Many gamblers believe they are great at playing blackjack and have no idea about misplayed hands. While this may be true for some, it is not so for others. Blackjack is not just a game of luck but a mental fight that involves fast decisions, sound math and smart strategies, all of which play a very significant role.
Even with this, the most confident players still make costly mistakes, thinking they’re playing correctly. These misplays are quite common and can confuse players. So, before you make any decisions when choosing a USA online blackjack casino, check out these top 5 most commonly misplayed hands.
The Pair of 9’s vs 9
When you get a pair of 9’s and the dealer pulls a 9 as well, your basic instinct will be to stand since he has the hard 18. However, as opposed to the norm, it is often better to split instead of standing in such situations. This is because when the player has a hard 18 against a 9, the chances of winning are 8 out of 20 which gives you great odds.
However, if you can strategically split the 9’s, then each hand will have a chance of winning 9.5 times out of every 20. So you see; misplaying lowers the odds by 1.5 and you must be careful to avoid this.
The 12 vs 3
In this case, players avoid a hit when dealt a 12 against the dealer’s 3. But if the dealer’s weaker card is a 3 and the tie is between your 12 and the dealer’s 3, then hitting is the right play.
To better understand why hitting is a better play than standing, you need to look at the percentages and the odds. When you have a 12, there are only four cards that can make the dealer go bust and five cards that can get him a seventeen to twenty-one. Therefore, it’s best to hit in this situation.
A further reason to hit is that with a 3, the dealer has a lesser chance of busting as a 3 is not as weak a card as you would think. Therefore, the best play is to hit rather than stand.
The 11 vs 10
This is a tricky one. When the dealer shows a 10, there is a higher chance that he will have a second face-down 10. So if you have an 11, you have a really strong chance of getting a 20 or 21 while the dealer still has to play out their hand.
When you double with an 11 against the dealer’s 10, you end up playing into the odds. This is because doubling would mean receiving one more card before automatically standing.
A 16 vs 10
Having a 16 against the dealer’s 10 is without doubt a bad blackjack hand. You are already in a losing situation, and a hit or stand will only make it worse. However, if this 16 is not a pair of 8’s, then it is best to surrender. This is why an advanced blackjack strategy will ask you to surrender a hard 16 if the option is available. But note that when you surrender, you lose about 50% of the bet.
Many players play wrong here by not surrendering, as they think they are giving away 50% of their money to the casino. On the contrary, with a hard 16, there is a probability of losing more than 50% if you do not surrender.
However, some casinos do not offer the surrender rule. In such cases, you may have to hit the 16 to make your position slightly better. This means that the right play is to double the bet so that you have a significantly higher return.
18 vs 10
The soft 18 usually feels like a winning hand until it is not. Players stand on it with the assumption that 18 is a hand that cannot be improved. However, standing on a soft 18 against the dealer’s 10 is a misplay.
An 18-hand is not a particularly strong hand, but standing on it can mean losing more hands than you win. That is why the right way to go is to hit on a soft 18. So, you should always hit on that soft 18 and give yourself the best chance of winning.
Final Words on Misplayed Hands in Blackjack
Yes, it’s true that no player is perfect. But you can become a better gambler by remembering the above-mentioned misplayed hands and avoiding them. So keep practising, take calculated risks and gamble responsibly to improve your odds of winning.
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