurance is a side bet, and it’s not the only blackjack side bet you can find. But it’s the most common one, and just about all side bets have one thing in common. Side bets are designed to increase the amount of money you bet, and to increase the house edge.
I admit, there are one or two side bets in some casinos that aren’t any worse than the base game they’re tied to, but these are rare. As an overall rule, side bets in the casino are bad and should be avoided.
4 – Splitting 10’s or Face Cards
You split pairs when you’re playing blackjack for one of two reasons. The first reason is to create an opportunity that might be better than sticking with what you have. When you have a pair of 8’s, this is a hard 16, which is terrible. But when you start with an eight, you have a chance to start with a better hand.
The other reason you split is to get more money in play when you have an advantage. You split aces because any hand with an ace has a better chance to win than a hand without one.
Using this reasoning, it’s easy to see why some players think about splitting a pair of 10’s, jacks, queens, or kings. Starting with a card worth 10 seems good. But the problem is that in order to do this you have to split a hard 20.
A hard 20 is the second best hand you can start with. The only hand that beats it is if the dealer has a blackjack. And if the dealer has a 20 you push. A hard 20 is just too powerful to split.
5 – Not Splitting Aces
Most blackjack players understand that splitting their hand is sometimes the best play, even if they don’t use basic strategy. As I mentioned in the last section, and hand that includes an ace is better than most other hands.
The list of cards that can be added to an ace that help outweigh the ones that you don’t want to see.
Any of the four cards worth 10 points are great for an ace, as well as 6’s, 7’s. 8’s, and 9’s. If you get another ace you simply split again. This only leaves 2’s, 3’s, 4’s and 5’s as not great draws. And each of these still create soft hands, so you can still win.
The bottom line is that you need to always split aces because it’s much more profitable to split them, and if you don’t split them you’re stuck playing a total of 2 or 12.
6 – Not Splitting 8’s
I mentioned 8’s in an earlier section, but if you don’t split them you have a hard 16. A hard 16 is by far the worst hand to start with in blackjack. It simply can’t be played in any way for a long term profit.
On the other hand, when you split the 8’s, you have a chance to have two good hands. An ace gives you 19, any 10 point card gives you 18, and a 9 gives you 17. A 2 gives you 10, and a 3 gives you 11, which are both good double down numbers.
If you draw another 8, you split again. And even if one of the other 4 cards hits, you’re still better off than playing a hard 16. This is why you always split 8’s.
7 – Splitting 5’s
When you have a pair of 5’s you have a hard 10. Compare the value of a hard 10 against the value of a hard 5. This is the trade you’re looking at if you split a pair of 5’s. It’s simply a bad idea.
With a 5, if you don’t draw a 4, 5, or 6 you don’t have a good hand. With a hard 10, any card 7 or higher creates a good hand. The numbers clearly show why you never split a pair of 5’s.
8 – Standing on a Soft 17
This one is the toughest hand on the page. Most blackjack players are taught to stand when they get a 17. And when you have a hard 17 this is the correct play. So why should you hit a sift 17 and stand on a hard 17?
The basic answer is because the computer simulations show that it’s more profitable to hit a soft 17 than stand on one. But here are some numbers to help you understand why hitting is the correct play.
When you stand on a soft 17, it’s the weakest hand when the dealer doesn’t bust. Your best hope when the dealer doesn’t bust is a push.
When you hit a soft 17, you have a total of 8. If you draw a 9, you’re back where you started with 17. Any 10 value card or an ace gives you a total of 18 or 19, which are both better. A 2, 3, or 4 are also good cards, giving you 10, 11, or 21. So the only cards you hate to see are a 5, 6, 7, or 8.
In the long run, this is why it’s more profitable to hit a soft 17 than stand.
Conclusion
Playing blackjack is pretty simple, especially if you use a strategy card. But most players make mistakes because they don’t know strategy exists or anything about strategy cards.
You should get a blackjack strategy card to use when you play to avoid the mistakes like the ones listed on this page.
If you avoid all of the side bets, including insurance, you’re avoiding some of the worst betting options. Most of the other bets on this list are easy to understand, but some of them are not as clear. Hitting on a soft 17 is one that trips up a lot of blackjack players, but now you know the best play.
One of the most common chance games in a live casino is blackjack. The fundamental rules and techniques for blackjack are reasonably fast and straightforward to remember. However, experienced players are mostly searching for tips and tricks to improve their odds of winning live blackjack.
What matters in live blackjack?
Here are the fundamentals at a glance until we look at the specific laws. In blackjack, without overbuying, you have to step closer to 21 than the live dealer. As a consequence, only two factors depend on your odds of winning:
Blackjack Hand Guide
- What do the first 2 of your cards look like?
- What does the first card from the dealer look like?
At the start of the live blackjack game at the online casino, further details are not open to you. And then, depending on the responses to these two queries, you would need to assess your additional plan.
Tips for playing blackjack live dealer games
If you have a set of aces or a pair of 8s, break!
Basically, in live blackjack online, if the first 2 cards are the same, you can still break and play with 2 hands. Whether you have the best hand or the worst hand, it is still only half the story.
If you break a pair of aces, a new card offers you the chance to play blackjack. The two 8s sum up to 16, and that’s the worst blackjack hand of all. Why? You’re still pretty far removed from 21, just two 8s.
No. 10 or 6 pairs split!
You get 20 points in your possession, a strong value, if you get a couple of 10s with the first move. Because the likelihood of the live dealer getting precisely 21 points is relatively low, your risk of depletion is exceptionally high, in any case.
Consider twice before bringing out insurance if you intend to
This is not technically a trick but an essential fundamental rule. If the dealer’s upcard is an ace, protection should only be used during blackjack. You bet that there would be a rating of 10 for the next card, culminating in blackjack.
If you want insurance, you’re safe from future injuries in the games of chance. This is pointed to by many blackjack enthusiasts as the worst live casino bet. The issue is, half your initial stake is the insurance stake.
Counting of Cards in blackjack
In and by itself, card counting is not unlawful, even though, of course, it is frowned upon in casinos. Today, video monitoring is now being utilized by owners at major casinos to identify matches. For instance, when you play at the best live blackjack online casino, no one is watching you.
Where to Strike and Stand to Pick
In the best live online blackjack, the most critical choice is to get cards attached to you. These cards are often compared to those of the dealer’s hand not to lose a major winning hand.
At least get extra (hit) cards when you have achieved a score of 17 or above. You shouldn’t put any further at 17 (or higher) (stand) if the live dealer has a 10, as the chance of being over 21 is too great.
Why Is 16 The Worst Hand In Blackjack
Select the best version of live blackjack
You can typically find several game models in the live casino lobby, including those with modified laws and betting caps. You first need to find the game version that more closely suits your playing style and budget until playing. The VIP lobby isn’t available to those who are playing for fun because they must bet $50 or more.
Live Blackjack Faq’s
Here are the top 5 questions that casino crushers have asked:
How do I register at an online casino for live blackjack?
If you want to register for a new casino account, you must first access the corresponding provider’s website. The player then needs to press the registration button such that the registration mask unlocks. The registration form must be completed in detail and with the player’s correct records. After that, the confirmation contact from the casino’s email has to be clicked.
Blackjack Hand Signals
Are there some exclusive incentive promotions available online for the best live blackjack?
Worst Hand In Poker
For certain online casino vendors like 888 casino Denmark, good incentive incentives for the live casino may be activated. For the best live blackjack online, these incentive deals may typically also be used. Players can, therefore, verify in advance how many online live blackjack stakes are taken into consideration to satisfy the associated incentive requirements.
What benefits would live blackjack give me relative to other live casino sports?
Live blackjack gives casino players certain perks as opposed to other live casino sports. Customers still have the chance to affect the respective game explicitly. Live Blackjack is ubiquitous among various casino clients. Players may make their own decisions and should not rely on pure chance.
How do I identify a reliable online casino for live blackjack?
Worst Hand In Blackjack
Players must first review a few requirements to find a reliable online casino operator for live blackjack real money games. In practice, casino players can only register with a provider with a legitimate online casino games license. A fair online casino offers several safe payment options for deposits and withdrawals for its clients. It is also important for the casino to have reliable and skilled customer service.
Blackjack Hand Chart
On my mobile, may I play live blackjack online?
The Worst Hand In Blackjack
It’s possible to play live blackjack games in several online casinos using a smart phone or a computer. Customers can closely verify, in this case, whether the casino provides a specific online casino app or a smartphone edition of its website. A quick and secure internet link should always be assured if you choose to play live blackjack online on a cell phone.
One of the most robust live games out there is Live Dealer Blackjack. In several separate versions, live dealer blackjack is sold to players in an online casino. The players should closely review the rules first. For live blackjack online, someone who allows a detailed analysis of the different online casinos will secure good bonus promotions.