1. Not knowing basic strategy. Basic strategy is a set strategy that a player sticks to in order to minimize the houses edge. By sticking to this strategy, the player will lose less money than someone who plays on their instinct. It takes a lot of discipline to stick to it, but in the long run it pays. On our blackjack page is a chart that shows the proper moves to make based on what card the dealer has showing in a game of blackjack with 5 or more decks.
2. Not doubling down on your soft hands. You’ll notice from the basic strategy chart that a player doubles down on soft 13’s through 18’s depending on what card the dealer has showing. This goes back to learning basic strategy, but I have found that many players half-way learn basic strategy and can’t remember whether or not to double down on their soft hand.
3. Splitting tens. This has to be the classic blackjack blunder. A player is dealt two of the same cards that are worth 10 each, and they then decide to split them despite the dealers awkward look. Sometimes it works, but more often then not you will end up taking a winning hand and turning it into two losing hands. If you find yourself sitting on a 20, do yourself a favor and don’t split them. The table will respect you for it.
4. Not Knowing when to split. Aside from not splitting your tens, you also don’t split your fives. You also have to know when to split your other paired cards like 2,2 3,3 4,4 6,6 7,7 8,8 9,9 and A,A. Of course this is all fixed by referring to the basic strategy chart.
5. Thinking you can count cards. I am guilty of this one myself. Counting cards by yourself can rarely result in a player advantage. Most of the time you site there betting the minimum waiting for the count to get high, and it never does. It’s not as glamorous as the movies make it. Unless you have extreme patience and a team to work with, you will probably not make much money. Also, the casinos now use a lot more decks which makes it even harder.
6. Letting the other players get to you. If you have a 14 and the dealer has a 7 or higher, then by all means hit that. Don’t listen if some drunk player tells you it was the wrong play because you took the dealers bust card. They will be gone soon anyways because they have no clue about the game.
7. Playing too small of a bankroll. Don’t sit down at the $10 table with only $50. You will bust out very quickly. You need to have enough cash to absorb some fluctuations. It’s generally recommended to have a bankroll of 25-50 times the minimum bet. So at a $10 table have at least $250, but $500 is twice as good.
8. Betting too much for your bankroll. If you’ve got $500 in front of you, betting $100 a hand is a quick way to wipe out your whole blackjack bankroll. Stick to a lower bet if you are trying to maximize your playing time.
9. Playing while drunk. As fun as this is, it’s not good for your bottom line. Many people make irrational decisions while gambling under the influence. Don’t let this be you. If you are drunk, try not to bet the house at the blackjack tables.
10. Getting emotional. This is often referred to as losing your composure. In poker, they call it going on tilt. This is when you get frustrated with the game, and decide to make bigger bets to make up for previous losses. It happens to everyone. Just try to be smart and walk away from the game. The last time I went on blackjack tilt, I got up, walked around, and decided to play the $1 Wheel of Fortune slot. Two spins into the game I won $1,000. This is a prime example of why taking a break when you get frustrated can be a good thing.

Hopefully you take a few of these tips away with you to the casino. The sooner you learn basic strategy, the sooner the game of blackjack become a lot more fun.